With over 259 million members in over 200 countries, LinkedIn is the leader in Professional Social Networking Sites. It provides a platform for members to network with other professionals in their industries, and potential employees and employers. Additionally, LinkedIn offers other features such as Groups, Company Pages, and University Pages, to enhance and organize brand awareness, as well as allow users to connect with brands they would like to work for or learn more about, and network with others looking to do the same. Over 30 million students and recent college graduates have a presence on LinkedIn, in addition to alumni, prospective students and employees, making it a powerful marketing tool actively used by many units within our university.

However, before delving into another social platform, ask yourself the following questions:

Who will manage this page? While a dedicated staff member is not required, someone should check the page daily.

How often will we be able to post and interact? At least twice a week is recommended. 

What will our content be like? Like any social network, LinkedIn requires unique content, not just shares or reposts.

 Do we have an established brand voice? Many departments and units already have a web or marketing voice, check with your social media primary before branching out. The University of Michigan has an established Company page and University page, as well as several sub-university pages and groups. In most cases, it will be in your unit’s best interest to send your content directly to the school and college level, or central university pages that possess established audiences.

Which type of LinkedIn resource is right for my organization?

Groups: Designed for interactions with a known audience, the Alumni Association has the largest group associated with our university, but there are several other groups on the platform. Much of the conversations center around careers, with additional discussions around university news, alumni connections and general news. Verification is required to participate and encourages discussion and connection between individuals, and occasionally page admins.

Company Pages: Brands can create Pages that users can “follow” in order to interact and receive updates. Many major organizations use Company Pages to attract and recruit potential employees, share news, and connect with consumers. Associated analytics highlight performance based on impressions, clicks, interactions, and engagement. Graphs are also available for reach and engagement, and can be broken down through organic and paid. Companies can also see the demographics of their followers by seniority, and view their follower counts against their competitors.

The University of Michigan uses our company page to post jobs, and share the latest campus and Ann Arbor community news. Other content includes rankings, research news, gift announcements, and major campus initiatives, with a primary audience of alumni and prospective employees. Potential employees can see updates about our university, open positions, similar institutions, and common connections that are employed by the university. It is only possible for a company, or university, to have one company page on LinkedIn. Therefore, if you have content you would like to appear on this page, please contact umsocial@umich.edu.

University Pages: Intended to provide a connection between prospective students, current students, alumni, and the University this most recent addition has a slightly different layout than the Company Pages. Followers see a spotlight of our outstanding alumni, breakdowns of what industry and career level they hold, and curated content about our university, student body, and community.

Any user may post on the page’s wall allowing for a strong sense of community and resulting in significantly higher amounts of followers, but also necessitating regular moderation. Posts from page administrators are focused on the university community, announcements, and accomplishments. Links to articles about professional advice or new research can also be found on University Pages. Content is unique and not duplicative of other pages, analytics are not yet offered.

Being the newest feature on Linkedin, many have created a presence on this page in hopes with connecting with this new audience. “Focusing more on higher education is a natural extension for LinkedIn, and one that opens up the company to a whole new territory of users–young people,” writes the Wall Street Journal’s Brian L. Fitzgerald. “LinkedIn says ‘smart, ambitious students are already thinking about their futures when they step foot into high school.’”

The social media team at New York University, another one of the early adopters of Linkedin University pages told us, “prospective students can see what NYU alumni are doing based on what they studied. As the pressure of ROI on a higher education degree increases, so too will the desire to know what individuals can go on to pursue with a potential degree.”

Posting on your Linkedin Page

If your unit is already active on Linkedin, keep the following in mind when creating content for your page. If your unit is considering creating a presence on Linkedin, contact umsocial@umich.edu for tips and guidelines.

• Be consistent: Your post should accurately reflect the University of Michigan brand, and voice of your department or unit.
• Be brief: While posts do not have a set character limit, we recommend posting no longer than a short paragraph, and always including a photo or link if possible.
• Speak as a team: Whether your page has one admin or ten, always speak as a team, and in your brand voice.
• Consider your audience: Your audience may not have a presence on Linkedin, thus, your unit will not need an individual presence on Linkedin, and can provide content to the pages with larger followings.
• Create a content calendar: Creating a content calendar will ensure you have enough content to fill your Linkedin page. We recommend two posts per week of original content. If you do not have enough content to fill your page, you can reevaluate your strategy and instead opt to provide content to the central university page.

Overall, Linkedin can be a helpful tool for marketing if used effectively. The University of Michigan’s central pages have garnered nearly 305K followers, and strategically deliver a wide variety of content to our audience. Have something you would like to be featured on our pages? Submit it here!