LinkedIn has become a core platform for business-to-business (b2b) marketing. With over 1 billion users worldwide and more than 61 million companies listed, it offers unparalleled opportunities for businesses to connect, engage, and convert prospects into valuable leads.
96% of b2b marketers use LinkedIn for organic social marketing, however getting the most out of LinkedIn requires a strategic approach tailored to b2b marketing objectives. In this blog, we'll explore some essential best practices to help businesses leverage LinkedIn effectively. Here’s a rundown of our top 10 tips for LinkedIn success:
1. Optimise your company page
Your company page is the central hub of your presence on LinkedIn. Ensure it is complete, up-to-date, and optimised for search engines. Use relevant keywords in your company description, headline, and specialties to improve visibility and attract your target audience. Tip: Don’t forget to make sure the ‘look’ and ‘tone’ of your page matches your company branding.
2. Showcase your expertise
Position your company as a thought leader in the industry by regularly sharing valuable content. We recommend articles, whitepapers, case studies, and industry insights. Provide solutions to common challenges faced by your target audience and establish credibility by displaying your knowledge. Tip: LinkedIn’s algorithm doesn’t prioritize posts with outbound links as much as other types of posts. If you need to share a link to something off-platform, put it in the comments.
3. Engage with your audience
Engagement is key to building meaningful relationships on LinkedIn. Actively participate in relevant groups, join industry conversations, and respond to comments on your posts. Remember to also encourage discussions, rather than giving responses – ask questions, and foster a sense of community around your brand. Tip: Ask your audience to comment on your posts, this not only encourages them to start meaningful conversations, but also boosts the post’s amplification.
4. Leverage LinkedIn ads
LinkedIn's advertising platform offers effective targeting options to reach your target b2b audience. Experiment with different ad formats such as image ads, document ads and video to promote your products or services, drive website traffic, and generate leads. Tip: Conduct A/B tests by designing two identical campaigns apart from one factor – this could be an audience element, ad type, messaging, creative, spend – and run them simultaneously. This will help you see what ads and messages resonate best with your audience. You can then continue running the best performing ad.
5. Learn from LinkedIn analytics
Monitor the performance of your LinkedIn efforts by tracking metrics such as engagement, impressions, click-through rates, and follower growth. This will give you insights into what content resonates with your audience and help you to refine your marketing strategy accordingly. Tip: Run regular reports and save your LinkedIn analytics as they are no longer available after 1 year. This will allow you to compare your growth annually.
6. Cultivate relationships with decision-makers
Identify key decision-makers within your target companies and connect with them individually on LinkedIn, or ask the most relevant market-facing team member to do so. Personalise your connection requests and engage with them by sharing relevant content and commenting on their posts. Building these relationships could lead to valuable opportunities. Tip: Invite your new connections to follow your company page.
7. Invest in employee advocacy
Your employees can be powerful advocates for your brand on LinkedIn. Encourage them to share company updates, industry news, and relevant content with their networks. We recommend that you provide employees with training and resources to ensure that your messages are aligned so that they can help amplify your brand's reach and credibility. Tip: You could run an internal competition to encourage employees to share and engage with your company posts and invite their connections to follow the company page.
8. Join LinkedIn groups
Join and participate in groups relevant to your industry or target audience. Share valuable insights, answer questions, and engage in discussions to establish yourself as a knowledgeable resource and expand your network. Tip: As well as doing this from your company page, you should join relevant groups from your individual page, this will also help you with point 3.
9. Monitor your competition
Keep an eye on your competitors' activities on LinkedIn. Analyse their content strategy, engagement tactics, and audience interactions to identify opportunities that will keep you ahead. Tip: You can monitor the performance of your page against your key competitors and see where you rank in LinkedIn analytics.
10. Measure ROI and adjust your strategy
Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of your LinkedIn marketing efforts. Use data-driven insights from LinkedIn / GA4 / HubSpot / other marketing automation tools etc to identify what's working well and what needs improvement, then adjust your strategy accordingly to optimize results.
LinkedIn offers immense potential for b2b marketers to connect with their target audience, build relationships, and drive business growth. By following these best practices and staying updated on the latest trends and features available, businesses can unlock the full potential of LinkedIn as a powerful b2b marketing platform.
If you are looking for support with your b2b marketing on LinkedIn or other social networking platforms, reach out to us at: business@scottpr.com.
