July 16, 2018
LinkedIn is for business and with over 500 million users, it’s the best way to network not only with people in your industry, but potential leads. Although Facebook and Twitter are fairly straightforward, LinkedIn can take a little finesse to get the ball rolling.
Marketers often state that the LinkedIn platform is one of their greatest challenges because security is locked up pretty tight. However, when you know what you are doing, LinkedIn will produce more conversions than any other social site. In fact, a recent study found that the platform is responsible for more than 50% of all social traffic to B2B websites and blogs.
Therefore, it’s important to formulate some strategy as to how your business can best utilize the network. The following are a few ways in which you can start to plan and create a buzz around your brand on the platform:
To any marketer, creating engaging content should be a given, but on LinkedIn it is crucial. Why? Because of the 500 million users, only 3 million share content weekly. Wow! Talk about an opportunity. This is your chance to fill that void and generate brand loyalty through consistent content creation and curation. Try to post at least once a day so you don’t leave your audience hanging.
The idea is to educate and inform consumers, not interrupt and sell. Consumers have absolutely no time or patience for that method of marketing any longer. The digital arena isn’t a space conducive to interruptive behavior. That’s because people have this nifty device in their hands called a ‘mouse’ and they can simply click away when you become annoying.
Consider what your audience cares about and their pain points. Newsflash! It’s not your product (not at first, anyway). They care about themselves and what you can offer to solve their problems. Approach marketing from that angle and you’ll gain the competitive edge.
You also want to consider that consumers don’t always want to be taught. Sometimes, they just want to be entertained. So, when creating value through content, make it likable as well. Funny never fails. Colors and visuals work wonders too. Consider what you might find interesting and would talk about with others online. The more folks talk about you, the greater the brand awareness. When people know who you are, then they will want to know more about what you are selling.
If you are going to network on LinkedIn, make it personal. Sending out automated forms or messages rarely works on the platform. Out of all social networks, LinkedIn seems to be the most genuine, so it’s your job to follow suit.
If you do intend to reach out, make sure you practice personalization and have a reason for the message. Otherwise, you are apt to be wasting your time.
Be sure to have your brand and company profile on LinkedIn. Encourage all employees to connect and reshare content. The more you succeed, the more it helps everyone on the team. Social media is often a collaborative effort. Ask employees to also join groups where they can share their skills and insights. When sending out notes, always make them personalized. These types of group efforts will further propel your LinkedIn profile into the social stratosphere.
If you’re scratching your head about the existence of this mysterious index, you’re not the only one. In fact, is a best-kept secret from some of the most successful salespeople on the site. That’s because they keep an eye on their Social Selling Index to ensure they are performing at their peak on the platform.
Every industry is different and every brand within each industry, even more so. You have to understand your niche but more importantly, you must know your audience in and out. Without understanding their needs and pain points, strategy is useless. Through engaging and valuable content, personalized efforts, and group collaboration, you should have no problem reaching the success you deserve on the best business network in the world.
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