LinkedIn is known for connecting professionals all over the world. But while many people associate it with finding new positions and advancing one’s career, LinkedIn also offers a valuable networking space for several types of businesses and brands.
Professional freelancers, digital creatives, recently established companies and even performing artists can use LinkedIn marketing to promote their services to a different audience than is available on other social networks. The key is to take a smart marketing strategy in approaching it.
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What is LinkedIn marketing?
LinkedIn marketing is a powerful social media tool that can help businesses of all sizes connect with potential customers, partners and employees. It works by leveraging the platform's vast business-oriented network of professionals to reach your target audience. When you create and share content on LinkedIn, it is seen not only by your connections but also by their network - known as “2nd connections”. This can help you increase brand awareness and reach new potential customers who have already shown interest in similar topics or thought leaders.
In order to be successful with LinkedIn marketing, it’s important to have a clear understanding of your customers and what they are looking for. You will also need to create relevant content, engage with other people in your professional sphere and run ads that are targeted to the right people.
10 LinkedIn marketing strategies
Here are 10 great tips to help you get more traction on LinkedIn, most of them free:
01. Create a company page
Unlike personal profiles, LinkedIn company pages are set up to better represent a brand or organization. Even if you run a small operation, using a company page and connecting it with your own profile is a good move. It allows you to post updates and add information that comes across much better from a brand name than from an individual.
Check out the Wix company page for inspiration or, if you’re ready, you can start your own company page right here.
02. Highlight your business on your own profile
Personal profiles are still a powerful tool on LinkedIn. They give you the opportunity to present yourself as the individual behind the brand and build a professional reputation. Make sure your profile details the activities of your business and links to all the important pages: your business website, other social accounts and so forth.
Pro tip: You can use a link in bio tool like Hopp by Wix in order to direct users towards your business website, social media channels and other online assets all from one designated URL.
03. Update frequently
Through your company page, you can post news and update your professional community on the recent developments of your company. It’s important to use this option frequently and strategically.
Relevant updates that you should consider include recently completed projects, news coverage, creative tips, new features or products and anything that shows your business as an active and serious operation.
04. Use great visuals
Every type of visual content that you upload to LinkedIn should be high quality – from the company logo to your own profile image. LinkedIn is not a very visual network, so it’s important that the little freedom you have with images is taken advantage of cleverly. For instance, when you post updates, you can actually edit the images that are shown with it to make sure that they truly capture your audience’s attention.
05. Start a group
A great social feature on LinkedIn is the ability to start a group that revolves around a specific interest. If you can connect your business to a general topic that engages people, you can set up a group, stir a discussion and make sure members know about your business or latest project.
06. Participate in other groups
Creating your own community is not enough in the social media world - you need to be active in existing communities and interact with other users. The idea here is not to spam groups with posts about your business activity, but rather to engage in an actual conversation that creates real ties with like minded professionals. This also helps you gather more LinkedIn followers.
07. Get employees and partners on board
If you work in a team environment or cooperate often with other professionals, you can get a lot more attention by involving these people in your LinkedIn activities. If strangers see that your company page is followed by professionals with skills and experience, your credibility immediately becomes more solid.
08. Write smart
Think of the content you post on LinkedIn just as you would treat your company website or blog. The texts you add to your company summary section, to news updates or to your own personal profile need to be targeted and optimized. Two important points here are using keywords that emphasize your specialty, and writing clever and brief content that shows you’re an expert in your field.
09. Interact
Despite the more professional focus, LinkedIn is still a social network. To succeed here, you need to be a social player that engages with people. The good thing about LinkedIn is that it helps you interact with the right people by showing you circles of connectivity. Browse through profiles of your connections and see who they’re involved with. You might discover a valuable lead.
10. Take LinkedIn seriously
Like any other marketing channel or type of marketing, LinkedIn marketing will work well for you if you take it seriously and put in the effort to understand how it can best work for you. Because it’s not a network “for the masses,” many people tend to use LinkedIn haphazardly. If you want to see real results, you should incorporate LinkedIn into your broader social media marketing strategy. Stay up to date on LinkedIn news, learn about the features and tools, and browse through company pages and personal profiles to see how others put LinkedIn to good use.
Is it worth marketing on LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is a valuable platform for businesses of all sizes to market their products and services. If you’re looking to reach a targeted audience of professionals, this is a great place to start.
There are many reasons why it’s worth marketing on LinkedIn, including:
Targeted audience: LinkedIn’s average user base consists of highly-educated and business-minded individuals. This makes it a great platform to reach your target audience, whether you are a B2B or B2C company.
Precise targeting: The platform offers a variety of targeting options so you can reach your ideal user persona with your marketing messages. You can target by job title, industry, seniority level and company size.
High-quality leads: LinkedIn users are actively looking for new opportunities, which means they are more likely to be interested in your products or services. Furthermore, it also provides a great platform for gaining new contacts through lead generation forms and sponsored content.
Thought leadership positioning: By creating and sharing high-quality content on LinkedIn, you can position yourself as a thought leader in your industry. This can help you build credibility and trust with potential customers.
Brand awareness: LinkedIn offers a powerful platform to increase brand awareness among your target audience. Through LinkedIn ads and shared content, your brand will be seen by a large number of potential customers who are not yet familiar with your offering.
Learn more about creating a LinkedIn business page.