Getting started with LinkedIn for small businesses

When it comes to digital marketing, small business owners often turn to platforms like Instagram and Facebook to build brand awareness and engage with customers. While these channels can be effective, LinkedIn offers unique opportunities that are sometimes overlooked – especially for businesses aiming to connect with other professionals, grow their network, or establish authority in their industry.

Unlike other social platforms, LinkedIn is purpose-built for business connections. It’s a place where you can showcase your expertise, attract potential clients, recruit team members, and build meaningful partnerships. All in one place.

If you’re looking for a powerful yet often underused channel to support your growth, this guide will walk you through the benefits of LinkedIn and how to make it work for your small business.

Is LinkedIn good for small businesses?

Yes, LinkedIn is a powerful yet often underutilised asset for small business growth. It’s an excellent platform for building trust and fostering valuable professional connections – two essential elements for businesses looking to expand their reach.

You can enhance your brand credibility by creating a well-optimised company profile that includes a professional logo, compelling business description, and consistent, high-quality content your audience can rely on. LinkedIn also allows you to share customer testimonials and company updates, further strengthening your brand’s authority and reputation.

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LinkedIn is the only major social media platform designed specifically for business relationships. You can connect with suppliers, partners, investors, and even future team members.

Unlike other platforms, it’s not unusual to reach out to someone you’ve never met on LinkedIn – in fact, it’s expected. If you’re new to LinkedIn, start by engaging with other people’s content you find interesting and join industry groups to grow your network organically.

How to set up a LinkedIn account for your small business

Setting up a LinkedIn account for your business is quick and easy – it takes just four steps.

1. Log in to your personal LinkedIn account

You’ll need a personal account before setting up a company page on LinkedIn. Log in to your personal account, select ‘For Business’ in the top right-hand corner, and navigate to the bottom of the drop-down menu. There, you’ll see ‘Create a Company Page’ with a plus sign beside it.

2. Choose a page type

You’ll then see the following page options:

• Company (for small, medium, and large businesses)
• Showcase page (sub-pages associated with an existing page)
• Educational institutions (schools and universities) 

Select ‘Company’. You may see ‘Small Business’ here instead, depending on your location.

3. Enter your company details

Insert your: 

• Organisation’s name
• LinkedIn URL (this will auto-populate after entering your company name, but you may need to amend it if the URL is taken)
• Business website address
• Industry
• Company size
• Organisation type 

As you add this information, the page preview on the right-hand side will populate, showing you what your business page will look like once it’s active.

Make sure all information is accurate and matches what’s on your website and other public channels.

You can also add your logo and tagline in this step. These fields are optional, but we strongly recommend including them to optimise your page and boost discoverability and credibility.

4. Preview and publish

Review your information and click ‘Create page’ when ready.

LinkedIn marketing tips

Once your page is live, here’s how to optimise it for maximum discoverability and authority.

1. Use keywords wisely

Your tagline and ‘About’ section should include relevant keywords your target audience might search for. This will help users find your LinkedIn profile in-app and search engine results.

2. Write a clear ‘About’ section

LinkedIn is the perfect place to tell your story in an engaging way. Tell your audience who you are, what you do, and why your business matters.

Adding your personal story as a founder is also a good idea. Explain what inspired you to start your company, what problems you wanted to solve, and what your long-term ambitions are for the business.

3. Use high-quality images

Blurred or low-resolution images appear unprofessional. To boost credibility, display clear, high-quality assets on your LinkedIn profile, including your logo, team photos, or product illustrations.

4. Post regular, valuable content

Frequency and relevance are key to success on any social media channel. Aim to post on LinkedIn at least once a week; three times a week is optimal.

Content that performs well on LinkedIn includes industry insights, commercial and employee achievements, business updates, behind-the-scenes videos, and FAQs. It’s worth sharing these posts on both your personal and business profiles.

If posting three times a week sounds unrealistic, use apps like Hootsuite or Buffer to speed things up. These apps allow you to schedule posts in advance and curate optimised content with AI assistance in one place.

5. Encourage employee engagement

Ask team members to follow your company’s LinkedIn page and like, comment on, and share your posts. Activity is a huge visibility driver; not only will it help attract attention and spark interaction, but it will also enhance employee engagement in your business.

What is the 3-2-1 rule on LinkedIn?

The 3-2-1 rule is a practical and straightforward content strategy that helps build consistency and engagement on LinkedIn. Here’s how it works:

• 3 – Engage with three posts. This involves reacting to, commenting on, and sharing three posts from people in your network, helping build rapport.
• 2 – Post twice a week. Whether it’s original content or your take on someone else’s post, aim to publish two pieces of content a week.
• 1 – Make one new connection per week. Reach out to a potential client, partner, or industry leader with a friendly, personalised note.

Whether you’re new to LinkedIn or have some experience with the platform, the 3-2-1 rule makes posting, engaging, and promoting more digestible. Why not give it a try and share your first post this week?

Examples of LinkedIn content strategies that work

Are you unsure what to post on LinkedIn or what content your followers will find interesting? Here are a few strategies to inspire you.

Product announcements or demonstrations

LinkedIn is ideal for informing your audience about new products and services. Unlike other social media platforms, longer, detailed posts are suitable on LinkedIn, as users use this channel to learn.

Here’s an example of how Monzo announced a new app feature on LinkedIn:

Why it works: The post immediately hooks the reader by highlighting the new Monzo app feature. It also showcases the feature in action in a brief video. Not only does this demonstrate how the service works, but it’s also a dynamic content type that interests and engages users. As a result, the post received over 1,700 reactions, 80 comments, and over 50 reposts.

Opinion posts

Insights and opinions go a long way on LinkedIn. Here’s an example of a thoughtful LinkedIn post from 1st Formations’ CEO, Graeme Donnelly.

Why it works: Opinions and stories are thought-provoking and encourage like-minded people to interact with your posts. They will resonate with the right audience, making them likely to comment, offer their perspective, and share the post with others.

Donnelly’s 5-Minute Founder series features personal experiences and perspectives, valuable quotes, and a call to action (CTA). This particular post has attracted over 100 reactions and even a notable repost from investor and entrepreneur Deborah Meaden.

Business news or achievements

Have you reached a significant milestone? Share it on LinkedIn. Not only do your followers want to celebrate your successes with you, but posting about your achievements can significantly improve your brand’s reputation.

Take a look at this example post from the visionary founders of the health and fitness startup Runna:

Why it works: Just two lines and an emoji generated over 850 impressions. New partnerships, product launches, and other exciting achievements indicate growth, and people want to connect with brands that are doing well. These types of posts are excellent for increasing brand awareness and community building.

We also recommend:

• Questions and polls – Asking your audience direct questions on LinkedIn is one of the most effective ways to drive engagement and gather data.
• Staff events – While LinkedIn is a professional platform, users want to see posts that bring a brand and its culture to life. Don’t be afraid to share content like staff events.
• Carousel posts – Share multiple media types in one post with carousels. These are only available as sponsored ads on LinkedIn, but they can be valuable for generating interest through various media assets.

Common mistakes small businesses make on LinkedIn

Getting started on any social media channel can be daunting for a small business owner, especially if you have little or no experience in this area. Avoiding these common mistakes will help you get the most out of LinkedIn and speed up success.

Overly promotional posts

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is focusing solely on sales – this is not LinkedIn’s purpose. This platform is primarily for building business connections. It’s about communities, networking, and education.

If every post you share aims to boost sales, it can turn followers off, making your brand seem self-serving rather than community-oriented. Instead, make your content primarily informative or entertaining.

Irregular activity

A consistent social media presence indicates that a business is active and engaged. For a small business, it also signifies legitimacy and trust. In contrast, a company page with few sporadic updates suggests a lack of professionalism and that the business isn’t operating at full capacity.

Avoid this mistake by creating a regular posting schedule and sticking to it. If you’re struggling with content ideas, try repurposing existing content (like blogs or case studies).

No CTA

A CTA invites engagement. Without it, people will simply read your post and leave, generating zero value for you or your business. Give them a reason to stay with a meaningful CTA, such as:

• A question to answer in the comments
• An embedded link that redirects them to a relevant page (such as your company website)
• A button that prompts readers to follow, make a purchase, complete a form, learn more, or download a document

CTAs work best when they’re specific, actionable, and relevant. Also, avoid promoting more than one CTA per post, as this makes your end goal unclear.

Misalignment between personal and brand messaging

If your teams or senior leaders post on LinkedIn with a tone or message that conflicts with your brand, it can confuse and weaken your brand’s identity.

Develop tone of voice guidelines that set clear messaging standards for personal and branded posts to avoid this common mistake.

That doesn’t mean you can’t cross-promote content on LinkedIn; as long as the profiles are authentic and the messaging aligns, personal profiles are a powerful way to drive traffic to company pages.

Should you put a business owner on LinkedIn?

Yes. Putting a business owner on LinkedIn humanises the brand and enhances authenticity.

This is also an SEO-friendly strategy for small businesses looking to grow on LinkedIn. That’s because LinkedIn favours personal profiles over branded pages. So, regular, valuable engagement from the business owner can help get your brand noticed.

One entrepreneur with first-hand experience of LinkedIn’s power on small businesses is Graeme Donnelly, CEO and Founder of 1st Formations. Donnelly recommends:

A founder’s presence on LinkedIn is essential. When business owners actively engage on the platform, it fosters trust and credibility, making it easier for customers, partners, and investors to relate to and believe in the business.

Final LinkedIn tips to maximise your small business impact

Here are some advanced tips small business owners should prioritise when getting started on LinkedIn:

• Use LinkedIn Analytics for detailed performance tracking. You can assess the reach and engagement per post, see what’s working and what isn’t, and tailor your strategy accordingly.
• Repurpose content to boost value. Sharing blog posts, testimonials, and YouTube videos on LinkedIn helps maintain a regular posting schedule and makes your existing content go further.
• Collaborate with others in your network to increase engagement.
• Use scheduling tools to automate posts and benefit from AI assistants to generate meaningful and optimised content for LinkedIn.

Transform your small business marketing with LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a powerful platform for small businesses wanting to build trust, gain visibility, and increase B2B growth. Brands should prioritise authenticity and proactive engagement to establish themselves as a credible voice in their industry.

Remember to take small steps. Experiment with different post types, see what resonates with your audience, and use automation tools to simplify the process.

Ready to build your presence? Register your business and launch your company page on LinkedIn today.

If you have any questions about anything discussed in this blog, leave a comment below. Also, remember to browse the 1st Formations blog for more articles on leveraging social media for small businesses.