LinkedIn Strategies for Small Businesses

LinkedIn is an oft-ignored marketing platform for small businesses. However, with the right content, the job-seeking giant can drive big results for your business through leads and conversions.

LinkedIn is a rewarding platform for both B2B and B2C businesses, but it can be a confusing one to get off the ground. Understanding your niche and audience is vital to creating quality content for this professional-focused network.

Why Small Businesses Need to be Active on LinkedIn

A LinkedIn presence is important for proving legitimacy as a small business. Frequent activity will show potential clients that a business is active, engaged, and depending on the content quality, it will reflect on a company’s professionalism.

According to Hootsuite, posts with images see 2x higher engagement, with larger photos garnering a 38% higher click-through rate (CTR). With LinkedIn posts having twice the conversion rate on average, compared to other platforms, performing well on LinkedIn can have a major impact on small business sales.

Choosing the Right Images for LinkedIn

Having an image alone isn’t enough to ensure you’re creating the best content for your audience. Make sure to follow LinkedIn’s best practices for images to get the most out of your posts. LinkedIn recommends at least one image with each post, but has found that carousels can also perform well when done correctly. Here are some helpful tips when building out your posts:

• Image Size: Social media usage is overwhelming on mobile. While LinkedIn is more balanced than other sites, nearly 60% of its user base is primarily on mobile. As a result, sizing images appropriately allows you to use the most “screen real estate” possible. This gives your content the best opportunity to capture viewers’ attentions. While image sizing differs by platform, on LinkedIn images should be sized at 1200x627px.
• Image Quality: Low-quality images can reflect poorly on your business. Images with too low resolution can appear blurry and pixelated. Cluttered images can have a similar effect that could drive potential clients away.
• Image Type: Don’t feel confined to company logos and branding. Within the competitive social media landscape, any advantages you can use to bolster your content can go a long way in driving engagement. Mix in quality stock photography, quotes, and infographics to keep your followers engaged. Videos also perform well on LinkedIn, including 7x more reactions and 24x more comments on live streams.
• Carousels: For image carousels, use visual storytelling to push followers through the images. Keep a consistent style or theme throughout the post. When possible, end with a call-to-action.

Resize images in Shutterstock Create

Shutterstock Create makes it easy to resize and export images in minutes to fit the exact specifications of social media networks. 

In this example, we’ll teach you how resize an image in Shutterstock Create to the recommended size for LinkedIn.

To get started in Shutterstock Create:

1. Open a new document in your desired dimensions. For LinkedIn, the standard dimensions are 1200px x 627px. 
2. Drag and drop your image into the document.
3. Under “Canvas” select “Resize canvas.”
4. Using the dropdown menu, you can select from multiple preset sizes. If none of these match your needs, you can also input a custom size using the fields below the dropdown. For this example, navigate to the dropdown menu and select “LinkedIn Post.”
5. Within the document, use the highlighted section to select which part of the image you want to feature. 
6. To adjust the image:
   1. On the top menu, select “Adjust.”
   2. Use the “Auto Adjust” feature to automatically apply basic edits to your image including color, sharpening, and exposure.
   3. Navigate to the “Advanced Adjust” or “Touch Up” sections to fine-tune your edits. 
   4. If you’d like to adjust the image crop, you can select “Reposition Image” from the top menu. Drag your image until you are happy with the results.
7. When you’re ready, select the “Download” button and export as a .JPEG or .PNG file. 

Posting the Image to LinkedIn:

1. Select the “+” icon on LinkedIn to create a post.
2. In the dropdown menu, select “Add a photo.”
3. From your photo library, select the saved image.
4. Using LinkedIn’s in-app editing, make any final adjustments to the image as desired.
5. From the bottom menu, select the “Tag” icon and tag any people as necessary. Tagging businesses and users can help improve the reach of your post.
6. On the bottom-right, select “ALT” to add any alt text to describe the image to people who have visual impairments. If you do not add alt text, LinkedIn may automatically generate it for you.
7. Once the image is finalized, click “Done” to return to the post editor.
8. Add your caption and hashtags.
9. Click “Post.”
10. If you’re not ready to post yet, you can also “Save as Draft” to come back to it later.

License this cover image via Huza Studio.