How to create a standout marketing strategy for LinkedIn

In today’s digital landscape, every B2B marketer is seeking new effective ways to engage their target audience – and almost all will tell you that LinkedIn is a key driver to achieving this goal.

With over one billion members, including 65 million decision-makers and 8.2 million C-level executives, LinkedIn has become the leading social media platform for B2B lead generation. But with this popularity comes a new challenge – how to stand out.

So, let’s dive into how B2B marketers can maximise LinkedIn’s potential to drive meaningful business connections and growth in a crowded market…

Beating the Algorithm

Any B2B marketer aiming to effectively reach decision-makers first needs to understand exactly how LinkedIn’s algorithm works – and how to get the best out of it. The algorithm prefers content that includes videos (20 times more likely to be shared), links (primarily to LinkedIn content to keep users on the site) and hashtags (up to 5 to avoid being penalised by the algorithm).

Further to this, you should develop unique, in-depth and insightful content, maintain a consistent posting schedule of up to three times a week and respond to comments to keep your audience engaged. Scheduling posts for popular browsing time, such as first thing in the morning, during lunch and after work hours, will also help ensure posts get a high number of views and engagements. These tactics will help ensure your content gets in front of as many people as possible as the algorithm recognises you as a trusted source.

To continue maximising brand value from the algorithm, consider carrying out continuous testing to learn what resonates with your audience to maximise results on the platform.

Building a Personal Profile 

In addition to understanding the algorithm, having a standout LinkedIn profile is crucial for building your personal brand. It’s not just about listing your job title – your bio is an opportunity to tell other professionals about yourself and why they should follow your content. Craft a spaced-out summary with all the essential information including your professional identity (current role, industry and expertise), skills and strengths, professional achievements and career goals. Add a headline too that showcases your achievements and expertise and includes keywords relevant to your job title. Beyond this, make sure you’re using a clean, professional custom URL that can be shared easily and stand out with a blue tick using LinkedIn’s new verification feature!

LinkedIn also appreciates personality, so sharing your opinions allows you to come across as personable and relatable, and collaborating with industry peers and thought leaders through group conversations and commenting can help build your profile.

The optimum posting ratio to build a personal brand is 20:20:30:

• 20% industry commentary
• 20% resharing of corporate pages
• 30% thought leadership and expertise

By leveraging a personal LinkedIn page effectively, you can strategically position yourself as a thought leader within your industry. This not only enhances personal branding but also strengthens the company’s overall reputation.

The Power of Authenticity

LinkedIn shines as a people-centric platform, prioritising relationships rather than sales pitches. This human touch is crucial for building trust and engagement, the cornerstones of successful B2B marketing.

For example, engagement skyrockets on personal profiles compared to company pages, driving 2.75 times more impressions and 5 times more engagement. Your personal profile acts as your brand ambassador, representing both your individual expertise and your company’s values. This dual representation is powerful because it combines personal credibility with professional authority.               

To showcase authenticity on LinkedIn, you should look to repost industry articles with your own thoughts, publish thought leadership articles, host polls for engaging discussions and even utilise LinkedIn Live for real-time interactions.

You can also go a step further and bring your company’s value through to your page – by reposting your organisation’s posts with your own commentary. Make sure you familiarise yourself with your company’s own social media policy (to ensure your posts align with their guidelines) and then share the likes of upcoming roles within the business or updates on company culture to enhance your personal and company’s brand simultaneously.

Organic vs. Paid

The rise of paid social media has raised questions about the relevance of organic content. Organic content certainly remains essential for building trust and engagement on LinkedIn, providing a longer shelf life for content than Facebook, which prioritises the most recent posts.

But paid advertising options can help supercharge your reach and achieve specific goals. By targeting your ideal audience with precision, you can ensure your content reaches the most relevant professionals. And with paid promotions, you can significantly boost visibility and attract new connections.

For now, combining paid and organic content yields the best results. According to LinkedIn itself, followers who see both organic and paid content are 61% more likely to convert than those who only see paid content, underscoring the value of organic engagement.

Empower your team

The world of B2B marketing is constantly evolving. That’s why it’s essential to use the latest industry learnings to better understand the algorithm, shape your strategy and effectively reach a high-level audience on LinkedIn. With the lessons you’ve learnt in this article, you can empower brands and their people to foster lasting connections and accelerate growth on the most important social marketing platform there is.