For some people, the terms social media and social networks are not necessarily interchangeable. They highlight that social media refers to platforms that work as outlets where one can share content, while social networksrefers to the communities formed within these platforms.
As a business page on LinkedIn, you might be at the intersection of both. LinkedIn has allowed organizations and their leaders to share information, showcase stories, spark conversations, and build relationships.
But how are they doing so?
Our team at Consultancy32 recently conducted benchmarking studyon hundreds of posts from 16 leading PR and communications organizations, big and small, analyzing 15 elements under 4 dimensions.
We compiled the trends and insights to help you strategize and turn your business page into a powerful tool.
Elements included topic, language, length, emojis, hyperlinks, tags, multimedia features, hashtags, reposts, reactions, comments, frequency, followers.
Content: The heart of your story
Compelling content is the foundation of a social media strategy. On LinkedIn, people often look to share and learn from experiences that can enrich their professional lives.
So, how do you strike a balance in finding relevant information and stories that can be turned into relevant content for your organization and for your clients, prospects, and partners?
Here are some of topics business pages are sharing on LinkedIn.
- Celebrate third-party recognition, certificates, or awards. Showcasing external validation builds credibility and highlights your achievements.
- Announce company milestones, new hires, or promotions. These updates not only celebrate progress but can also humanize your brand.
- Highlight a product launch or a successful client collaboration. Share the story behind your work and its impact — it’s your best advertisement.
- Promote upcoming events or recap recent ones. Whether it’s a webinar, conference, or team outing, events show you are actively interacting with the ecosystem; share the excitement in the lead-up or the highlights afterwards.
- Thought leadership. Publishing relevant insights shows you are up-to-date and at forefront of your industry; spark a discussion based on accurate data, meaningful reflections and genuine questions.
- Commemorate special dates or industry moments. Tying your post to a relevant occasion can make it timely and relatable; explore both seasonal and evergreen marketing strategies.
If any of these resonate with you, you’ve got the foundation for your next LinkedIn post. Remember, great content doesn’t have to be complicated, it has to connect with your audience.
Format: The blueprint for success
Think of formatting as the architecture of your post; it needs to be functional, visually appealing, and easy to navigate. Bear in mind that the format will help you better deliver your message to your audience and impact how your content will score on LinkedIn’s algorithm.
Here’s what we are seeing on LinkedIn:
- One-line posts that look too promotional are out. Real conversations demand more substance and therefore more characters.
- Multimedia is in. Images, videos, infographics, and documents help you capture attention — and they can strengthen your visual identity if branded. Vertical videos are more mobile-friendly, but horizontal videos are still common.
- Hashtags are fading, but not forgotten. Use them sparingly to organize and highlight text, and to ensure keywords are in your message.
- English dominates. Posts are often written in English, even for non-native speakers; bilingual posts exist but are not the norm.
- Emojis are your friends — in moderation. They add personality and help structure your text but can overwhelm if overused.
- Outbound hyperlinks? Used moderately, some choose to remove the hyperlink address once the preview icon appears.
- Tag when mentioning. People and organizations are tagged throughout the text to give credit and boost visibility.
Engagement: The strengthening of relationships
Content and format may get you noticed, but engagement keeps the conversation alive. Our benchmarking revealed that interacting with others is the secret sauce for LinkedIn success.
When you respond to comments, acknowledge contributions, and actively participate in discussions, you transform your page. Here’s why:
- Smaller businesses shine.When comparing their follower base against the number of interactions with their posts, their engagement rates are higher, likely because they more often reply to comments, mentions and reposts.
- Larger organizations often post and ghost. Without follow-up engagement, not many of the posts by bigger brands achieve massive interactions.
- Reposting is a win-win. More organizations are sharing content from other people and pages — either because they are related, mentioned, or affiliated with them.
- Consistency is key. Post at least 1-2 times a week to stay visible and relevant as you interact with others.
