If you follow our blog, then you know we are big fans of LinkedIn and like to keep readers up to date on their latest features. Over
the past several months, LinkedIn has tried out multiple new tools in a limited capacity. Now, they are rolling out these features on a wider basis so that firms of all sizes can take advantage. Here’s what legal marketers need to know about the newest LinkedIn features for law firms.
LinkedIn Features for Law Firms
New Post Template Availability
One of the big changes is that LinkedIn is now offering new post templates to all company pages. These layouts provide a range of visual enhancements for your LinkedIn updates, which could allow them to stand out in viewers’ feeds. Originally, LinkedIn released these templates to individual users only. Now anyone with a company page can use them. Here is what LinkedIn has to say about this feature: “Create engaging, actionable LinkedIn content easier than ever with customizable templates, available directly in the LinkedIn app, with no third-party tools required.”
Some people have criticized the templates saying that they don’t really match the look and feel of LinkedIn in general. However, in recent years, LinkedIn has become more personal for many users. We are seeing more posts mirroring social media activity typical of Facebook and other platforms with updates that are less concerned with professional aspects. Whatever direction LinkedIn is moving, it’s working – they recently reported record levels of engagement in the app. You can get to the post templates by going to the “use template” option in the post composer menu.
Company Pages Can Pin Comments
One of the best new developments is the ability of company pages to pin comments beneath their brand posts. This feature was also rolled out within the past few months, and many users have already noticed this option in the app. Use this feature to boost interactions by pinning the comment with the most engagement at the very top of the reply chain. You can also use pinned comments to highlight top fans and generate more focused engagement on specific posts. LinkedIn company pages can also pin an update for a similar reason.
The Addition of Link Stickers
Another effort LinkedIn has undertaken is releasing link stickers to company pages, which may help to drive more direct responses
to the updates you post. Link stickers are images overlaid with text that you can place on images anywhere in the frame, in variable sizes. This feature is already available on Instagram and Facebook Stories, so users are likely familiar with it. Link stickers provide a simple way to add another link to your posts in order to generate engagement or next steps. This is likely to be a powerful way to drive traffic from the LinkedIn feed. Right now you can only add the link stickers via the mobile version of the app. You can find the options in the post-creation tools within the app.
“Our Featured Commitments” Option
Finally, you’ll notice that LinkedIn has added a new section for company pages, called “Our featured commitments”. Firms can use this space to highlight the values that are most important to them. In today’s market, job seekers as well as potential clients and partners are evaluating companies based on their mission and values. People want to understand where firms stand on the issues that are important to them, such as sustainability or work-life balance. LinkedIn has stated that enabling companies to highlight these commitments will provide greater insights and connections. Firms can include up to five commitments in this featured section. You can also publish content that supports these commitments in a sub-panel in the “About” section of your page.
Takeaway:
Overall, these are some very handy updates that firms will want to take advantage of. LinkedIn page managers should take time over the next few weeks to experiment with the different features and then pay attention to analytics to see if they are making an impact. Make sure to follow our blog to get the latest updates on all of the latest social media updates. We pay close attention to the newest features and how they might affect your firm so that you don’t have to.
