However, there are two questions that most businesses are asking before investing their time, energy and dollars into increasing their brand presence on Linkedin:

1. Is it right for my business?
2. How do we get results?

LinkedIn has grown to be the number one B2B social media marketing platform with 850 million members spread across 200 countries/regions. It is increasingly a hub for business leaders, with 4 out of 5 people on LinkedIn leading the charge and “driving business decisions”. The majority of their user base is made up of individuals between the ages of 25 to 34, a demographic that is typically most focussed on growing their career. This makes it a great place for not only influencing buying decisions but for hiring and interacting with talent. In fact, 6 people are hired through LinkedIn every minute.

It’s evident that LinkedIn shows no signs of slowing down their growth. However, this doesn’t mean every brand should implement a LinkedIn content strategy. First, you need to dissect if it’s right for you.

LinkedIn is unique from other social media platforms

Unlike other popular platforms, LinkedIn is designed specifically for brands and business professionals, catering towards professional networking. It’s designed to offer a seamless, more tailored experience to its users – meaning, you’ll likely only see what is professionally relevant to you and your network. Less clutter also means that your audience is more likely to see your brand’s content on Linkedin than on the “big three” social platforms (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter). Linkedin is also key when it comes to generating leads, with research showing Linkedin as 277% more effective than Facebook and Twitter.

If your business is in a B2B market or includes a B2B audience within your marketing strategy, LinkedIn might be the missing piece to your social media strategy. However, just simply showing up isn’t going to cut it.

You need a strategy

Unlike other platforms, focusing your content predominantly on trends and entertaining content isn’t going to give you the results you’re seeking. In other words, the content you share on your LinkedIn business page could be much different from what you’d share on your brand’s Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook page. What consumers are drawn to or engage with on these platforms differ from what they are looking to consume on LinkedIn. For example, your primary focus on LinkedIn should be to add value to your audience by educating them, whether that is on your brand or simply providing them valuable information that positions your brand as a thought leader.

Along with different patterns of consumption on Linkedin, the platform layout and post dimensions are often different from Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, making repurposing content difficult and often harmful to your reach and engagement. With native tools and features including; article posts, polling, account targeting, carousel posts, text-only content and many more, you can explore and create ways to increase engagement and offer unique value to your Linkedin audience.

For optimal results, you’ll want to tailor your content without reinventing the wheel each time.

Here’s a quick tip to include in your strategy

We’ve already discussed what makes LinkedIn unique from other platforms. However, let’s talk about what they have in common – engagement continues to reign supreme. Similar to other platforms, the LinkedIn algorithm prioritizes relevant content that promotes higher engagement. Engagement is determined by clicks, likes, comments, and shares. So yes, something as simple as a ‘like’ still matters.

When aiming to increase engagement, you’ll need to focus on high quality content that is comprehensive of all of the platform’s offerings and features, as opposed to simply focusing on high frequency posting. The algorithm feeds their users content that they are most likely to interact with. However, it will also sort content into three categories;

1. Spam
2. Low-quality
3. High-quality

If your posts are suspected to be ‘spam’ or ‘low-quality’, your chance of reaching your target audience decreases significantly.

Above all, spend time getting to know your target audience. Know what they are looking for, how you can provide them value during their time on your page, and lastly, how you can navigate the algorithm to show your content to larger audiences.

So… Is LinkedIn right for my business?

When it comes to social media marketing, it’s never as easy as a “yes or no”. The answer: it depends. Ultimately, digging into your goals and understanding your audience will dictate where you need to focus your social media and content creation efforts.

To assist you in deciding if LinkedIn is right for you, answer the following questions;

Is your business a B2B company vs B2C?
Do you have a particular niche audience that spends time on this platform?
Are you focused on business development?
Is lead generation one of your primary business goals?

If you answered yes to three or more of these questions, it might be time to get in touch with a marketing partner to help formulate a strategy.

Set up for success

Social media can be an integral tool in your marketing toolkit, if approached strategically and viewed as part of your overall marketing plan.

We are firm believers in quality over quantity and that achieving your marketing goals on 2 social media platforms is far more beneficial than being active on 5 different platforms that are not helping you meet your goals and objectives. With this in mind, allocating time to identify what platforms you should prioritize based on your industry, target audience, and marketing goals is vital to elevate your brand from mediocre to thriving results.

If your brand needs help with social media growth – we’d be happy to help you get clear on where and how to allocate your efforts. Don’t be shy, connect with us!