If you’re not a social media marketing professional, creating a LinkedIn marketing strategy from scratch may seem like a daunting task. However, building a robust LinkedIn strategy involves paying attention to successful companies, optimizing existing content, engaging employees, and infusing creativity into a professional context. In this guide, I’ll share insights on how to construct an effective LinkedIn marketing strategy, step by step.
The Importance of a LinkedIn Strategy
LinkedIn is often the first stop for B2B buyers and business owners looking to learn more about a company. It provides insights into a company’s industry interactions, workforce size, recent developments, and important news. An active LinkedIn presence offers numerous advantages:
- Showcasing internal thought leadership to external audiences.
- Building industry credibility through outstanding content.
- Repurposing content effectively to capture attention.
- Gaining valuable insights about your audience.
- Engaging with your audience.
- Attracting new visitors who may become potential clients.
- Indirectly generating leads through increased website traffic.
However, to unlock these benefits, you must have a well-defined strategy. A LinkedIn strategy helps you target your desired audience and establish a structured approach for achieving your goals. It also forms the basis for testing and refining your tactics. It’s crucial to know what you’ve tried and why when brainstorming new ideas.
The Four Components of a LinkedIn Strategy
A solid LinkedIn strategy should be rooted in your goals and your audience. These foundational elements guide the tactical aspects of your LinkedIn approach—what to post and when to post it.
1. Goals
Start by defining your purpose. Whether it’s becoming an industry leader, attracting inbound leads, or achieving other objectives, write it down as your overarching goal. This goal should serve as a guiding star throughout your strategy.
Next, establish key metrics to measure success. Examples include increased website visitors, follower count, organic leads, LinkedIn-driven website traffic, and employee repost rates.
2. Who to Follow and Engage With
To draw people to your content, you must engage with them first. Begin by engaging with two types of companies:
- Partners: Boosting your partners’ content can encourage them to reciprocate and is an effective way to stay updated on their activities.
- Customers: Showcasing your customers’ achievements not only demonstrates your care for them but also exposes your brand to a new audience of potential clients.
Consider featuring your partners and customers in posts, like highlighting a customer’s success story. Partner-related content and customer stories provide valuable engagement opportunities.
3. The Types of Content to Post
Your Content strategy is the heart of your LinkedIn marketing plan. If you already have a content strategy in place, you already have a repository of content to share. The content you can post includes:
- Blog articles
- Thought leadership articles or videos
- Customer interviews
- Case studies
- Playbooks
- Whitepapers
- eBooks
- Press releases
- New customer announcements
- New feature announcements
- Knowledge articles
- Podcasts
- Photos or videos from events
To make the most of this content, think about how to repurpose it creatively. Consider creating video summaries of articles, interactive demos of new features, or highlight reels from podcasts.
Employee-generated content is another valuable resource. You can share new employee introductions, certifications, promotions, and other notable milestones. Encourage employees to contribute to your LinkedIn content efforts.
Collaboration with partners is essential in a LinkedIn strategy. Work closely with partner marketing teams to create co-marketed content, such as joint case studies, co-written blogs, or collaborative events. Promote these contents in engaging ways like turning presentations into video clips or interactive polls.
4. Execution of the Strategy
Now it’s time to get tactical. Create a monthly calendar to structure your content posting plan. Decide what content to post, which formats to use (such as carousels, polls, or videos), and consider leveraging LinkedIn features like LinkedIn Lives, Articles, and more. Set up incentives to encourage employees, customers, and partners to engage with your content, including sweepstakes, rewards, or joint marketing efforts.
Once you’ve planned your content, build a content calendar to keep your LinkedIn activity organized. Use tools to pre-schedule posts, monitor their performance, and track key metrics. If a post garners exceptional engagement, analyze what made it successful and adjust your strategy accordingly. A LinkedIn strategy is flexible and can be refined as needed to achieve your goals.
Remember, LinkedIn is a platform where you can showcase your company’s unique identity and engage with your target audience. Don’t hesitate to share behind-the-scenes insights on building your strategy – it adds a relatable and authentic touch to your LinkedIn presence.