Branded as the go-to social media channel for professionals, LinkedIn has a ton of marketing potential for businesses, especially those in B2B industries. You may be familiar with its platform from your own personal use, but when using LinkedIn for business, there are a ton of cool tools and tricks at your disposal.
5 Advanced Tips on Using LinkedIn for Business
1. Content Creation
Branded content is a necessity on LinkedIn, since it develops authority for your business. A company that writes about its industry appears more knowledgeable than one that doesn’t.
While LinkedIn Company Pages currently do not have access to Publisher, there are a few ways to post original content from a brand page:
- Have an employee of your company post an article using Publisher and share it to the brand page.
- Share links from your business’ blog.
2. Sponsor your Content and Updates
When you post a piece of content that receives high engagement, why not extend its reach so that it performs even better?
LinkedIn’s Sponsored Content feature allows you to create paid, targeted ads out of content you’ve posted to your company page. Targeting options include:
- Company size
- Location
- Company industry
- Job title
3. Receive some Glowing Recommendations
Gently asking your customers to recommend you on LinkedIn is a great way to build social proof. When you receive a recommendation, it’s pinned to your company page like a badge of honor for the world to admire. LinkedIn provides a walkthrough on leaving recommendations here.
Given that 88 percent of consumers trust online reviews as much as face-to-face recommendations, it doesn’t hurt to ask for a bit of validation from your customers.
4. Get Involved in Groups
LinkedIn groups are basically forums that provide you with some serious opportunities for networking. Businesses have had success by joining industry-relevant groups to understand the dynamics of how they work, then identifying opportunities to start their own.
By starting your own group, you give your target audience a medium for interaction amongst themselves, as well as directly with your business.
5. Personalize your Approach
LinkedIn’s Sponsored InMail feature allows you to deliver your content to selected target audiences through LinkedIn messenger. It improves the visibility of your content, since people will certainly check their inbox if they have a notification.
InMail is responsive to any screen, so it’s always properly optimized and formatted for readability on any device. Also, Sponsored InMail messages are only delivered when members of your target audience are active on LinkedIn, so you reach them at peak points of engagement.
The only downside to Sponsored InMail is that the direct delivery of your messages to a recipient’s mailbox can come off as a little too salesy. Make sure you’re providing them with valuable content, not just asking them to purchase your product or service.
As you can see, there’s more to using LinkedIn for business than simply sharing a few interesting articles. Used correctly, it can be a brilliant lead generation and nurturing tool for your company.
