Having a strong LinkedIn presence is crucial for establishing credibility and driving engagement in today’s digital landscape. Many professionals choose to create a LinkedIn Company Page in addition to their personal profile to promote their business or organization. However, LinkedIn’s rules around Company Pages versus personal profiles can be confusing. This article will clarify if you can create a Company Page using your personal profile.
What is the Difference Between a LinkedIn Personal Profile and Company Page?
On LinkedIn, user accounts come in two main types:
- Personal profile – This account type is for individual users to represent themselves professionally and network on the platform. Personal profiles showcase work history, skills, education, accomplishments, and recommendations.
- Company Page – These pages are specifically for businesses, brands, organizations, or other entities to establish an official presence on LinkedIn. Company Pages highlight products/services, culture, jobs, news, and industry expertise.
While personal profiles focus on individual users, Company Pages aim to represent entire organizations and companies. Key differences include:
Personal Profile | Company Page |
---|---|
Represents an individual user | Represents an entire company/organization |
Showcases user’s background and network | Showcases company products, culture, news |
Limited customization and management options | Robust customization and management options |
Drive individual engagement | Drive brand awareness and engagement |
In summary, personal profiles are for individual users while Company Pages represent organizations as a whole. Company Pages have more customization options and are focused on brand-building vs individual networking.
Is It Possible to Create a Company Page Under a Personal Profile?
According to LinkedIn’s policies, you cannot create or manage a Company Page using a personal profile account. Company Pages must be created and managed from a separate, official company account.
There are a few reasons LinkedIn enforces this rule:
- Authenticity – Company Pages created by employees from their personal accounts could be seen as less official or authoritative.
- Security – Personal profiles have less oversight than company accounts, increasing risk.
- Ownership – Company rights and management need to be handled appropriately.
- Unification – Content and conversations should come from one company account.
Additionally, many Company Page features such as analytics, showcase pages, job listings, and social media integrations require a properly registered business account.
So in summary – no, you cannot create or run a LinkedIn Company Page using your individual personal profile. A separate company account is required.
Steps to Create a LinkedIn Company Page
To create a Company Page on LinkedIn, a designated company representative needs to follow these steps:
- Register a LinkedIn account using an official company email address ([email protected]). This cannot be an existing personal account.
- Choose to create a Company Page when setting up the account. Alternatively, go to Work > Create a Company Page from the homepage.
- Enter key company details – Name, Industry, Company Size, Headcount, Location, etc.
- Select relevant topics and categories that relate to your products/services.
- Upload company logo, images, cover photo, and description to customize the Page.
- Link the Page to company’s website and social media accounts.
- Publish the Page and share/promote it across other channels.
- Continue adding content, responding to messages, listing jobs, and monitoring analytics.
Once the Company Page is live, employees can be given access to help manage and post content. But the Page itself must originate from an official company account.
Best Practices for Organizational LinkedIn Presence
To maximize LinkedIn for your company or organization, best practices include:
- Create only one Company Page – Multiple unofficial Pages dilute brand authority.
- Leverage all employees to share and engage with the Page. This increases reach.
- Align messaging and content strategy between Page and employees.
- Regularly post engaging content – Thought leadership, videos, live events, etc.
- Monitor Page analytics to inform an evergreen content strategy.
- Respond promptly to comments and messages via the Page.
- Claim your organization’s name/URL to prevent false Pages.
- Link the Company Page prominently on your website.
Following these best practices helps ensure your organization fully capitalizes on LinkedIn as a platform. But it all starts with an official Company Page set up through a registered business account.
Alternative Options for Business Representation on LinkedIn
If creating a full Company Page doesn’t make sense, alternatives like the following may work instead:
Group
LinkedIn Groups allow members to share content and discuss topics. Employees can create and manage Groups on behalf of a company.
Showcase Pages
Showcase Pages operate under a Company Page to highlight specific brands, business units, or initiatives.
Employee Spotlights
Feature individual employee stories through LinkedIn posts to humanize a company.
Sponsored Content
Promoted Posts and Sponsored InMail allow delivering customized messages to key audiences.
However, a Company Page remains the most authoritative LinkedIn presence for showcasing organizations. Alternatives serve best for supplemental content and engagement.
Key Takeaways
- LinkedIn personal profiles represent individual users, while Company Pages represent entire organizations.
- You cannot create or manage a Company Page from a personal profile – a separate company account is required.
- Best practices include creating only one Company Page, engaging all employees, and posting consistently.
- Alternatives like Groups or Showcase Pages can highlight parts of a business when a full Company Page isn’t suitable.
Conclusion
Maintaining an official, optimized LinkedIn presence is essential for any modern brand. While personal profiles have limitations, Company Pages provide the best way to showcase organizations accurately. By publishing content regularly, responding promptly, and leveraging employees, brands can humanize themselves while also reaching key audiences. Ultimately though, Company Pages must originate from registered company accounts – not individual profiles.