How to use LinkedIn to craft a stellar content marketing strategy

 

By Carolyn McMurray, SOCIATE’s Junior Copywriter

 

It’s polished. Professional. A platform that attracts brands in droves for its ability to connect and widen networks – yep, I’m talking about LinkedIn. But what about your customers? Are they on LinkedIn? If you’re in the B2B market, they probably are. Businesses see the value of LinkedIn; it’s a connector, a place to shelve your brand, an online profile, a place to see what others in the industry are getting up to. But that’s not all.

 

Add LinkedIn to your digital marketing toolbox

 

If your customers are on LinkedIn, you should start thinking of it as a digital marketing tool. It’s more than just a place to showcase your business – use it as the place to connect with your customers, engaging them in quality content. In fact, LinkedIn is the number #1 channel for B2B, with up to 94% of marketers using it to distribute content. 

It’s just as beneficial as Instagram and TikTok, it’s just wrapped up a little smarter. You can still use emojis and gifs, but the rules of other social channels won’t always apply here. LinkedIn has its own special makeup, and what you post has to be carefully thought out.

 

We’ll be honing in on four key areas that will engage and keep your readers hooked on LinkedIn:

 

– Status updates

– Sharing articles and published content

– Profile reboot

 

Status updates

 

The humble status update is one of the most widely used features on LinkedIn. Most brands often use it as a self-promotional feature, but it’s good to mix it up every once in a while. Don’t be too salesly, and try to connect with your readers. Ask questions. Set up a poll or survey and engage with them in the comments. If you do decide to write a slightly longer post, there are a couple of things you should try to stick to:

 

Keep it personal

 

Yep, it’s a little bit trickier if you’re a business but keeping it personal will show readers that you’re authentic (and customers can smell authenticity a mile away). A great place to start is by looking at your journey as a business. Perhaps you have a tale about your first day as CEO or a funny anecdote about a time in the boardroom. It could even be a post about all the steps it took to get your business to where it is today. 

 

Now that’s being personal. It’s not being brash or ‘too much.’ It’s revealing just enough to keep readers interested. It’s professionally personal content. As a business, you’ll have a lot of followers who are interested in what goes on in the mind of a CEO. They’ll want to know how you tackle problems, how you got over that hump, how you became the success you are today. Use your LinkedIn status update to give them a slice of your knowledge and experience.

 

Make it fun 

 

LinkedIn is a bit like a pink suit. It’s professional but there’s still a little room for silliness. Just because it’s deemed the ‘largest professional network’ doesn’t mean you can’t make it fun. Play around with emojis and gifs in your posts. Sprinkle a few in your bio. How far you go is down to your preference and the industry you’re in. It won’t always be easy to squeeze them in though. A cupcake business will obviously find it easier to play with emojis than a corporate loan business, but there’s always room for a little fun.

 

 An easy way to get in a bit of playful content is via the comments section. If you’ve written a particularly funny anecdote, then a few gifs and emojis will blend in nicely. At the end of the day, it’s a great way of expressing your brand creatively. If you’re in a market saturated by bland posts with lots of jargon, be the one that stands out. When scrolling their newsfeed, readers are more likely to be drawn to a post with a bit of ? than endless black-and-white dribble. 

 

Be relevant and timely

 

A simple tip to always hook readers? Relevant, timely content. If it’s a trending or hot topic, use it to your advantage. Don’t just jump on any bandwagon though. Just because it’s trending in the news doesn’t mean it’s relevant to your niche. Try to think about what’s affecting your industry. What’s something that everybody’s talking about right now? Are there any struggles or roadblocks? Perhaps a new movement has washed over your industry? Once you’ve found that trending topic, write about it! Don’t take the cookie-cutter approach though – give it your own personal spin. 

 

Show results

 

Maybe you’ve just won an awesome client deal? Or perhaps you’ve got some staggering results up your sleeve that you’re pretty proud of? Don’t keep it to yourself – share it with your network! You never know; that one reader might be a potential client. If they can see that you’re getting results, they’re more likely to want to do business with you. Make it visual and include a graph or diagram of some sort, but also explain how you achieved those results. How did you get from point A to B? If your results are tied to a particular project, include a few testimonials from the client. The goal isn’t to brag, it’s to build brand credibility. 

 

Sharing articles and published content

 

Got a blog post, new offering, or video that you want to get out to your network? Share it on LinkedIn! Original content isn’t the only thing you should be sharing – any current content that you’ve got should be posted too. Not only will it get fresh eyes on your content, but it will also redirect users to your website and other social channels. You might even get a few reshares, leading to even more exposure and the chance to connect with new customers.

 

Profile reboot

 

Take a good, long look at your business profile. When was the last time you did a little refresh? If it’s been more than two years, it’s time for a profile makeover! This doesn’t mean you need to change absolutely everything – it just means you need to tweak a few things. 

 

Sprinkle in a bit of fairy dust to make your page come alive.

 

But how do you reboot your profile?

 

Weave in your brand’s personality

 

There’s a reason it’s called a profile, so make it personal! Weave in your brand’s personality to give potential customers a taste of what you’re all about. If you’re unsure about the kind of personality you want to project, take a look at your company culture. What does it feel like? Is it happy-go-lucky? Serious with a side of funny? Whatever your culture is, tie it into your profile. 

 

Get creative with it. Add in a bit of pop culture or industry references. Sprinkle in some humour. Just because you’re in the corporate world doesn’t mean it has to be boring!

 

Go against the grain

 

This ties into your brand’s personality, but don’t do the whole cookie-cutter business profile. You know the ones – bland, boring, with all the focus on what they sell. Start with your ‘About Us’ page. Open with a question or something that sparks the reader’s attention. Don’t immediately dive into what you sell or what makes you an industry leader. Start with something a little different. Something that gets people hooked. It could be a rhetorical question, a funny anecdote, or something that’s out of the blue – as long as you can bring it back around to your business, it’s all good. 

 

Need some inspiration? One copywriting agency I came across approached their LinkedIn profile a little differently from others in the industry. Instead of listing their services and what they did, they started with what they didn’t do. They essentially showed readers what separated them from the bulk of other agencies, but in a slightly more creative way. 

 

At the end of the day, revamping your profile doesn’t have to be a massive overhaul. Just try to look at your brand a little differently. Play around with structure and think of things you can do that go against your reader’s expectations.

 

And if LinkedIn’s not your strong point, leave it to #teamSOCIATE. Our copywriting services include a sweep of your socials, so LinkedIn is right up our alley! We combine buzzing content and creative ideas to keep your readers hooked. Hit us up at [email protected] to find out more.