The Quick Guide to LinkedIn Stories
Chris Mulvaney is the CEO of CMDS. I make things... I’m the creative entrepreneur with passion for (re)making brands and inventing solutions to problems no one knows exist.
The Quick Guide to LinkedIn Stories
For many, LinkedIn is widely seen as a digital resume and networking tool. But, recently following in the footsteps of Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook, they have just launched LinkedIn Stories.
While LinkedIn Stories may sound like an odd fit for the professional platform, it brings more engagement and advertising opportunities for brands.
LinkedIn Stories: A New Conversational Format
Business communication doesn’t always have to be so formal and buttoned up. Just think about your conversations with certain co-workers. Of course, you talk shop and focus on work tasks and upcoming projects, but you also make time for light-hearted conversations and even jokes (we hope). So, why shouldn’t those conversations extend outside the workplace and across your digital networks, too? Can that exist in the business world?
LinkedIn is confident it can.
Earlier this year, Pete Davies, LinkedIn’s Senior Director of Product Management, explained:
“We’re never done meeting our members where their voices are. Last year, we started asking ourselves what Stories might look like in a professional context. Stories first appeared on Snapchat, with other platforms like Instagram and Facebook adopting them soon after. They spread for a good reason: they offer a lightweight, fun way to share an update without it having to be perfect or attached to your profile forever.”
It’s clear that more conversations are taking place in the LinkedIn feed than ever before (with a 25% year-over-year increase in engagement). Whether individuals are sharing lessons learned from a job, collaborating to make a new purchase or connecting with others after a tragedy, people are looking for new ways to connect online.
Across other social media channels, stories have become the new norm, allowing users to share their content “in the moment” rather than committing to a permanent post. We’re confident that LinkedIn Stories will offer massive opportunities for brands to create a stronger, more engaged dialogue with their audience.
What Are LinkedIn Stories?
Although Stories is only available to LinkedIn users in a handful of countries right now (including the USA for individual profiles – not yet Pages), it will continue to be rolled out after testing is complete. According to LinkedIn, “Stories will be made available to LinkedIn Pages gradually. If you’re a Page admin based in one of the above-mentioned countries, and your Stories section includes your individual profile but not your Page profile, it means that LinkedIn Stories is not yet available for your Page. Please check back in the coming weeks.”
Here are a few things you’ll need to know when it’s available on your profile:
- Similar to Facebook and Instagram, LinkedIn Stories allows users to post updates that can only be shared for 24 hours.
- LinkedIn allows users to track insights such as Reach (total number of unique viewers) and Firmographics (name, job title, and company).
- Let your personality shine and genuinely connect with followers.
- Use your best judgement on LinkedIn. In other words, don’t treat it like Instagram. Avoid posting anything you wouldn’t want your boss to see.
Refine Your Social Strategy
Not sure how LinkedIn Stories will help grow your business?
Here are a few ideas to get started:
- Host a live Q&A
- Tease upcoming products and service offerings
- Give followers a sneak peak into company culture – put a face on your brand
- Use the insights to learn more about your audience
- Showcase case studies
- Create extra publicity around events
- Share announcements and news about your company
- Transfer blog content to bite-sized story formats
- Provide insight on industry-related trends and news
In the end, it all comes back to content.
At CMDS, we’re excited to see what kind of engagement these small, snackable bites bring on LinkedIn. With the right strategy, LinkedIn Stories can be an effective tool to engage with and build relationships with followers.
It’s hard not to agree with Pete Davis when he states, “I’m excited to see how Stories will bring creativity and authenticity to the ways that members share more of their work life, so that they can build and nurture the relationships necessary to become more productive and successful.”
If you’re on LinkedIn, you need to start thinking about your strategy to share images and short videos of your professional moments. It’s time to get in on that action.
If you need some direction refining your social media strategy, we can help. Call us at 732-706-5555 to get the conversation started.
