Image source: Jennifer C. via Flickr
B2B marketers clearly view LinkedIn as a leading, perhaps the leading, social media platform. According to LinkedIn, 80% of B2B leads come from the network, and 94% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn to distribute content. And according to HubSpot, 43% of marketers say they have sourced a customer from LinkedIn.
LinkedIn reveals inside advice on how to improve your PR and marketing on the network in its new ebook The Secret Sauce – How LinkedIn Uses LinkedIn for Marketing. Although its recommendations are mainly geared to LinkedIn advertising – the company wants companies to advertise after all – many recommendations can also apply to organic PR promotions.
Build your presence with content. Free content tools include company pages, specific Showcase Pages, long-form posts, status updates and Slide Share.
Be conscise. Shorter updates – those with 150 characters or fewer — tend to perform best. Busy professionals lack time to read long updates. Focus on how your target audience can benefit by clicking on the link.
Optimize for mobile. Over half (57%) of LinkedIn users visit the network with mobile devices, a number that’s only increasing. Make sure your content looks good on small screens.
Give a statistic. Status updates that mentioned a statistic got 162% more impressions and a 37% higher click-through rate. People like to share a statistic that makes them seem more knowledgeable. Lift short stats and quotes from larger content pieces.
Test content. Creating a variety of content helps avoid creative fatigue and allows for multiple A/B tests. The words you choose matter. For example, LinkedIn found that using the word “Guide” instead of “eBook” prompted a 100% increase in click-through rate.
Address your audience directly. Addressing the audience directly in sponsored content lead to a 185% boost in engagement rate. Including their job title or business sector can get their attention.
Target Your Niche
It’s critical to target niche audiences with your content, says John Nemo, an author and LinkedIn marketing expert, in a Social Media Today article.
For example, if you were targeting business coaches, you could write a headline like: “3 Ways Business Coaches Can Get New Clients Using LinkedIn,” Nemo advises. Creating free content that helps a target audience solve a specific professional need attracts the interest of potential customers.
The LinkedIn ebook, er guide, is loaded with advice and data on advertising on the network, such as using Sponsored Content and InMail together resulted in a 95% increase in click-through rates.
“Of course, LinkedIn would see better results, and you’d expect the data would obviously lean towards boosting ad spend on the platform, but there are some valuable insights here to consider for any brand looking at paid outreach on LinkedIn,” points out Social Media Today writer Andrew Hutchinson.
Bottom Line: LinkedIn’s new ebook offers a slew of worthwhile information on advertising as well as valuable tips for improving organic PR and marketing on the network. Although the ebook naturally favors advertising on LinkedIn, B2B PR and marketing professionals may be interested into delving into its contents.
William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.
