Word of mouth is a powerful tool and LinkedIN’s newest feature, Company Pages, will take full advantage of it. With Company Pages, social media users can recommend their favorite products and services, thereby helping businesses build their brands organically.
Company pages are free to set up and they’ll replace company profiles on LinkedIn. Every time a LinkedIn member endorses a company, their recommendation is visible to all of their connections. While the concept is not necessarily new–individuals “Like†or become fans of companies, products, and groups on Facebook–the idea triggers a different level of professional connectivity on LinkedIn.
The new feature, which also adds more visual elements within the layout, will help busy professionals make time-sensitive decisions on key purchases, according to Mountain View, California-based LinkedIn.
Additionally, LinkedIn’s network of 80 million professionals will be able to act as key influencers and/or curators of content within their areas of expertise, which will give them an opportunity to flex their credibility and professional skills among their networks. Similarly, companies can also brand their employees based on their intelligent recommendations.
LinkedIn is also launching two new types of ads that can be purchased across its network — Recruitment Ads, which leverage current employees as the voice of a company’s employment brand, and Recommendation Ads, which leverage satisfied customers as the voice of a company’s product brand. In other words, it will cost extra to add multiple videos or purchase additional ads to promote your brand.
The cost of these ads was not readily available but will be based on “budgets that work for our partners,” explained a company representative. LinkedIn members are free to recommend any company’s products or services if that company has a LinkedIn Company Page.
This poses a superb opportunity for companies and individuals who want to spread brand recognition, but it can also be a death sentence for companies who need a makeover. Right now, only 40 global companies, including Hewlett Packard, Microsoft, and Dell are participating in the initial launch, but the service will soon be available to all companies and small businesses by the end of the week.
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