Unlocking the Power of LinkedIn: 18 Proven Marketing Strategies to Boost Your Business

by Conte.ai • 28 min read • upd on Feb 20, 2023

LinkedIn is a superb platform for networking and expanding one's business. These marketing tips will aid in making the most of the social media site.

LinkedIn is a social media platform that can be utilised to raise brand awareness and form connections with consumers. By sharing engaging content and getting involved in industry discussions, businesses can market to potential customers and partners through LinkedIn.

Business owners can leverage LinkedIn to grow their email marketing list with their professional connections and network.

This article is intended for business owners looking to harness the power of LinkedIn to enhance their marketing efforts and connections with consumers. From making connections and forming partnerships to generating leads and raising brand awareness, there is much that can be accomplished on LinkedIn, making it an indispensable addition to one's digital marketing strategy. Unlike Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, LinkedIn is a professional platform designed to facilitate the establishment and strengthening of business relationships.

To help navigate LinkedIn as a marketing tool, we have collated 18 LinkedIn marketing hacks that can be used to find new customers, partners, and ultimately grow one's business. Before we delve into these hacks, let us discuss the importance of LinkedIn marketing.

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What is LinkedIn Marketing?

A LinkedIn marketing strategy refers to a plan for utilizing LinkedIn to achieve specific marketing objectives. This could encompass anything from attracting top talent to enhancing your brand.

LinkedIn stands out as a unique network. On other platforms, brands often play second fiddle to personal connections, but on LinkedIn, business networking is the main focus. As a result, businesses of all types are expected to be more visible and active in the overall conversation.

LinkedIn is well-renowned as the go-to social network for B2B marketers, however, B2C brands can also thrive on LinkedIn. The key is to have a solid strategy based on well-considered LinkedIn goals that fit into your broader social marketing plan.

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The Importance of a LinkedIn Marketing Strategy

Why is LinkedIn Marketing important? Unlike other social platforms, LinkedIn is less about selling or marketing products and services and more about building relationships. Spamming, hard-selling and blatant promotion are highly discouraged on the platform, making it all the more important to have a platform-specific marketing strategy. Given the distinct audience on LinkedIn, a different approach is required to achieve the desired outcomes.

Businesses that market on LinkedIn generate 277% more leads on average compared to those solely focused on Facebook marketing. B2B marketers also revealed that LinkedIn is responsible for 80% of their social media leads. When used effectively, LinkedIn can be a powerful marketing tool that can help take your business to the next level.

In conclusion, sales pitches and aggressive advertising do not resonate well on LinkedIn. To achieve the reach and results you desire and to appeal to your connections and other businesses, you require a bespoke LinkedIn marketing plan.

How Businesses Utilise LinkedIn for Marketing

How to use Linkedin for business marketing? It's important to note that there isn't a one-size-fits-all approach to using LinkedIn for business. Some companies see it as a branding tool, whilst others use it as a recruitment hub. Having an understanding of how most businesses use LinkedIn is crucial to building a presence on the platform.

Content Distribution

For B2B brands, anything that helps them make the most of their content strategies is a bonus. LinkedIn has become a key distribution platform for B2B content that positions brands as industry experts. For personal accounts, content distribution is all about showcasing their expertise.

This includes sharing a combination of the following:

Blog posts
Case studies
Reviews and testimonials
Customer success stories
Videos (e.g. interviews, webinar snippets, tips)

Announcing Company News and Notable Wins

LinkedIn serves as both a social platform and a source of news. Brands and personal accounts can share their own news by announcing:

Launches of new products or services
Major company milestones (e.g. number of employees hired, years in business)
Financial wins (e.g. going public, funding received)
Previewing major pieces of upcoming content (e.g. case studies or annual surveys)
Rebrands

Highlighting Company Culture

For positioning and recruitment purposes, many brands focus their LinkedIn strategies on their company culture. This is a way for companies to stand out and attract new talent. Some popular ways to showcase culture include:

Celebrating new hires
Taking a stand on social issues
"Day-in-the-life" style company posts
Company event recaps (e.g. retreats, conferences "behind-the-scenes" posts)

Lead Generation

It's worth noting that LinkedIn generated over £1 billion in ad revenue last year, along with a rise in organic engagement.

The platform has established a reputation as a hub for B2B sales. However, generating leads on LinkedIn requires a delicate balance between nurturing leads and selling. Being too aggressive won't yield positive results.

For instance, LinkedIn marketing is a vital tool for SaaS companies seeking to acquire more users.

This can be achieved through:

Advertising company events such as webinars
Disclosing new products, product plans, or pricing options
Running LinkedIn advertisements.

18 Marketing Strategies for Businesses on LinkedIn

One of the greatest advantages of LinkedIn is that it is a popular platform among senior-level executives, decision-makers, and influential figures.

If you want to capture the attention of these key individuals, then it is crucial to invest in a strong LinkedIn marketing strategy. Utilising readily available LinkedIn marketing templates can simplify the process.

In comparison to other social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram, LinkedIn presents a wealth of opportunities for B2B marketers. As the following infographic from LinkedIn highlights, a robust marketing plan on the platform is essential for the success of your business. It can assist in building brand recognition, drive website traffic, lead to quality lead generation, and much more.

Moreover, it can also help you establish a reputation as a thought leader in your industry. However, promoting your personal brand on LinkedIn requires clear goals and tactics to be in place.

Developing an effective strategy on LinkedIn also requires a thorough understanding of your target audience.

Let us now examine the steps for creating a successful LinkedIn marketing strategy.

Set Your Goals

There are numerous ways to utilise LinkedIn for your business. However, the nature of the content you publish and the method of distribution are dependent on what you wish to achieve for your enterprise.

Therefore, it is imperative to consider your goals prior to developing your LinkedIn marketing strategy.

The most common aims for using LinkedIn marketing include raising brand awareness, generating leads, boosting sales, enhancing brand reputation, and engaging with the target audience. It is crucial to determine what your brand needs most at the time.

Your goals should be achievable, relevant, quantifiable, and time-bound. Attaining your goals may take time, but it can be accomplished by providing consistent and high-quality content, staying current in your industry, and most importantly, devising an effective action plan based on the goals you have set.

Your action plan should encompass general strategic considerations and constraints on scope.

Some common goals (generally expressed, not fully SMART) include:

Boosting your brand awareness (best measured through data on your LinkedIn Page analytics)
Generating leads (LinkedIn being the network where potential business decision-makers and customers are most likely to be found)
Engaging with your target audience (data on this can be found in your LinkedIn Page analytics and participation in LinkedIn Groups)
Selling your product (although less common on LinkedIn, it is still achievable indirectly)

Create An Effective Company Page

Your LinkedIn Company Page plays a crucial role in your LinkedIn marketing efforts. It acts as your business's first point of contact with your target audience and therefore should provide a clear and comprehensive overview of your company, products/services, employees, and headquarters.

Make sure you include your company logo, website URL, industry, company size, and any other relevant information. This will help establish credibility for your business and strengthen your overall LinkedIn marketing strategy.

When crafting your company description, ensure that it conveys key information about your business and offerings in a succinct and engaging manner. Additionally, include a cover image that aligns with your brand image to further reinforce your credibility and professionalism.

A well-maintained and up-to-date Company Page can make a significant impact on your brand's image and overall success on LinkedIn.

For inspiration, consider the LinkedIn Company Page of a reputable brand such as British Airways. The Overview section acts as a one-stop destination, providing all necessary information about the company including their website URL, specialties, and social media profile links.

source: British Airways

Optimise Your Company Page

Just like your website, your LinkedIn Company Page should be optimised for search as well. In fact, it is a crucial part of your LinkedIn marketing strategy.

A properly optimised Company Page will increase your visibility in search results, both on and off LinkedIn, making it easier for people to discover your company through search engines and LinkedIn itself.

Here are a few techniques to optimise your Company Page for search:

Incorporate Keywords

Keywords are vital for your LinkedIn marketing. Don't restrict the use of your targeted keywords to just your website and blog.

Identify the terms and phrases that your target audience is likely to use when searching for your products or services and include them in your company description and list of specialties.

Link to Your Company Page

One of the key factors that determine the search engine ranking of a page is its inbound link profile.

Therefore, optimising your LinkedIn Company Page for search is important to solidify your LinkedIn marketing strategy.

The easiest way is to provide links to your LinkedIn profile on your website, blog, newsletters, social media profiles, etc.

Furthermore, encourage your employees to complete their LinkedIn profiles and list your company as their employer, thereby creating more links to your Company Page and improving your inbound link profile, thereby boosting your LinkedIn marketing.

Publish Relevant Content

In addition to engaging with your audience, regularly uploading and sharing relevant content also allows it to be indexed by Google, thus improving your search engine rankings and helping your Company Page climb up the search results ladder.

source: Panda Restaurant

Understand the Difference between LinkedIn Profiles and LinkedIn Pages

LinkedIn Pages can be followed without the need to send a connection request and wait for approval. This means that when a LinkedIn user shares your Page with their connections, these individuals can follow your page immediately, potentially leading to high engagement. LinkedIn Pages and LinkedIn Profiles serve different purposes in LinkedIn marketing, with Pages being public and primarily used by businesses, while Profiles are private and used by individuals. Both work with the LinkedIn algorithm, but you have different tools to grow your audience.

LinkedIn Profiles can also be followed, but what sets them apart is the ability to have personal, one-on-one conversations with connections who request to join your network. If you are a consultant, work in direct sales, or prefer a personalised approach to your business, you'll want to have a LinkedIn Profile to take advantage of this feature.

Both LinkedIn entities can work together to create an efficient marketing workflow. For instance, you can list yourself as an employee of your business by listing your business' LinkedIn Page as your employer on your personal Profile. This way, when someone visits your Profile, they will also see your Page.

Understand Your Target Audience

To create high-quality content on LinkedIn, it is essential to have an understanding of the audience you are targeting. Developing an effective LinkedIn strategy demands a clear grasp of your target audience.

You can segment your audience based on various criteria such as job title, location, and industry. LinkedIn offers advanced search methods to help you identify and target the right individuals for your business. You can also review your connections list for potential further connections.

Given that LinkedIn is predominantly a B2B platform, it is important to be specific about your audience. Once you have a clear understanding of your target audience, focus on the challenges they face, including the questions of when and why they face these difficulties.

To comprehend your target audience, utilise analytical tools and gain insights into your followers and page visitors.

By examining your analytics, you can gain a better understanding of what your target audience is doing. This information can then be used to design your company page and create content that meets their specific needs.

Keep an Eye on Your LinkedIn Analytics

It's important to regularly evaluate your LinkedIn marketing efforts, and one way to do this is by studying your analytics. Keeping tabs on your LinkedIn analytics dashboard can give you a wealth of valuable insights that can help you make more informed decisions and improve your results.

It's a good idea to base your LinkedIn marketing strategy on data, and use what you learn from your analytics to tailor your content to your audience's needs and preferences. Some key performance indicators (KPIs) to track include demographic information about your followers, the number of followers you have, your impressions and reach, your engagement rate, and profile views by job title. By paying close attention to these metrics, you can increase your reach and influence within your industry.

Include Employee Profiles in Your Strategy

Studies have shown that employees' LinkedIn networks tend to have an average of ten times more connections than a company's followers, and that content is twice as likely to receive click-throughs when posted by an individual as opposed to a company's business page.

In terms of recruitment, employees may well have connections within their specific fields of expertise. Sharing job opportunities through these connections is far more targeted than doing so through a company's LinkedIn page.

Therefore, it's crucial to include employee profiles in your LinkedIn marketing strategy. This may involve training senior management to utilise LinkedIn for thought leadership content, or encouraging employees to share their work experiences on the platform.

It's worth noting that users have the option of following personal profiles, which allows them to see content from individuals they admire but may not know well enough to send a connection request to. This further extends the reach of everyone working for the company, from entry-level employees to the CEO.

Focus on Lead Generation, Not Direct Sales

LinkedIn is a platform for social selling, rather than for direct commercial transactions. As previously mentioned, it is the top brand for B2B lead generation and an ideal platform for establishing relationships and connections that will eventually lead to sales.

It is less suitable for impulsive purchases, as it is not the place where people look for the latest fashionable items to buy.

Therefore, instead of trying to make direct sales on LinkedIn, concentrate on building relationships and establishing credibility. Approach potential leads when opportunities arise, but provide expert advice rather than making a hard sell. By doing so, you will be at the forefront of the buyer's mind when the time is right to make a purchasing decision.

That being said, using LinkedIn to drive online sales is not out of the question. If you choose to take this approach, ensure that your product or service is positioned in a context that is appropriate for business.

Assess Your Competitor's Business Pages

To enhance your LinkedIn marketing strategy, it's crucial to measure yourself against your competition.

LinkedIn offers a feature called "Companies to Track," which displays a list of firms comparable to your own and provides you with some vital metrics. These metrics include the overall number of followers, the growth of followers, and the level of social media engagement. By analysing these pages, you can understand how your Company Page stacks up against them.

By observing what's working well for your competitors, you can incorporate similar techniques into your LinkedIn marketing campaign.

Get Involved in LinkedIn Groups

To increase your visibility and interact with others on LinkedIn, you should consider participating in discussions within LinkedIn Groups. This is a fantastic opportunity to network with other business professionals, particularly if you choose the groups you join wisely, allowing you to connect with your desired audience. You can easily find relevant groups by using LinkedIn's search bar.

If you want to take it a step further, why not create and manage a group of your own, aimed at your target audience? Of course, you'll need to invest some time in fostering conversations and ensuring the group provides value for those who join.

Understand the best time to post

The timing of your posts on LinkedIn can greatly impact the success of your LinkedIn marketing strategy. To reach the maximum number of your target audience and increase engagement, it's crucial to understand the best time to post on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is a professional network and its users are most active during the traditional work week, Monday to Friday. Research shows that the best time to post on LinkedIn is during the mid-week, from Tuesday to Thursday, and during the late morning or early afternoon.

However, it's important to note that the best time to post can vary depending on your target audience and the industry you are in. For example, if your target audience consists of executives, posting on Wednesday mornings would be most effective as they are more likely to be checking their LinkedIn accounts at that time.

To determine the best time for your specific audience, you can experiment with different posting times and track the engagement and reach of your posts using LinkedIn Analytics. This will allow you to see which times generate the most engagement, and you can adjust your posting schedule accordingly.

source: Sprout Social

Understand the best time to post

Enhance your LinkedIn presence

If your LinkedIn marketing approach is a cake, then LinkedIn Ads would be the cherry on top.

Think about investing in your LinkedIn posts if you wish for your content to reach as many people as possible. This way, all those who are interested in your industry will see your adverts from your brand.

You could also give a boost to some LinkedIn posts which are significant to your followers. Besides posts, LinkedIn Ads also encompass sending your community direct messages regarding your latest offerings or accomplishments.

By means of targeted advertising, you improve your chances of getting noticed and reaching more people.

You can target followers by industry, location, job title, name and many more. Based on your objectives, you can utilise:

Text Ads - which appear on search results, notifications, group pages, and profile pages.
Sponsored InMail - for personalised messages.
Sponsored content - to broaden your posts to a wider audience.

Publish Compelling Content

The heart of your LinkedIn marketing strategy is your content. By sharing high-quality, fresh and original material, you will not only attract a substantial following, but you will also be able to keep and engage with them. That is why it's imperative to post content that resonates with your target audience.

Crafting content for LinkedIn involves much more than publishing promotional posts. To boost engagement on your page, your content should include helpful tips, tricks, and information related to your industry. Research indicates that LinkedIn users are receptive to educational content.

When developing content, focus on areas in which you have unique insights and can provide useful information. How-to articles can be an effective way to deliver educational content.

Don't forget to use relevant hashtags to increase visibility.

source: Nestle

It's also essential to keep your followers informed of the latest developments in your industry. You can take the opportunity to publish thought-leadership articles, sharing your views on the latest industry trends or novel solutions to common problems faced by your target audience.

However, be mindful not to over-promote your brand, as this could negatively impact your marketing efforts.

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Examples of effective content on LinkedIn include case studies, white papers, infographics, and pulse posts. Visuals are crucial, so be sure to include charts or pictures to catch the eye.

source: Amazon

source: IKEA

Maximise Audience Engagement with Images and Videos

For a successful LinkedIn marketing strategy, it's important to engage your audience through your updates.

One way to draw attention to your content is by using images and videos, in addition to text-based articles. According to LinkedIn, images have a 2x higher rate of comments and LinkedIn videos are 5x more likely to spark a conversation.

Additionally, you can also upload SlideShare presentations and PDFs to enhance the appeal of your content. LinkedIn now offers the ability to upload videos directly onto the platform, and they are likely to give priority to native videos over links from other platforms.

It's recommended that you create short 1-2 minute videos with proper subtitles and make sure they are authentic and effectively represent the vision of your brand. To make the most of this feature, it's best to upload videos directly to the platform rather than sharing YouTube links.

Utilise LinkedIn Hashtags

Hashtags can assist users in finding content on a particular topic, and can be very effective when constructing a LinkedIn marketing strategy.

By incorporating hashtags in your posts, they will have a greater likelihood of being uncovered by LinkedIn members who follow or search for the hashtag in question.

source: Emirates

If you make use of hashtags when posting on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, it is recommended to do the same with your LinkedIn posts.

Upon uploading content, whether it be a photo or video, LinkedIn will offer suggestions for hashtags related to the topic being shared. You have the option to use these, or alternatively, you may write your own using the # symbol.

According to experts, it is best to include your hashtags in the first comment of your post.

Tag individuals in your posts

Identifying individuals whom you have quoted or referred to in your content is a crucial aspect of your LinkedIn marketing strategy.

Mentioning individuals in your posts will increase the number of comments on your posts.

By tagging people, they will be notified, as will their connections and those who follow them, thereby increasing visibility of your content to a larger audience.

Implementing this aspect of your LinkedIn marketing strategy will boost the visibility of your posts and ultimately contribute to a rise in overall engagement on your page.

Understand the LinkedIn Algorithm

In order to post, schedule and develop new content effectively, it is important to have a clear understanding of how the LinkedIn algorithm operates.

Initially, LinkedIn bots will assess your content to ensure it is not spam.

Your post will then be displayed to a small trial audience to gauge their level of interest in the topic. Should the post generate sufficient interactions, it will appear in the feeds of more users.

Lastly, LinkedIn editors will review your content and then present it to an even broader audience.

If you include a large number of links in your posts, be aware that the LinkedIn algorithm will aim to minimize the visibility of this content.

This social media platform will take into account your decision to add links and consider that it is best to keep your community engaged solely through your content.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I include on my LinkedIn company page?

Having a comprehensive LinkedIn company page is crucial for any business. Regardless of whether your company sells products or simply aims to build brand recognition through the platform, it is important to consider your LinkedIn company page as a virtual representation of your business. Use this space to share positive stories about your company, showcase awards or proudly present your team. In essence, use it to highlight the public face of your business and provide answers to questions your target audience may have.

How can I promote my company on LinkedIn?

To raise the profile of your company page on LinkedIn, there are several strategies you can employ in addition to using keywords. Firstly, ask your managers and employees to follow your LinkedIn company page and extend this invitation to existing customers. Secondly, ensure that you include a link to your LinkedIn page in your email signature, on your website and other social media accounts. The greater visibility of your LinkedIn page will increase your chances of success on the platform.

How do LinkedIn advertisements work?

You have the option to purchase ads on LinkedIn to improve your brand's performance. The types of ads available for purchase include sponsored content, text ads, and sponsored InMail. With sponsored content, you pay to amplify the reach of your shared posts to a larger audience. PPC ads appear on various pages within LinkedIn, such as profile pages, search results pages, and the LinkedIn home page. Lastly, sponsored InMail operates similarly to email marketing, allowing you to send personalized messages to LinkedIn members.

Should I utilise images in my LinkedIn content?

Whilst LinkedIn doesn't rely on visual media in the same way as platforms like YouTube or Instagram, incorporating images into your content is still important. Including an image will boost engagement, and whilst the text remains the main focus of your article, the image can make it more visually appealing. Adding multimedia is simple, as you can insert images anywhere within your article.

What is the most suitable content for LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is a more mature and professional platform compared to other social media sites. It is the ideal place for sharing blog posts that will be of interest to your target audience. LinkedIn is particularly suited to thought leadership articles that showcase your expertise in your industry. You can share links to blog posts you've published on your own website, but research shows that posts published directly on the LinkedIn platform tend to perform better.

Conclusion

In conclusion, LinkedIn is a powerful platform for businesses to reach their target audience and increase their brand visibility. By utilizing the right marketing strategies, you can effectively leverage the platform to achieve your business goals.

Whether it be through the use of hashtags, mentioning people in your posts, understanding the LinkedIn algorithm, having a well-rounded company page, promoting your company, using LinkedIn Ads or sharing the right type of content, there are numerous ways to increase your success on the platform.

It is important to remember to always prioritize the needs and interests of your target audience, and to constantly measure and adjust your strategies to ensure maximum results.

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