Why Engineering Leadership Should Care About Their LinkedIn Presence

Recently, we shared how to create messaging for thought leadership. Once you’ve defined your platform and message, you can use your messaging in external communication. Start with outlets where you can easily control your message, like LinkedIn.

The Power of LinkedIn for Brand Marketing and Thought Leadership

In today's digital age, LinkedIn has become an indispensable platform for establishing thought leadership and amplifying your brand message. For B2B companies, especially in the technical engineering space, having a strong presence on LinkedIn is crucial.

As the world's largest professional network with over 800 million members, LinkedIn offers unparalleled access to reach your target audience. But it's not just about having a profile - you need to build and nurture your presence to maximize LinkedIn's potential.

When seeking information on the latest engineering technologies, industry trends, and products, engineers go to Linkedin, only second to YouTube, according to recent research.

Executives play a vital role in shaping and promoting the reputation of their engineering companies. Enhancing your LinkedIn profile allows you to amplify brand awareness by showcasing your organization's mission, values, and success stories. Engaging with others and with content on LinkedIn broadens your network and the total reach of your brand marketing. 

Here are some key ways LinkedIn can support your brand marketing and thought leadership efforts:

Personal Brand marketing for ENGINEERING Executives

The LinkedIn profile has essentially replaced the traditional resume. Top executives at leading engineering firms often have robust LinkedIn profiles highlighting their expertise, experience, education, publications, patents, awards, and speaking engagements. Profiles of engineering leadership like Cassie Kozyrkov (Google), Mary Barra (GM), and Pat Gelsinger (Intel) serve as strong personal brands that instill confidence in their leadership.

Mary Barra's LinkedIn profile underscores the GM brand.

When a prospect is looking for a partner or vendor, especially in technical purchases with a long consideration phase and longer sales cycle, they're looking for a company that has longevity. 

Test systems that require lifespans of 15+ years need vendors that will be available to support and sustain them. By showing your staying power on LinkedIn, you fill an easy check box of a company that's stable.

Thought Leadership Platform

Long-form posts on LinkedIn provide a platform to publish thoughtful leadership articles on industry trends, technology innovations, and expert insights. Active blogging demonstrates knowledge and builds credibility. LinkedIn posts offer individuals the opportunity to share messages and thoughts without a full-form blog.

Engineering executives can share their vision, perspective, and advice to establish thought leadership in their niche. Here are a few prompts that engineering leadership could customize when brainstorming posts to publish on LinkedIn:

• The future of engineering lies in greater collaboration. Here are a few changes we've recently made to foster a culture of teamwork and collective innovation:
• Data and analytics are transforming engineering. Here are 3 ways leaders can leverage data to drive better decision making:
• Fail fast, learn faster: Recently we failed at [X], learning [Y] along the way. In response, we've changed [Z].
• The engineering skills gap is real. Here's how we're developing the next generation of technical talent:
• Cybersecurity is critical for engineering in our digital world. Leaders must make [A, B, and C] components of security a top priority across operations -- we've found [XYZ solution] to help.
  
  

Anthony Pierri works in product marketing for startups -- and engages his network in conversation by sharing a relatable pain point.

Content Distribution Channel

Well-written content gets amplified on LinkedIn through likes, comments, and shares. This allows ideas to spread rapidly to expand reach.

While your teams may promote new white papers, case studies, product announcements, and webinars via LinkedIn, use your executive platform to engage with the ecosystem around your company. Focus on highlighting peers, partners, and key vendors. 

Follow topics where you have thought leadership and engage with posts to join in the conversation. Watch other rising topics, even if they're not ones where you have expertise but are tangential to what you know best and stay engaged with those conversations to learn as well.

Ongoing Checklist: Enhancing an Engineering Executive LinkedIn Profile 

• Craft a compelling headline that highlights your unique value proposition.
• Update your profile picture to reflect professionalism and approachability.
• Optimize your summary section with concise yet impactful statements about your accomplishments and goals.
• Highlight key achievements and relevant experience in the experience section.
• Utilize multimedia elements such as images, videos, and presentations to showcase your work.

Weekly: Engage with other professionals by commenting, liking, and sharing their content.
Monthly: Share industry insights, thought-provoking articles, and updates to position yourself as a thought leader.
Quarterly: Join relevant industry groups and actively participate in discussions to expand your network.

With extensive user data and analytics, LinkedIn enables connecting with your total addressable market precisely. Companies can engage professionals in engineering, IT, manufacturing, aerospace, healthcare, and other key industries through personalized marketing campaigns, groups, and messages.

LinkedIn presents an opportunity for brands in the technical engineering space to attract talent, strengthen credibility, nurture relationships, and drive growth. Developing a comprehensive LinkedIn strategy centered around insightful content creation, social media engagement, and audience targeting is key to success.

Ready to learn more about connecting and advertising on the world's largest B2B social network? Click the image below to explore our LinkedIn podcast miniseries.

TREW is a marketing agency dedicated to reaching engineering and technical audiences through a range of marketing initiatives. Contact us today to learn more about the services we offer.