Using LinkedIn As A Promotional Tool
Are you making the most out of this overlooked marketing tool?
Many still regard LinkedIn as an online CV, or dismiss it as little more than Friends Reunited 2.0. Do this at your peril. As one of the world’s leading social media platforms, LinkedIn can be used for much more than just looking for work or attaining the prestigious “500+ connections” status. This is a hugely powerful promotional tool, for firms of any size.
B2B Connections
The LinkedIn homepage may be a jumble of training invites, status reports and blue-chip advertising, but there are plenty of ways to harness this platform’s ability to generate leads and increase brand exposure. LinkedIn is reported to be the most commonly-used platform for B2B marketing, with over 15 million UK members waiting to be informed about the products, services or expertise you have to offer.
How To Get Started
The first step to using LinkedIn effectively involves creating an informative profile. This can be either personal or corporate, though the former should be a higher priority since LI users generally search for people rather than brands. Use a head-and-shoulders business photograph beside headlines that clearly explain the who, what and where. The when and why can be outlined in subsequent paragraphs within the profile, alongside a full complement of contact details. This is essential for effective search.
A LinkedIn member’s profile page also prominently displays their affiliation with LI groups. These are one of the most powerful tools for making new connections, since they facilitate discussions delivered to each group member via email on a daily basis. Creating eye-catching content is one way to ensure your name (and brand) is picked up on the radar of professionals you’d otherwise never have reached. Contributing informative replies and advice to group conversations can establish expertise in your chosen area/s of focus.
Create A Schedule
Status updates can become tiresome if they’re overdone, but strategic announcements on a weekly basis should retain your audience’s attention. LinkedIn can accept content in formats ranging from PowerPoint presentations to YouTube videos. Updates should always include either invite a response or contain a call to action. Responding to comments is crucial to emphasize that you (and your brand) listen and engage with any audience. It’s also possible to conduct analytics on company pages to identify and focus on topics or formats with the most appeal.
Utilise LinkedIn Pulse
Right now this is tool is underused. It’s LinkedIn’s in house publishing facility and is excellent for delivering thought influencer pieces. Make use of it to comment on current issues and trends from your perspective. It’s like adding ‘the view from here’. Pulse allows you to summarise a thorny issue succinctly and also enable you to demonstrate professional knowledge on a popular soap box.. Pulse is easy you use and makes an attractive addition to your profile as your latest articles are pinned to it. If you want to get started with LinkedIn Pulse this guide will prove useful
Making Your Dollars Stretch
Like other social media giants, LinkedIn provides unlimited advertising opportunities. These can be paid for per click or per thousand impressions, with a variety of advert sizes that can be displayed anywhere from sidebars to search results pages. While this is more expensive than other social media platforms, the audience is almost entirely professional – which should help to maximize engagement levels. Sponsored status updates can also be promoted from corporate pages, though these should be used sparingly to avoid alienating connections. Bear in mind that Twitter updates can be integrated with LinkedIn, and vice versa.
Those connections should be regarded as potential customers or employers – in the long-term, if not right away. Building connections is a delicate task and approaching strangers is frowned upon, but strategic invitations can be sent to people in related industries. As your audience grows, so does the potential to build brand awareness by demonstrating expertise or reporting on recent events/contracts/training/advancements. LinkedIn is the perfect place to announce new skillsets or services, and recruitment agents studiously observe profile updates. New opportunities could be a phone call away, at any given moment in time…