South Africa's 10 most followed companies on LinkedIn 2021

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Turn Left Media, LinkedIn Marketing Solutions’ exclusive partner in sub-Saharan Africa, has collated a list of South Africa’s most-followed pages in 2021.

“These companies represent a broad range of industries, and each has its own unique strategy to stand out on LinkedIn,” says Marius Greeff, founder and director of Turn Left Media. “They are already well-known brands and would naturally attract followers but even so, these companies have used clever tactics to grow their page followers.”

While followers and follower growth is not a general measure of success for most brands, followers continue to provide an organic community of people who’ve put up their hands and said “Yes, I’d like to learn and engage with your business”, and who are generally more receptive to receiving and engaging with a company’s brand.

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A key insight is that all 10 produce a mass of first-party content. Without this, it is difficult to build a successful LinkedIn Page with a robust community of active followers. Greeff acknowledges that not every organisation has the capacity to generate and create large volumes of original content that their followers can engage with.

His advice to smaller companies is to identify and selectively share relevant third-party content. “Posting unique, creative and innovative content daily is the best way to enhance your presence and differentiate yourself from your competitors,” Greeff says, “but interspersing original content with reshared posts is very easy to do and beneficial.”

Another tip he offers is to recognise the power of the reach and authenticity of your employees. “When enthusiastic team members connect their personal profiles with your page, and re-share your content, your brand is presented to new networks,” Greeff says. “These new audiences can rapidly grow your LinkedIn Page followers.” He recommends actively looking for and resharing employee posts using LinkedIn’s Content Suggestions feature.

What SA’s most-followed pages do right

Sasol

Sasol’s content creates awareness of the work they do in Africa, highlights employees and how important they are to the company's success, and champions its partners in community development, suppliers and sponsorships.

Job Mail

Job Mail uses sponsored content to connect with its audience. Rarely posting on LinkedIn, it still has a big following and is one of South Africa’s biggest recruiters.

CNBC Africa

With a focus on quality African business-related news content, thought leadership and local summits, CNBC Africa posts in a variety of formats from still images to short videos.

Careers24

Careers24 posts content every day, from job ads to relevant articles. Sponsored content also plays a significant role for them on LinkedIn. This sets it apart from other recruitment agencies.

Standard Bank Group

Standard Bank delivers engaging content with vibrant images and videos at least five to ten times a week which has increased its following.

University of South Africa (Unisa)

Unisa uses eye-catching still images with written content focused on education and on raising awareness of local events to deliver relevant content to their audience.

The South African Breweries (SAB)

SAB uses images, videos and articles on LinkedIn to showcase their services, meet and greets, stance against gender-based violence, and to profile its employees.

Absa

Absa uses several different formats including eye-catching images and short videos to showcase its services. Its Empowered Women mini-series highlights Absa women and their unique skills.

Capitec Bank

Using LinkedIn advertising to promote their services, Capitec incorporates images and statements from employees, as well as short videos showcasing banking solutions, and community outreach/activism.

MTN

LinkedIn is used to advertise MTN products, services and outreach programmes. Engagement is generated with images, short videos and articles.