OK, yes it’s true.  Your LinkedIn Services/Products page is going away April 14th.   But you were barely giving it any love and attention anyway, so why panic now that it’s leaving?

Don’t worry, take a deep breath.  Take a sip your favorite caffeinated beverage. And then take a few minutes to learn what to do:

Q: What happens if I don’t do anything by April 14th?
A: Unlike not paying your taxes, nothing bad is going to happen if you don’t do anything.  The tab with products/services will simply go away.

Q: Where do I put my services then?
A: Look at the descriptions you have right now for your services.  OK, now edit that down a whole lot.  Pick just your most important ones.  Now put that copy up on your company page.  That’s it, you’re done.

Q: But wait—LinkedIn is telling me I should use these Showcase pages, so shouldn’t I put one up?
A: If you are a big company with lots of brands and a variety of distinct, unique audiences then yes, you should consider Showcase pages.  If you aren’t, don’t bother.

Q: What exactly is a Showcase page?
A: It’s a page connected to your main company page. LinkedIn calls it a “child” page.  It’s got a hero graphic at the top (974 x 330 pixels) and you get a whopping 200 characters to describe what you want to showcase.  That’s like a tweet and a half. The rest of the page is just whatever updates you put up there. Yup, it’s basically a page with a bunch of updates.

Q: Even if my company isn’t big with a bunch of brands, why shouldn’t I have a Showcase page?
A: Can we be serious here?  Showcase is for a brand/product with such a distinct audience from your main page—that you have to put entirely new and different updates on this Showcase page, and with ongoing regularity.  We’re talking high-maintenance.  And godforbid if you put more than one up. Puh-leeze.
You up for that?  No?  Then spend your time wisely – avoid Showcase, keep it simple and concentrate on updating your company page and making top-quality LinkedIn profiles  for yourself and your employees.