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Chelsey Wyatt , Senior Digital Strategist
Chelsey Wyatt is a PNW native who has spent over three years specializing in Paid Social Ad Strategy for both large enterprise or start-up level companies. She functions as a strategic partner who loves combining humor and positive thinking and brings the brightest attitude to even the toughest client calls. There's no challenge she won't meet head on.
On days off you can find her wine-tasting with friends, walking her dog around town, spending time with family, reading, or playing video games to unwind.
September 18, 2023 | Gain Knowledge
Want proven success? Discover actionable LinkedIn B2B Marketing strategies that convert! Elevate your brand, gain leads, and drive sales.
Did you know LinkedIn has 1 Billion members, making it the largest professional network globally? Imagine tapping into that vast pool of professionals to grow your B2B marketing efforts.
Now stop imagining and buckle up because we’re about to dive into how you can unlock the power of B2B marketing on LinkedIn. This actionable guide covers everything from establishing a strong company page presence to leveraging LinkedIn advertising and analytics.
I’ll guide you through advanced B2B strategies and case studies that excel on LinkedIn.
Ready to elevate your LinkedIn B2B marketing game? Let’s get started!
LinkedIn is a powerhouse for B2B marketing. The platform offers a wealth of professional targeting parameters for organic content marketing and paid advertising, making it a goldmine for reaching specific audiences.
Rich content like articles, videos, and ads allows B2B businesses to showcase expertise and build credibility. LinkedIn’s analytics also provide insights into campaign performance, guiding optimization.
Moreover, B2B companies can engage in meaningful conversations, foster partnerships, generate high-quality leads, and enhance brand visibility.
In fact, LinkedIn has proven to be an effective social media channel for B2B marketing, with 80% of LinkedIn members in decision-making positions.
LinkedIn stands as a premier platform for B2B marketing, offering distinct advantages:
B2B marketing on LinkedIn connects businesses with professionals in a tailored manner, promotes industry expertise, and provides tools to measure and enhance campaign performance.
First, establish a solid company presence by creating a LinkedIn page that includes your company details and shares relevant content.
This is the foundation of any successful LinkedIn B2B marketing strategy. Yet, merely having a company page isn’t enough; success on LinkedIn involves a strategic balance in building personal and company brands to foster connections with other businesses.
Maintaining relevance and staying top of mind requires consistent effort. So, whether it’s curating industry content or sharing your thought leadership, ensure that all content is genuine, offers value to viewers, and speaks to your target audience.
Remember, B2B marketing on LinkedIn isn’t a quick fix. It’s a long-term method you should integrate into your digital marketing strategy.
A strong company presence starts with an eye-catching LinkedIn page. Here are some tips to make your B2B company page stand out:
Customers often prefer to trust and interact with individuals rather than anonymous brands. Highlighting your team can build trust and credibility. Encouraging customers to join groups where your team members actively participate can further enhance this trust.
Sharing employee posts on your company page that mention your brand is also a great way to humanize your brand and make it more relatable. When your employees develop their personal brands on LinkedIn and become thought leaders, it reflects positively on your company.
Overall, a strong company presence is the foundation for building relationships and generating leads on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn serves not only as a platform to display your company but also as a tool to:
You can also increase your network and visibility on the platform by joining pertinent groups, commenting on posts, and interacting with other LinkedIn members.
Keep in mind LinkedIn thrives on relationship building. The more you interact with others, the higher the chances of reciprocation, thus fostering mutually beneficial relationships.
Distributing meaningful content plays a pivotal role in showcasing your expertise and catering to the needs of your target audience. Leverage various content formats, such as articles, videos, and native ads to keep your audience interested and engaged.
LinkedIn’s Content Suggestions tool can help you determine what topics your followers are currently engaged with, providing valuable insights for content creation.
Encourage team members to blog directly on the platform from their personal profiles using LinkedIn’s article function. This showcases your company’s knowledge and expertise and helps reach a wider audience, as LinkedIn prefers to keep users engaged on their platform.
Consistently sharing valuable content positions your company as a thought leader in your industry fostering trust and affinity with potential customers.
Reaching a wider audience and generating quality leads is easier than ever with LinkedIn’s ad options. LinkedIn offers over 20 different audience attribute categories for targeting, including location, workplace, and job title. These options allow you to hone in on your specific audience with precision.
LinkedIn also offers a range of advertising solutions for B2B marketers, like sponsored content, InMail campaigns, and display ads.
In addition, these options provide a seamless user experience, cost-effective budgeting, and an alternative to more crowded ad spaces, making LinkedIn ads an essential component of your B2B marketing funnel.
I’ll delve into each advertising option, detailing how they can be employed to stimulate lead generation and drive business sales.
Sponsored content is the most popular form of advertising on LinkedIn. It allows B2B companies to showcase their content to a specific audience. Promoting your content through sponsored posts also ensures it reaches the right people, increasing brand recognition, engagement, and lead generation.
To create a sponsored content campaign, follow these eight simple steps:
By leveraging sponsored content on LinkedIn, you can effectively reach your target audience and achieve your marketing goals.
Setting up a budget and bidding strategy for your campaign is also crucial for success. Options for bidding strategies include cost-per-click (CPC), cost-per-impression (CPM), or cost-per-engagement (CPE).
Once you’ve chosen your desired duration and schedule, review and launch your campaign. Now watch your efforts drive engagement and leads with sponsored content.
Carousel ads are a newer addition to the LinkedIn advertising portfolio. They allow B2B businesses to showcase their content with multiple image variations for their selected target market audience.
Users get to flip through the carousel and learn more about the content or product in a quick and digestible fashion without having to wait through an entire video.
To create a carousel ad, follow these eight simple steps:
Elevate your marketing with LinkedIn carousel ads and connect with your target audience!
Video ads are a long-standing and well-utilized advertising placement that works great for LinkedIn brand awareness. Like all other LinkedIn ad formats, you can tailor these ads to specific audiences. Plus, they’re great for getting the word out about your brand.
To create a video ad, follow these eight easy steps:
Achieve your marketing goals with LinkedIn video ads and captivate your target audience!
Document ads are a useful way to promote educational content while better reaching your target audience and lead-generation goals.
These ads provide users with a captivating preview of long-form content. To learn more, users need to fill out a form. It’s a highly engaging ad format for lead gen.
To create a document ad, follow these eight easy steps:
Boost your lead generation on LinkedIn with document ads, a lesser-known yet powerfully engaging ad format!
Text ads are one of the first three ad formats that came out on the LinkedIn platform. However, they only live for desktop users, much like spotlight ads.
These ads give desktop users the ability to see a tiny box with your company logo, a compelling top CTA, and a very small description. They’re typically a cheap ad format for brands to use. However, they tend not to drive much engagement.
To create a text ad, follow these seven simple steps:
Text ads on LinkedIn are an easy way to reach your target audience, specifically when they’re scrolling through their desktop LinkedIn feed.
Conversation ads are the most effective way to reach your internal marketing lead generation goals and drive bottom-of-the-funnel leads. Use conversation ads to engage users in their LinkedIn inbox, guiding them deeper into the funnel and driving potential conversions.
Note: Selecting a sender is crucial when executing a message or conversation ad. While choosing a follow-up sender might seem wise, selecting a higher seniority profile within the organization improves open and engagement rates.
To create a conversation ad, follow these eight simple steps:
Boost your lead generation with LinkedIn conversation ads and attract new customers cost-effectively!
Event ads are the most effective for promoting your B2B webinars and events on LinkedIn. These ads allow people to register, learn about, and engage with events without leaving the app.
Event ads also show how many people registered, engaged, and commented on the post. These insights make this format often look native on the feed and get better engagement overall.
To create an Event ad, follow these nine easy steps:
Message ads are among the oldest and longest-standing ad formats in the LinkedIn ad platform. They predated the conversation ad and functioned as a single message reaching a user’s inbox.
They can be very hit-or-miss and require very catchy copywriting to gain traction or attention, but if executed correctly, they can be highly effective. They are often most effective for lead generation or promoting an upcoming event.
Note: Selecting a sender is crucial when executing a message or conversation ad. While it might seem logical to pick a sender for team follow-ups, choosing a higher seniority profile in the organization improves open and engagement rates.
To create a Message ad, follow these eight easy steps:
Spotlight ads are the most hidden and covert ads on LinkedIn. They only appear to desktop users and sit on the far right side of your newsfeed, showcasing the user’s profile image and the company page. It’s also an intuitive ad which is a reasonably effective brand awareness tool.
This ad format is good for newsletter sign-ups, job postings, follower campaigns, and overall brand awareness campaigns.
To create a spotlight ad, follow these six easy steps:
Job ads are the most popular ongoing ad formats for recruiters and HR professionals. They help get job applicants fast and fill roles with relevant and experienced candidates in the current job market.
To create a jobs ad, follow these five easy steps:
Success hinges on the consistent tracking and assessment of your LinkedIn marketing performance. LinkedIn analytics offers a range of tools that provide valuable insights into post-performance, followers, and competitor activity.
By leveraging these analytics tools, you can make data-driven decisions and optimize your LinkedIn B2B marketing strategy.
For example, you can track the performance of your content, the growth of your follower base, and your audience’s demographics. These insights help you tailor your content and approach accordingly. Plus, keep a close eye on your competitors!
LinkedIn can also help you identify trends and opportunities for improvement.
I’ll delve into each aspect of LinkedIn analytics and demonstrate how they can optimize your marketing initiatives.
LinkedIn analytics enables you to monitor the success of your content, such as posts, articles, and videos. With these valuable insights, you can make data-driven decisions and optimize your marketing efforts for maximum impact.
For example, you can measure engagement metrics like click-through rates and shares. This data helps you assess the effectiveness of your content. Then, use those insights to make data-driven adjustments as needed.
Regularly reviewing these metrics will also help you identify what type of content resonates with your audience. Knowing what works makes it easier to refine your content strategy and eliminate the guesswork.
Assessing follower growth and demographics is crucial in understanding your audience and tailoring your content to their needs. LinkedIn analytics tools provide comprehensive insights into follower growth and demographics, including:
By gaining a deeper understanding of your audience, you can create relevant and appealing content for them. This tailored approach leads to increased engagement and ultimately more conversions.
Regularly reviewing your follower growth and demographics will also help you make strategic decisions. This data-driven approach gives you actionable insights to optimize your LinkedIn B2B marketing efforts for maximum results.
Keep a close eye on your competitors when B2B marketing on LinkedIn. Analyzing competitor activity helps you identify trends and opportunities for improvement.
For example, you can monitor their profile updates, posts, and engagement levels. Gain valuable insights into their tactics and identify gaps in your approach.
You can also use the ‘ad transparency’ feature to analyze your competitor’s ads. See how they use LinkedIn to help contribute to your business goals.
LinkedIn’s search and analytics tools can track competitor activity, allowing you to:
Implementing advanced strategies can boost your LinkedIn B2B marketing performance.
For example, you showcase pages and employee advocacy to collaborate with industry influencers. These tactics help you reach new heights in your B2B marketing efforts.
Adopting these LinkedIn B2B marketing strategies can also expand your reach and establish your brand as a thought leader in your industry.
I’ll explore each advanced strategy and illustrate their integration into your LinkedIn B2B marketing initiatives.
Showcase pages are targeted for specific products or services. They provide relevant information and generate more leads.
With a showcase page, you can speak directly to your target audience by offering tailored content that addresses their needs and interests.
When designing your showcase pages, ensure they’re visually appealing. For example, have a clear and concise description, and include high-resolution images consistent with your brand identity.
By using showcase pages effectively, you can enhance your lead-generation efforts and drive sales for your business.
Employee advocacy is encouraging employees to share company content and engage with your brand on LinkedIn. This approach amplifies your reach and credibility.
For example, involve your workforce in your LinkedIn marketing efforts. Harness the power of their personal networks to expand your brand’s reach.
Also, provide your employees with guidelines and best practices for sharing company content on LinkedIn. In addition, motivate them to engage with your brand on the platform actively.
These tactics not only increase your company’s visibility but also foster a sense of pride and loyalty among your employees. It’ a win-win situation for both parties!
Partnering with industry influencers can significantly expand your reach and establish your brand as a thought leader.
For example, collaborate on content, events, or projects. This approach allows you to tap into their audience and gain credibility through association.
Moreover, identify influencers who are active in your industry and have a large following of your target audience. Cultivate rapport and trust with these influencers by engaging with their content and offering them valuable resources.
By forming mutually beneficial collaborations, you can further enhance your LinkedIn B2B marketing efforts and achieve greater success.
LinkedIn is the only social media platform where you can target individuals based on their industry, job title, seniority, qualifying career information, and more. I think the platform is the most effective channel for B2B brands.
For example, instead of relying on algorithms or focusing on the “right place, right time” mentality, you can maximize tailored paid ads. They attract valuable prospects beyond your current brand connections. Then you can use LinkedIn’s various marking tools to bring them into the funnel and nurture them into a customer.
This strategic approach gives B2B brands advertising on LinkedIn a step ahead of their competitors. It also allows their posts a guaranteed spot on a decision-maker’s feed or in their inbox.
Learn from successful B2B companies that have effectively leveraged LinkedIn for B2B marketing and lead generation. No need to reinvent the wheel. You can easily discover what’s already working and tailor those valuable insights and inspiration for your efforts.
The following LinkedIn B2B marketing examples demonstrate effective strategies that actually work. Use these case studies for inspiration:
Company A uses LinkedIn to:
Company A consistently refines its strategies for maximum impact by staying updated on the latest LinkedIn B2B marketing trends and insights.
Company B leverages LinkedIn advertising to generate leads and sales through outbound marketing. They employ sponsored content campaigns using native lead gen forms and conversation ads.
This approach effectively targets their audience and maximizes their advertising efforts on the platform.
In addition, Company B uses LinkedIn analytics to track campaign performance and evaluate its efficiency over time.
This data-driven approach enables them to optimize their LinkedIn B2B marketing strategy for continued success.
Company C focuses on employee advocacy and influencer partnerships to amplify its brand on LinkedIn. By encouraging employees to share company content and engage with their brand, they have significantly expanded their reach and credibility on the platform.
In addition, Company C partners with industry influencers to further strengthen its presence on LinkedIn.
These collaborations provide valuable exposure and credibility, positioning them as a thought leader in their industry.
LinkedIn offers B2B marketers powerful avenues for business growth. Unlock the full potential of LinkedIn for B2B marketing by:
Success on LinkedIn is a continuous process of learning, experimenting, and refining. And don’t be afraid to try new approaches. Learn from your successes and failures.
If you want to accelerate your LinkedIn B2B marketing success, reach out to our team. We can manage revenue-driven and goal-oriented marketing campaigns that move the needle for your business. Plus, keep your stakeholders, shareholders, and executive team happy.
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Answers to common questions about B2B Marketing on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is an effective network for B2B marketing. The platform provides connections between customers, job seekers, and businesses. It also offers profile information and content to refine business searches, making it the perfect shop window for digital marketing.
Therefore, using LinkedIn for B2B marketing is excellent for businesses small and large.
LinkedIn enables B2B marketers to find new partners, introduce their business, and attract potential employees in one platform.
This platform also provides an excellent opportunity for B2B businesses to reach potential partners, employees, and customers. In addition, it allows them to showcase their products and services professionally.
Unlock the potential of LinkedIn with a well-optimized Company Page. Here are key steps to make your profile stand out:
LinkedIn has 11 active ad formats available to advertisers. Each ad type has a different look and feel, designed to help you achieve various goals. You can also customize them to promote your full funnel marketing content, from awareness to the final stage.
To measure your LinkedIn performance, regularly review the analytics dashboard within the platform. Focus on key metrics like engagement rate, click-through rate, and follower growth.
Also, analyze post performance to understand content resonance. Additionally, monitor conversion rates from LinkedIn ads and study visitor demographics.
Finally, adjust your content and strategies based on these insights to ensure consistent growth and engagement.
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