In our recent webinar as part of our series to help communicate effectively during COVID-19 in conjunction with Homes for Scotland and Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) we discussed how social media including LinkedIn can be used to communicate, network and build relationships productively in lockdown and beyond. We were joined by the following panellists who shared their insights and experiences:

• Hazel Davies, Sales and Marketing Director of Cruden Homes

• Malcolm Thomson, Sales Director at Scotframe

• Dr Diane Harbison, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Decipher Analytics Limited

All the panellists viewed social media as an essential communications channel, especially in lockdown where face to face communication is impossible. From using it as a listening tool to reassuring customers you are open for business, social media was viewed as a key element of communications

Here’s a rundown of the top five takeaways from the webinar.

1.    Less is more – Don’t post too much

Social media provides a quick and cost effective way to share your message. It can be tempting to post every day…or more than once a day! The correct frequency for each business will be different – the main thing is to get the right balance and not overwhelm your audience. We find 3-4 posts a week is usually the sweet spot.

2. Be human

LinkedIn is perceived to be more of a corporate channel. It’s still a debateable topic but recent trends suggest more informal and personal content is performing well. From supporting the #ClapforCarers, to a dog at a keyboard or guess the desk homeworking posts – it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the style of successful content is adapting to the current circumstances. So let your audience see more of your human side not just your corporate messages – you never know, it could work well for you and your company.

3. Consistency is key

Like with many things in life, the key to success on LinkedIn is consistency. Whether your objective is to build or maintain awareness, keep in touch with customers, increase sales or grow your audience it’s important to be committed and consistent when posting on LinkedIn. There are helpful tools like Hootsuite or Buffer so you can schedule posts in advance and easily monitor their performance to inform your future content.

4. One post – double the impact

Social media posts are usually short and sweet. Instead of trying to cram all of your points in to one long post on your company page, you and your employees could share the post from your company page and add your own valuable point of view or additional points. This means you’re making the content work harder and reaching a far wider audience.

5. Get your profile in good shape

There are a few elements on your profile that are important to keep up to date. A powerful headline can feature important key words and encourage relevant contacts to get in touch. An up-to-date picture is more important now than ever since we can’t host face to face meetings. And finally, your contact details - these may have changed since working from home so it’s a good idea to check the correct details are visible to your network on LinkedIn.

Our next webinar will focus on communicating effectively as we emerge from lockdown.  You can register for this webinar here.

If you would like to hear best practice tips and share ideas, you can join our LinkedIn Group, Communicating effectively during COVID-19 here.

In these uncertain times social media and LinkedIn are helping us all stay connected. If you’re looking for more advice about how you or your company can get more out of social media we’d love to help. We can deliver your social media strategy entirely or we can provide training and support so you can do this yourself.  Please do get in touch with us at  info@perceptivecommunicators.co.uk if you are interested in hearing more about how social media can help you communicate more effectively in lockdown and beyond.  

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