If the description of your business on LinkedIn is dominated by words such as “expert”, “solution” and “leading”, it may be time for an update.
Those three words have topped a list of the 10 most overused words on LinkedIn company pages worldwide in 2015 and the professional networking site is warning businesses that relying solely on these buzzwords can make it difficult for businesses to stand out in the crowd.
While LinkedIn has previously tallied the most commonly used buzzwords on individuals’ LinkedIn profiles, this is the first time the company has taken a closer look at the words used by businesses to describe themselves.
In addition to “expert”, “solution” and “leading”, businesses that use LinkedIn are also likely to use words such as “unique”, “value” and “vision”.
Also included in the top 10 are “expertise”, “innovative”, “creative” and “strategic”.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, there is some overlap with the list of buzzwords used by individuals, with “strategic” and “creative” also appearing on last year’s list of the 10 most used buzzwords in LinkedIn profiles in Australia.
Shiva Kumar, head of communications for LinkedIn in Australia and New Zealand, told SmartCompany it would be difficult for businesses to completely avoid using the words on this list as being creative and innovative are qualities many businesses strive for.
However, Kumar says there may be better ways for businesses to present their LinkedIn company page, especially when it comes to attracting new employees or customers.
“Show don’t tell,” he says.
“Bring to life stories that show the true culture and values of your organisation rather than use dull words.”
Kumar says including more information about the business’ products and services, including concrete examples of how these have helped clients, is one thing to consider.
Likewise, celebrating the successes of your team or how your business contributes to its local community, may also impress other LinkedIn users.
Kumar also recommends business owners and managers consider how they can encourage their employees to use LinkedIn, describing employees as the best “cultural ambassadors” for a business.
“It puts an authentic human face to the business,” he says.
“Leverage and engage them more and use them to share content.”
For example, Kumar says if an individual in a company decides to publish a post via LinkedIn’s publishing platform, it makes sense for the company to also share that post from the company page.
“It brings to life the personality of the company,” he says.
News Editor
Prior to joining SmartCompany, Eloise was news editor at Books+Publishing, the trade press for the Australian book industry. Eloise has degrees in media and communications, marketing and business management, and political science. You can follow her on Twitter at @ellykeating.
