New LinkedIn Company Pages Tailored for Inbound Marketing Success

LinkedIn is changing again! For those of you who are heavy users of the business-based social media network, you have no doubt been experiencing the nearly constant rollout of newly designed pages and features for the past few months. The next big change is just around the corner.

The LinkedIn company page is getting a major upate and you have until Nov. 30 to prepare your business for the change.

News of the impending change was published on the LinkedIn company blog recently, though no timetable for the changes were announced, other than the Nov. 30 deadline when the company will automatically switch pages over to the new format if they have not already been updated. As for when most folks would be able to get into their page, LinkedIn said selected companies such as Dell or Citi would have early access to the redesign, and the changes would be filtering out from there.

The new look will no doubt be welcome aesthetically, as the current design, while functional, isn't much to look at. LinkedIn is promising the new pages will make it easier for users to access the information they want about the companies they care about. For companies, the new look promises a more powerful way to build relationships with your target audience on LinkedIn.

While the when of access to the new design has not been nailed down, the what of the new features has been circulating for a few days. New additions include:

• A larger banner image for your company (now 974 x 240 pixels), and you can now make it a link to your company's website or other destination
• A company headline and tagline
• A shorter company description - 500 characters instead of 3,000. However, you can now add pictures, video and social media links to this section to drive traffic to your website and other social media profiles
• The ability to add employee testimonials
• The ability to add images, video and additional links to your custom module

In other words, it's a thorough refresh with the chance to add a lot of new elements that can further drive traffic to your company website. If you have been following our blog for any length of time, you know we are big advocates of LinkedIn for attracting prospects and leads, and these tools should make it even more effective.

Here is an example of a recently converted page:

To see if your page is ready for an upgrade, go to your company page and check your administrative tools. If you see the phrase "Upgrade to New Version," you can begin to upgrade your page. Check often so you don't miss the opportunity.

According to LinkedIn, the benefits of the new design include:

• Easier navigation to find exactly what you are looking for, whether it’s company news and information, career opportunities, products and services, or insights
• Easier sharing of comments, likes, and other relevant company updates with your professional network
• Improved targeting of status updates and job opportunities to the right targets on LinkedIn
• Improved ability to showcase company’s products, services and career opportunities to members visiting a Company Page

LinkedIn was already an important social media tool for lead generation and the redesign seems to have improved its use as an Inbound Marketing tool. To learn more about using social media to attract relevant prospects to your business, check out our Step-by-Step Guide to Inbound Marketing.