This article explores what you should consider before creating a strategy for your presence on LinkedIn or evaluating your existing strategy. Based on best practices from LinkedIn itself, we have created a to-do list on how to reach your full potential on the platform.
Manifest your strategy
A study from Semrush shows that 40% of all companies don’t have a documented strategy for their social media accounts. Even fewer have a strategy for what to post on their LinkedIn page. The first step to a more successful LinkedIn presence is simple: Write it down.
What is the purpose of your presence on LinkedIn, and how do you ensure to fulfill this? Furthermore, how do you measure your success on LinkedIn? Examples of measuring methods could be posts, views, comments, likes, shares, leads etc.
By documenting your strategy, you will achieve a more streamlined and professional presence on the platform.
It´s time to be more creative
Today 75% of all B2B content is perceived as being ineffective. Did you know that 48% of B2B purchase decision-makers find B2B advertising boring? And 82% wish B2B advertising had the format associated with B2C advertising (WHM Survey, 2018).
Accordingly, there is a significant demand for more creative and interesting content among B2B businesses on LinkedIn. Therefore, B2B businesses are facing a challenge where innovative solutions and thinking outside the box are needed.
Studies show that creative content performs much better on LinkedIn and generates 10-20 times more sales. Therefore, it is essential to be creative to achieve success with your B2B content on LinkedIn.
A way to achieve a confident presence is to produce more authentic content that appeals to your followers’ emotions. A study from LinkedIn shows that B2B businesses that post creative and emotional content acquire 198 times more followers on average compared to other businesses. The study also shows that posts that appeal to emotions have a 44% higher click-through rate than other posts. Therefore, content that appeals to your followers’ emotions positively affects how your followers perceive your brand.
Brand-demand balance
Furthermore, it is also crucial to consider the brand-demand balance in your LinkedIn strategy. How much of your content focuses on your brand, and how much of your content focuses on demand?
A study from the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising shows that the brand-demand balance should be distributed 60/40 – 60% focus on the brand and 40% on demand. The study also indicates that B2B purchase decision makers are six times more likely to convert and purchase a product if exposed to brand and demand content.
Furthermore, it is important to emphasize the importance of brand awareness. Brand awareness is essential to achieve sales. Your followers won’t purchase your product if they don’t know your brand. This also applies to potential customers who are not actively in the market. If they gain awareness of your brand, they are more likely to become customers when they are ready to purchase.
Five tips for more creative content
Based on data from LinkedIn, we have gathered five tips to make more creative content:
- Be brave in your visual choices. Content with original images generates 38% higher CTR. Furthermore, using authentic photos that your followers can relate to is a good idea. In other words, avoid using stock photos.
- Keep your finger on the pulse of your industry. Ads that bring up trendy “hot topics” generate 31% more engagement than other topics.
- Prioritize diversity and inclusion. Studies from LinkedIn have shown that LinkedIn users respond 52% better to content that promotes diversity and inclusion.
- Video content is still big. Video ads get 30% more comments per impression than static content such as images.
- Video content with subtitles. 79% of LinkedIn users watch videos without sound. Therefore, it is essential to consider subtitles when making videos.
Partner with experts who understand LinkedIn
Partnering with external LinkedIn experts can be a great advantage because they have deep knowledge of the platform, its opportunities and limitations. An external partnership can be advantageous because you will receive professional consulting about marketing and advertising while receiving concrete advice on optimizing your LinkedIn presence.
Source: LinkedIn.