In an effort to build out its messaging tools and facilitate more professional interaction via InMails, LinkedIn has announced a significant new feature: Company Pages will now be able to send and receive direct messages (DMs). This provides a fresh way for users to engage with brands on the platform, initiating a conversation directly with Company Pages, while page administrators can respond on behalf of the organization.
In a statement, LinkedIn elaborated: "With Pages Messaging, members can reach out to brands through a one-to-one message, about topics like products and services, business opportunities and more. Organizations will have a dedicated inbox to manage these two-way conversations and prioritize inquiries that matter most to their business."
This update may necessitate a degree of management, particularly for larger corporations, given the likely influx of inquiries. However, LinkedIn’s ‘focused inbox’ process separates DMs based on priority and topic settings for page messages, helping to streamline this process. If desired, brands can also disable the Message option. This feature has been tested with a select group of users over the past month, so some may already have experienced it.
LinkedIn reports that more than 63 million companies actively post on their Company Pages within the app, highlighting the potential of Page messaging for enhanced connection and engagement. The company is also exploring an AI assistant element to further assist with lead nurturing, which will offer the ability to research the user being engaged without having to manually scroll through their profile or posts.
While not a 'game-changer,' this update is a noteworthy addition to LinkedIn's suite of marketing tools. LinkedIn has begun rolling out Company Page messaging starting today.
