So, what is so great about LinkedIn and why should you and your business be on LinkedIn? The digital marketing experts at PRG Marketing Communications have created a useful blog detailing why we think you should be taking it seriously.
LinkedIn is full of the right people
As mentioned previously, LinkedIn has over 750 million users, with 152 million users having joined since 2019. LinkedIn is very popular with 25 – 34-year-olds, with this age group accounting for just over 60% of all LinkedIn users, whilst millennials (18 – 24-year-olds) are really starting to get involved with the professional network, making up just under 20% of all users.
It isn’t just individuals, businesses are also listed on LinkedIn, there are currently over 57 million businesses listed. LinkedIn allows you to add your current and previous industry experience to your profile, so by listing these companies to your profile you are making yourself more visible to professionals around you.
In terms of targeting your ideal audience, LinkedIn is definitely the platform for this. Four out of five LinkedIn members drive business decisions, with the audience as a whole having double the buying power of the average web audience. LinkedIn is widely considered the most effective social media platform for B2B lead generation, with over 80% of social media leads coming from the platform.
It’s all about content
LinkedIn, especially over recent years, has been very content driven. It is consistently the top social media network for driving traffic to B2B blogs and websites. In 2020, content creation increased by 60% on LinkedIn, with live streams increasing by a huge 437%, likely driven by the need for an online presence whilst the traditional business routes were interrupted.
Looking at the content itself, what works best? Long-form content actually tends to perform the best! Ensure you use headings to make content easy to navigate, H1, H2, H3 tags etc. Using neutral language has also been proven to get more views and engagement when compared with negative and positive written content. ‘How-to’ blogs and list-style headlines can also be key to producing engaging content, you want users to want to click through to your work; people will make a decision in a split-second, so an engaging headline can make all the difference.
Advertising on LinkedIn
As great as organic growth is on social media, there is always the opportunity to take it to the next level with paid advertising. Ad exposure on LinkedIn has been found to increase users purchase intent by 33%, which has led to 97% of B2B marketers using LinkedIn as part of their content marketing strategy.
To make the deal even sweeter, LinkedIn’s average cost per lead is also 28% cheaper than Google Ads. As intimidating as social media can be, it has certainly secured its place in the marketing mix. The great thing about LinkedIn is you can be flexible with how much you spend, you can start with just a daily spend of £8 a month, and if you notice this is making a difference then you can slowly increase your spending as you go.
Extra opportunities
There are two optional extras to LinkedIn that we would like to mention, they both entail an extra cost but if used correctly, they could really take your online presence to the next level.
The first one is LinkedIn Premium. We will be focussing on Premium Business as LinkedIn is the leading platform for B2B marketing. LinkedIn Premium Business allows you to see who has viewed your profile, allowing you to create valuable connections and leads from people who are looking for your expertise. You also get access to company insights, allowing you to see competitor data, industry news and analytics for your business.
You can also sharpen your skills with LinkedIn Learning, a platform within LinkedIn that gives you access to over 15,000 expert-led courses that you or your colleagues can utilise. The last feature from LinkedIn Business is InMail messages, which is basically LinkedIn’s own email service, although InMail has been found to be 2.6x more effective than standard emails, so it definitely has its place!
The second extra is LinkedIn Sales Navigator. Sales Navigator is a great in-platform tool which helps you find and capture valuable leads customised to your needs, as well as letting you see who has viewed your profile in the past 90 days. It also allows for CRM integration, meaning those leads are automatically saved, letting you contact them when suits you best. LinkedIn offers a free trial for Sale Navigator, so give it a go before committing.
So there you have it, just a few of the reasons we think you and your business should be active on LinkedIn. LinkedIn really is the place to be for B2B marketing, you can make valuable connections, learn from industry experts, and find people that will benefit you and your business. Ready to get your business on LinkedIn? Get in touch with us today and we can help get you started!
