Running a business requires a bit of social media savvy. However, one of the platforms that often gets left out of the discussion, when it comes to social media marketing that is, is LinkedIn. LinkedIn came onto the social media scene as a way for professionals and brands of all shapes and sizes to connect with one another. AT the beginning, many people saw LinkedIn as a more professionally-oriented version of Facebook. Since then, LinkedIn has evolved significantly, and has come a long way. While it is still regarded as the professional social networking site, it has added a plethora of additional features which make it both effective and relevant in the modern business landscape. This is true at almost every level, too. From those on the job market to the brands seeking employees, to the gainfully employed who just want to see what their colleagues are up to, to freelancers who are looking to drum up additional business or make connections with potential partners.
There are a lot of different ways to use LinkedIn, and it can be extremely helpful in establishing a brand as an authoritative player in any specific industry. If you want to be an influential person in the business, marketing, or advertising world, creating and nurturing a LinkedIn presence is an absolute must.
“LinkedIn has upped its algorithm in recent years and without a solid strategy, it would be difficult for your target audience to find you on the platform. LinkedIn’s algorithm has two primary goals; to prioritize relevant content and to promote engagement.”
– Marvellous Aham-adi, Head of Content, TheZeroed –
Publish Articles or White Papers
One of the most obvious ways in which LinkedIn sets itself apart from other social media and networking sites is that it allows users of almost any capacity to publish pieces under their own name. This is a great way to add a layer into your content marketing strategy that can help further establish your authority in a particular industry or field. White papers and LinkedIn articles are typically highly regarded because they’re published by accredited individuals.
In that same way, it is easier to get traction with your articles and whitepapers on LinkedIn if you have already established some level of brand-awareness within your field. This way, you’ll already have a certain audience to which you can market your LinkedIn content.
“LinkedIn is a great resource if you know how to use it. You can conduct research, get the opinions and thoughts of leaders in spaces like finance, tech, marketing, and even social responsibility and innovation. It also gives you a window and an opportunity to connect with professionals who can potentially advance your career.”
– Jo Wong, VP of Marketing, videeo.live –
Including white papers into your content strategy is a really good way to expand your visibility in the professional sphere. If your brand is specifically a business-to-business brand, white papers are an essential aspect of your marketing strategy. This is also true for professionals who are trying to make a name for themselves as a thought-leader in any specific field.
“If you take your time and you write a few really solid white papers, you’ll start to get new followers, DMs, you’ll start to get inquiries about appearing on industry-relevant podcasts. White papers can be really powerful.”
– Joshua Chin, CEO, Chronos Agency –
Follow Influencers With a Similar Target Audience
Another good way to gain a bit of traction on LinkedIn is to define your target audience and create strategies around their presence and engagement with LinkedIn. For example, by following influencers who also attract groups of your target audiences you can not only learn what types of strategies they’re using, but also gain more visibility with those shared spheres of connection.
Organizations can take this a step further and actually seek partnerships or endorsement deals with these same influencers. This is a sure-fire way to make sure that your brand is being seen by the intended audience.
“Partnering with influencers on LinkedIn can be a really effective strategy; especially if you’re a brand whose primary target audience is the working professional. Even if you’re looking to market to freelancers, or other businesses – LinkedIn is a great place to do it through influencer-partnerships.”
– Lyudmyla Dobrynina, Head of Marketing North America, Optimeal –
Similarly, it’s equally, if not more important, for you to know if your target audience is even active on LinkedIn. There is a very specific demographic of users who make it a daily habit to use LinkedIn. As such, you need to have a clear and well-defined target audience for your LinkedIn strategy before launch.
“LinkedIn is a professional community. There are many different ways to use it, and many different types of people using it. If you know who you’re trying to connect with, it makes creating a successful campaign on any social media platform a lot easier.”
– Sasha Ramani, Associate Director of Corporate Strategy, MPOWER Financing –
Actively Engage Your Followers
One of the most important aspects in gaining a healthy following on any social media platform is follower and consumer engagement. There are a variety of different ways to create follower engagement, especially on LinkedIn. Not only can users, brands, and leadership personalities create and publish their own blogs and white papers on LinkedIn, but there are also other social media features that promote engagement as well.
“Even if you’re not actively looking for employment and reading white papers, you may just be keeping up with friends and colleagues’ professional lives. LinkedIn makes it really easy to announce and celebrate promotions, achievements, career-pivots, and other professional endeavors as well.”
– Stephanie Venn-Watson, CEO, Fatty15 –
Getting followers to engage and interact with your content on LinkedIn will make your brand a present part of their day. Not only that, but if the content is truly engaging, it could even act as a catalyst and spark conversation throughout the rest of the day. This expands brand awareness and could even lead to an additional consumer or follower.
“Consumer engagement from a brands perspective is pretty similar to follower engagement from an influencers perspective. There are definitely differences, but a lot of the same basic principles apply.”
– Rachel Roff, Founder and CEO, Urban Skin Rx –
Cross-Promotion With Other Social Platforms
In today’s day and age, organizations need a smooth, interconnected, and comprehensive virtual presence. This is especially the case with influencers and thought leaders who want to carve out a niche following for themselves. In this sense, it can be highly beneficial to funnel traffic from other social media platforms, and even your individual website, to your LinkedIn. By giving your followers and content-consumers seamless access to all of your different pages and social medias, they’ll be sure to find you wherever they’re looking.
“If you have a LinkedIn following that you’re trying to bolster, you should also probably look at your Twitter statistics, as well as your Instagram stats. It’s not a single-platform game anymore.”
– Chris Bridges, CEO, VITAL –
In addition to making it easy on the consumer, having a robust and comprehensive online presence also contributes to the authority that your brand or organization carries. By having a consistent message and tone across a variety of platforms, both your brand identity and brand authority will be further cemented in the eyes of consumers.
“There are a lot of people who have a LinkedIn account but mainly use Instagram. However, if you’re also on Instagram, there are strategies you can implement to get them first onto your Insta page, and then secondarily – onto your LinkedIn. It’s all about designing the journey.”
– Cesar Cruz, Co-Founder, Sebastian Cruz Couture –
Making use of Guest Appearances
In order to get their name and the name of their brand out into the world many entrepreneurs and LinkedIn influencers make use of frequent guest-appearances. These are two-way streets and can come in many forms. For instance, a CEO or marketing leader may be invited to share their thoughts or interview on a podcast.
“Podcasts are extremely popular right now and they’re another way that working professionals like to consume content right now. As such, if you want to make a splash on LinkedIn, it can help to have your name attached to some headline podcasts.”
– Karim Hachem, VP of eCommerce, Maxine of Hollywood –
Other examples of guest appearances can include a white paper you author on behalf of someone else, or any number of other collaborations that involve cross-promotion.
“Cross promotion with other influencers can be an awesome way to increase brand exposure and awareness amongst your target audience. However, make sure that you return the offer to collaborators you’d like to work with again in the future.”
– Shaunak Amin, CEO and Co-Founder, SwagMagic –
Final Thoughts on LinkedIn
There are many different types of people who use LinkedIn on a regular and even daily basis. If you’re trying to establish yourself as a professional in the LinkedIn space remember to create high-quality content on a regular basis, and create strategies specifically designed to connect with your target audience.
“Increasing your visibility on LinkedIn by having a client-oriented profile, posting regular content and engaging with your connections will ensure that you never miss out on golden opportunities.”
– Melonie Dodaro, CEO, Top Dog Social Media –
You may be interested in: Ways to Use LinkedIn to Power Your Business