LinkedIn is the second most popular platform for marketers. Learn why it's become so powerful and how you can use LinkedIn for B2B marketing.
In one way or another you’ve likely had some experience with LinkedIn. Whether it be for networking purposes or supporting business functions, LinkedIn has proved to be a powerful tool for B2B marketing.
LinkedIn is the second-most popular social media platform used by B2B marketers, ranking only behind Facebook. It’s no wonder users are taking aim at opportunities to use LinkedIn for B2B marketing.
Why LinkedIn?
Users on LinkedIn are on the platform for a reason, and it’s usually business motivated. Students, business owners and recruiters have different means of use but all leverage the audience the platform holds.
Why Does This Matter?
It’s pretty simple. Traditional methods usually involve searching through millions of users on platforms like Facebook and Instagram for those interested in anything B2B related. Instead, LinkedIn already narrows the funnel by nature, allowing you to get to the specifics.
For those using LinkedIn for B2B marketing, this means that reaching your target audience is often easier (if you put the work in). Since users of the platform have willingly engaged with it, you can be sure that they have interest in business activities in one way or another. There is also a wealth of business demographic information that users have on their profiles – very valuable for B2B marketing where more generalized lifestyle or interests might not cut it.
Reaching Your Audience
Generally speaking, growing your brand awareness on LinkedIn for B2B marketing has some strategic advantages over other platforms given the previous section. Studies related to LinkedIn brand awareness showed that:
- There are 63 million decision makers on the platform
- An average of 46% of website visitors come from LinkedIn
- Over 630 million professionals gather on the platform to learn, engage and connect
As a result, it’s no surprise that lead generation success is quite high with LinkedIn. In fact:
- 80% of B2B marketing leads from social media come from LinkedIn
- LinkedIn is the top lead generation platform
- 46% of social media traffic to website come from LinkedIn
Getting Connected
LinkedIn is all about networking. And as a B2B marketer that’s a top priority in the process of gaining clients. Using the platform to get your name out there and also developing partnerships is a sure strategy to get the ship sailing.
Tips For B2B Marketing on LinkedIn
Develop Strategic Partnerships
Strategic partnerships are a great way to move your way through the masses and get connected. Although it may be resource demanding, the benefits can be fruitful in the long run. It’s important to identify whether or not a partnership has the potential to be scalable and if the prospected partner has a similar customer base.
A good place to start is to look into some LinkedIn groups related to your fields. Members there will likely already have a shared interest in that area. When you decide to make the move to a prospect, it’s important not to sound gimmicky. Giving a generic sales pitch isn’t guaranteed to win them over. Try to get to know more about them, and add personal details to your opening.
Some studies propose that 92% of consumers trust peer recommendations over advertising. It’s likely that a majority of you reading this feel the same. Once you create relationships, that domino effect of referrals can start to take place.
Build Thought Leadership
Getting involved in thought leadership is powerful as well. Leveraging expertise as an industry professional and experienced leader can build not only a personal brand but the company brand as well. Bringing learned secrets to the light and sharing with your audience is likely to earn trust, loyalty and credibility.
Some research has shown that B2B decision makers rate though leadership as important, more so than marketers. When it comes to thought leadership, a simple definition is a strategy that “leverages the knowledge and experience in your organization to answer your audience’s questions – especially those they haven’t thought to ask yet.”
Approaches to Thought Leadership
Many approaches exist, but these are some general high-level branches to look at:
- Industry: knowledge on news and trends
- Product: product expertise in relation to real-world problems
- Organizational: supported standards and practices
Thought leadership has significantly grown in importance as reliable expertise has trust experience helps your content stand above others and holds stronger value to consumers and clients.
Consider Paid
Paid advertising is another strong outlet for B2B marketing. From the get-go, you’ll be targeting a quality audience who are incentivized to be active and present for professional reasons. LinkedIn’s Ad Targeting has 2x the buying power of the average web audience and holds 3 methods to do so. Company targeting, contact targeting and retargeting all have precise targeting based on personalized attributes to match your audience.
Paid advertising on LinkedIn is made easy with these simple steps:
- Choose your objective
- Select your targeting criteria
- Chose your ad format
- Set your budget and schedule
- Measure and optimize
Generally speaking, LinkedIn holds a higher CPC but has a much higher chance of gaining high quality leads versus other platforms. Evaluating your budget among other things is highly recommended to assess suitability.
However, as with all paid content, maintaining the influx of engagement after the fact will be difficult. To continue to see results of the same magnitude as the sponsored content, you will likely need to keep paying.
Your Social Portfolio
When it comes to a social strategy, it’s important to have your bases covered. Other platforms provide a variety of audiences to market to. However, for B2B marketing, LinkedIn stands at the top of potential outreach to clients. Regardless of whether you decide to sponsor content or not, the platform has the ability to extend reach and support your digital marketing efforts as a whole.
Building a total social media strategy can be a lot to get a grip on. Take it one step at a time and make use of free tips and resources to get you on track.
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Dan Kosir
Managing Director, Slanted Frame. Writes about B2B growth systems, AI in marketing, and content marketing.