6 Tips For Using LinkedIn Stories To Build Your Brand

Avid social media users will be familiar with the ‘stories’ format: highly-visual, snackable content that disappears within 24 hours. Stories allow people to share moments from their day quickly and easily; for brands, it’s an engaging, interactive and user-friendly way to tell your brand story without having to dedicate too much production time and effort. 

Until recently, the stories format has been the domain of Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat. In June 2020, Linkedin entered the fray with their own offering, a tool to help professionals share day-to-day realities around their work, support colleagues and peers, spread important news and information and generally share how they’re coping with massive levels of change.

So how can you start using LinkedIn Stories to elevate your brand and tell your story?

First, how do LinkedIn Stories work?

Just like Instagram and Facebook Stories, LinkedIn Stories have a 24-hour expiration period, meaning the content only remains live for a one-day window. When uploading a story, you’re able to post content directly from your camera roll, adding coloured text and animated stickers, and you can also tag other members in your network to include them in the story. This is a great function for tagging co-workers, clients or others in your network to let them know that you’ve shared a new Story. 

The LinkedIn Stories feature is currently in BETA mode, meaning at this time it’s only available to members and select LinkedIn Pages located in Australia, Brazil, France, the Netherlands, and the UAE. If your brand isn’t in that bracket, don’t worry - LinkedIn will be making the feature available to a wider audience soon. 

Why should I start posting LinkedIn Stories?

Because these Stories can be seen by your LinkedIn connections and the public, you can use the feature to enhance your professional persona by authentically showcasing the real you across the following three work-related categories:
1. Things you do at work
2. Things you do around work
3. Things relevant to your work 

You already use LinkedIn to nurture and expand your professional network, and Stories is perfect for highlighting these efforts and helping them better resonate with your network. Even more than in-feed posts, Stories encourage direct interaction and engagement with your network.

What should I share on LinkedIn Stories? 

With so many of us currently working from home (WFH), LinkedIn Stories is a lightweight, no-pressure way for brands to stay in touch with their employees, customers, prospects, and wider professional communities. 

Stuck for ideas on what to post? How about showing your WFH set-up, sharing how you’re staying connected with teammates, highlighting your productivity tips, showing a virtual event or giving a look into what you’re reading or listening to. Remember, Stories content doesn’t need to be overly polished or produced – it’s only live for 24 hours, so it’s a great opportunity to have a bit of fun with your content strategy.  

Our suggestions for getting the most out of the Stories feature include: 

• Asking your network questions
• Using the member tag feature
• Following profiles that interest you so you can see their Stories; and
• Updating your personal LinkedIn profile CTA from ‘connect’ to ‘follow’ to grow your audience and profile reach

If you are looking to integrate LinkedIn Stories into your brand’s marketing strategy, we’ve pulled together six simple tips to get you started. 

1. Share brand announcements and current news 
Why reserve all your latest brand news just for your company’s LinkedIn page? Reach your audience in real time by sharing brand announcements and company news through the Stories format. 

2. Create a brand personality 
Hiring and developing a great team is a significant investment of time – no point in keeping it to yourself. Show your audience the faces behind the projects, products and services your company delivers. Brands and customers who identify with your personality will be most attracted to you, so show off that individuality. 

3. Share behind-the-scenes footage 
Capturing the attention of current and potential stakeholders when your campaign goes live is a top priority for almost every brand. Using the ‘Stories’ function, taking your followers on the campaign journey with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage creates more meaningful connections and excites your audience for launch day. 

4. Share your thoughts and knowledge with a Q&A
Create informal and educational dialogue with your audience via a Q&A segment on LinkedIn ‘Stories’. According to Sprout Social research, 71% of customers were more likely to buy from a company after a positive interaction. Try and address all question topics and let those who have submitted a question feel appreciated, acknowledging the time they’ve taken to seek your advice and expertise. 

5. Real people, in real time 
Your brand is made up of real people, having real experiences. Showcase these moments in real time to connect with your audience. Awards ceremonies, workshop snippets or a snap of your team lunch are all real moments that you can informally share with your audience to make your brand more human. 

6. Your personal, and informal resumé
LinkedIn stories are not only beneficial to your business image, but also your own image. Share your virtual, informal resumé by capturing your interests, how you work, mid-week meditation, or whatever defines your professional and non-professional personality. 

So, now you know the ins and outs of LinkedIn Stories, it’s time to use this feature to its full advantage.