It was bound to happen! Instagram, Pinterest, WhatsApp, Facebook and Snapchat already had this feature on its platform. It would only make sense for LinkedIn, the largest social media platform for B2B users, to join the club.
Just a little over a month ago, LinkedIn announced its latest feature – LinkedIn Stories. The feature can be accessed using the latest version of the social network app. For those who have never heard of Stories, they are 10-second video and photo clips that are shared by users on social media platforms. The feature also allows users to add text overlays, mention accounts, share a question of the day, and add a range of stickers.
Stories can be added and viewed in the LinkedIn app (source: LinkedIn.com)
Thousands of businesses are already taking advantage of the feature. They are sharing professional updates with their followers and using it for both branding and lead generation purposes. The feature could not have come at a better time for brands who have experienced hardship due to CoVID and social distancing limitations.
Interested in building or expanding your brand using the new tool? Read on. Our agency, specialized in helping businesses with digital marketing in Toronto, shares with you 4 ways you can use LinkedIn Stories to advance your brand’s name.
4 Easy Ways to Build Your Online Brand Using LinkedIn Stories Right Now | Digital Marketing Toronto
1. Share Real-Time (and Heartfelt) News and Messages
LinkedIn Stories is a great opportunity to give consumers a glimpse into your business and the people that work in it. This is also your opportunity to shine and make you and your brand look human. Share a milestone. Highlight professional achievements. Communicate a message from one of your front-line staff. Remember you only have 10 seconds, so make every second count.
2. Host a Corporate Q&A
Hosting a live corporate Q&A with a staff member or senior executive is another great way to make your brand look authentic and human like. You may want to collect a list of questions or concerns that consumers may have in advance. This could either be done through a short survey or through direct messages. Consumers will want to tune in and not to miss the Q&A session, especially if they have the same questions. The more questions you answer, the more opportunities you will have to build your brand affinity and increase conversions.
3. Inspire others with Emotional Storytelling
In a world that is saturated with data and shrinking attention span, emotional storytelling has never been more important. Not only can it grab our attention, but it can change our brain’s chemistry as well. Our minds wander by nature. We tend to daydream a lot. However, numerous studies show that that the more we connect to what we read, listen and watch, the more engaged we are and the less our mind wanders.
Example of LinkedIn Stories ( source: The Drum)
Use emotional storytelling to tell a professional story and to explain something valuable learned from it. Stories may include overcoming a major obstacle or dealing with a toxic situation. If you could relate it to a trending topic on social media, even better. Consumers will have similar experiences and will enjoy hearing solidarity within the business world.
4. Share Customer Testimonial Stories
Customer testimonials are one of the most powerful trust signals you can use on LinkedIn. There’s no better way to do it than through LinkedIn stories. Sending a customer testimonial through LinkedIn Stories will add legitimacy to your LinkedIn profile and make people want to buy from you. A consumer watching the video will feel more comfortable making a purchase if they know that other people made similar buys and were happy about it.
