6 Best Ways to Get Employees Involved on LinkedIn

It’s an increasingly open secret: LinkedIn is a powerful tool for personal and company visibility, especially on Google. The catch? Getting your employees to actually use it.

At Zoe, we’ve seen the benefits of employees engaging on LinkedIn. But we also know the struggles of encouraging consistent participation — whether it’s a lack of time, understanding or confidence. It often comes down to offering practical advice and a little encouragement.

Here, we’ll first detail why LinkedIn engagement matters (and a few key disclaimers). Then, we’ll share 6 ways to make it easier for your employees to get involved:

1. Make a case
2. Offer guidelines and training
3. Allow for individuality
4. Make it easy
5. Share content templates and calendars
6. Create excitement with incentives

You’ll step away with some actionable ideas. You can also start considering your next steps to grow your company’s social media marketing strategy.

Why employee LinkedIn engagement matters

LinkedIn has evolved from a digital resume site to a powerful publishing platform. In fact, Google now favors content from real experts, even favoring employee posts on LinkedIn over company-published content.

When employees share their insights, Google recognizes their expertise, which can boost both their visibility and your company’s search rankings.

LinkedIn notes in its Turning Employees Into Brand Advocates guide that it’s also practical: “Your employees have a network that is 10 times larger than your company’s follower base.” Their engagement:

• Expands reach. Content engagement is 2X higher when shared by employees, LinkedIn notes.
• Builds trust and authority. Google values authentic expertise, giving employee content more weight.
• Lifts SEO. Consistent LinkedIn activity improves search engine visibility.
• Humanizes your brand. Employee posts help your company feel more approachable.
• Expands your digital presence. Employees’ insights amplify your company’s overall reach — since they’re connected with your company.

A few key disclaimers

While getting employees involved on LinkedIn is valuable, it’s crucial to strike a balance. Educate and support your employees, but respect that LinkedIn is their personal platform. To foster engagement without being too rigid:

• Provide training: Offer clear guidelines and helpful tips. But give employees the freedom to express themselves authentically.
• Encourage, don’t mandate: Suggest participation vs. requiring it. Let employees feel in control of their posts.
• Respect differences: Allow space for diverse voices and approaches.

6 best ways to get employees involved on LinkedIn

To engage your employees on LinkedIn, make a case for its value, offer guidelines and training, allow for individuality, make sharing easy, provide content templates and calendars, and offer incentives.

1. Make a case

Posting to LinkedIn can feel intimidating or inorganic — especially if you’ve never done it before. I admit, before I started a year ago, I felt a little weird about it, even as a long-time writer! After all, this is a professional persona. That can take some time to get comfortable with.

When rolling out LinkedIn to your employees, treat it as an opportunity, not an obligation.

Start with a company-wide meeting or memo that:

• Shows how LinkedIn engagement benefits them, first — personal growth, networking, credibility, etc.
• Highlights real examples of employees or professionals who’ve seen career boosts from being active on LinkedIn
• Emphasizes that this is about helping them succeed while also enhancing the company’s presence

Keep it light and focus on the personal advantages they’ll gain.

2. Offer guidelines and training

Posting can also feel overwhelming without direction, so offering simple guidelines is essential. Start with a short training session or lunch’ n’ learn to walk employees through the essentials.

• Cover the basics: Give some coaching on profile optimization, effective posting and how to engage without being spammy.
• Share a content guide: Include examples of what works — personal stories, industry insights, professional updates/achievements, relevant articles, etc.
• Encourage variety: Suggest mixing posts about personal experiences, company updates and relevant articles.
• Small but steady: Even a post per week (or a couple a month) helps. Encourage consistency without overwhelming them.
• Remind them it’s their platform: Emphasize how it helps build their personal brand while supporting the company as a byproduct.
• Keep it flexible: Empower them to engage in ways that feel natural and authentic to them.

And, when it comes to talking about your company — whether it’s sharing posts or commenting on them — consider setting a few commonsense company guidelines, such as:

• Keep posts professional yet approachable in language and tone
• Include a relevant company hashtag (or create one unique to your brand)
• Avoid sharing confidential information, unverified news or engaging in discussions that could be perceived as politically charged
• Posts about product launches, announcements or partnerships must be approved by marketing to ensure they align with company messaging

3. Allow for individuality  

Your employees shouldn’t be creating carbon copies of your company’s voice. Instead, encourage people to express their unique personalities and experiences. For instance:

• Personal stories: Someone might share a career lesson they learned the hard way. “I once botched a presentation — completely froze in front of the client. But that pushed me to work on my public speaking skills, and now I lead workshops confidently.”
• Passions: If an employee is passionate about, say, sustainability, they can weave that into their posts, even if it’s not directly tied to the company. “Just attended a webinar on renewable energy. Excited to see how these trends will shape the future!”
• Humor: Some folks might feel comfortable adding a bit of humor. “Networking at a conference: awkward first 10 seconds, but totally worth it. Here’s what I learned!”
• Cover photo freedom: Some companies offer branded cover photos. You can provide this as an option, but don’t make it mandatory. Let employees choose their own style.

The goal is for them to share in their own voice. This adds depth to their LinkedIn presence while still aligning with your company’s values.

4. Make it easy

Coming up with content on an ongoing basis can be tough (can confirm!). Whether they’re sharing your posts or theirs, simplify the process. Make it even easier for employees by:

• Create re-shareable visuals: Infographics, quick stats or branded images help posts “pop” without much effort from employees.
• Use a social sharing tool: Free versions of tools like Buffer let employees schedule posts (up to 10 at once with Buffer) easily without the hassle of real-time posting.
• Provide prompts: Share weekly or biweekly prompts via Slack, Teams or email to spark engagement (tip: tap into ChatGPT/AI to develop fresh ideas). Such as:

• • What’s one challenge you overcame this week?
  • How has your role evolved recently?
  • What’s an exciting trend in our industry right now?

• Automate updates: Set up a system (email, Slack, Teams, etc.) to send employees suggested LinkedIn posts with company news, making sharing quick and effortless.

Reducing the mental load and time commitment helps employees to post consistently.

5. Share content types and calendars

Keeping employees engaged on LinkedIn is easier when they know what to post and when. Give them the tools they’ll need to make the process smoother and more approachable.

• Content calendar: Share a monthly or quarterly calendar highlighting key company events, seasonal blogs, product launches, etc. so employees know when to post.
• Post examples: Offer templates for posts such as sharing an article, celebrating career achievements or commenting on industry trends. For instance: “I read this great piece on AI. Here are three things I learned.”
• Types of content: Encourage variety — personal stories, insights, company news — to keep posts fresh and engaging.

By organizing this upfront, you give employees a roadmap to follow.

6. Create excitement with incentives

Finally, keep it fun! Motivating employees to engage on LinkedIn can be as simple as adding a reward system. Spark some excitement with:

• Monthly challenges: Recognize the employee with the most engaging LinkedIn post — i.e. most likes, shares or insightful comments. Offer a gift card, company swag, etc.
• Team goals: Set team-wide engagement goals, like a certain number of posts or shares each month. Celebrate when they’re met with a team lunch or happy hour.
• Achievement spotlights: Highlight employees who actively share on LinkedIn in company meetings or emails.

Small perks and public recognition can feel rewarding and boost team morale, too.

Next steps for creating a company social media strategy

There are so many ways to encourage your employees to get involved on LinkedIn. Ideally, they’ll feel empowered, create their professional voice and feel like part of a team.

Remember to offer support — and stay open to pushback. If employees feel hesitant, listen to their concerns, provide reassurance or even welcome alternative ways to contribute.

Need some support with your social media strategy? Talk to us. Zoe Marketing & Communications can help you create a calendar and content that inspires your prospects — and your employees. Not ready for an agency yet? Check out these articles to keep growing:

• 4 top free social media marketing templates
• What are social media ads, and what are the differences?