Copy and sharing posts on social media is no longer a viable strategy.
Each social network offers its own unique audience and requires careful consideration before you post new messaging.
As the reach of brands dwindles on Facebook and Twitter becomes more of a personal marketing tool, LinkedIn stands out as the one ubiquitous social network where brands, businesses, and professionals can meet.
In this guide, we’ll discuss everything you need to build personal and professional brand exposure using LinkedIn.
What Is LinkedIn Content Marketing?
LinkedIn content marketing is a strategic approach to content marketing that targets professionals in your industry to build professional relationships and cultivate thought leadership.
One advantage LinkedIn has over other platforms is the ability to tell personal and professional stories that speak to people in your industry. Thought leaders frequently leverage short anecdotal posts, long-form articles, polls, videos, and infographics to reach a wide audience and engage with others in their network.
Engagement is a keyword because personal and professional branding on the LinkedIn network requires constant back-and-forth between you and your audience, that’s not always available on a blogging platform.
All forms of content can work on LinkedIn, but the key is to adapt your content to your audience. Short posts on advanced keyword research or “setting expectations for clients” that speak to the inner struggles professionals have in the SEO industry have a high chance of virality for the right audiences.
The Benefits of LinkedIn Content Marketing
We like to use the word unicorn a lot in marketing, but LinkedIn truly is a unicorn among social networks.
No other social network allows you to segment your audience by industry professionals and build personal networks within that industry.
Some other benefits of LinkedIn content marketing include:
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- Increased Audience Reach: With over 930 million users worldwide, LinkedIn is still one of the largest social media networks. And its audiences are much more qualified.
- Thought Leadership: LinkedIn is a professional network that allows you to develop thought leadership by sharing informative and insightful material.
- Social Capital: Having connections gives you a fast track to new jobs and business opportunities. Building a large professional network on LinkedIn can give you valuable social capital to leverage for your business or to build brand awareness.
- Improved SEO Performance: By sharing high-quality content on LinkedIn, you can earn valuable backlinks that boost your site’s search engine rankings. In fact, many LinkedIn articles rank in Google’s index, making it a great way to increase your exposure organically.
- Higher Engagement Rates: LinkedIn posts offer the opportunity to engage with people in your network and build relationships.
7 Strategies to Master LinkedIn Content Marketing
Want to crush it on LinkedIn? Here are seven strategies to help:
1. Find Your Niche
Pick a small niche within your industry to target and develop brand partnerships. For example, if your company provides funding for startups, think of a specific niche, such as tech or biomedical research, you can target with your posts.
2. Create Short-Form Posts
Use polls, questions, and text posts (including personal updates) to start discussions and engage your audience. Some tips we recommend following include:
- Create an engaging hook
- Eliminate any fluff; say more with less
- Use single-sentence paragraphs to make content easier to digest
- Add personal anecdotes to cultivate trust
3. Engage with Other Users
Comment on others’ posts to increase visibility for yourself and your business. Be genuine and offer valuable insights. Similarly, we recommend sharing posts daily and using them to start discussions within your own network.
4. Use LinkedIn Articles
This little-used tool can be a great way to share informative information with your LinkedIn audience that people will actually click on. Share well-researched insights that you would on a normal blog, but adapt them to your LinkedIn audience.
5. Optimize Your Profile
Make sure your profile is complete, professional, and optimized with relevant keywords and information. Providing other users’ endorsements is also a great way to cultivate engagement.
6. Post Consistently
Posting a few times a week will keep audience members coming back to your content for more, but be careful not to oversaturate. On days when you don’t post, share content from other thought leaders.
7. Analyze Your Results
Use LinkedIn analytics to track your performance and adjust your strategy accordingly.
If you are in desperate need of traction, you can always expand the reach of your posts with LinkedIn advertising.
Hiring LinkedIn writing services from a trusted agency can also help you craft unique ideas and engaging content.
Of course, our last tip is just to be yourself. LinkedIn may seem like a stiff, professional network, but it gives you full freedom and creativity to carve a niche and brand for yourself. Thought leaders who perform the best tend to make their own rules and carve their own paths, something you can discuss with your audience once you build it.
