Is a business LinkedIn account free?

LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform with over 722 million users worldwide. It allows individuals to connect with other professionals, find jobs, promote their business, and more. While individual LinkedIn accounts are free, companies can also create LinkedIn business pages to establish their brand presence and attract customers. But are these business accounts on LinkedIn also free or do they require a paid subscription? Let’s take a closer look.

LinkedIn Business Accounts Overview

LinkedIn offers three main options for business accounts:

LinkedIn Company Page

This is the basic free company profile page on LinkedIn. It allows businesses to create a presence on the platform and get found by LinkedIn members searching for companies. Some key features include:

– Company overview, description, logo etc.
– Showcase products/services, images, videos
– Highlight company culture and values
– List job openings
– Follow and get followed by other members

LinkedIn Showcase Pages

Showcase Pages allow a company to create multiple pages for their different brands, products, initiatives etc. For example, a technology company can have one Showcase Page for their software product, another for their hardware product and so on. The features are similar to a Company Page, just more specific to each brand/product.

LinkedIn Elevate

Elevate is LinkedIn’s social media management and employee advocacy platform. It allows companies to share content on LinkedIn, engage with followers, monitor analytics and amplify their employee’s voices. There are various paid subscription tiers for access to more features.

So in summary, a basic Company Page is free but advanced options like Showcase Pages and Elevate require paid subscriptions. Now let’s look at the key differences between the free and paid accounts in more detail:

Free LinkedIn Business Account

Here are some of the key things you can do with a free basic Company Page on LinkedIn:

• Create a Company Page – This allows you to make a profile for your business with essential information like description, logo, images, contact details etc.
• Showcase Products & Services – You can feature your products and service offerings using photos, videos, presentations and more.
• Post Updates & Articles – Share company news, promotions, articles, job openings and other updates with your followers.
• Follow Other Companies – Follow other brands and businesses to build connections and network on the platform.
• Let Others Follow You – Get followed by other LinkedIn members interested in your company to grow your audience.
• List Job Openings – Use your Company Page to advertise open positions and attract qualified candidates.
• Interact via Messaging – Receive and respond to messages from interested prospects via LinkedIn messaging.
• Analytics & Insights – Get access to basic analytics on page views, follower demographics and other metrics.

So in summary, a free Company Page allows you to establish a professional presence on LinkedIn and get your business found. But there are limitations in terms of how much content you can share, sophistication of analytics, advertising capabilities and more.

Paid LinkedIn Business Accounts

Here are some of the additional capabilities unlocked with LinkedIn’s paid subscriptions:

LinkedIn Elevate

• Employee Advocacy Tools – Amplify your employee’s voices to extend reach.
• Post Scheduling – Schedule content to be shared at optimal times.
• Advanced Analytics – Get deeper insights into content performance.
• Social Monitoring – Monitor brand mentions and trends.
• Team Collaboration – Tools for working with others on campaigns.
• API Access – Leverage Elevate capabilities via API integration.

LinkedIn Sales Navigator

• Advanced Lead Search – Uncover leads based on industry, job role and more.
• Save Leads – Curate a customized list of relevant leads.
• Contact Insights – Research people before reaching out.
• Auto-Notifications – Get alerts when leads change jobs, mention your company etc.
• InMail Credits – Send direct messages to people outside your network.
• Lead Recommendations – LinkedIn recommends new leads based on your requirements.

LinkedIn Recruiter

• Targeted Candidate Search – Search the platform using sophisticated parameters and filters.
• Candidate Insights – Research candidates before reaching out including skill assessments.
• InMail Credits – Contact passive candidates who aren’t actively job searching.
• Pipeline & Team Collaboration – Tools to manage requisitions and work with hiring teams.
• Interview Scheduling – Book interviews with candidates directly on LinkedIn.
• Job Posting Boosts – Sponsor job posts for greater visibility.

LinkedIn Ads

• Sponsored Content – Share Sponsored Updates to reach a wider audience.
• Sponsored InMail – Send Sponsored InMail messages to connect with key prospects.
• Text Ads – Purchase text ads that appear on LinkedIn.
• Dynamic Ads – Highly targeted ads that display based on member’s activity.
• Audience Targeting – Target ads to specific audiences like job title, industry, skills etc.
• Analytics & Optimization – Sophisticated campaign measurement and optimization tools.

So in summary, LinkedIn’s paid offerings unlock more advanced features around content amplification, lead generation, recruiting, and advertising. The capabilities are tailored for sales professionals, recruiters, marketers and anyone looking to use LinkedIn more strategically.

LinkedIn Business Account Pricing

LinkedIn offers several tiers and bundles for paid accounts. Here is an overview of LinkedIn business account pricing as of 2023:

LinkedIn Elevate

LinkedIn Sales Navigator

LinkedIn Recruiter

LinkedIn Ads

LinkedIn ad prices are based on an auction model where advertisers bid against each other for ad placement. The cost per ad view or click varies based on factors like competition, target audience, and current auction rates.

Conclusion

In summary, here are the key points on whether LinkedIn business accounts are free:

• Basic LinkedIn Company Pages are free. This allows you to create a basic profile and presence on LinkedIn.
• Advanced account options like Showcase Pages, Elevate, Sales Navigator, Recruiter and LinkedIn Advertising require paid monthly subscriptions starting from $49.99 per month.
• Paid accounts unlock more sophisticated targeting options, content tools, analytics, API access and other capabilities.
• LinkedIn offers tiered plans based on features needed and team size. Enterprise pricing is customized.
• So while a basic Company Page is free, tapping into LinkedIn’s full potential requires investing in one of their paid offerings.

Having an authoritative LinkedIn presence is crucial for any brand today looking to reach professionals and decision makers. While a free Company Page is a good start, most businesses find it beneficial over the long term to upgrade to unlock more advanced features. The right LinkedIn tools can help drive lead generation, recruitment, brand awareness and sales cost effectively at scale.