LinkedIn is considered the largest business network in the world. The importance of the platform for B2B marketing is constantly growing, as it keeps developing itself through the continuous introduction of new features.
In this blog post, we will explain to you why you should start with LinkedIn Marketing and how you can best integrate the platform into your marketing mix. Here we go!
What is LinkedIn Marketing?
LinkedIn is considered to be the most popular social network in the professional environment. LinkedIn is particularly relevant for B2B companies, as it offers the opportunity to make contacts and build relationships with potential customers.
Three trends can be observed in LinkedIn marketing:
- Classic ads on company pages (LinkedIn Ads)
- Sales activities (e.g., via the LinkedIn Sales Generator)
- LinkedIn content marketing on company profiles or personal profiles
Specialist knowledge and expertise are shared and discussed on LinkedIn, which leads to a high organic and therefore unpaid reach.
Why LinkedIn Marketing?
In the following we have put together the most important factors to illustrate why you should start with LinkedIn Marketing.
- 756 million users (as of March 2021) use the LinkedIn platform in over 200 countries and regions worldwide
- 16 million LinkedIn members in the DACH region
- Over 30 million registered businesses
- Number of monthly visits is 1.34 billion
- 97% of B2B leads generated through social media come from LinkedIn
- It is the second most popular social network in the B2B industry after Facebook
Benefits of LinkedIn Marketing
The use of LinkedIn proves to be very diverse. The spectrum ranges from classic LinkedIn ads to a network of corporate influencers with high organic reach. Therefore, as part of the overall strategy, it is important to define goals in LinkedIn marketing in advance.
The use of LinkedIn Marketing offers you the following advantages:
- Increasing brand awareness and quality leads
- Opportunity to interact with stakeholders
- Appropriate channel for employer branding
- Platform for corporate influencers
Our tips for the right LinkedIn marketing strategy
Tip #1: Use showcase pages
LinkedIn Showcase Pages, also known as Showcase Pages, are an extension of a LinkedIn company page, which serves to increase the size of the community and the brand reach. You can find Showcase Pages on your company page under “Linked Pages”.
LinkedIn Showcase Pages allow you to showcase tailored content in each Showcase Page. In addition, showcase pages offer a great opportunity to split up different buyer personas and promote your brand development.
Tipp #2: Content, Content, Content
Successful content marketing on LinkedIn includes both native (self-created) and external content. High-quality native content is particularly effective on LinkedIn because it engages users on the platform. External content such as blog posts on your own website or partner websites can also improve your LinkedIn performance. Do not limit yourself primarily to publishing external blog posts and other content. LinkedIn generally recommends an 80:20 ratio between native and external content.
Offer your profile visitors added value with exciting articles and latest news from your industry. Keep them up-to-date and pay attention to your communication style. Adapt yourself to the following points: age of your target group, lifestyle, the use of formal or informal style.
Tip #3: Take advantage of employee advocacy
Potential customers trust the recommendations of well-known people more than any advertising or conventional recommendation. Even though it may be disappointing, you can benefit from it by using LinkedIn for your marketing purposes through “Employee Advocacy”. With LinkedIn’s fee-based tool, you can turn employees or colleagues into brand ambassadors on social networks, thus increasing trust in your company and your products.
Tip #4: Presence in LinkedIn groups
Group presence plays an important role for the LinkedIn marketing strategy. Each group has a specific theme making group targeting easy and effective. Participation in LinkedIn groups is particularly suitable for drawing attention towards your company and establishing yourself as an expert in relevant areas.
In addition to networking, group communication also offers the opportunity to gain new knowledge and industry insights. To stay relevant and to be seen as an important member, you should participate in group conversations regularly. At best, you will eventually be considered the group’s thought leader.
Tip #5: Run LinkedIn ads
In addition to building your organic reach, you can also expand your LinkedIn marketing strategy with paid ads. With detailed targeting, you can target your appropriate target group on LinkedIn through dedicated ads. The following ad variants are available on LinkedIn:
- Text ads (image-text combination next to the news feed)
- Message ads (Inbox of LinkedIn users)
- Sponsored content (in the flowing news feed in the form of image ads, video ads or carousel ads)
Our conclusion
The LinkedIn network has opened up enormous potential for a wide variety of industries, especially in regards to B2B marketing. However, the prerequisite is to understand the role of LinkedIn as a marketing channel and familiarize yourself with the different tools and possibilities.
If you need support in implementing your successful LinkedIn marketing strategy, please feel free to contact us. As a professional LinkedIn Ads agency, we are happy to help you!
