LinkedIn introduces Company Pages

LinkedIn plans to further differentiate itself from other social networks. The site, currently a social network for business contacts, plans to add Company Pages, a place where companies can “attract new customers” by speaking out and showcasing products or services.  In a press release, the social network said that the pages are designed to help grow a company’s business virally through word-of-mouth. The pages give the company’s a forum to speak up about their personal brands and “highlight their expertise” in any particular field.

“Company Pages take product and service recommendations to another level, allowing professionals to benefit from the considered perspectives of those whom they trust and relate to the most – the people they know,” said Jeff Weiner, chief executive officer of LinkedIn. “By displaying their strongest recommendations to prospective customers and employees on LinkedIn, businesses can use Company Pages to accelerate growth and trust in their brands.”

LinkedIn will officially unveil Company Pages tomorrow at “LinkedIn Connect: 10” in New York City. However, a few companies have already launched their profile pages. Dell and Microsoft are among the first companies to join.

At first glance, Company Pages appear to be very similar to Facebook Pages and Twitter. Site members can choose to “follow” any company they wish, likely adding that company’s updates to their main feed, which is currently dominated by updates from other social networks like Twitter. It is unknown how much demand exists for this feature. LinkedIn is one of the top social networks in the world, with more than 80 million members.