How to use LinkedIn correctly for B2B marketing
LinkedIn is a very powerful business tool, yet many professionals still don’t have a profile, or aren’t using it correctly. If you fall into the first category then don’t delay in creating your account, it’s totally free and will give you great visibility. Watch our introduction to LinkedIn video for a quick overview. In this post we’re going to offer you some tricks and pieces of advice to follow to ensure that you will achieve what you want, be it to find a job, generate new contacts or clients for your company, find employees, or sell your product B2B.
Don’t just sell – Although it’s true that a LinkedIn profile is a sales tool and therefore needs to be created well, it’s much more than that, it’s a place where you can interact with potential and current clients, build awareness, create relationships and drive traffic to your website where the real selling will take place.
Post frequently and with a strong message – This is a social media platform so you need to be communicating. Check that the message is in line with your corporate identity and aims, make sure you are posting frequently and that you’re positioning yourself as an expert. If you’re not sure what to post, here are three types of posts we recommend you combine into your posting strategy.
- Engaging News and Pictures – This can be anything from where you’ve been, to something you’ve seen which inspired you, a job offer, personal and engaging content which is not solely business related, but which ties into your professional image
- Quotes and Opinions – Share your opinion of a new product or service, or a tool that you use to good effect, and use quotes to motivate and inspire people. Remember to keep everything relevant to your business sector.
- Share quality content – If you have found a good article, guide or white paper that your target market would find useful share it, that’s what social media is all about and maybe they will return the favour with a follow or a share
Create unique content – It’s important that people can find quality, unique content on your profile, the best way to do this is to write articles and information on your blog and then share via LinkedIn updates and in your groups
You don’t have to be everywhere – If you are a B2B company, or an entrepreneur looking for contacts, or want a new job in the near future, then it’s essential to be on LinkedIn and at the very least we’d recommend doing a personal profile on there so you have a presence. However, once you have your profile, you don’t need to do much with it if this isn’t where your people hang out, perhaps it’s better for you to post regularly on Instagram or on Facebook. Just make sure you’re making a strategic decision based on reaching your target market, rather than choosing the social media channel you personally like the best.
Watch out what you share with your competitors – All your competitors will be on LinkedIn and if they are smart they will follow you to see what you’re up to, so make sure you’re not sharing sensitive information or something which could give them a competitive advantage
Get a great picture – It’s very important that you have a professional, high quality and up-to-date photo that represents you as you wish to be seen in the business world. Think if a suit is more suitable, or your branded polo shirt, as this is how you dress for your job, it doesn’t matter as long as it is suitable and projects the right image for you. If you’re just leaving University, never put your graduation image there, experts say that profiles with these images are immediately eliminated from the selection, as you appear young and inexperienced.
Take care about the title and description that you use in your profile – This is the time to get creative and produce a well written few lines which encapsulates who you are, what defines you, what your career objectives are and the essential information potential employers or clients need to know. Make sure that your profile features your target keywords so it ranks in the search.
If you are a business create a company page – You can share posts and information on this page, just as you would on Facebook and then can share those posts onto your profile or into groups you are a member of
Join relevant groups for your industry and for your location – Groups are a great way to join a community and start connecting with fellow professionals, they are also great places to share content, ask questions and give opinions, positioning yourself as an expert
Finally, if you’re looking for jobs, remember to hide your activity, just leaving your profile public – Often, people are alerted every time you make a change and reach out to connect and you don’t want that, it’s annoying to your contacts and it can give the game away if you’re looking to make a change!
So now you know the basics, go out there and make a profile, or get active on LinkedIn and see what it can bring you. There’s no magic formula, and there’s many more things that you can do if LinkedIn is very important to you, but by following the advice above at least you will have a solid start and a good image on LinkedIn and you are opening the doors for many professional opportunities.
We can support you with all aspects of your online marketing, including setting up and managing all professional social media profiles, creating quality content on a regular basis which is suitable for each channel. Please let us know if we can help you have a strong online presence, or check out our Shaw Marketing Services LinkedIn account.