LinkedIn is one of the most popular and effective platforms for social media marketing. With over 500 million users worldwide, LinkedIn provides a great opportunity for businesses to establish their brand, connect with professionals and customers, promote their products and services, and ultimately drive sales.
What is LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is a professional networking platform that allows users to connect with other professionals in their industry. Users create profiles highlighting their work experiences, education, skills, and accomplishments. They can then connect with others by sending connection requests.
In addition to profiles, LinkedIn also allows users and businesses to create pages, join groups, post content, and engage in conversations. As the world’s largest professional network, LinkedIn is used by job seekers, entrepreneurs, marketers, recruiters, and more.
Why Use LinkedIn for Social Media Marketing?
There are several key reasons why LinkedIn is such an effective platform for social media marketing:
- Large audience – With over 500 million users, LinkedIn provides access to a massive audience for businesses to market to.
- Professional demographics – LinkedIn users tend to be higher income professionals, an attractive target market for many B2B companies.
- Targeted advertising – LinkedIn’s advertising platform allows for highly targeted ads based on location, job title, industry, interests, and more.
- Company pages – Businesses can create LinkedIn Company Pages to establish their brand and showcase products, content, jobs, and more.
- Thought leadership – LinkedIn provides opportunities to publish long-form content to demonstrate expertise and establish brand authority.
- Lead generation – Many businesses generate and collect leads through LinkedIn for their sales and marketing efforts.
- Recruitment – LinkedIn is the #1 platform used by recruiters and job seekers, allowing businesses to find and attract top talent.
With its professional user base and myriad of features, LinkedIn is uniquely positioned as a powerful social media marketing channel for brands across all industries.
LinkedIn Marketing Tactics and Best Practices
Here are some of the most effective tactics and best practices for marketing on LinkedIn:
Complete a Detailed Company Page
A LinkedIn Company Page serves as your business’s profile on the platform. Ensure your page is completely filled out with a description of your company, employee listings, images and videos, and any other relevant details.
Build an Employee Roster
Display your company’s leadership and employees by adding them to your Company Page’s Showcase Pages section. This puts a human face on your brand.
Publish Long-Form Content
LinkedIn’s algorithm favors long-form content, especially original articles and posts published through LinkedIn’s Publisher Platform. Focus on quality over quantity.
Leverage LinkedIn Groups
Join and participate in LinkedIn Groups related to your industry or niche. Groups provide exposure to engaged audiences interested in topics important to your business.
Retarget Website Visitors
Use LinkedIn’s website retargeting to reach people who have already visited your website with relevant ads as they browse LinkedIn.
Utilize Targeted Ad Options
Take advantage of LinkedIn ad targeting options to deliver your ads to the audiences that matter most. Target by location, job title, company, interests, and more.
Measure Performance
Utilize LinkedIn’s analytics to gain insights on the performance of your Company Page, content, and ads. Identify what’s working well and optimize based on key metrics.
Foster Employee Advocacy
Encourage your employees to engage with your Company Page and content. This helps increase reach and establishes them as thought leaders.
Focus on Mobile Optimization
With over 50% of LinkedIn usage happening on mobile, it’s critical to design marketing initiatives that translate well to small screens.
Types of LinkedIn Content to Create
As part of your LinkedIn marketing strategy, focus on creating quality content tailored to the platform’s professional audience. Here are some of the top types of content to publish:
Industry Thought Leadership Articles
Publish long-form posts and articles on your industry, providing analysis, insights, and thought leadership content. Include relevant data and instructional tips.
Case Studies and Success Stories
Showcase successful projects and campaigns through in-depth case studies. Highlight client wins and partnerships using LinkedIn’s Elevate content publishing platform.
Employee Spotlights
Feature top talent at your company through employee spotlights. This puts a human face on your brand while showcasing your workplace culture.
Company and Product Updates
Share news announcements regarding new hires, promotions, awards, product launches, milestones, and more.
Lists and Advice Content
Create lists, how-tos, and advice-focused content designed to inform and aid your target audience. Lists and tips perform exceptionally well on LinkedIn.
Behind-the-Scenes Content
Give audiences a peek behind the curtain by sharing photos, videos, and posts from company events and work culture. This makes your brand more relatable.
Infographics
Infographics condense complex data into easily digestible visuals. They tend to generate high engagement on LinkedIn.
Job Postings
Promote open positions at your company by publishing job posts. You can target desired candidates with LinkedIn’s recruitment tools.
Measuring LinkedIn Marketing Performance
To determine the success of your LinkedIn marketing initiatives, focus on tracking these key performance indicators (KPIs):
Metric | Data to Track |
---|---|
Follower Growth | Number of new Company Page followers over time |
Engagement Rate | Likes, comments, shares, clicks on Company Page content |
Content Reach | Impressions and unique users who viewed content |
Ad Performance | CTR, impressions, clicks, conversions of ads |
Lead Generation | Leads captured through Company Page and content offers |
Website Traffic | Number of visits driven to site from LinkedIn |
Continuously monitor these KPIs to identify opportunities, inform your strategy, and demonstrate ROI of your LinkedIn marketing efforts.
LinkedIn Marketing Tools and Services
In addition to the built-in features of LinkedIn, there are also many third-party tools and service providers available to assist with LinkedIn marketing. Here are some top options:
Social Media Management Tools
Tools like Hootsuite, Sprout Social, and Buffer allow you to schedule and publish content across LinkedIn and other networks all in one place.
LinkedIn Automation Tools
Automation tools like Dux-Soup, LinkedHelper, and Mixmax can help automate LinkedIn tasks like connecting with prospects and sending messages.
LinkedIn Ad Platform
LinkedIn’s self-service ad platform allows you to create highly targeted ads to reach LinkedIn users both on and off the platform.
Social Media Analytics
Analytics tools like Rival IQ and Social Insider provide data and insights regarding your LinkedIn performance and competitors.
LinkedIn Sales Navigator
This premium LinkedIn tool helps sales teams identify ideal prospects, stay up-to-date on accounts, and build relationships.
LinkedIn Marketing Partners
Agencies like LinkedSelling, Brandcave, and TopRank Marketing offer LinkedIn marketing services and expertise.
Conclusion
With its unparalleled access to professionals, LinkedIn is an essential platform for B2B social media marketing. By publishing quality content, running targeted ads, optimizing Company Pages, and analyzing data, marketers can generate leads, increase awareness, build authority, and support sales on LinkedIn.
Dedicated tools, services, employee advocacy, and an always-on approach are key to maximizing marketing success on the platform. As LinkedIn continues to refine its offerings, it presents an ever-growing opportunity to connect with audiences.