No business can survive without marketing. Marketing is the actions a company takes to promote its products and services to consumers. Digital marketing, also called online marketing is simply, marketing actions on the internet. Since most consumers are online, digital marketing has become the norm.
The majority of consumers will undertake online research before making a purchase, so brands must have an online presence and can leverage digital marketing channels for their marketing campaigns.
Digital marketing channels include search engine, website, email, content, social media, affiliate, and SMS marketing. LinkedIn marketing is a form of social media marketing.
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What is LinkedIn marketing?
LinkedIn marketing is the process of using LinkedIn to promote a professional individual or a business. A LinkedIn profile allows members to make business connections, foster business relationships, spread brand awareness, generate leads, and drive traffic to a business. It is the prime platform to share important content and learn about developments in an industry.
The LinkedIn advantage
Although LinkedIn is not the biggest social media platform, it is the largest business-oriented networking website. According to Kepios analysis of LinkedIn data, as of July 2022, marketers were able to reach 849.6 million users with LinkedIn ads. But it's not just the fact that you can reach so many people on LinkedIn that is advantageous, it's who you can reach that makes the crucial difference. Four out of five people on LinkedIn drive business decisions, so as a marketer, you are connecting with key people.
With more than 58 million companies on LinkedIn, the platform creates the ideal opportunity for individuals and companies to build brand awareness, generate leads, make conversions, and engage customers and peers.
In generating leads, LinkedIn outperforms the three biggest social media platforms, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. According to a study by Hubspot, LinkedIn is the best social media platform for lead generation, being 227% more effective than Facebook and Twitter.
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Recommended strategies for marketing on LinkedIn
LinkedIn marketing helps individuals and organisations to build brand awareness, establish strategic partnerships, and generate leads on LinkedIn. Here is a list of strategies for getting the best results from using LinkedIn for marketing.
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Optimise your LinkedIn profile
Keeping your profile up to date is the first step toward optimising your LinkedIn profile. Consider your LinkedIn profile as the face of your personal brand and your primary source of interaction with your target audience. Aim for up to 100% completeness which will indicate to LinkedIn users that you are a high calibre professional. Plus, a complete profile gives people all the information they need about you.
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Optimise your company page
Your company page is your company's profile on LinkedIn. It should provide prospective customers with information about your company, what it does and the people that work there. LinkedIn allows companies to post relevant content and news updates on the company page. Enhance your company page with a professional image or logo to showcase your brand.
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Use LinkedIn to target your audience
This is one of the best aspects of LinkedIn for marketers; the ability to target individuals and businesses directly. LinkedIn allows you to connect with relevant professionals and companies in your industry, cutting out irrelevant noise.
You can find your demographic by connecting with, and following, only those companies active in your field. You can target LinkedIn members according to their job titles, job experience, the companies they work for, education, interests, and other demographics. This allows you to focus and streamline your advertising campaigns.
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Provide valuable content
Posting content regularly can help you to draw attention to your brand. The content should be relevant and useful to your target audience. Post helpful content that will be valuable for your audience. If you consistently post high-quality content, it will help to establish you as a thought leader in your field.
The content can include company news, content created by employees, and industry trends. The trick is to post regularly and engage your audience by inviting comments. The optimal post rate is once a week.
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Use LinkedIn Groups
LinkedIn Groups are a valuable marketing tool. There are many groups focused on different industries, professions, and topics on LinkedIn. These groups provide an opportunity to connect with others, initiate discussions and share information and ideas. Keep in mind only individuals can join groups so companies should encourage key employees to join certain groups where they can act as a representative, and post on behalf of the company.
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Use hashtags
Hashtags are helpful in different ways. Specific hashtags can lead you to relevant topics and hashtags you follow will eventually appear in your feed, alerting you to content you're interested in. In addition, hashtags embedded in your content will help others to find you, including people you are not already connected with.
So, where do you add hashtags? You can add hashtags to the articles you post on LinkedIn, your status updates, and your comments.
You can also use LinkedIn to find the best hashtags for your needs. For instance, if you type in #freelance, you will get a list of possible hashtags which you can first peruse before choosing the most appropriate one for your purposes.
A presence on LinkedIn is the foundation of a great marketing strategy for both individuals and companies alike. Marketing through LinkedIn is highly effective since the platform enables specifically targeted marketing. In addition, LinkedIn has some impressive statistics related to engagements, quality of leads, and lead generation. As mentioned earlier, four out of five LinkedIn members drive buying decisions within their company, which speaks to lead quality. LinkedIn is the top organic social network for B2B marketers, with 96% of B2B content marketers using LinkedIn for organic social marketing.
LinkedIn is where professionals meet. It's also proving to be the world's preferred professional networking and marketing platform.
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