should my school be on linkedin?
The answer: it depends. If the goal is simply to “have a LinkedIn presence,” that's not enough of a reason. LinkedIn can make sense if you're trying to:
Stay connected with alumni
Build relationships with potential community partners
Solicit and highlight partnerships/sponsorships
Demonstrate your school's impact and support grant or fundraising efforts
Attract prospective employees
Build credibility with donors, trustees, and other professional audiences
Position school leadership as thought leaders
There’s another reason to share on LinkedIn: AI search results. A recent analysis by Semrush showed LinkedIn as the second-most cited domain in AI responses.
Your LinkedIn content can do more than reach your followers. It can be a source that AI systems use when answering questions.
The content most likely to be cited is helpful, educational, and original. Reshares are rarely cited. Consider the unique knowledge or value your school has to offer (there is A LOT of this) and create content around it.
What content should you share on LinkedIn?
Perhaps a faculty member shares three things they learned at a recent conference and how they’re applying them in the classroom. Or a school leader writes a blog on new programming or curriculum. Or how an alum attributes personal or professional success to your school.
LinkedIn is an opportunity to position yourself as an authority, rather than announcing what’s happening on campus.
Consider the audience.
Think about a student service-learning project. On Instagram, you might share photos from the event with a short description of what the students did.
On LinkedIn, you might highlight the school's commitment to community engagement, share a quote from a student about why the project is important to them, and/or a faculty reflection on how service-learning ties to the school’s mission.
Same story. Different audience. Variable purpose. It's not about posting just to post on every platform. It's about knowing who you're trying to reach and why.
