LinkedIn has become the top social media market to grow your business in, even topping popular spots such as Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Pinterest. Linkedin has more than 250 million active users, which makes it an effective tool for brand awareness, lead generation, engagement and sales.
LinkedIn offers the opportunity for business marketers to use content marketing to successfully find leads and grow their business through the connections with other businesses.
Five Step Strategy to Marketing Effectively on LinkedIn
1. All about the Timing
Time your posts so that they will get optimal viewing attention. Research shows that most LinkedIn users read through articles at the beginning of the the work day (so around 8 am), during their lunch break (around 1 pm) and at the end of the day (around 5 pm). Don’t schedule posts to go out late at night because they will most likely not be seen by the people you are trying to reach.
2. Use Images
Have at least one image in your post but don’t be afraid to use more! LinkedIn users love lots of images. View counts have a direct relationship to images. The more images in an article, the more views, shares and likes that post will get.
3. Popular Headline Styles
LinkedIn users love lists and how-to posts. Use taunting Titles that will grab their attention and make them feel like you have something to teach them or enrich their own business practices. Also, use Buzz words to help catch their attention. Much research has been done on this topic and some words that have found to be very relevant to LinkedIn are “Should”, “Social” and “Things”.
4, Be organized
Make your post easy to follow by having your content organized. Start with a clear direction of your article in the introduction. Use headings to break down or list your content and be sure to restate your point in your conclusion.
5. Do Your Research
Think about the needs of your potential clients, particularly those who would come from other businesses. What do they want to learn about? What business topics would appeal to them? What do you have to offer them so they will HAVE to read your article?
Bonus tip: Follow Up More Than Once
Keep following up with leads even though they may have said “no” the first time. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been able to turn a no into a yes by being persistent.
The best way to approach this is to follow up with let them know how successful you have been with helping others. Give them concrete examples of your successes like a white paper with screenshots.
Showing prospective clients how effective you are at solving other people’s problems is your key to getting to a yes.
I’ve even used this strategy with past clients who wound up coming back to work with me.
Having a strategy for any social media outlet is important and understanding the unique audiences of each is key to being successful. Use these 5 strategies to increase your audience and build your business in LinkedIn.
