How well a business capitalizes on marketing trends can make or break it. The digital transformation will continue – at an accelerated pace during 2021 – as we all realize that “business as normal” may have changed forever.
Consumers are becoming numb to digital advertising, and it’s therefore becoming more critical than ever to stand out, be relevant and be highly targeted, and engage with your customers in new and unique ways. In a world where automation tools are being added at an unprecedented rate, being able to use those tools to tell customers exactly how and why you are different in an authentic, believable way is critical.
Your marketing messages need to transcend mere transactions, and adopting a smart strategy relative to leveraging LinkedIn could be one of the ways to do that. Recent studies show that LinkedIn is becoming the most trusted digital platform, in terms of important perceptions such as legitimacy, community engagement, ad relevancy and even security.
Let’s start with some statistics:
· LinkedIn has more that 766 million users worldwide, 310 million of whom are active.
· 55 job applications are submitted every second.
· 50% of internet users with a college degree are on LinkedIn.
· 24% of millennials are active users.
· 17 million opinion leaders and 10 million C-level executives are on LinkedIn.
· 6 out of 10 users actively look for industry insights on LinkedIn.
· 280 billion feed updates are viewed annually.
With the data undisputable in terms of increasing levels of activity on this social media platform, it could be time for your business to invest some time and resources in how to best take positive advantage of LinkedIn, if you haven’t already.
This used to be a network inhabited primarily by job seekers and salespeople, but now, a growing number of content creators are recognizing its potential. As one social media pundit recently remarked, “LinkedIn now is where Facebook was 5 years ago.”
For instance, less than 1% of users post on LinkedIn regularly. Therefore, whoever is smart enough to be creating and posting interesting content is getting an “unfair share” of free attention and exposure to second and third-tier connections (i.e., “friends of friends”).
LinkedIn is actually where a lot of business is starting to take place as this platform is primarily populated with a more senior, corporate, influential user base. We may all be surfers on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok for leisure, but many of us turn to LinkedIn to learn about business.
Here are some ways to get started:
· A good method for driving brand awareness is to reach out to your audience on LinkedIn with blog pasts, webinars, and industry trends and analyses.
· If you want to drive leads and hopefully turn prospects into customers, consider sharing product demos, tutorials and customer success stories.
· Invite targeted prospects to attend virtual, online events.
· Make sure that your profile is up-to-date and that your picture is high-quality and professional.
· Pay attention to timing. Research shows that the highest open rate is on Tuesdays and that weekends produce the most clicks.
· Create your content with your highest priority audiences in mind. In other words, study your particular niche audiences to learn what interests and engages them the most.
· Post consistently rather than haphazardly – schedule your posts on your calendar.
· Be insightful, personal and entertaining, and consider the use of video, which can really stand out on this primarily text-based platform.
If you haven’t yet fully explored LinkedIn as a marketing channel, it may be time to jump in!