There is a great controversy going on in the LinkedIn community over whether companies and organizations should have an official page. Most professionals today have a personal profile, which started as an online resume, but today is a virtual business card.
But, private companies and public organizations were late to jump on this wagon as they considered it, at first, a step below themselves – after all, LinkedIn started as recruiting platform and these entities already had a shining website. So, why a LinkedIn official page, too? I must admit that at that time, they were right. But, today, there are so many websites that finding the one you need can be a bit time consuming, if not confusing.
So, at least in my animal nutrition circle, most companies and organizations already have their own official page, but in most cases it is just a place holder that directs interested viewers to their official website. This is better than nothing, but still, many users do not want to leave the platform to visit another website. It is my experience, and even personal preference, that I would like to receive my daily “feed” of related industry news from the same platform. Some entities have already picked up this attitude and, although they still direct traffic to their own websites, at least they offer a snippet of information right there on the spot.
I use a mix of both. I publish my blogs and articles here on Feed Strategy. But, I have long cross-posted them on Linkedin with perhaps a line or two and a link back to the original blog and article. At the same time, I often share personal professional experiences just on LinkedIn, and lately, I have even established my own official page. There, I find it more appropriate to discuss the benefits of my products and work, and even more importantly about the success stories from my own customers. So, there is a good mix of everything. And, this was a surprise to me as in less than a few months I have now almost 1,000 followers to my page, and not everyone comes from my 6,000+ personal profile contacts.
