How LinkedIn Company Pages can help when employees are anxious about posting
When I was young, I spent a lot of time with my Grandma. She had a significant impact on my life. This is where my love for both gardening and words came from. We spent hours and hours together; actually, years is more accurate, reading and playing word games like Scrabble and Boggle. She would never take it easy and let me win for the record.
She would also buy me books for every birthday and Christmas and always encouraged me to look up new words in a dictionary. No doubt this is where my love of words came from and storytelling.
Fast forward, and now I earn a living from writing for my business and others. It is something that comes very naturally. However, I’ve spent eight years refining my craft and always looking for ways to improve and try new things.
I’ve had enough conversations and run enough training sessions to know this confidence doesn’t come easily to everyone. The lack of confidence can come from
- Fear of trolls.
- Having English as a second language.
- Anxiety around what peers will think.
- Worried employer won’t take kindly.
Being a business owner doesn’t make you immune to this.
What is the 1% rule and why do business owners need to know about it?
Have you ever heard of the 1% rule as it relates to internet culture? No problem if you haven’t; this rule of thumb is quite simple to learn. It’s as easy as 90-9-1.
Picture any online community; we will use LinkedIn as an example –
90% of users will be “Observers”, aka the lurkers. Characteristics of the observers are that they don’t produce content, no likes, and no comments. Invisible but present. They are the ultimate consumer of content.
9% of users will participate in other people’s content aka “Contributors”. Characteristics of contributors are predominately they like and comment only. Rarely create content, if ever.
1% of users will be content “Creators”. Characteristics of creators are they regularly produce content for others to consume.
More details can be found at this Wiki link here.
What does the 1% rule mean for your business?
There are two key points that I want you to take away from the 1% rule when it comes to getting more out of LinkedIn for your business.
Being a business owner doesn’t automatically guarantee you will also be in the 1% of content creators.
You can’t assume your employees are in the 1% either. Statistically, they are more likely to fall into the 99% majority.
This is important to understand as it will impact your company and personal brand. For example, you can’t force employees to create content and become “employee advocates” just because you say so.
The fact you pay employees a wage doesn’t change things. Another example is that a subject matter expert who sets up their consultancy business doesn’t instantly become a social media expert.
How can you build your company brand on LinkedIn if no one is comfortable creating content?
I understand many businesses operate without the luxury of a digital marketing resource. If you have done a quick assessment of your business and are getting worried you don’t have any creators in your team; it’s not all doom and gloom. Having awareness makes it easy to take action.
When assessing your employees, look beyond those currently active on LinkedIn. Other places you can look for potential creators –
- Subject matter experts that write technical papers.
- Sales team members that are always doing presentations, customer visits, and demonstrations.
- Look for a team member that is active on other social media platforms like Instagram or TikTok.
- It could be someone in the office that always seems to grab photos of what is happening around the office, warehouse, deliveries, birthdays etc
- Don’t miss the obvious and ask if anyone is interested in learning more about LinkedIn and building not just the company brand but also their personal brand. You never know who might put their hand up.
If you are a solopreneur and not comfortable, there is still hope.
My goal in 2022 is to empower more businesses to get noticed on LinkedIn and attract opportunities to propel their growth and create more employment. MJR
LinkedIn Company Pages to the rescue
It’s no secret I’m a huge fan of LinkedIn Company Pages. Sometimes for reasons beyond what you may assume. They are a really great place to slowly start your business journey on LinkedIn. It’s the perfect training ground.
When I do corporate training, I aim to empower employees to move from the 90% Observer category into the 9% Contributor or 1% Creator.
My Top 5 Reasons LinkedIn Company Pages Empower Employees
1) Create content anonymously as a Page Admin
This can be a great place to start as it removes the anxiety that can often come with the fear of judgement.
2) Multiple Page Admins
you can assign and rotate multiple Page Admins. This allows you to use the best skills and styles from all within the team. It’s much easier to get one post here and there than perhaps asking for a regular commitment.
3) My Company Tab
If your company has ten employees or more, you have access to the My Company Tab. The business can use this to create content that employees can post on their personal accounts. It has the ease of a share minus the poor reach. This way, those that are comfortable posting but not comfortable writing can contribute.
4) Notify Employees Button
This is one of my favourite tools that can help move people from Observers to Contributors. Just ask employees when they receive the notification to “like” the post as soon as practical. If they can comment also, that’s great but don’t force the issue.
5) Outsource LinkedIn Company Page Management
LinkedIn makes it easy to assign third party Page Admins. If you need help to get this process up and running, reach out to Good Trading Co, who can help oversee and offer guidance.
Remember, small incremental wins compound over time. Don’t force the issue in the beginning.
Want to speed up the process?
If you are the business owner, CEO or manager, it’s on you to put in place systems for recognition and reward. Employees don’t owe you anything and certainly don’t take them for granted! I can’t stress this point enough.
LinkedIn Training is an investment in your business success
The fastest way to empower your employees is to invest in them and provide training. Yes, you can muddle your way through, but in my experience, most people will give up. Having proven systems that are efficient and minimise time spent will always have good payback.
Good Trading Co offers training that covers building both company and personal brands on LinkedIn. Our LinkedIn Masterclasses that run for approx 2 hours will ensure your team is knowledgeable, have a clear strategy and can utilise the free tools of LinkedIn.
If you want to know more about Linkedin Company Pages and are not quite ready to invest in training, please consider purchasing Business Gold. The world’s first book devoted to LinkedIn Company Pages. Buy on Amazon here.
Book a free 15 min intro call if you are serious about growing your business and know that having a LinkedIn coach on your side will make all the difference. Book here.
Good Vibes
MJR 😀
Michelle J Raymond is the Chief LinkedIn Strategist at Good Trading Co and a founding member of the LinkedIn Small Business Advisory Council for LinkedIn Pages. Michelle specialises in helping small to medium business owners make a real impact in business. As a leading global authority on LinkedIn Pages, her passion is to change the world by doing good business with good people.
