LinkedIn’s user base has grown significantly over the years, making it one of the top social media networking sites for professionals. 

According to HubSpot, in 2020, there were over 700 million active LinkedIn users, which included marketers, job seekers, recruiters and businesses. 

The site is known for connecting job seekers with recruiters, showcasing the work of experts across industries, and developing thought leadership. It also provides resources and tools for businesses to market their brands. 

In recent years, LinkedIn has expanded advertising opportunities for businesses and added new features like live videos and more recently, Stories. 

LinkedIn Stories have generated a lot of conversation among marketers and members who are keen on including it in their marketing toolkit. 

So, what are LinkedIn Stories, and should your business use them? 

LinkedIn Stories 

Many of us are already familiar with Stories on other social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp and Facebook. This feature allows individuals, and businesses to share content such as photo clips, or 20-second videos that disappear after 24-hours. Users can add music, filters, emojis, gifs, stickers or text to enhance the content.  

Stories allow users to share updates more readily or to highlight issues or activities that are time-sensitive. They can also be used to start or contribute to conversations around trending topics within your professional network. 

How do Stories work? 

To post or view LinkedIn Stories, you will need to have the mobile app, which allows you to select saved videos or images from your device’s gallery. You may also use the Stories camera to create videos or take pictures.  

Once you post the Story, LinkedIn shares it with your followers and connections, who may also share it with the people in their network. For businesses, this is a great way to gain more visibility, start important conversations about your brand and target new connections when their Stories are shared.  

A Story, once posted, cannot be edited; however, after sharing, you have the option to delete it, if you detect errors. Some errors may not be identified until a story has been up for a while, and since it is easy for others to take screenshots of what is posted, it is helpful to ask others on your team to review the Story before sharing. You have the option to view and save your Stories, once you do so before the 24-hour timeline expires. 

Remember, LinkedIn is mainly used for professional purposes, so, although Stories are slightly more casual, they are still reflecting your brand.   

What else do you need to know? 

There is a lot of value that businesses can gain from using this feature. LinkedIn breaks down some of the key things that you should keep in mind. 

Stories can be shared in messages: You can share your Stories via messages with specific contacts that you don’t want to miss out on your updates. This is a fun way for businesses to give their audience a glimpse of new projects, behind the scenes or key highlights of important events. It also helps showcase your brand’s personality and authenticate the relationship between your business and the people in your network.  

Stories can drive engagement: Simon Sinek, British author and inspirational speaker, has a powerful quote that many marketers ascribe to, “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe.” This quote has a lot of relevance to storytelling and other areas of marketing. Your audience is more likely to connect and engage with you if they share your beliefs and know why you do what you do.  

Through Stories, you can share your brand’s beliefs with videos and images that help to pull the curtain back on some of your operations, charitable efforts and community service projects. If your business is recruiting, you can share some of the daily happenings that make working for your business worthwhile. It also helps potential jobseekers interested in working with you to have an idea of what your work culture is like. 

One of the tools that LinkedIn Stories offers that helps with driving engagement is the ‘Question of the Day’ feature. This feature allows you to select a question that members can respond to in their Stories, or you can respond to the question of the day that is shared by one of your connections. The ‘Question of the Day’ feature can be accessed from the Stickers dropdown in Stories. What a great way to start conversations and to stay abreast of what’s happening in your industry and professional community! 

Links can be included in Stories: You can add links to your Story to direct your connections to other content by using the ‘swipe up’ feature. The link icon in Stories sits at the top right of the composer screen and allows you to add a URL, which when tapped, goes to the desired content. Users can edit or preview a link prior to publishing. You may also view your link click information in your Stories insights. This feature is currently available to LinkedIn Pages and individual members with 5000 connections or followers. Even if you are a relatively new company on LinkedIn with less than 5000 connections and wish to use links in your brand Stories, your company page should still have the option to include links. 

Story Insights are also available: For marketers and businesses that are keen on measuring the value gained from using their social media platforms, insights are critical. LinkedIn Stories allow you to view insights within the 24-hours that the Story is live. From your Story’s’ insights, you can check on engagement and the reach of the Story. This feature can be found on the homepage (mobile app). Tap the profile or page photo linked to the Story in the Stories section and use the Views icon at the bottom left corner of the screen to view its insights. You also have the option of interacting with a viewer by tapping the icon next to that person’s name.  

Key takeaways 

Before you go, keep in mind these important reminders that we hope will encourage you to include LinkedIn Stories into your marketing strategy.  

• LinkedIn Stories provide an opportunity to keep your audience updated on what’s happening with your brand – new products, virtual events, etc. 
• Stories can be used to drive engagement.  They connect you to your audience in an authentic way, giving them insight into your work culture and fostering relationships within your professional community. 
• Through Stories you can develop thought leadership and help showcase the expertise of the movers and shakers within your company. 
• Using Q&As in Stories, you can build your community and show off some of the personalities behind your brand. 
• Stories can help to solidify your position within your industry when you start conversations or add value by participating in discussions with other members in your professional network. 

We’ve looked at what LinkedIn Stories are, how they work and some of the features and tools you can use. If your business is not yet on LinkedIn, we hope you’ll join and use some of its amazing features and tools to promote your business, while making the right connections that could drive you to greater success! 

Sources: Business Insider, LinkedIn,  Social Media Today, Later and Neil Patel.