In today’s highly competitive marketplace, just being skilled is not enough to attract opportunities. In order to attract clients or potential leads businesses need to establish their expertise and authority with a great deal of visibility.
While traditional marketing campaigns showcase expertise, LinkedIn badges are a new way to stand out in the evolving digital marketing field.
LinkedIn badges have been around for quite some time and are heavily used by individuals to establish their expertise. However, these badges are highly beneficial for businesses too, and in this review, we will explore how getting a stamp of approval from a trusted platform like LinkedIn can benefit your business in several ways.
Types of Badges LinkedIn Offers
There are two types of badges that LinkedIn offers: LinkedIn Top Voice badge, and Badges that members get for their expertise in certain fields.
LinkedIn Top Voice Badge
The LinkedIn Top Voice badge is a designation given to recognize influential creators on the LinkedIn platform. This is the most prestigious and toughest to get badge LinkedIn offers. Less than 0.5% of LinkedIn’s 800+ million members have earned the Top Voice badge. It is awarded annually to professionals who have proven their ability to create content that inspires and educates the LinkedIn community.
Those awarded the badge are considered strong thought leaders and subject matter experts in their respective fields. The badge appears on a professional’s LinkedIn profile under their name, signifying their status as an industry leader to their network and profile visitors. Having the Top Voice distinction allows creators to reach larger audiences with their content and cement their authority in their niches.
As mentioned already this is the toughest badge to get. So, if you are eyeing for it then you need to do a certain key things:
1.Produce high quality and thoughtful content consistently in the form of long posts, articles, videos, newsletters etc. with unique insights and perspective to the LinkedIn community.
2.Look for topics that your audience cares about. This will spark engagement & conversation instantly. This will also help in building a large follower base which is essential to qualify for this badge.
3.Use keywords, optimize headlines and summaries to boost the visibility of your LinkedIn profile and content in search results. This expands your reach.
4.Share your posts across social media channels, at events, through your website etc. Promote your LinkedIn expertise outside the platform.
Badges for Expertise
Also known as endorsement badges, these allow members to showcase areas of professional expertise directly on their profiles. LinkedIn endorsement badges are a way for LinkedIn members to validate the skills and expertise of other professionals on the platform. They offer a simple way to give and receive recognition. However, as you have noticed that the word ‘endorsement’ is here, this means your expertise should be recognized and endorsed by other LinkedIn members.
When they feel that you possess noteworthy capabilities or knowledge, they can “endorse” you by just a single click. This adds an endorsement badge next to your skill on your profile. They signify peer recognition of expertise. The more endorsements you have, the more it signals proficiency in that particular skill. Typical skills that can be endorsed cover areas like marketing, management, writing, public speaking, coaching, HR, and more. But customized skills can also be endorsed.
Profiles with 50+ endorsements for a single skill are granted an “expert” endorsement badge to indicate deep specialized capability in the eyes of professional colleagues and connections.
Why Are LinkedIn Badges Important For Businesses?
As of 2023, LinkedIn has 930 million users and 63 million registered businesses.
That is a LOT of users!
Over the years, LinkedIn has evolved from a job board to one of the biggest marketplaces for businesses. Businesses are actively looking for professionals, experts, consultants on this platform and this is where LinkedIn badges become relevant. If your business is also on LinkedIn, adding a badge makes it unique and showcases your business in the list of elites who have certified expertise. In other words, your business will be a standout from your rivals.
Although, the top voice badge and endorsement badges are offered to individuals, still it can benefit a business. If employees at an organization earn LinkedIn Top Voice status for their content, their company page can showcase a “Top Voices” badge. This suggests the business has influential industry thought leaders and experts amongst its ranks. This will help your business in the following way:
1. Improve visibility on LinkedIn
LinkedIn badges can help businesses improve their visibility on LinkedIn by making their company page and their employees’ profiles more visually appealing and easier to scan. The badges serve as social proof and validation of your skills, knowledge, and status as an industry expert. This instantaneously communicates your capabilities to connections and profile visitors. Also, badges make profiles stand out in search results. Those with badges tend to rank well for relevant industry keywords and searches people are conducting.
2. Position yourself as thought leader in your industry
Earning a LinkedIn badge will instantly position you as a thought leader and will also speak for the credibility of your business. Similarly, if your team members earn skill badges or endorsement badges that will send out a message to other members that your company has best of the talents and experts, hence trustworthy.
3. Generate leads and sales
LinkedIn badges can help businesses to generate leads and sales by showcasing their expertise and thought leadership. When businesses publish articles, share insights, and participate in discussions on LinkedIn, they can display LinkedIn badges that demonstrate their expertise in a particular area. This can help businesses to attract new customers and partners.
4. Improve customer Reliance
LinkedIn badges can help businesses to improve customer satisfaction by showing customers that the company’s employees are skilled and knowledgeable. When customers interact with employees who have LinkedIn badges, they can be confident that they are getting the best possible service and support.
5. Attract and retain top talent
LinkedIn badges can help businesses to attract and retain top talent by showing potential employees that the company is committed to professional development and growth. When businesses offer their employees the opportunity to earn LinkedIn badges, they are showing that they value their employees’ skills and knowledge, and that they are invested in their employees’ success.
6. Build a strong employer brand
LinkedIn badges can help businesses to build a strong employer brand by showcasing the company’s culture, values, and commitment to its employees. When businesses display LinkedIn badges on their LinkedIn company page and on their employees’ profiles, it shows potential employees that the company is a great place to work.
Conclusion
All things said, LinkedIn badges are a valuable tool for businesses of all sizes. They can help businesses to attract and retain top talent, build a strong employer brand, generate leads and sales, and improve customer satisfaction.
Definitely worth a shot!
