LinkedIn is the best B2B marketing platform online right now. There’s so much for a B2B marketer to exploit to their benefit from the platform’s half-billion users. Most Fortune 500 CEOs spend their free browsing time cruising LinkedIn for valuable content. HR departments all over the world do the same thing to find the best candidates for their job openings. Finally, businesses seeking services and/or partnerships browse the social network to research profiles and will reach out if they like what they see.
Here are some tips to maximize B2B exposure on LinkedIn in the coming year.
1. Commit to marketing on LinkedIn.
As mentioned, LinkedIn recently crossed the half-billion user mark. That’s a lot of business-targeted users you can use to your company’s advantage. A bevy of experienced job applicants you can call upon when you need new staff. Loads of hungry customers that now or may later need the services you offer. Who could ask for more out of a social platform? Make sure to listen to Gary Vees podcast (hint: he’s on every platform). Vaynerchuck is big on swipe up ads right now. Among other things, he says a targeted profile is a must — along with reaching out to decision makers religiously, using the numbers game to your advantage rather than pouring over profile after profile trying to find the perfect client.
2. Work on your profile first.
Your profile has to reach out to potential clients for you. This isn’t Instagram or Facebook — most decision makers aren’t going to give more than a passing glance at your profile. They’re also not going to have much interest in reading your “resume” either. That isn’t to say they don’t want to know what skills and experience you have, but you have to effectively link those skills to the solutions your company can offer them. Make your description clear and link your skills and experience to pain points you can solve. Never stop improving upon (optimizing) and adding to your profile to make it offer up the most effective value proposition possible.
3. Put a lot of focus on joining/forming LinkedIn groups.
Join any group that relates to the services and industry you work in. In fact, as soon as your profile is up to snuff, you should spend several hours looking for active groups talking about subject matter you can chime in on. There are millions of groups on LinkedIn and the search function is really easy to navigate in order to zero in on the industries, businesses, and subject matter you want to connect with. Smash the “work” button in the top right hand corner of the LinkedIn homepage and select “groups”. Once you’re into the groups section, use the search function to further niche down and find the right groups to join.
4. Invest in swipe-up ads.
This is another Gary Vee gem that’s bringing in big ROI for those who’re doing it effectively. While your outreach should focus on getting as many eyes as possible on your brand, swipe-up ads should be very niche targeted. Even if you serve a wide customer base, you should still niche down and target ads to a specific set of eyes. For instance, rather than something like “Not liking your position in the SERPs, click to hit the first page” you should try something like “Local dentists: How would you like to hit the first page of Google in 3 months?” Provide graphs, testimonial videos, infographs, etc. Split test text vs visuals to narrow in on your audience (Ie., not all decision makers in different industries will be impressed by visuals and just want the facts.
5. Don’t be afraid to reach out to LinkedIn marketing agencies.
I’m not going to recommend a specific agency to use — they’re are lots of them out there. You might prefer to stay local to your business, so you can actually meet and strategize with someone offline. Perhaps you prefer to keep your relationships with agencies online and over the phone. Still, if you’re not happy with your ROI, or are simply smart enough to realize there’s someone out there who knows more than you do about LinkedIn B2B marketing, an agency can help refine your efforts. Obviously, you’ll need to find an agency that can provide results, so due-diligence is key to finding the right people who can help you elevate your presence on the platform.
Are you happy with your current LinkedIn presence?
I’d assume not if you’re reading this. However, if you’re crushing it on LinkedIn, chime in and tell everybody what’s working for you most currently.