As a digital marketing professional, I often get asked if LinkedIn automatically creates company pages. The short answer is no, LinkedIn does not automatically generate company pages. However, there are a few ways that company pages can appear on LinkedIn without direct action from the company itself.
How LinkedIn Company Pages Get Created
There are three main ways that a company can get a LinkedIn page:
- The company claims their LinkedIn page
- An employee creates a company page
- A LinkedIn member creates an unofficial company page
Let’s explore each of these scenarios in more detail:
1. Company Claims Their Page
The best practice for establishing a LinkedIn presence is for the company to proactively claim their LinkedIn page. This involves an authorized representative from the company going through LinkedIn’s company page creation process.
The benefits of claiming your company page include:
- Full admin access and control over the page
- Ability to pin showcase pages and posts
- Company insights analytics
- Enhanced recruiting and branding capabilities
To claim a company page, you’ll need to connect a LinkedIn profile to an authorized company email address. LinkedIn will provide a verification code to confirm you are permitted to manage the page on behalf of the company.
2. Employee Creates Page
If a company hasn’t proactively claimed their LinkedIn page, it’s common for employees to take it upon themselves to create one. This allows the employee to share company updates, job posts, and other branded content.
There are a few downsides when an employee creates a company page without direction from the company:
- The employee has full control rather than the company
- Brand standards may not be followed
- Company leadership may not be aware the page exists
Employees may create company pages in good faith to fill a void, but it’s much better for the company to claim the page and take an active role in managing it.
3. LinkedIn Member Creates Unofficial Page
Even if a company has not claimed their LinkedIn page, and no employees have created one, it’s possible for regular LinkedIn members to make unofficial company pages.
For example, a LinkedIn member who is a fan of a particular brand may decide to create a page to share updates and news about the company. Or, someone may create an unofficial “fan page” for a local business.
While the intentions are typically good, unofficial pages can be problematic:
- Information may be inaccurate
- Content doesn’t represent the brand appropriately
- The company has no influence or control
In most cases, it’s better for the company to have an official presence instead of relying on unofficial pages created by the community.
How to Take Control of Your Company’s LinkedIn Page
If you find unofficial or employee-created LinkedIn company pages for your organization, the best course of action is to claim your official company page.
Here are the steps to claim your page on LinkedIn:
- Search for your company name on LinkedIn to see if any unofficial pages come up.
- Visit the LinkedIn company page creation tool and enter your company details.
- When prompted, indicate that you want to take over an existing page.
- Select the unofficial page that should be replaced by the official page.
- Follow the verification process to confirm you represent the company.
After claiming your page, LinkedIn will migrate all followers and content over to the new official page. You can then delete the old unofficial page if desired.
Maintaining Your LinkedIn Company Page
Once you’ve claimed your official company page on LinkedIn, the real work begins. An optimized LinkedIn presence requires ongoing maintenance and activity to drive value for your business. Here are some best practices:
- Publish regular company and industry updates
- Engage with followers by liking and replying to comments
- Pay for sponsored content and InMail to extend reach
- Watch analytics for insights on your audience and traffic sources
- Create and share multimedia posts, like images, videos, and SlideShare
By making your company page an active representation of your brand, you can attract followers, generate leads, and support recruiting efforts.
Key Takeaways
Here are some key points to keep in mind about LinkedIn company pages:
- LinkedIn does not automatically create company pages – they must be user-generated
- Employees may create unofficial pages on behalf of a company
- Best practice is for companies to claim their official page
- Claiming the page allows full control over content and branding
- Maintaining an active, engaging page presence is crucial after claiming it
Having an optimized, strategically-managed official LinkedIn presence is important for driving brand awareness, lead generation, and recruiting. Hopefully this gives you a better understanding of how LinkedIn company pages are created and how to approach managing your brand’s profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does LinkedIn create a company page without the company’s permission?
No, LinkedIn does not automatically create company pages without permission from the company. All LinkedIn company pages must be user-generated, either through an official claim process or created independently by employees or other LinkedIn members.
What if someone creates a fake company page on LinkedIn?
If an unofficial or inaccurate company page has been created, the legitimate company can claim their official page through LinkedIn’s verification process. The previous unofficial page can then be reported and removed by LinkedIn.
Can I anonymous create a LinkedIn company page?
No, to create a LinkedIn company page you must register with a LinkedIn profile and agree to LinkedIn’s terms of service. Anonymous company pages are against LinkedIn’s policies and would be removed if reported.
What happens to followers if we claim our page from an employee?
When officially claiming a LinkedIn company page that was previously managed by an employee, all of the followers and content will be migrated over to the new official company page.
How often should we post on our LinkedIn company page?
Best practice is to post on your company LinkedIn at least once per weekday. Posting daily keeps your content fresh and engaging for followers. Mix up your post types between articles, images, videos, and links.
Example LinkedIn Company Post Ideas
Maintaining an engaging LinkedIn company page requires regularly publishing valuable content. Here are some potential ideas for posts:
- Thought leadership articles
- Case studies and customer stories
- Industry trend analysis
- Behind-the-scenes company photos and videos
- Quick tips related to your products/services
- Polling questions to spark discussion
- Quotes and advice from leadership
- Awards and milestones
- Event promotions and recaps
- Whitepapers and ebooks
Try to offer a mix of professional content that builds your brand along with a peek at your company culture. LinkedIn is about making connections, so give followers a sense of your team’s personality.
LinkedIn Company Page Post Frequency Benchmarks
When developing a posting strategy for your LinkedIn company page, it helps to have benchmarks for how often other brands are posting. Here are average post frequencies based on industry research:
| Industry | Average Weekly Posts |
|---|---|
| Software | 5 |
| Marketing and Advertising | 5 |
| Higher Education | 7 |
| Hospital and Health Care | 5 |
| Nonprofit | 4 |
| Financial Services | 3 |
| Government Administration | 2 |
Aim to post at least as frequently as others in your industry. The more content you publish, the more opportunities for engagement.
Tips for Engaging Followers on LinkedIn Company Pages
Driving engagement with followers should be a priority. Here are some tips:
- Respond to all comments with likes and replies
- Ask questions to spark dialogue
- Run contests and polls
- Share visual content like videos and images
- Promote influencer takeovers and AMAs
- Curate relevant industry news and insights
Engagement ultimately depends on providing value. Avoid overt self-promotion and focus on building relationships.
Conclusion
Managing your brand’s LinkedIn presence is an important investment for reaching prospects, generating leads, recruiting talent and building authority. While LinkedIn company pages require a hands-on approach, the payoff for brands who do it right is immense.
Remember that LinkedIn won’t automatically create or maintain your company page for you. But by claiming your profile and posting regularly, you can build a community of engaged followers.
For any other questions on optimizing your LinkedIn company page, don’t hesitate to reach out. Keeping your brand top of mind with the LinkedIn community can lead to tangible business results.
