Every platform has unique content structures that maximise traffic, and LinkedIn is no different. Here are five steps to help you generate leads, drive more revenue and build brand awareness.
Converse in Groups
Join the conversation. LinkedIn groups offer the ideal opportunity to build an engaged community on its platform. Many professionals find group participation rewarding, particularly if the group moderator successfully manages the group.
Groups can be used as catalysts for community and leadership, and they can create conversations about trends and industry challenges.
Tips:
• While LinkedIn groups are good forums for discussion, avoid using them for self-promotion, which most group-members find off-putting.
• Use groups to ask questions, and as a way to gauge sentiment and opinions, but give something back in return – for example, in the same post where you ask a group for its thoughts, share something you’ve learned in return: a link, a tip, something that’s worked for you.
• Keep content focused and stay on top of management (monitor and manage posts daily).
• Highlight top contributors within your group and promote your group across social media for increased membership.
• Join other relevant industry groups and participate in their group discussions; don’t be afraid to initiate conversations.
Commit to Publishing
Commit at least one hour of your week (three to four hours a month) to publishing. Although this might be the first thing to drop off a busy schedule, regular posts (and moderation) are the keys to success. Posting sporadically or hurriedly looks sloppy.
LinkedIn’s publishing platform has three million posts from one million people, and 45% of its readership are high-ranking industry leaders, including CEOs, VPs and managers.
Tips:
• Publish something you feel passionate about: it will help make creating content easier.
• Stuck for ideas? There’s an app for that – check out LinkedIn’s Pulse app to see what content is currently trending in your industry. Taking a look at conversation topics within your group may also spark ideas.
• Don’t be afraid to tackle a subject using personal experience. You might not have all the facts and statistics, but personal experience (i.e. what you look for when you hire someone, lessons learned, your view on industry trends, etc.) provides information while brand-building.
Share from Your Company Page
Your LinkedIn company page is important: it’s where you build relationships with customers and attract prospects. This is another necessary time commitment: experts recommend spending at least one hour a day (three or four posts per day) on this, and don’t forget to engage with readers and respond to their comments.
Tips:
• Use links: content with links can have up to 45% higher engagement than content without links.
• Share content that is valuable to your audience – case studies, industry articles, good visuals, your latest white papers, celebrated milestones.
• Use your content to build a relationship and brand awareness with your audience; Q&As and problem-solving content is a great way to do this.
• Change your header image at least every six months for a fresh look.
Post to SlideShare
LinkedIn SlideShare has nearly four million viewers on an average day, and more than 70 million unique visitors every month. This isn’t a platform you can afford to overlook: with 13,000 new pieces of content added every day, you need to be part of the conversation. Budget at least 30 minutes per day for this.
SlideShare can help you build authority by presenting your company’s culture, insights and unique point of view on news and trends.
Tips:
• Consider sharing product how-tos, company presentations and videos, infographics, videos and webinar and conference recordings on SlideShare. Content should be well-designed, informative and short.
• Upload new content every week, highlighting decks on profile pages and adding lead forms.
• Link your SlideShare presentation to your website.
Use LinkedIn Sponsored Content for Promotion
LinkedIn’s sponsored content allows you to publish relevant content and reach a targeted, professional audience beyond your company page.
Direct sponsored content allows you to personalise and test content without having to originate posts on your company page by sharing content directly in the feed. By sending personalised messages to specific audiences, you can make your content more relevant, and test a variety of content in real-time to optimise performance.
As 75% of engagement with sponsored updates comes from mobile devices, make certain your landing page or website design is responsive.
Run two to four sponsored content pieces a week for three weeks, then test and repeat.
Tips:
• Generate quality leads by sharing insights that professionals look for.
• Select an eye-catching visual and keep the caption brief (less than 150 characters).
• Consider sponsoring blog content, industry news, industry research and case studies, as well as eye-catching infographics, visuals and statistics.
• Add URL tracking codes to measure post-click.
• Set up campaigns by audience, and align your budget with the audience that has the highest engagement rate.
LinkedIn offers a wide variety of opportunities to get your content in front of your audience. Content is king: there is a waiting audience to devour it, so use yours to help build relationships, drive quality leads and build brand awareness.
