Introduction
With 1.1 billion users worldwide, LinkedIn is the most powerful platform for businesses to connect with potential customers, build brand awareness, and drive growth.
This article provides a detailed breakdown of effective strategies for marketing on LinkedIn, from content creation to audience engagement.
Understanding the LinkedIn buyer journey
A good LinkedIn marketing strategy always involves sharing valuable content with potential customers before any explicit promotion takes place.
This content should provide significant value to your target audience.
Here is an example of a typical buyer journey on LinkedIn who is engaging with your LinkedIn content:
- Engaging with the Content: The journey starts when someone on LinkedIn sees a post from you or your company on their newsfeed. This post is not an advertisement but instead is focused on teaching, informing, and giving helpful advice, insights, and valuable information about problems that your ideal customer might have.
- Recognition: When people read your content on LinkedIn, they'll remember your business as a source of good information. This will help them think positively about your business.
- Problem Recognition and Solution: Your content helps users understand their challenges better. They may learn about the cause of a problem they've been experiencing or a more efficient way to solve it. This comes through your educational content instead of direct selling.
- Trust Building and Follow: If your content is perceived as authentic, the user trusts your company. As a consequence, they may decide to follow you on LinkedIn. This not only solidifies their trust but also keeps your company top of mind, as they'll now see future content in their LinkedIn feed.
- Consideration and Action: By creating valuable content on LinkedIn, your company can stay top of mind with users. If they find that your offerings align with their needs and they trust your company, they may reach out to become a customer. This is the goal of value-driven content marketing.
I recommend a mix of educational and entertaining content that highlights your expertise and positions you as the go-to thought leader in your industry.
Action Steps:
- Map out a typical buyer journey for your business outside of LinkedIn.
- Identify the most common challenges and problems buyers face before contacting you.
- What happened before that moment? Are there any early warning signs that a customer might experience or notice but not necessarily take seriously enough to take action earlier?
- Map out your customers' goals and aspirations.
- Map out the most common challenges and problems that prevent them from getting there.
Creating a LinkedIn content strategy that works
To develop an effective content strategy on LinkedIn, you need a deep understanding of your ideal customers, their unique challenges, and their specific goals.
This knowledge allows you to curate relevant topics that align with customers' needs or aspirations and group them together into content clusters.
Each of these clusters contains hundreds and thousands of potential content ideas that are all aligned around a specific problem, challenge, or goal from the customer's perspective.
It's important to rotate topics from all of your content clusters to address all topics that ideal customers might be interested in and ensure you are not too repetitive with your content. Repetitive content can cause people to lose interest in what you have to say.
Don't worry about repeating yourself. There are always new people discovering your content, so repeating your key messages can be beneficial.
Thanks to your content cluster rotation, even long-term fans are satisfied with reading the same content repeatedly because they may have forgotten that you covered the exact same topic two weeks ago.
Not to mention, many people enjoy frequently hearing the same message over and over again. (Look at politics, and you'll know what I mean.)
To make your LinkedIn content strategy successful, it's not enough to only provide informative content. It's also important to present it in an interesting and enjoyable way.
To do this, try to make your educational material more entertaining. This can help grab your audience's attention and make reading more enjoyable, especially since people have shorter attention spans these days.
By creating content that is both informative and enjoyable, you can not only attract your audience's attention but also form stronger connections with them.
The secret is to fully comprehend your audience and provide content that aligns with their interests, obstacles, and objectives.
Action Steps:
- Create a content bucket of the most common misconceptions or concerns about your product or service to create content that addresses these issues in an engaging and entertaining way.
- Create three content buckets that are based on your customer's goals and aspirations.
- Create three additional content clusters about the most common challenges that prevent them from getting to their end goal.
- Create three more content clusters of day-to-day annoyances that your customers are facing.
- Add at least 10 content ideas for each content bucket
- Pick one content idea and create an educational post.
- Read it and see how it makes you feel. (Put yourself in the shoes of an ideal customer), If it’s difficult to read, complicated, uses too much industry jargon or terms, or is overall boring, rewrite it to make it more entertaining.
- Learn how to use storytelling techniques to make your educational content more engaging. This could involve sharing customer success stories, telling the story of your business, or using metaphors and analogies to explain complex concepts.
- Use humor to make your content more enjoyable. This could involve using puns, jokes, or funny anecdotes about your industry.
- Experiment with different content formats to keep your content fresh and engaging. This could involve creating videos, infographics, or interactive content.
- Regularly review your content performance to understand what resonates with your audience and adjust your content strategy accordingly.
Enhancing Organic Discoverability
Once you have a good plan for what to share, the next thing to do is make it easier for people to find you on LinkedIn without paying for ads.
This involves maximizing post engagement for the LinkedIn algorithm and using hashtags with your LinkedIn content effectively.
Understanding the LinkedIn newsfeed algorithm
Every interaction with a LinkedIn post will increase its number of views. If someone likes your post, it will be shown to a few more people. If someone leaves a comment or reposts your content, it will be shown to even more people.
The most important factor in post engagement may surprise you: it's the amount of time your post is visible on a viewer's screen, known as Dwell Time. If someone scrolls away or clicks elsewhere, the stopwatch stops.
LinkedIn adopted this idea from YouTube's "watch time," which measures the percentage of a video that a viewer watches.
The concept is that not everyone who doesn't like, comment, or repost a post necessarily dislikes it.
They may simply be too shy to engage publicly. It's often the silent majority that takes significant action, and while likes can be faked or bought, Dwell Time is a more reliable metric.
By making your post educational and entertaining and optimizing it for readability and flow, you maximize dwell time and the potential for additional engagement.
You can also encourage people to leave a comment by asking a question or highlighting who this content might be useful for to encourage people to share.
Action Steps:
- Focus on optimizing readability, and flow for entertaining educational content.
- Add a call to action to each post to like, comment, and repost to increase your reach.
- Regularly comment and engage with other people's posts.
- Experiment with posting at different times of the day to see when your audience is most active.
- Use LinkedIn's analytics tools to understand which of your posts are performing best and why.
Hashtags
Hashtags are a super powerful tool for increasing your visibility on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn actively tracks and measures which topics you are interested in. If you frequently engage with posts containing specific hashtags, it will assume that you are interested in that topic and recommend popular posts about the same topic from people you are not connected to within your newsfeed.
By incorporating relevant hashtags into your posts, you take advantage of this by expanding your organic reach to people interested in your topic and those who explicitly follow the same hashtag.
This can significantly extend the reach of your posts, helping you to connect with a wider audience.
I recommend limiting yourself to a maximum of three hashtags to get the most views. If you use too many hashtags, the total number of views will be divided, and you might have fewer views despite using more hashtags. Instead, using only a few hashtags can help increase the number of views.
To learn more about hashtags, check out my free LinkedIn Hashtag Guide.
Action Steps:
- Use three relevant hashtags in each post to reach a wider audience.
- Mix broader and niche hashtags for best results.
- Make sure that there are at least 100 people who follow a specific hashtag before considering it.
Connecting with potential customers
With a strong content strategy and improved organic discoverability, you can effectively reach potential customers on LinkedIn without sending outbound messages.
To get the most out of LinkedIn, I recommend using both methods to enhance each other's effectiveness.
Sending a message to an ideal customer who has already engaged with your posts has a much higher chance of getting a positive reply.
Similarly, even if someone has never heard of you before, they are more likely to reply to your first message when they check out your LinkedIn profile and discover that you are a respected thought leader in your industry.
Even if they don't reply to your message, accepting your connection request means they will see your content in their newsfeed.
This opens the door to slowly warming up to you and building trust. By the time you send follow-up messages, they will be more receptive.
Action Steps:
- Make a list of your existing customer and identify 10 attributes that are most common among most of them.
- Create a list of attributes that describe ideal customers that you have not yet had the opportunity to work with.
Creating a LinkedIn lead list
When it comes to creating a list of leads on LinkedIn, there are several effective methods you can use.
As you identify potential leads, it's recommended to use an Excel spreadsheet or a CRM to keep track of them for future reference and follow-up.
Here are some of the methods you can use:
- LinkedIn Events: You can create your own LinkedIn events or attend events related to your industry or target clientele. When you host your own event, you can easily download the attendee list, which can serve as a list of potential leads. If you're attending other people's events, you can view the attendee list and send direct messages to others, allowing you to connect with potential leads.
- LinkedIn Polls: By creating LinkedIn Polls, you can engage your target audience and gain valuable insights into industry trends, needs, and expectations. You can ask questions that divide the audience into qualified and unqualified leads, allowing you to create lists of people with specific answers. Those who participate in your polls are actively engaging with your content and could be potential leads.
- LinkedIn Groups: Active LinkedIn groups can sometimes be a great resource for leads. By actively participating and answering questions from your ideal customers, you can identify potential leads. You can then add these individuals to your leads list.
- Advanced Search Filters: LinkedIn's Sales Navigator offers several filters and advanced search options to help you find exactly who you're looking for. By using these filters, you can create a list of potential leads that match your specific criteria.
- People Also Viewed: When looking at an ideal customer's profile, you can often find similar people in the 'People Also Viewed' section. These individuals share similar interests or roles with the profile you are viewing and could be potential leads.
- Endorsements: By looking at the endorsements of your competitors, you can find many of their clients who could be potential leads or help you identify new qualification criteria to look for.
- Lead Recommendations: LinkedIn's Sales Navigator feature offers lead recommendations that are based on your sales preference, your search history, and your interactions with different profiles. This feature can sometimes recommend interesting people as leads.
This is just the beginning. There are many other methods to find potential customers on LinkedIn.
Whatever method you choose, focus on identifying people who are most likely to be interested in your product or service.
Action Steps:
- Create a LinkedIn leads list in Excel or a CRM system of your choice.
- Start by using LinkedIn's search function and advanced filters to identify a list of potential customers.
- As you gain more experience, experiment with some of the other approaches.
- Add five to ten new ideal customers to your LinkedIn leads list. Repeat every day.
Qualifying your leads
Before, during, and after adding a potential lead to your LinkedIn leads list, it's important to understand what you are looking for.
This will make sure the quality of your list is high, and you don't accidentally contact people who won't buy from you, like those who work in the wrong industry or region you aren’t serving.
I suggest creating two lists of qualifiers.
The first list should include three positive attributes that indicate a good fit, while the second list should include three negative attributes to avoid that would disqualify a prospect, even if they possessed some or all of the positive qualities.
I recommend looking for potential customers on your list to meet at two to three of your positive qualifier categories and none of your negative ones.
What are good qualifiers or categories? That’s entirely up to you, but here are a few recommendations as a starter template:
Positive Qualifiers
- Industry: The industry a company operates in can directly correlate with the relevance of your product or service.
- Job Title: The job titles of employees can indicate decision-making authority and relevance to your offering.
- Number of Employees: The size of a company can influence its needs and budget, making this a crucial qualifier.
- Annual Revenue: Companies with higher revenues may have more resources to spend on your product or service.
- Location: Depending on your business, the geographic location of a company could be a vital factor.
- Growth Indicators: Companies that are hiring, announcing expansions, or have recently raised funding may be more open to new solutions.
- Technology Adoption: If a company uses certain technology or tools complementary to your offering, it might be a good fit.
- Recent Product Launch: Companies launching new products may need additional services or tools.
Negative Qualifiers
- Financial Distress: Companies undergoing layoffs, closing locations, or demonstrating negative financial news may be in cost-cutting mode and unlikely to be interested in new solutions.
- Recent Vendor Selection: If a company has recently chosen a competitor's product, they might not be open to your offering soon.
- Mergers and Acquisitions: Companies that are going through a merger or acquisition may be too busy with the transition to consider new vendors.
Additional Categories
- Departments: The size and focus of specific departments within the company can indicate potential interest in your product or service.
- Recent Events/News: Companies that have recently held events, launched campaigns, or have been in the news for something related to your product or service may be a good fit.
- Partnerships: Companies with strategic partnerships with organizations that complement your products or services could be a good sign.
- Employee Skills: The skills of its employees can be a good sign of a company's focus and whether it aligns with your offerings.
- Role Tenure: If decision-makers in the company have been in their roles for a long time, they might be more open to change and innovation.
Remember, these are just suggestions.
The most effective qualifiers will depend on your specific situation and offering.
The most important thing to keep in mind is to always clearly define your ideal customer profile and then use LinkedIn's search features to find those who best match it.
Action Steps:
- Review your list of the most common attributes of existing and ideal customers and compare them with those above.
- Familiarize yourself with LinkedIn’s advanced search filters.
- Create a two-column table with attributes and characteristics on the left side and possible advanced LinkedIn search filters on the right.
- Qualify five to ten leads from your LinkedIn leads list every day.
Personalization
After creating and qualifying your lead list, the next step is to personalize your outreach.
Whenever possible, I recommend warming up the relationship before sending a connection request or InMail. For example, you can write comments below one of their posts or reply to a comment they left on someone else’s post.
Once you feel comfortable reaching out, visit the person's profile to identify two to three personalization ideas that you can mention in your connection request.
This will "prove" that you didn't send an automated, mass outreach message. People are 1000 times more likely to reply if you personalize your message.
By taking the time to understand your target audience's needs and interests and demonstrating your understanding through a personalized approach, you increase the likelihood of having your connection request accepted and receiving a reply to your first message.
Action Steps:
- Look at your own LinkedIn profile and pretend to be someone who wants to reach out to you.
- What are some details on your profile that would impress you if someone mentioned them in their first message?
- What are some personalization mistakes that would immediately put you off or make you realize that the personalization was insincere or automated?
- Improve your personalization skills by sending a few messages to people you've known for a long time. Point out a specific detail on their profile to learn what kind of messages they respond well to.
- Write a step-by-step personalization template with different profile sections and details to look for an ideal prospect's LinkedIn profile to be used in your connection request message.
- Personalize every connection request and make it unique.
- Follow up with your leads regularly to keep yourself at the top of their mind.
Building real relationships on LinkedIn
Building solid relationships on LinkedIn requires meaningful interactions.
This means engaging with potential customers through their posts, comments, and direct messages multiple times - not just once or twice, but at least ten times.
When a lead comments on your post, it's important to put real effort into your response.
Never reply with a generic message such as “Thank you” or 👍.
Instead, take the time to craft a thoughtful response that shows you care about their comment.
This will help build a stronger relationship with your lead and increase the likelihood of converting them into customers.
If one of your ideal customers posts something on LinkedIn, leave a meaningful comment.
If they are not posting anything, check if they have commented on someone else's post. You can jump in and reply there.
Turning on your notification bell can also help. It means you'll know immediately when someone you're interested in posts new content or comments.
Check out my LinkedIn Commenting Strategy article to learn more.
If your ideal clients are not creating or engaging with any content, try asking them directly for their opinion.
For example, create a post and tag them, then observe if they respond. Alternatively, you could send them a direct message and ask for their thoughts on something you've made.
Another idea is to share helpful resources with them via message, or ask for their opinion on something. However, make sure to keep it concise and straightforward. You don't want to scare them off by asking for too much.
Action Steps:
- Define an interaction strategy for each lead. Outline how you will initiate and sustain conversations, as well as respond to their posts and comments.
- Select ten potential customers from your leads list and take the time to explore their profiles and understand their activity on LinkedIn.
- Identify posts or comments by these leads that present a chance for you to engage. This could be their own posts or their comments on other posts.
- Make a list of resources that could add value to them. Plan how to share these resources in a way that would resonate with the individual.
- Develop relevant and easy-to-answer questions to engage them in conversation.
- Consistency is key. Ensure you engage with each lead at least ten times to build a solid relationship.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a LinkedIn marketing strategy?
A LinkedIn marketing strategy is a plan of action designed to promote a business and its products or services on LinkedIn.
It involves understanding the LinkedIn buyer journey, creating an effective content strategy, enhancing organic discoverability, connecting with potential customers, creating a LinkedIn lead list, qualifying leads, personalizing outreach, and building real relationships.
How does LinkedIn marketing work?
LinkedIn marketing involves sharing valuable content with potential customers before any explicit promotion takes place.
This content should provide significant value to your target audience. The goal is to build trust, stay top of mind with users, and eventually convert them into customers.
How effective is LinkedIn marketing?
LinkedIn marketing can be highly effective for businesses. With 1.1 billion users worldwide, LinkedIn is a powerful platform for businesses to connect with potential customers, build brand awareness, and drive growth.
The effectiveness of LinkedIn marketing largely depends on the quality of the shared content, understanding the target audience, and engaging with potential customers.
How do you create an effective LinkedIn marketing strategy?
To create an effective LinkedIn marketing strategy, you need to understand your target audience and their unique challenges and goals.
This knowledge allows you to curate relevant topics that align with customers' needs or aspirations and group them together into content clusters.
Crucial steps to enhance organic discoverability, connect with potential customers, create a LinkedIn lead list, qualify leads, personalize outreach, and build real relationships should also be taken.
How can I get ideal customers to see my LinkedIn posts?
To ensure that your LinkedIn posts are seen by your ideal customers, you need to improve your organic discoverability. This involves maximizing post engagement for the LinkedIn algorithm and effectively using hashtags with your LinkedIn content.
Regularly commenting and engaging with other people's posts and experimenting with posting at different times of the day can also be helpful.
What are the best practices for generating leads on LinkedIn?
Best practices for generating leads on LinkedIn include creating and attending LinkedIn Events, creating LinkedIn Polls, participating in LinkedIn Groups, using LinkedIn's advanced search filters, viewing the "People Also Viewed" section, checking endorsements, and using LinkedIn's lead recommendations feature.
How to create a content strategy for LinkedIn?
To develop a content strategy for LinkedIn, you must have an in-depth understanding of your ideal customers, their unique challenges, and their specific goals.
This understanding will enable you to curate relevant topics that align with customers' needs or aspirations and group them together into content clusters.
It is essential to present your content in an engaging and enjoyable manner.
How can I increase engagement on my LinkedIn posts?
To increase engagement on your LinkedIn posts, optimize readability and flow for entertaining, educational content.
Add a call to action to each post, encouraging readers to like, comment, and repost to increase your reach.
Make sure to regularly comment and engage with other people's posts. Experiment with posting at different times of the day to see what works best for your audience.
What are some ways to connect with potential customers on LinkedIn?
By implementing a strong content strategy and improving organic discoverability, you can effectively reach potential customers on LinkedIn without sending outbound messages.
Engaging with potential customers through their posts, comments, and direct messages multiple times can help you build solid relationships.
How can I qualify leads on LinkedIn?
Qualifying leads involves understanding what you are looking for. Create two lists of qualifiers: one with positive attributes that indicate a good fit and another with negative attributes to avoid.
Review the most common attributes of existing and ideal customers and compare them with the lists you have created. Use LinkedIn's advanced search filters to find potential leads that match your qualifiers.
Conclusion
LinkedIn is a potent tool for businesses to foster connections, enhance brand visibility, and stimulate growth.
To harness its full potential, it's crucial to devise a robust content strategy that marries education with entertainment, thereby capturing and retaining audience attention. Enhancing organic discoverability is another vital aspect, which can be achieved by understanding and leveraging the LinkedIn algorithm and effectively using hashtags.
Connecting with potential customers is not just about reaching out; it's about reaching out in a way that resonates with them.
Personalized messages, thoughtful comments, and meaningful interactions are the building blocks of strong relationships on LinkedIn.
The process of identifying and qualifying leads should be meticulous and strategic. Using LinkedIn's advanced search features and understanding your ideal customer profile can help create a high-quality leads list.
Building relationships on LinkedIn is a journey, not a destination. It requires consistent and meaningful engagement with your audience.
By providing value, nurturing relationships, and engaging with your audience significantly, you can transform LinkedIn from just a networking platform to a powerful engine for business growth.
