Designed exclusively for the business community, LinkedIn allows brands to connect, network, and build relationships that drive business growth. Brands should pivot their strategies to embrace LinkedIn’s full potential for B2B marketing with an additional twist of Employee Advocacy.
Firstly, any successful LinkedIn strategy starts with a robust, well-detailed company profile. This profile acts as your company's resume, providing potential B2B partners an overview of what your company does, its key milestones, and values. So, make it strong, clear, relevant, and most importantly, brand-centric.
Next, harness the power of LinkedIn's algorithm by endorsing frequent content posting. LinkedIn's algorithm tends to favor users who post daily. Share industry-related articles, comment on others' posts, and most importantly, inject your original content into the mix.
Creating engaging, shareable content not only improves your visibility but also empowers your audience - including your employees - to share your content with their networks. Use LinkedIn’s publishing platform to leverage thought leadership, share your team's wins, explore industry trends, and engage your audience with questions or polls.
Let’s take this strategy a step further by incorporating Employee Advocacy. Encourage your team to become an active part of your digital strategy by inviting them to engage with and share your posts. This can exponentially increase how many people can see your content.
Employees are the most credible and valued source of information about a brand. Encouraging employee advocacy implies getting your team members into a habit of sharing, liking, and commenting on the company’s updates.
Simply put, employees are your brand ambassadors. When they share your company's content, they're not only exposing your brand to their extended networks, but they're also lending credibility to your brand, making it more relatable. After all, people trust people more than they trust brands.
For a more structured approach, consider LinkedIn's Elevate, a tool designed to help organizations champion employee advocacy as a core part of their social strategy.
However, don't forget LinkedIn is a networking site. A good rule of thumb is to always engage more than promote. Engage with the community, your connections, and people in your industry. Beyond posting, join groups related to your industry, and actively participate in conversations. These interactions are what build relationships and discretion to engage potential partners when opportunities arise for business collaboration.
Lastly, LinkedIn is also a gold mine for analytics. It provides deep insights into who's viewing and engaging with your posts. Leverage these analytics to understand what content is resonating well with your audience and tweak your content strategy accordingly. Always remember, data-driven decisions help you stay aligned with your audience's changing preferences.
Employing LinkedIn for B2B marketing, combined with a robust Employee Advocacy program, can significantly enhance your brand's reach and credibility, aiding in solid lead generation, nurturing, and conversion.
Remember, LinkedIn is less about selling and more about building relationships and engaging with the audience. So, maintain a human touch at all times. After all, it’s all about ‘marketing done human’ in 2021 and beyond!