LinkedIn marketing strategy
A plan that involves utilizing LinkedIn to attain particular marketing objectives is called a LinkedIn marketing strategy. Recruiting excellent staff and enhancing brand image are some of the aspects involved in LinkedIn marketing.
LinkedIn stands out as a distinct platform where personal connections do not overshadow brands. Business networking is the primary focus on LinkedIn, which implies that every kind of business should be actively involved and visible in the ongoing discussion.
Although LinkedIn is mostly recognized as the social media platform preferred by B2B marketers, B2C companies can also achieve favorable outcomes on LinkedIn provided they have a well-formed plan consisting of LinkedIn objectives that fit seamlessly into their overall social media marketing tactics.
General LinkedIn marketing tips
If a brand aims to develop an efficient LinkedIn marketing strategy, what are the essential steps to take? The following are some significant measures to consider.
1. Set clear goals
The initial stage of a marketing plan involves determining your desired outcome. Consider how LinkedIn aligns with your overall marketing approach and delineate your precise objectives for this platform focused on businesses.
There is a significant difference in how individuals utilize LinkedIn compared to other social media platforms.
- Keeping up to date with news and current events: 29.2%
- Following or researching brands and products: 26.9%
- Posting or sharing photos or videos: 17.7%
- Messaging friends and family: 14.6%
- Looking for funny or entertaining content: 13.8%
Undoubtedly, when it comes to recruiting, LinkedIn is the go-to social network and also ranks as the leading platform for generating B2B leads. This is valuable insight that should guide your strategy objectives. It’s equally crucial to assess how your organizational style aligns with LinkedIn’s ecosystem.
As previously stated, LinkedIn has the potential to be a valuable resource for B2B companies to generate leads and cultivate relationships. However, B2C companies may find the platform more useful for recruiting purposes. Ultimately, it is up to your team to determine the best approach for your business.
2. Make the most of your LinkedIn Page
Ensure that your LinkedIn Page is comprehensive and utilizes all pertinent tabs and sections, regardless of the goals you are striving towards. According to LinkedIn statistics, Pages that are thoroughly completed receive a 30% increase in weekly views.
To stay targeted on the appropriate audience, bigger companies can make use of Showcase Pages for their content marketing. Establish these pages for various strategies or initiatives within your organization. Also, ensure your primary Page content remains up-to-date by changing your cover image a minimum of twice annually as recommended by LinkedIn.
3. Understand your audience
The demographic of LinkedIn users varies from that of other social platforms, as they are usually older and have a higher income. However, it is crucial to recognize your particular audience and the type of content they seek from your LinkedIn page.
Utilizing LinkedIn analytics is effective in discovering the demographics of your target audience, and by utilizing Hootsuite’s Audience Discovery tool, you can gain even further understanding regarding your LinkedIn audience and their engagement with your content.
4. Track and refine your performance
As your understanding of your audience improves, you’ll gain a stronger grasp of the content that resonates the most with them. By monitoring the outcomes of your LinkedIn content, you’ll acquire valuable insights that can be used to enhance your LinkedIn marketing approach over time.
Once more, it is highly valuable to utilize LinkedIn analytics for strategic insight. The inherent LinkedIn Analytics feature offers a comprehensive view of the performance of both your LinkedIn Page and posts. Hootsuite’s LinkedIn analytics can offer further specifics and also assess how your LinkedIn marketing campaign is performing in relation to your other social media platforms.
Sharing your results is the most effective way to showcase the outcome achieved through your LinkedIn marketing efforts. A valuable tool to accomplish this is to generate frequent reports on your LinkedIn marketing practices. These reports not only facilitate the identification of emerging trends but also enable you to enhance your strategy continuously. Furthermore, communicating your achievements cultivates a collaborative environment that sparks brainstorming sessions and innovative ideas for strategic enhancements.
5. Be human
According to research conducted by LinkedIn, on average, employees have a network with 10 times more connections compared to the number of followers that a company has. Additionally, when shared by an employee, content receives twice as many click-throughs compared to when it is posted on the company’s business page.
Regarding recruitment, it is highly probable that employees possess LinkedIn connections within their respective fields of specialization. Consequently, by sharing job vacancies with their connections, they can target a more specific audience than what is achievable through your company’s LinkedIn page.
Including personal profiles in your LinkedIn marketing strategy is crucial for various reasons. This could entail providing your C-suite with the necessary training to leverage LinkedIn for thought leadership content or motivating your staff to exhibit their professional journey through the platform.
Keep in mind that individuals have the option to track personal profiles, which enables them to view material from individuals they wish to gain knowledge from but aren’t acquainted with enough to send a connection request. This expands the audience of every employee in your organization, including those in lower-ranking positions and the CEO.
With the help of an employee advocacy program such as Hootsuite Amplify, sharing approved content on LinkedIn profiles becomes effortless for your employees. Additionally, this social media advocacy and marketing tool enables you to track performance and increase employee engagement in the program.
6. Focus on leads, not sales
Social selling is the primary focus of LinkedIn rather than social commerce. As previously noted, it is the leading brand for B2B lead generation, making it an ideal tool for constructing relationships and networks that will eventually result in sales.
As a platform for impulse buys, it is not very effective. It is not a popular destination for those seeking to purchase the latest trendy products.
Instead of attempting to sell directly on LinkedIn, concentrate on establishing connections and reliability. Take advantage of opportunities to provide professional guidance instead of aggressively promoting your products. By doing so, you will be top of mind when the prospect is ready to make a buying decision.
Although challenging, it is indeed feasible to utilize LinkedIn as a means to enhance online revenue. To do this, it is crucial to showcase your product or service in a professional manner. Enlisting the assistance of a suitable influencer, like Days did in reference to their non-alcoholic beer in this LinkedIn message, could also prove beneficial.
7. Create a content calendar
You shouldn’t simply create a LinkedIn profile and neglect it. Publishing content frequently can enhance your reputation as a leading thinker on the platform. Planning a content marketing schedule in advance can be beneficial.
By doing so, you can maintain uniformity and optimize crucial occasions to create content. For instance, if you own a dental office, you could make a post on World Oral Health Day and provide practical advice on enhancing dental hygiene.
Utilizing hashtags during major events or holidays can be helpful in expanding your reach. Additionally, it provides opportunities to engage with others. Remember to interact with other users’ posts instead of only promoting your own content.
8. Publish relevant content consistently
Creating a content calendar simplifies the task of consistent posting as it enables you to determine the appropriate content, posting schedules, and relevant hashtags. If you lack the time to draft the calendar yourself, you may consider hiring a social media management expert to do it for you.
Your content must fulfill three criteria. Firstly, it should be significant to your particular industry. Secondly, it should be reflective of your brand identity. Lastly, it should offer extra benefits to its viewers. However, make an effort to think creatively whenever you can.
Consider the aforementioned instance of a dental clinic. Additional postings could involve occasions such as National Wear Red Day, which raises awareness about heart disease. This is relevant because gum disease has been associated with a higher probability of developing heart disease.
Providing your readers with valuable knowledge and showcasing your expertise can be achieved by adopting an unconventional method. You can also offer practical advice for enhancing gum care to add more value to your content.
9. Create video- or image-based posts
There is no need for your LinkedIn marketing content to solely consist of written pieces. It is recommended to incorporate visual content such as videos or images to craft more captivating and fascinating material.
The visuals presented could consist of photographs and informative graphics containing data that is beneficial. For instance, the video illustrations could be a Frequently Asked Questions segment, a sit-down discussion with the CEO of your organization, or a step-by-step instructional video showcasing your product. The structure utilized will be determined by the industry you operate in.
10. Use clear calls to action
Upon establishing your LinkedIn profile, you were given the choice to assign CTA buttons. These buttons guide viewers towards performing specific actions, such as browsing your website. It is advisable to incorporate CTAs in your content as well.
Be sure to create CTAs that add value to your audience. Avoid making them feel like they’re constantly being marketed to. As an instance, you could finish a blog post that discusses a pertinent subject for your audience with a CTA that provides a whitepaper with more extensive information.
11. Use data-backed content for engagement
Facts and figures are popular among individuals. Statistics and percentages offer swift, easily comprehensible, and convincing data that individuals can quickly process. This makes it an effective technique to seize someone’s attention in the realm of social media, where individuals browse through content hastily.
Make every effort to incorporate factual and proven information, including figures, surveys, and study outcomes, into your content. Additionally, you can repurpose this data to design graphics or visuals that promote your lengthy content.
12. Try LinkedIn Ads
Utilize LinkedIn advertising for a direct method to advertise your business on the platform. Ads are beneficial in that they permit you to specifically aim and engage with prospective customers, as they will receive your ads directly. You won’t have to wait for them to stumble upon your company page – you can reach out to them instead.
Enabling you to access individuals outside of your direct network provides the opportunity for them to become acquainted with your company, consequently broadening your network. The ultimate goal is to produce potential customers and ultimately convert them into actual customers.
LinkedIn ads encompass several ad formats, such as sponsored content, dynamic ads, message ads, and text ads. To implement LinkedIn ads, one can establish a campaign manager, a platform that enables the selection of a budget, choice of marketing objectives (e.g., clicks or impressions), and definition of campaign timeline.
13. Try LinkedIn boosting
Consider using LinkedIn Boosting if you have a high-quality content piece that you believe deserves additional exposure. This feature enables you to amplify your reach and connect with a larger audience. A campaign is established in your campaign manager when you boost a post.
Boosting can effectively enhance industry thought leadership, customer spotlights, product launches, and events. It’s a powerful tool to drive website traffic, boost video views, and increase engagement.
14. Utilize showcase pages
After setting up your company page on LinkedIn, you can opt to create Showcase Pages, which are focused pages that fall under your primary page. They enable you to showcase particular campaigns, content, or initiatives.
Suppose you intend to launch a new product. In that case, creating a Showcase Page on LinkedIn is an effective strategy to disseminate information about it to your network. Additionally, Showcase Pages have the potential to expand your reach since they are visible to individuals who are not directly linked to you.
15. Use company articles and news to drive engagement
It is probable that your business generates content outside of LinkedIn, such as articles written by management portraying thought leadership and press releases. It is important to take advantage of this type of content by sharing it on LinkedIn.
By doing this, you can optimize the utility of all the content you generate, and it also has the potential to boost engagement on other content-sharing platforms. To illustrate, imagine if a news outlet publishes an article referencing your organization. You could entice individuals to view the article.
16. Reach out to relevant industry leaders and companies
LinkedIn boasts a plethora of influential corporations and executives, granting you access to opportunities unavailable in alternative platforms. You can connect with individuals without appearing spammy through specific strategies.
If you have a mutual connection or belong to a common group with someone, you can utilize this connection as an introduction via InMail. Conversely, if you possess a premium membership, you can leverage the open profile network to contact other premium accounts.
To effectively communicate with busy leaders, be sure to have a specific purpose and communicate it clearly from the start. Valuing their time is key! Consider inviting them to participate in a webinar or contribute a guest post to your company blog and highlight the reach of your platform with stats (such as your blog’s monthly readership). This will make the offer more enticing.
