5 Best Practices for a Successful LinkedIn Social Media Marketing

Did you know that LinkedIn is the most popular platform for B2B marketers? LinkedIn's lead conversion rates are 3 times higher than other major platforms, including Google Ads. 

While the prominence of marketing and utilising LinkedIn for business has progressively grown over the years, it may still be a challenging platform to use for those new to the site. LinkedIn is especially important for B2B businesses, who often struggle to find quality leads that other social media platforms cannot filter very well. 

Now, let’s look at some of the best ways to use LinkedIn as your primary social media platform:

1. Post Professional & Actionable Content

Composing content for LinkedIn is different from your usual Facebook or Twitter caption writing. Depending on your brand voice, most posts employ a more formal and professional tone. It's also important for you to include the proper call-to-action (CTA) in your messaging. CTAs lead your readers to the next course of action, whether it’s to read more, start free trials, download materials, or more. It fuels your marketing funnel, something many B2B businesses struggles with.  

2. Use Quality & Relevant Images or Videos 

According to LinkedIn, images lead to a 98% higher comment rate while links to videos can result in a 75% higher share rate. Custom collages with 3-4 photographs in one post also do well for many LinkedIn pages. 

Original photos usually fare better than tacky stock photos. However, if you must use stock photos, there are plenty of quality (and free) ones out there. Focus on the idea behind the stock photos, instead of using generic poses and models. Lastly, to enhance the quality of your postings, try attaching PDFs, PowerPoint or SlideShare presentations. LinkedIn readers appreciate value and content like these. 

3. Understand Performance Better with Analytics

Monitor your LinkedIn social media performance frequently to optimise your marketing approach. You may consider LinkedIn Analytics - it’s free and you can just click the icon below your posts to access it. You can keep track of each post’s performance and identify which one got the most attention, what triggered the most activity, and what didn't work. Then, make the necessary adjustments to your LinkedIn strategy.

Moreover, with LinkedIn Analytics, you can also see where your views came from, which areas they interacted with and other helpful insights. You could then use these metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of your page and to help you plan your social media marketing. Monitoring, after all, is the basis for a successful social media strategy. 

4. Explore LinkedIn Ads Format

LinkedIn uses objective-based advertising which allows marketers to create ad campaigns that are targeted to certain business objectives. By employing LinkedIn ads, you can ensure that your brand's message reaches the right person. Here are different formats of LinkedIn ads that you can use.

• Carousel Ads

LinkedIn carousel ads employ a swipeable row of images to showcase your offerings, exhibit items, or provide more angles for context. The trick is to keep your readers scanning for more information by swiping.

• Conversation Ads

This form of ad allows you to promote products and services where people will most likely pay attention to - their inbox. On LinkedIn, it’s called InMail Ads and it’s been used commonly for inviting people to sign up for events or webinars. 

• Follower Ads

This is a type of dynamic ad that is tailored to your target demographic. These adverts invite others to follow your LinkedIn Page, targeting those who might be interested in you.

• Spotlight Ads

This ad draws attention to your products, services, content, and other features. Users are taken to your landing page or website as soon as they click on the ad at the right column of your feed. These are other types of dynamic ads that leverage personalisation to engage with viewers, similar to follower ads.

• Job Ads

HR might find this type of ad interesting. LinkedIn is not only a B2B social media platform but also a recruiting and networking platform to find talent and new hires. 

5. Show Your Best Work

Last but not least, a great way to utilise LinkedIn as a social media platform is by showcasing your best work. Don’t hide away your company’s portfolio, past projects, clients testimonials, and product launches. Share them periodically in different styles, copywriting, or tying them together with current trends or campaigns. 

In the example above, Hewlett-Packard (HP) can be seen posting about one of its flagship devices. Other companies would share past projects, happy clients, and other milestones that’s worth boasting about. 

Conclusion

As far as social media marketing goes, LinkedIn is a great professional network where you can acquire credentials, establish a significant network, and gain insider knowledge from recognised industry leaders. It's an important tool for every B2B business. Hopefully, we all can benefit from this unique platform and reach better social media results!