LinkedIn is a vital tool for the life sciences industry. The platform allows companies to build their brand, connect with key stakeholders and grow their business through targeted networking. In an industry where credibility and industry connections are paramount, effectively using LinkedIn can help foster industry partnerships, attract top talent and establish your organization as a thought leader. Here’s how life sciences companies can make the most of their LinkedIn presence.
Benefits of a Company LinkedIn Page
Having a professional and active page serves as a hub for your company’s accomplishments, news and latest innovations. It helps you connect with key audiences, including potential partners, investors and prospective talent. Whether it’s an important update in a clinical trial for a biotech or an innovative pharmaceutical product going to market, your page is a place to highlight these milestones to a relevant audience.
As life sciences companies rely on highly skilled professionals, your LinkedIn company page is a recruiting tool, highlighting your brand’s culture, mission and achievements. Posts that showcase the research your team is involved in can attract talent who want to be part of meaningful, innovative work.
Creating a Compelling LinkedIn Profile
A well-thought-out LinkedIn profile reflects your company’s mission, vision and contributions.
- Profile Picture & Banner: Your profile picture should be your company logo. This can be complemented with a header that visually represents your company’s core values or industry focus, such as a lab setup or a life science related image. In the case of Alexion Pharmaceuticals, they opted to highlight their mission statement:
- Compelling ‘About’ Section: The ‘About’ section is your chance to introduce your company. Clearly articulate your mission, services and the impact you’re making in the industry. Use this space to explain your key offerings, whether it’s biotech innovation, medical devices, or drug discovery. Incorporating relevant keywords can also aid in improving visibility in LinkedIn search results. Here, there are dedicated fields where you can add additional information such as company size, contact details and your specialities.
What Should You Post?
A strong content strategy is key to maintaining an active and engaging LinkedIn presence. Life sciences companies have unique opportunities to share industry-leading insights, research advancements and general company updates.
Here are some content ideas and tips for an effective LinkedIn strategy:
- Educational Content: Sharing industry news, research updates and regulatory changes helps position your company as a thought leader. You can post about research breakthroughs, explain complex scientific processes, or discuss industry trends. One example is Eli Lilly, who position themselves with a strong dermatological focus:
- Behind-the-Scenes Insights: Humanize your company by sharing behind-the-scenes content from your labs, clinical trials, or R&D teams. This gives your audience a sense of the innovation happening within your organization.
- Case Studies & Success Stories: Sharing case studies of successful projects or collaborations with academic institutions or biotech startups can display your expertise. Highlight any contributions your company has made to successful drug discoveries or medical treatments.
- Employee Spotlights: Featuring your team members fosters a personal connection with your audience. You can spotlight the achievements of researchers, scientists, or other key players in your company, which also helps with recruitment.
- Event Participation: Share your participation in industry events, conferences and webinars. Promote your presence at these events, share key takeaways and post photos from the event itself to keep your audience updated on your company’s activities, whilst also advertising yourself to any prospective partners that want to meet at the event.
Best Practices
To maximize your LinkedIn presence, it’s important to follow best practices that align with LinkedIn’s platform and your audience’s expectations:
- Consistency is Key: Post regularly to keep your audience engaged. Aim to post at least two to three times a week. Consistency builds brand awareness and trust over time.
- Engage with Your Audience: Respond to comments on your posts and engage with content from other companies or individuals in the industry.
- Use LinkedIn Analytics: Leverage LinkedIn’s analytics tools to track the performance of your posts. This data helps you understand what type of content resonates best with your audience and allows you to adjust your strategy accordingly.
- Hashtags and Keywords: Use industry-specific hashtags and keywords in your posts to increase visibility. Hashtags such as #Biotech or #Pharma can aid in your content reaching a broader, yet relevant, audience.
- The Best Time to Post: While this may be dependent on your followers, especially if you target many countries spanning different time zones, the suggested best time to post is in the morning, typically 8-10am.
By following these guidelines, life sciences companies can maximize the potential of their LinkedIn presence, building not just a following but also a reputation for leadership and innovation in their field.