LinkedIn recently announced a design refresh for their Company Profile Pages. This comes as no surprise, as top social media sites remain chockfull of image-heavy content. LinkedIn is first in show for B2B social networking and the changes only push forth the capabilities for businesses.
The design and layout proved a higher quality user experience. The new design relies more on visual elements and the content flow is more intuitive. Companies are taking advantage of this by showcasing the creative side of their brands. So, let’s take a look at the new features:
- Timeline-Like Photo: Companies are taking page ownership to a new creative realm by customizing their cover photos. Timeline photos can playfully interact with the profile picture, and reinforce the brand. Other social networking sites have implemented their own cover-photos since the Facebook Timeline launch, beginning with Google + and now LinkedIn.
- The Follow Button: The old follow button was hidden in black and white on the right side of the page. The new button rests at the top right of the page inside the header. It’s larger and a bold yellow.
- Layout: Company updates have been bumped to the top of the page, which includes new hires and recent posts. Contact Information moved to the bottom of the page.
- Goodbye to Tabs: The tabs at the top of company pages were removed as a part of the streamlining. This simplifies navigation, bringing Products and Services from a separate page right to the homepage.
The new design has rolled out to a select number of companies, such as HP, Citi, and Philips. This is the perfect time for businesses to prepare for the change and reanalyze their strategy on LinkedIn.
Ask yourself why your company is on LinkedIn. Are you there for employee retention, recruitment, business development, or perhaps it’s a combination? This will help you decide what image will be best for your company page. This could be a typography design promoting your services, a picture of your employees, or something that makes the office space unique.
It could become much more common for individual users to follow companies due to the new easy-to-find button. This should have businesses thinking deeper into their purpose on LinkedIn and the content they distribute.
So, now is the perfect time to rejuvenate company page content. The new design is sleek and simplified and your content should match accordingly. LinkedIn has bestowed new and improved messaging capabilities for businesses and it is important to take time to discover the most effective way to use them.
