Leading the professional network industry is LinkedIn. If you haven’t yet joined or are mostly inactive on the social media platform, you might be more familiar with the likes of Facebook business pages.

Like Facebook, the platform has the option to create personal LinkedIn profiles as well as company profiles. However, when it comes to LinkedIn, many business owners are stumped at the first hurdle: do I create a company account or a personal one? The stats speak for themselves.

LinkedIn has around 830 million members and over 58 million registered companies. This alone shows that there are more personal pages on the platform than company pages.

If you’re a business owner, entrepreneur or executive, you probably have a company account on LinkedIn. It makes sense — it’s easier to manage your company’s reputation and track your employees’ activities on the platform. However, if you’re trying to build your personal brand and network with potential customers and partners, it may be time to consider making a personal profile.

When it comes to business and sales, think of that classic phrase: ‘people buy from people’. While a company page has its purpose, the personal profile offers a different set of advantages.

The benefits of a personal LinkedIn profile

Personal branding using LinkedIn

LinkedIn is where people go to find out more about you and what you can do for them. It’s where you can showcase your accomplishments, tell your story and connect with others who will help you grow professionally.

It’s a powerful tool for business, but your personal LinkedIn profile is also an influential way to build your personal brand. The key to success on LinkedIn is to use it as a platform for your own career, not just as an online CV.

Developing a personal brand can drive more traffic to your company’s page and generate leads that come through you, making you look great to your employer or colleagues.

One of the most personal social networks, LinkedIn offers great ways to share information and connect with new people. Your personal profile is an important part of your professional branding.

Your personal page should be formed from your perspective. It’s showcasing what work you are doing within the company, within your industry and within your local area. It should be formed around your thoughts and opinions and not only represent the company overall but also set you apart as an individual.

Personal profiles provide networking activities from your desk

From a networking and prospect perspective, using a personal LinkedIn profile is a wider scope and potential to do business with those who have a personal page vs a company page. It makes it easier to find the decision maker you need and contact them directly as opposed to seeking out the company page.

By using a personal LinkedIn profile as well as liking and sharing company content, you can create professional connections, gain access to business movers and shakers, and market yourself to people interested in your area of work.

Having your personal profile fully optimised can also help you be found more easily by your target audience. New tools and updates like Creator Mode have recently brought new opportunities to personal pages such as LinkedIn newsletters and LinkedIn Live.

There’s also a few handy background tools such as your SSI Score (social selling index) that can help you stay on track of your performance on the platform in comparison to others in your industry and within your network as a whole. You can still see stats on your company page, but this just goes to show how much more intricate the personal page is.

Personality allows you to connect on a deeper level

Other users are more likely to share or engage with posts that appear to be from an individual rather than a company. Think about it, if you see a post from Joe Schmoe and one from ABC Company, who are you more likely to comment on?

Companies that encourage their employees to use LinkedIn are onto a winner. For example, salespeople who use the site regularly and share quality content are 45% more likely to exceed their quota.

The sales benefit: having your team posting regularly showcasing what they do is a marketing strategy that can benefit your sales pipeline. For every interaction, comment or direct message your employees receive, this could be a prospect ready for your sales team.

By using your personal profile, it also allows you to use search, connecting and messaging tactics to find the right people for your network and target specific pools of prospects.

Why a company page on LinkedIn is worth it

Company pages act as a hub

The company page should act as a hub for your business. It’s similar to your website’s landing page for your target audience to find as and when they need your products or services.

While a personal profile is great for showing off who you are and building relationships, creating a company profile allows you to show your customers what services you provide and keep them updated on the latest news.

Posting content on here about the team, company news and updates, and direct content about the products and services you offer will be more valuable here. Just like your company’s other social media platforms.

You’ll be able to share company updates and use the company page to join group discussions that are relevant to your industry.

If you’re like most professionals, your company has its own LinkedIn profile that gets most of the attention from recruiters, hiring managers and other professionals in the industry in which you work.

Company LinkedIn profiles attract talent

Most people who are looking for jobs or are thinking about starting their own business are already on LinkedIn. A company page gives you the opportunity to showcase your brand, products and services to this audience.

Sharing content that showcases your brilliant team and the outstanding projects you’ve completed helps to attract new recruits, new business, and retain those already with you. This is a strategic way to amplify your brand, and company ethos, mission and vision.

Lead generation at your company’s fingertips

If you have an active company page, this will help you attract more traffic and drive conversions. This is because people get information about your products through your updates in news feeds or through ads.

With social media marketing being one of the most effective ways to grow your business, having a company page on LinkedIn will allow you to tap into this powerful platform at no cost whatsoever.

LinkedIn offers several ways to target your audience. You can use keywords, location and even the industry you work in to attract your ideal customers and clients. If you have a service-based business, this is a great way to meet potential clients and get them interested in what you do.

Company content for your LinkedIn audience

LinkedIn users are searching for trusted businesses who can either be the answer to their problems, or can team up with them to create lasting partnerships.

A way to build this trust with those targeted audiences on LinkedIn, is to generate content specially for them.

LinkedIn has become a social platform where people share content; articles, videos, infographics, and more. This means that if you create content on your company page, it will be seen by many people who could be interested in what you do and may even share it with their friends or followers.

This type of exposure is great for any business because it helps build brand awareness and drives traffic back to your website or landing page where they can learn more about what you do.

In conclusion

Platforms like LinkedIn can help with brand recognition and promoting your skills within a company. Personal profiles and company pages are to be managed very differently, but both have their benefits.

Having a company page on LinkedIn should be a given. It acts as a landing page for everything your brand does and cares about.

No matter your business size, consider making a LinkedIn profile for yourself, as well as for your company. Successful B2B marketing is always personal, so utilise the power of LinkedIn to connect more directly with your customers.

Use your personal profile to showcase your professional achievements and build the foundation of your professional brand.

Your personal LinkedIn profile is an extension of your company’s brand. It allows you to market yourself as an individual and learn about others beyond your circle of colleagues.