LinkedIn never disappoints in maintaining their reputation of evolution and regular updates. The last quarter of 2021 saw a stellar array of changes and content features introduced. Then, bingo, just in the first week of January, breaking news burst of more exciting tools being rolled out.
There are many avenues and content formats for small businesses to build their network, visibility and position their expertise on LinkedIn. It’s often noisy with target market attraction, conversations, influence and conversions the name of the game.
The new features and content tools below give small businesses a more equitable playing field and real leg up to leverage LinkedIn in 2022.
Audio and video events
LinkedIn just announced they are rolling out their Audio Event tool. A powerful rival to Clubhouse, Audio is currently in Beta testing mode with successful reports of seamless interactivity and delivery. It’s anticipated that it will be launched to all members within the next few months.
The capability of LinkedIn Audio events is multifaceted enabling real time conversations and instant access to members’ profiles directly.
The next iteration of the on platform Events evolution will be the Virtual Video Event tool. This provides the capability of listing, hosting and marketing interactive virtual events without the need to have a third party external software tool. The platform provides all technical systems on the platform.
Embedded tools for attendees and hosts to speak to each other in real time and moderate conversations with two-way discussions between participants will deliver powerful user experiences. This will seemingly be in competition with Zoom and other video conferencing tools facilitating national and global networking. Running Audio and Video events are free features for all members. I believe it’s also in the wings that a paid ticketing paid functionality may be added later in the year. Watch this space indeed!
Newsletters
LinkedIn Newsletters, once available only to a select few are now becoming available to everyone who has activated Creator Mode (a nifty feature for members who publish regular content).
Sitting in articles, Newsletters are subscriber-based which upticks reader commitment and engagement to the next level. You can use all multimedia, hyperlinks and images to deliver a long form and rich reader experience. Newsletters and articles are also indexed by Google (unlike posts) so receive great SEO juice.
When a member publishes their first Newsletter, every person in their network receives an invitation to subscribe. This is a once-only and once subscribed they will receive a notification every time a new issue is published. Again, a game changer that will give small businesses the platform to showcase the depth of their brand and services.
Creator subscribe – bell notification
One of the bugbears of LinkedIn was not being able to nominate which members we wanted to receive content notifications from. Then suddenly in December a grey little bell appeared on the top of profiles next to the name field to activate. You must either be a Connection or Follow a member to see the bell and turn it on.
It’s still being tweaked and glitches ironed out as it integrates with how Settings and Notifications are configured. Stay tuned for how this continues rolling out as the concept is brilliant to build loyalty and trust.
Integration for success
The above tools are exciting game changers on top of a host of other search, profile and analytics updates introduced the last six months. The best results will derive from a combination of an outstanding and inspiring personal profile alongside a commitment to targeted research, engagement and connection strategies.
Be brave in 2022, experiment widely, and champion your expertise and voice whilst having fun in the process.
DARE Group Australia is a valued content partner of Inside Small Business
