Tapping Into LinkedIn
With more than half a billion registered members representing 30 million businesses, LinkedIn is the world’s largest online platform for professional networking. Every day, members can connect with as many as 100 million active users to find new potential customers, connect with new service providers, recruit top talent, share industry news and more. In other words, if you’re still using LinkedIn as merely an online résumé, then you’re missing out on some serious opportunities to promote your brand and business.
More Tools to Make Better Connections
By continuously adding features to support its user experience, LinkedIn has become a powerful multimedia content platform. From simple articles to videos and carousels, businesses can publish a variety of content to connect with audiences and promote their expertise. Whether you create new content or leverage your existing efforts, odds are your business can step up its LinkedIn game. Here are some tips for building a strong brand presence — and an even stronger community — through LinkedIn.
- Follow your company’s brand standards on your profile page and update it regularly to let users know you’re active.
- Claim a unique URL, especially if you’re in the professional services industry. Prospects can find your firm quickly, and your profile will rank higher in generic searches.
- Leverage existing content from other platforms. There’s no need to re-invent the wheel if your company already has good content. Consider pulling content from a relevant email campaign or from your other platforms in order to have your content extend its reach to different audiences.
- Share content from trusted third parties like trade associations, industry publications and other experts in your field. Pro tip: In the body of the post, give users an overview of the shared content and let them know why you think it’s valuable.
- Encourage leaders and team members across the organization to publish and share content, with the marketing team acting as curators and editors. Help folks keep their profiles sharp by booking a photographer for a day of headshots.
- Respond quickly when users comment on your posts or on relevant topics. Offer your company’s point of view and/or some potential solutions.
- Focus your efforts. LinkedIn offers unparalleled opportunities for targeted messaging. You can hone in on your audience based on business size, industry and the titles of likely decision-makers. And with sponsored posts, you can even specify company names, job functions, skillsets and groups. But resist the urge to use sponsored updates to simply blast out another generic ad. Instead, engage a small niche audience with white papers, tips and other insights that will lead users into your sales funnel.
- Grow your contact list by asking connections to subscribe to emails and other forms of content.
- Join groups that are relevant to your audiences. It’s not only a great way to see what your clients and prospects care about, but also an opportunity for your business to reach out with advice and solutions.
- Be crystal clear about your intent. Include a direct, specific call to action that leads your audience to the next step.
Be the Strongest Link
As you consider your overall social strategy, think about your company’s motivations for being on LinkedIn. Of course, tools like endorsements, recommendations and announcements make LinkedIn an excellent way to toot your own horn. But the most effective brands on LinkedIn are contributing to bigger conversations. They’re sharing thought leadership. They’re answering their prospects’ questions and offering solutions to their challenges. They’re focused less on selling and more on helping. Soon, followers begin to view these brands as trusted authorities — and that’s when they’ll seek deeper engagements.
How does LinkedIn work for your organization? What’s your strategy, and how does LinkedIn fit into the bigger picture? What kind of content really connects? As an integrated agency, we’re always looking for ways to help clients define their stories and share them with their audiences. Let’s meet for a virtual coffee on LinkedIn and share some ideas.
SOURCE
https://foundationinc.co/lab/b2b-marketing-linkedin-stats/
