Giving access to your LinkedIn company page allows you to collaborate with others and manage your content more effectively. However, you need to be careful about who you give access to and what level of permissions they have. Here are some key things to consider when giving access to your LinkedIn company page:
Who should have access?
You generally want to restrict access to your LinkedIn company page to employees who need it for their job. For example:
- Marketing & PR employees who post content, monitor engagement, etc.
- HR staff who need to post jobs and interact with candidates
- Sales staff who need to connect with prospects
Before granting access, make sure the employee truly needs it to do their work. Avoid giving blanket access to all employees just because it seems easier.
What permissions should you grant?
LinkedIn allows you to give different levels of access to your company page:
Permission Type | Description |
---|---|
Administrator | Full control over all settings and content |
Editor | Can publish posts, respond to comments, etc. |
Analyst | Can view page insights and analytics |
In most cases, you’ll want to make someone an Editor so they can post and engage, but not change overall settings. Give Administrator access sparingly to avoid potential mistakes.
Should you allow employees to post as themselves?
By default, any posts made by someone with access will display as written by your company page. But you can enable the option to “Post as employees” in your settings. This will show posts written by individuals as authored by them personally.
Allowing employee posts can make your content seem more authentic and personalized. However, make sure employees understand proper posting etiquette to avoid potential issues.
What training should be provided?
Before granting access, train employees on your company’s LinkedIn strategy and posting best practices, such as:
- Posting frequency and ideal times
- Using proper branding and messaging
- Engaging with commenters and followers
- Avoiding inflammatory or off-brand posts
Make sure employees know what is and isn’t appropriate to post to maintain a consistent brand image.
How will you monitor activity?
LinkedIn provides analytics showing all posts, comments, shares, follower growth, and more. Review this data regularly to see how your company page is being managed. This allows you to:
- Spot any concerning content that needs to be removed
- Identify best practices that should be replicated
- See who your top content creators are
Proactively monitoring and optimizing your LinkedIn activity is key to getting value from the platform.
When should you revoke access?
If an employee leaves your company or moves to a new role, remove their access to your LinkedIn page. This protects your brand in case a disgruntled employee tries to post inappropriate content later on.
You should also revoke access if an employee repeatedly makes improper posts or violates your company’s social media policy. It’s better to lose one contributor than risk broader damage to your brand.
Conclusion
Allowing employees access to your LinkedIn company page can greatly expand your brand’s reach. But it also carries risks if not managed properly. Follow these guidelines to grant access strategically:
- Only give access to employees who need it
- Use the proper permission levels
- Train employees on posting best practices
- Monitor activity and optimize as needed
- Revoke access when employees leave or violate policies
With the right precautions, you can harness the power of your whole team to showcase your brand on LinkedIn.
Despite these precautions, there are still risks associated with granting access to your company’s LinkedIn page. Here are some additional aspects to consider:
Potential for security risks
Having multiple editors could lead to passwords and logins being shared, increasing the risk of security breaches. Set strong password policies and use tools like two-factor authentication to protect your account.
Possibility of “rogue” employees
Even with training and policies, an employee may go off brand. This could be intentionally malicious or just an innocent mistake. Be prepared to promptly delete inappropriate content.
Legal liability
Your company could face legal action if an employee posts libelous, harassing, or confidential information on your page. Make sure employee training covers relevant laws and company policies.
Reputation management
If multiple employees post, it may be harder to maintain a cohesive brand voice. Review online monitoring tools that can help you oversee brand sentiment.
Resource drain
Proper management and training takes time, as does creating engaging content. Make sure you have bandwidth to commit to getting full value from your LinkedIn presence.
Thorough training and governance can help mitigate much of this risk. But there’s still no guarantee employees will always follow guidelines. Weigh if the benefits of expanded posting access outweigh the potential downsides for your brand.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I restrict what parts of our page employees have access to?
Yes, LinkedIn allows you to customize employee access to certain sections of your company page. For example, you may allow access to post in the Feeds tab, but not the Jobs or Products tab.
Should contract workers or freelancers have access?
It’s best not to give permanent access to non-employees. But you can work with freelancers on an individual post basis by granting one-off editing access.
Can we schedule posts in advance if multiple employees contribute?
Yes, you can use LinkedIn’s scheduling features to queue up posts and space out when they publish. This allows you to curate a steady stream of content.
What happens if an employee leaves without warning?
Immediately remove their access. LinkedIn permissions are tied to work emails. If someone leaves suddenly, suspend their work email to revoke access.
How many people should manage our LinkedIn page?
There’s no ideal number – it depends on your brand’s needs. Aim for enough editors to keep your content active, but avoid too many voices that dilute your messaging.
Should we have guidelines for employees’ personal LinkedIn profiles?
Yes, have social media policies that extend to personal use. Remind employees that their profiles still represent your brand, especially if they mention their employer.
Giving employees access to your LinkedIn company page has risks, but also significant advantages if managed well. Follow best practices around permissions, training, monitoring, and governance to safely unlock the benefits of an expanded social media team.
Example LinkedIn Company Page Access Models
Every company handles LinkedIn access differently based on their brand’s needs and resources. Here are some example models to illustrate various approaches:
Centralized Model
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Consistent brand voice | Limiting content volume |
Tight control of messaging | Content creation burden |
No training needed | Less authentic engagement |
A single employee, often in marketing or communications, has sole control over content creation and engagement. This allows maximum oversight but limits reach.
Decentralized Model
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Higher content volume | Messaging inconsistencies |
Wider engagement reach | Training burden |
Authentic employee voices | Less oversight |
Many employees across departments have access to post and engage. This increases content but makes consistency harder.
Hybrid Model
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Good content volume | More complex to manage |
Mostly consistent messaging | Still some training needed |
Expanded engagement reach | Limited authentic voices |
A select group of employees have access to post and engage on LinkedIn to increase reach while limiting potential issues.
Weigh the pros and cons of each approach against your brand’s specific needs and capacities when structuring your access model.
Best Practices For Employee Access
If you do decide to grant LinkedIn access to employees beyond a single owner, follow these best practices to maintain brand consistency and minimize risk:
Create an Employee Social Media Policy
Have clear social media guidelines that outline your brand standards, posting procedures, compliance rules, and repercussions for violations.
Train Employees on Proper Usage
Educate employees on your voice, messaging, engagement protocols, and content guidelines before granting access.
Start Small
Give limited initial access to a few employees to test the waters before expanding permissions company-wide.
Review Content Frequently
Check your LinkedIn analytics and posts regularly to flag any issues promptly.
Jump In and Engage
Have your social media manager actively participate alongside employees to guide best practices.
Solicit Employee Feedback
Ask employees what’s working well and challenges they face to improve your program.
Adapt as Needed
Continuously optimize your access model, training, and policies based on monitoring and feedback.
Expanding access takes work, but the benefits can be immense. Follow these tips to involve your employees while protecting your brand.
Conclusion
Giving access to your LinkedIn company page is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it allows more employees to showcase your brand and engage with prospects. But on the other, it introduces potential risks around branding, security and compliance.
The keys are granting access selectively, setting proper permissions, training employees, monitoring activity closely, and having protocols to address issues. If done strategically, you can amplify the power of your LinkedIn presence while minimizing risk.
Consider starting small with a few key employees, then expanding access gradually as you optimize your governance model. The ideal approach depends on your specific brand needs and resources.
With proper precautions, your employees can become trusted brand ambassadors on LinkedIn. But tread cautiously, as the stakes are high when entrusting your brand reputation and relationships to others.