Last week LinkedIn announced that companies now have the ability to share news with followers of their LinkedIn Company Pages through Status Updates. This ability has been given to administrators of the Company Pages, and the updates appear as coming from the company rather than the individual.
Share a status update as your company
This marks a change in the visibility of companies in the LinkedIn space. Giving companies the means to communicate and interact with followers brings the LinkedIn Company Pages a little more on par with Facebook’s Business Pages or even Twitter (where companies have always been able to share updates). Previously, the Company Pages were virtually static placeholders.
As you can see below, the status update now shows up in your network activity on your home page as coming from the company instead of an individual.
Status update shows up in your network activity as coming from the company
What does this mean for business owners on LinkedIn? The Company Page status updates present an opportunity and a challenge. My company appreciates the opportunity to increase our visibility and engagement through our Company Page. However, we are now challenged to further develop our page, increase our follower base and also deliver content that will be engaging and helpful.
If you do not have a Company Page yet, now would be the time to build one. To build a company page, click on “Companies” in the main navigation. Look to the top right and you’ll see a link called “Add a Company”. It’s a step-by-step process from there.
I haven’t heard that LinkedIn has plans to add more features to the Company Pages, but this may be the beginning of a focus on encouraging companies to build a greater presence on the platform.