LinkedIn is no longer a platform solely for housing digital resumes and sharing job postings. In recent years, it has turned into a space to engage with more than 800 million users from over 200 countries, making it the ultimate networking tool any nonprofit should have in its brand awareness toolbox. 

In this episode, we chat with Taylor Shanklin, one of the original founders of the “Go Beyond Fundraising” Podcast, Motivational Speaker and Founder and CEO of Barlele—a brand-building service, about ways nonprofits can build and enhance their brands on LinkedIn.

“LinkedIn is a platform where a lot of people who you want to donate to your organization are spending time,” Taylor said. “It’s an opportunity to get in front of people who are in the professional environment, are interested in seeing good done in the world, and might have money to give to your organization.”

What and When to Post:

Unlike Facebook and Instagram, you do not have to always create your own content to be visible on LinkedIn, which is a huge time saver for organizations with a smaller staff. You can remain active and highly visible to your followers by engaging with other members’ content and repurposing content from your other platforms. 

Types of Posts:

•     Long-form posts
•     Videos with auto captions
•     Polls
•     Photos
•     Articles

Taylor says posting at a scheduled time, on a particular day isn’t the key to success on LinkedIn—just regular, organic posting, and engaging with other users. You can also encourage your employees to post from their personal accounts about your organization. 

Taylor’s Tips for Employee Posting:

Think about what you love about your job and start your sharing from there.

• LinkedIn polls keep writing limited, but engagement with your network high.

Is there something you want to raise awareness around?

• Start a conversation, get information. This will get easier and more natural over time.

Stay away from controversial topics.

• If you think, “Could I be fired for posting this?”, don’t post it!
• Rather, think about if this post will align with your future career aspirations and make your organization look good.

Identify which mode your profile should be in.

• Business, personal, creator—not all are created the same.
• From insights to types of followers you have, identify your goals, and see which mode is the best fit.

Be tactful about the images on your page.

• Use a professional picture—Taylor says to think of this as micro, and for the banner image, think in terms of macro. Use keywords and imagery that relate to your expertise.

You don’t have to become a LinkedIn rockstar overnight. Just make the first step, try something different every week—test out a poll, play with a video, or try writing a long-form post. Once you get started, you will get better and better and grow your own brand and your organization’s.

Connect with Taylor Shanklin

Learn more about Barlele

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