Things Your Brand Isn’t Doing on LinkedIn (But Should Be)

Unlike a lot of social networks, LinkedIn didn’t start out as the cool kid on the block. Case in point: my dad got an account before me. I remember him telling me excitedly, “You can connect with classmates and list your work experience!” Sounds thrilling Dad, I’ll jump right on that.

But then something changed. While other networks were competing for the cool crown, LinkedIn was quietly becoming one of the most powerful social networks in the world. Like the nerd nobody in class notices until she suddenly lands a high-powered job.

LinkedIn now boasts the world’s largest professional network with over 430 million members in more than 200 countries. It was  acquired by Microsoft. People can’t get enough of LinkedIn.

The question is, have you caught up with LinkedIn? Are you taking advantage of everything LinkedIn offers to market your brand? If not, read on, because we’re going to show you some key tactics you may be missing.

Bonus: Download a free guide to discover four time-saving tools to help you grow your LinkedIn network faster. Includes one tool that lets you schedule a week’s worth of LinkedIn updates in just three minutes.

Things your brand should be doing on LinkedIn

1. Publishing and sharing content

Since LinkedIn opened their Pulse platform to all members, it has become a go-to place to publish long-form, advice-driven content. More than 1 million people have published over 3 million posts on LinkedIn. If you want to reach an influential crowd with your content, you’re in luck—around 45 percent of LinkedIn readers are in the upper ranks of their industry.

LinkedIn will also reward you for posting good content. As author Lavie Margolin, author of “The LinkedIn Butterfly Effect” says, “If a post begins to gain some momentum, LinkedIn will put a spotlight behind it in one of their categories, and it can get tens of thousands of readers (or more). This is a great way to improve your visibility while reaching readers in a way that would not have been possible on your website/blog.”

If you’re new to publishing on LinkedIn, ask yourself the following:

• Who should be posting on behalf of the brand?
• How often should we be posting?
• What kind of advice should we be giving?
• How can we inspire young professionals?

2. Repurposing content with SlideShare

I’ll never forget the first good SlideShare presentation I read on LinkedIn. It blew me away—I didn’t expect a slide show to be such a powerful medium. Unfortunately, a lot of SlideShare content is super boring because it’s treated as a repository for dull presentations rather than a content marketing tool.

SlideShare provides a unique opportunity to repurpose your evergreen content (e-books, blogs, guides, and videos) in a rich, visual format. You can also create new content bundles that mix up your visual and written content.

Here are a few tips from LinkedIn before getting started:

• Set up a LinkedIn SlideShare profile page
• Use researched keywords for your title and tags
• Build a lead capture form

3. Boosting your content with Sponsored Updates

If you want an inexpensive and effective way to promote your content (who doesn’t?), use LinkedIn’s Sponsored Updates. Sponsored Updates allow you to reach a wider audience in a way that is still highly targeted. Here’s why: you can set your updates to target based on industry, location, company, job type, seniority, and group. (If you’re using a Hootsuite Enterprise account, you can also set your updates to target a specific audience.)  By segmenting your updates according to the most relevant audience, you’ll have a better chance of reaching the right people and getting leads through the door.

Before you get started, here’s something to keep in mind: Sponsored Updates need to start as organic posts. So check your analytics to find organic posts that are outperforming the rest—then give them the extra boost to get even better results.

4. Showcasing your brand offerings

Feeling restricted by your Company Page on LinkedIn? Then you probably aren’t using Showcase Pages, which act as a unique extension of your Company Page.

LinkedIn gives you the flexibility to create an in-depth profile through “showcase” pages that highlight your company’s individual brands, services, and products. Similar to your Company Page, administrators can monitor your Showcase Pages in Hootsuite. You can also buy Sponsored Updates for these pages.

Create Showcase Pages for aspects of your business that would benefit from having a unique message targeted at a specific segment of your audience.

5. Running ad campaigns

Are you running your key marketing campaigns on LinkedIn? You should be. LinkedIn’s paid ads give you powerful targeting options that make your investment a worthwhile one.

If you’re on a budget, try LinkedIn’s Text Ads, which work like other PPC ads. Like LinkedIn’s Sponsored Updates, they are also relatively inexpensive to run. They will give your content more visibility and extend the reach of your campaign.

If you have a bigger budget, then you can try premium advertising tools like LinkedIn’s Display Ads and Sponsored InMails. Here’s a quick overview of what they do:

• Display Ads: Ads appear on the LinkedIn pages of the audience you select. LinkedIn only serves two ads on one page at any time, so you’ll get a good share of voice.
• Sponsored InMails: Email marketing through LinkedIn. Your notifications will be displayed on the homepage and member’s inbox.

For more on the different types of LinkedIn ads and how to run effective campaigns, read the guide: Tips and Tricks for Getting the Most Out of LinkedIn Ads.

LinkedIn is a marketing powerhouse: start using it that way

LinkedIn may not have the cool factor of Snapchat and other youth-focused social networks, but it has so much to offer marketers. It’s an amazing platform for lead generation and brand awareness if you start using the powerful tools it provides.