LinkedIn is the ultimate professional networking platform, connecting people from all areas of business to opportunities and resources that spur growth. As a company, it’s probably your best platform for building a reputation and growing your business-to-business (B2B) social audience — both of which are integral to effective social media marketing.
For business professionals, LinkedIn can be an intimidating digital environment – but nailing the right type of content is key to making your mark and connecting with other industry players. To help you get started on conquering this powerful platform, we’ve compiled some sure-fire post types that will keep your feed fresh and exciting; helping you build a professional reputation online!
- Blog Posts
- Newsletters
- Polls
- Native Video
- Text Only
- Photos & Images
- Third-Party Content
- LinkedIn Live
- LinkedIn Audio
If you’re aiming to make a mark on LinkedIn, this article can help get you off the starting blocks. Discover some ingenious tricks and strategies that will have your profile standing out from all others.
LinkedIn: How To Stand Out
Jumpstarting your LinkedIn Page is just a few clicks away! With the abundance of content available to you – from website information, blogs, articles and customer feedback- it’s easier than ever before to generate enough material for regular posts. To ensure ideal performance, however, let’s first review some key do’s and don’ts when crafting your page’s content.
Do’s:
- Add images of individuals—whether that’s you, your employees, partners or clients. (Avoid stock photos)
- Make your content personable
- Publish tightly written content that is relevant and helpful
- Cover industry topics
- Post regularly so you are consistent
- Always comment back—the more comments, the more visibility you get from LinkedIn
- Make the most of your headline, the first line is important
- Add images of compelling statistics
Dont’s
- Don’t just share posts as they tend to have low reach
- Avoid long videos
- Use links (LinkedIn rewards you for staying on their platform, not sending your reader away to read something)
- Get too personal, that is what other social platforms are for
- Use constant hard sells and promotions (if you do, keep them to a minimum)
Understand who your audience is!
Before you even start to think about implementing a regular posting regime you should have a good understanding of who your target audience is. Looking up posts from your ideal target audience is a great way to understand their tone, what habits they have, how often they are posting, and when they are most likely to be active on LinkedIn.
Additionally, you can check your website metrics or use other demographic tools (LinkedIn has its own analytic features) to get an idea of the type of people visiting your website. Once you have completed your research and you know more about your target audience, then you can start creating content specific to them. You run the risk of missing the mark with your audience if you don’t do the right research so it’s always going to make it easier to come up with the right ideas, topics, and themes for your content when you know who you are talking to.
I’d also suggest you make the right connections and find “your” community. Follow influential thought leaders, and industry leaders, join groups and experts in your field of expertise and join in with their conversations, comment on their posts, share content and increase your visibility with these people.
Best Practices
LinkedIn has many great examples of how to post, so a great way to learn the best practices is by being an active user.
Be Relatable
To create meaningful engagement with your content, focus on building trust and rapport. Let your audience know they’re interacting not just with a company, but with actual humans behind it! Showcase relevant information that demonstrates genuine care for those reading- you don’t want to bombard them with too much self-promotion as this can be off-putting. Making sure the right balance is struck between engaging stories will ensure maximum interactions among readers.
Catch your audience’s attention
Capture your audience’s attention with a catchy visual, a striking headline, or a video. You want to stop them from scrolling past your content so make it worth their while.
Engage your audience
Building relationships with your audience and customers is crucial to an effective content strategy. Reply to comments, and be sure that your tone is consistent throughout any post or interaction.
Ensure your content is easy to follow
Make your content easy to read. Bullet points or smaller, one-sentence paragraphs get people reading on so make sure it’s formatted in a way that will want people to click on the ‘read more’ button. By doing this, you can also create a little bit of suspense, but make sure it makes sense to do so.
Be Consistent
Consistency is the most important practice. There is no point in doing all of the research regarding target audiences, hashtags, content, etc. if you’re going to post once a month. Post 3-4 times a week during the hours that your customers and audience are online. Some businesses post every day, again it might work for you but make sure to post at least 3 days a week.
Create and publish quality content
Creating content that your audience values is essential to build a strong connection with them. Research and define who you want as an audience, then curate or craft valuable content which appeals to their needs. Utilize multiple types of media for the best results; leverage existing resources wherever possible, but remain true to yourself in terms of how consistent it stays across all channels – authenticity is key!
LinkedIn demographics make it an ideal platform for publishing highly relevant, shareable content – especially in the B2B space. Make sure you follow the tips above and start posting today!
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