Why LinkedIn is Crucial for Your Content Marketing Strategy

In the early 2010s, not many might consider LinkedIn as a website to pour their marketing efforts on. But the professional networking site has ensured more ways to keep its users on the site. There was an increase in marketing efforts in LinkedIn that allowed for more B2Bs to use the platform to generate revenue and acquire leads. They implement a content marketing strategy and use ads to reach their target audience.

However, LinkedIn isn’t just for B2Bs anymore. Influencers and other marketers publish their LinkedIn posts to increase brand awareness and many notice their LinkedIn content in the process. In this post, we provide an overview of LinkedIn in 2019 and its future, learn about their popular influencers on the site, and understand the types of LinkedIn content to publish and integrating it in your content marketing strategy.

LinkedIn in 2019 & 2020

More people and companies realize the value of having a LinkedIn account or page in 2019.

Initially, LinkedIn was meant to post online resumes of professionals. As the platform’s popularity rose, B2B companies saw an opportunity to connect with fellow B2Bs. Since then, LinkedIn has evolved as a social media site, which enabled B2B to execute their content marketing strategy.

Aside from that, Social Pilot’s Infographic about LinkedIn Statistics gives an insight into the platform’s overall usage in 2019.

In terms of engagement, posts that have links received over 200% engagement rate from users. Plus, any posts ending in a question earned 50% engagement through commenting. 

LinkedIn shows no signs of slowing down as the decade closes. Due to LinkedIn’s new updates such as Linkedin Objective-Based Ads and Success Hub, the platform could see some retention from marketers to further their marketing goals.

In 2020, content marketing may continue to dominate the social networking site. Other 2020 predictions include the usage of LinkedIn for Live content and enhancing personal and authentic branding strategies to reach more followers.

Marketers can continue acquiring more leads by using ads. Since LinkedIn introduced its campaign objectives for advertising, marketers on LinkedIn may attain their marketing goals on the platform.

Influencers on LinkedIn

LinkedIn enabled top executives and leaders to have a voice on their platform to create credibility and legitimacy. There’s no shortage of thought leaders that promote motivation and encouragement on their LinkedIn posts.

Two of the influencers to follow on LinkedIn are Bill and Melinda Gates. No longer taking an active role in Microsoft, Bill and Melinda Gates are the co-chairs of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The organization focuses on different objectives such as:

• Empowerment of the poor
• Thwarting deadly diseases
• Enable people to take action

On their LinkedIn accounts, they post articles tackling topics in equality, tech, energy, and so much more. Many consider them as influencers for their determination towards equal opportunities and accessibility through empowerment.

Another influencer to follow is Sallie Krawcheck. She is the CEO and co-founder of Ellevest, which aims to close the gender gap in investing.

Sallie focuses more on feminism and finance. Plus, she has a signature hashtag: #FinancialFeministFriday which shines the spotlight on entrepreneurs, executives, and influencers making strides in their industry.

Most entrepreneurs will, at one point in their lives, encounter the name: Gary Vaynerchuk. He’s a successful entrepreneur that started his digital career by posting videos on YouTube. Since then he’s amassed a following and is now chairman of VaynerX and a keynote speaker.

His LinkedIn posts consist of the videos he publishes on YouTube, how-to blog posts and tips, and status updates that let him connect with his followers. Most of his topics revolve around marketing strategies, leadership, and running businesses.

Check out other LinkedIn influencers to follow:

• Sujan Patel
• Clara Shih
• Ann Handley
• Gretchen Rubin
• Hiroshi Mikitani

Types of LinkedIn Content

Articles

Undoubtedly one of the most widely used forms of LinkedIn content is the article.

In 2012, LinkedIn tapped the most influential LinkedIn personalities to publish their original content. Since LinkedIn’s growth, LinkedIn opened its doors to all its members to post original content.

If you want your article noticed by your connections or others, you’ll need to follow some tips to get those views:

• Your headline should be about 40 to 49 characters long. These received the most views based on OkDork’s research.
• Images remain the best visual to add to a LinkedIn article.
• Remember to add links for maximum engagement.
• Headlines and call to actions are a must! Attention-grabbing headlines and a call to action can increase viewership and engagement.

Types of articles you can write on LinkedIn

• Long-form content

LinkedIn’s Publisher can hold up to 120,000 characters (as a quick refresher, characters refer to one letter and punctuation). If you want to max out your LinkedIn posts, you can write up to 60,000 words!

• How-to’s

Many prefer reading how-to’s or guides because it’s easy reading and skimmable! You can publish how-to’s related to your product or service like how it’s used or how it can benefit everyone.

At its core, LinkedIn is a professional networking site, so job searchers may seek knowledge and wisdom in job searching and connecting with others. 

Meanwhile, marketers can write a how-to post as part of their LinkedIn content marketing strategy for their B2B audience. Influencers, thought leaders or motivational speakers can use the how-to’s to gain more credibility and a following for posting guides and tips.

• Listicles

Listicles come in different forms. Whether it’s to round-up a post or create a checklist, just like how-to’s, listicles are digestible blog posts that readers can skim. Lists can be effective because, in some way, you’re incorporating a call to action.

Tip: Don’t forget to add hashtags on your LinkedIn posts. You can reach more people who follow a certain hashtag. Who knows, they might just share your content for their followers to see too.

Images & Videos

Since opening its floodgates, LinkedIn demonstrated that it’s a social networking site to watch out for in terms of a business’s content marketing strategy.

As in many social media sites, images and videos yield most views and shares on social media. As such, this allows a brand’s leads to engage with the company, which may turn them into loyal customers or visitors.

With this more companies find value in posting visual assets that 32% of marketers realize the importance of using images as part of their content marketing strategy

You can share images on LinkedIn such as:

• Infographics
• Behind the scenes photos (e.g. of an event or a company)
• Data visualizations

Tip for behind the scenes photos: Be personable and look approachable to your prospective leads or employees.

Presentations

Since LinkedIn became the go-to for thought leaders and executives, these influencers post their presentations to share for their followers and in turn, their followers to share with others.

LinkedIn’s integration with SlideShare makes it easy for influencers or thought leaders to share their presentations from conferences and events. Thus, its accessibility allows for more people to learn about their topic and the influencer.

The most crucial thing in your presentation is your message. Ensure that it’s clear and understandable to your readers. Also, don’t just stick to the Keynote or Powerpoint templates. Don’t forget to design your presentation. It’ll get your readers engaged to finish your presentation.

If you want to get recognized more, make your presentation a downloadable resource too. That way, one of your followers may share your content with others as well, even if they’re not online.

Content Marketing on LinkedIn

B2Bs found a home in LinkedIn where they can connect with other B2Bs to generate leads. Since there are many professionals, leaders, and executives on the platform, it’s easier to connect with them because they may also be the decision-makers of the company.

According to LinkedIn, they’re the platform of choice for 97% of B2B marketers for content marketing. As such, leads and revenues are higher for B2B marketers using LinkedIn.

Meanwhile, B2Cs are following suit and realizing that LinkedIn can tap individuals in increasing brand awareness and lead conversion. For B2Cs to reach their target audience with a content marketing strategy, the key is authenticity. Therefore, B2Cs LinkedIn posts should demonstrate authenticity to capture their leads.

For both B2B and B2C content marketers, Social Media Examiner suggests determining what type of marketing goal they want to achieve on the platform. Without this key component, marketers may have trouble reaching their target audience.

One important thing to note, marketers should always identify their audience. Their marketing efforts would go in vain if they’re posting content for the sake of doing so.

By doing that, marketers can move forward in knowing which types of content to publish. The types of LinkedIn content that garners most engagement are articles and videos. It’s best to revolve posts based on those content.

After having identified your content marketing strategy on LinkedIn, you need to create a solid plan to ensure that it’s followed and would generate reach and engagement. 

As part of your content marketing strategy, make sure to include the frequency of posting. Content Marketing Institute suggests posting 3 to 5 times a week, which is a practice many influencers do. That way, you maximize and spread out your LinkedIn content on the platform.

Key Takeaways

LinkedIn is making itself known as a competitor in terms of becoming the go-to social media platform for marketing. It was once a hub for professionals and executives to connect. Alongside the influencers, marketers are flocking to the platform in hopes of acquiring new leads. 

A marketer’s weapon in the LinkedIn arena is content. Relevant, high-quality, and high-performing content that will get not only attention but conversions from potential customers. As such, marketers and influencers alike should build an excellent content marketing strategy that can establish them as an authority.