On the 6th October 2011, LinkedIn introduced Company Status Updates for Company Pages that were launched about a year ago. LinkedIn Status Updates provide a new, powerful avenue for small business marketing online as LinkedIn is the largest online professional network in the world with over 120 Million members.
This new status feature gives further access by small businesses to a professional network of people who are affluent, highly educated and influential in terms of purchasing decisions. LinkedIn is ranked 12th by Alexa.com in terms of global traffic to the site and has a Google Page Rank of 9 (out of 10).
As illustrated in the image above, Company Status Updates provide the facility to attach a URL (web page address) which automatically displays a related image and “page description” drawn from the target website. Readers can easily “Like” the update, comment on it or share it with their social networks (thus making the status entry viral).
Company Status Updates on LinkedIn enable small business owners to develop their brand by sharing news, videos, podcasts, articles, blog posts, available jobs and product launches.
LinkedIn is a rapidly growing network and this new feature will provide a real boost for marketing small businesses online.