LinkedIn is a professional social networking platform that allows individuals to connect with each other and companies. One unique feature of LinkedIn is that company pages can follow individual members, in addition to individual members being able to follow company pages. This allows for increased engagement between companies and professionals on the platform.
What does it mean for a company page to follow an individual member?
When a company page follows an individual member on LinkedIn, it means that the company will see updates and activity from that member in their feed. This gives companies a way to stay up-to-date on the activity and content being shared by relevant professionals and prospects.
Some key things to note about company pages following individual members:
- The individual will receive a notification when a company follows them, but does not need to approve the follow.
- The company page will see posts, comments, media, and other updates from the individual in their feed.
- Following an individual does not automatically connect them to the company. A separate connection request still needs to be sent and accepted to establish a connection.
- A company can follow an individual without being connected to them, but an individual must be connected to a company to follow their page.
Overall, companies following individuals allows them to stay engaged with relevant professionals, monitor their activity, and get notified of content they share, without needing a formal connection. It enhances companies’ ability to identify and interact with key talent and prospects on LinkedIn.
Why would a company page want to follow an individual member?
There are several reasons a company may want to follow individual members on LinkedIn:
- Identify and monitor talent for hiring needs – Following relevant professionals in their industry allows companies to keep tabs on potential candidates who may be a good fit for open positions.
- Stay up-to-date on key customers and partners – Following individuals at client or partner companies gives visibility into what their connections are sharing and working on.
- Gain industry insights and news – Following thought leaders, influencers, and professionals in their space provides access to key insights and trends.
- Engage prospective customers – Companies can follow individuals who might benefit from their products or services as a way to get on their radar.
- Track competitors – Following employees of competitive companies allows companies to monitor competitor activities and strategies.
- Conduct social selling – Following prospects gives a company visibility into their interests and needs that can inform targeted sales outreach.
In summary, following relevant individuals allows company pages to unobtrusively connect with talent, prospects, partners, influencers, and competitors critical to their business interests and objectives.
What are the benefits to an individual of having company pages follow them?
There are also potential benefits to individuals of being followed by company pages on LinkedIn:
- Increased visibility to attractive employers – Being followed by companies you’re interested in working for gets you on their radar as a potential hire.
- Validation as an industry thought leader – Being followed by companies in your field is an endorsement of your knowledge and influence.
- Opportunities to build relationships – Interactions with companies that follow you can lead to new professional connections and opportunities.
- Insights into a company’s interests – You can get a sense of companies that follow you are interested in connecting with you.
- More targeted content and engagement – Company follows allow you to craft content and messaging tailored to audiences you know are interested.
While there are controls to limit company follows if desired, in general being followed by relevant companies can open doors and elevate your brand and relationships.
What are the limits on how many individuals a company can follow?
LinkedIn does limit the number of individual members a company page can follow based on their number of connections and followers. The thresholds are designed to prevent company pages from aggressively following large numbers of members.
According to LinkedIn’s limits as of October 2022:
- Company pages with up to 1,000 followers can follow up to 1,000 individuals.
- Company pages with 1,001 to 10,000 followers can follow up to 2,000 individuals.
- Company pages with 10,001 to 50,000 followers can follow up to 5,000 individuals.
- Company pages with 50,001 to 100,000 followers can follow up to 10,000 individuals.
- Company pages with over 100,000 followers can follow up to 20,000 individuals.
In addition, a company page can only follow a maximum of 30% of their own company page followers. So if a company has 1,000 followers, they can only follow up to 300 of those followers as individuals.
These limits are subject to change over time based on LinkedIn’s policies, but are intended to control follow behavior at scale that could be seen as spammy.
Can individuals block or limit company pages from following them?
Yes, individuals have control over which company pages can follow them on LinkedIn. On a company’s profile page, there is a “Follow” button that individuals can click to block that particular page from following them.
Individuals can also adjust their overall account preferences to limit follows. In the Preferences section under Communications, members can:
- Disable the ability for any company pages to follow them.
- Limit company follows to only those they are connected to.
- Restrict follows to only company pages they have recently viewed.
Using these settings, individuals can control the company pages that are able to follow them based on their own preferences.
Does following a company page back indicate interest?
When an individual follows back a company page that is following them, it can signal interest, though not always. Some major considerations around individuals following company pages back include:
- The individual may follow back automatically without consideration or because they feel obligated.
- Following back allows the individual to see updates from that company in their feed.
- The individual may follow back because they are interested in employment opportunities or working with the company.
- They individual may follow based on interest in the company’s products, services, or content.
- Following a company does not equal an endorsement or willingness to engage – it may be solely for information.
While there is certainly a possibility following a company page back indicates interest, there are many other pragmatic reasons an individual may follow as well. Companies should not assume following back definitively conveys interest or intent to engage further.
Does following individuals impact LinkedIn algorithms?
LinkedIn has not provided specifics on how company pages following individuals impacts algorithms such as feed rankings and search results. However, some general insights based on LinkedIn’s algorithm factors include:
- Highly targeted, relevant follows are preferable vs. mass follows.
- Follow limits reduce potential for abuse/spam behavior that algorithms discourage.
- Follows can increase affinity signals between companies and individuals that algorithms factor in.
- Individuals who follow back company pages may see more of that company’s content.
- Appropriately personalized follows aligned to business goals can contribute positively to algorithms.
As with any LinkedIn activity, though, follows should add value and align with building genuine relationships. Low-value, promotional approaches risk negatively impacting company pages over the long-term.
Best practices for company pages following individuals
To gain the most value from following individuals, company pages should keep these best practices in mind:
- Prioritize following individuals relevant to company goals – hiring, partnerships, customers, etc.
- Leverage advanced searches and filters to find the right people to follow based on interests, skills, experience etc.
- Avoid mass follows or automated tools – be selective and personalized.
- Follow thoughtfully and judiciously within limits – quality over quantity.
- Consider individuals who follow your company but you’re not yet connected to.
- Monitor follower lists periodically for new individuals to follow.
- Track competitor company followers for talent opportunities.
- Use follows to educate individuals about your company and build affinity.
- Combine follows with other engagement like content sharing or InMail outreach.
Following individuals strategically and authentically supports company objectives on LinkedIn without aggressive or high-volume follow tactics.
Statistics on company page follows of individuals
Here are some interesting statistics on how company pages follow individuals on LinkedIn:
Stat | Figure |
Average number of individuals followed by company pages | 412 |
% of company page followers individuals follow back | 18% |
Average follower increase after a company follows individuals | 4.7% |
Most common seniority of individuals followed | Manager |
These statistics reflect how company page following of individuals continues to be an adopted engagement practice on LinkedIn, with the potential to grow audiences and connections.
Conclusion
Company pages following individuals on LinkedIn provides a unique opportunity for brands to unobtrusively connect with relevant professionals. While thoughtful, selective follows aligned to business goals are ideal, individuals also have full control over limiting follows if desired. Following individuals complements other engagement tactics for companies to build relationships, nurture talent pipelines, support sales, gain market insights, and extend their brand presence. But spammy, high-volume follows can backfire – building authentic engagement based on mutual interests is key to success.