Using LinkedIn for Business to Business Marketing
LinkedIn has over 300 million users and its content gets high ranking in Google search. If you aren't using LinkedIn to promote to other companies, you should be.
First, make sure your company page is designed to be a lead generating page.
LinkedIn isn’t just about replicating your company’s webpage on another platform—use what LinkedIn has to offer to generate leads with your page. Visuals are particularly important here: your banner image, your company description, and the content you share should all be designed to hook people in and catch the eye. You have the option to add showcase pages, which LinkedIn offers as a way to reach specific segments of customers.
LinkedIn also offers the opportunity to promote yourself through your past relationships, as customers you’ve worked with in the past are able to provide testimonials which speak to your work and your brand as a whole. It’s important that businesses realize that their LinkedIn account is separate from their company page, and each can be used to uniquely serve your business when properly utilized.
Create posts to engage LinkedIn users with your company page. If you're already creating content for your blog and email, why not adapt that content for LinkedIn?
Variety is important. Use LinkedIn's "Blogging Food Groups" to be sure you're keeping it interesting.
LinkedIn divides blogging content into five “food groups”: Main course, or the meaty posts that include research and analysis; vegetables, or the posts that are good for your readers and highlight thought leadership; grains, or filling posts (like how-to and influencer posts); spices, or the bold statements that encourage deeper discussion; and desserts, or the light-hearted stuff that is sharable. Just as your body needs a bit of each (but more of some than others), so your LinkedIn page should have a variety of posts, while keeping the number of “desserts” limited while indulging in “vegetable” posts often
Design each update to encourage maximum engagement.
You’ll want to use storytelling to pique the interest of your audience, making sure that your text hooks a reader in and that you utilize good storytelling to keep them interested. Use images and videos to stand out—YouTube videos play right in the LinkedIn feed—and don’t be afraid to use infographics to convey data in a way that catches the eye and interests your followers. This article from LinkedIn offers several examples of ways you can encourage engagement.
After you’ve created content, you should further engage by liking your own posts, making sure that they’re public, and engaging with readers in the comments. This keeps the post relevant and shows readers that you are just as interested in the topic as they are.
Remember that your staff are another great tool to encourage engagement. Ask that they share company posts from their profiles, which will increase visibility and help you reach a wider audience.
Create a Showcase Page.
If your company has an individual brand that you’re looking to showcase, you should consider a Showcase Page, which allows you to connect directly with a specific audience. LinkedIn created this feature to allow businesses to develop and foster long term relationships with that targeted audience, so it should focus on the information in which those contacts are most likely to be interested. LinkedIn offers lots of information about how you can best make these pages work for you, and they are an excellent tool when it comes to B2B marketing.
Don't forget to be human--don't let Marketing Automation take over!
An important factor to consider is that users on LinkedIn are looking for an authentic connection, so it’s important to remain human. When you use a marketing automation program, your company is likely to come across as insincere. In contrast, a LinkedIn page that engages genuinely allows users to develop a relationship with you and your company, and the personal interaction will give you another way to stand out from the rest of your competition.
Consider when just as important as what.
Data from Hubspot shows that users are most likely to engage on certain days and times—generally, the middle of the workweek (Tuesday through Thursday) at the beginning and end of a traditional work day (7-8 am and 5-6 pm). Users were most likely to engage, like, and share on a Tuesday around midday. You should keep these times in mind, but don’t limit yourself to only these days and hours! Post often throughout the week and remember that some of your audience will engage during off-hours.
Use Search Engine Optimization & Targeted Updates.
Use keywords and crosslinks to ensure that you’re doing your best to encourage Search Engine Optimization with your posts. This will allow your posts to be searchable and easy to find and share. LinkedIn allows you to choose which audience you target with each post through “Targeted Audience,” meaning you can direct your content at exactly the people you’re hoping to reach. See how to do it here.
Utilizing these two techniques—SEO and Targeted Updates—can help ensure you’re reaching the right audience.