How do different businesses benefit from LinkedIn?

Different types of businesses might have different ways to achieve success, but there are certain channels that can prove beneficial for all. And LinkedIn is one such channel. As a social media network, it is among the most popular ones, especially when it comes to the business world. One might argue about whether or not it is the right platform to advertise your business on. But one thing that any digital marketing agency will tell you is that no business should neglect it. In this article, we explore thirteen ways in which different businesses benefit from LinkedIn and how to perfect your approach to building a strong profile for your company on it.

What is the role of LinkedIn today?

Although people tend to look at LinkedIn as no more than a useful social media network for finding work and promoting one’s portfolio, it is much more. In fact, recent statistics show that LinkedIn is the second most popular platform for B2B marketers. And this should create a general idea of just how influential a marketing solution this particular network can be for all types of businesses. It is equally effective as a lead generation tool and referral program as it is for promoting a business.

More importantly, LinkedIn company pages have proven to be a great way to build your brand online. The network offers the option to tell your company’s story while:

• engaging with followers;
• sharing career opportunities;
• sharing educational content and opinions;
• scaling word of mouth marketing;
• brainstorming and testing ideas.

13 ways businesses benefit from LinkedIn

#1: Generating more leads from social media marketing

LinkedIn has over 660 million users in more than 200 countries and territories across the globe. And that translates to a lot of potential customers waiting to hear about your business. By keeping your LinkedIn company page rich with optimized and quality content, you can build a strong reputation on this network. Make your profile an established resource for connections and followers by branding yourself as an expert on your services.

#2: Boosting exposure for your business

Much like Facebook advertising, LinkedIn is a great stage for presenting your company. Not only can a well-organized and quality LinkedIn profile show in news feeds for users, but it can also show up on search results for people searching for your business. Think of it as another way to grow awareness for your business and to grow its exposure to different audiences across the globe.

#3: Taking your credibility to a higher level

Over 50 percent of buyers claim that LinkedIn influences their research process before purchasing a product or service. This only proves just how much credibility a business has to gain by maintaining a rich and quality profile on this network. By showcasing your products/services, with the help of the “Recommendations” feature, you can secure credibility for your offer. And this is how different businesses benefit from LinkedIn – by boosting their reputation to earn them more leads and sales.

#4: Showcasing your accomplishments

Consumers today put great trust in achievements, trust badges, and rewards. That is why companies display them on websites. Such features are a great selling point for businesses, especially in highly-competitive industries. And LinkedIn offers you the same option – to advertise the accomplishments of your business, thereby offering followers an overview of the quality of your offer.

#5: Segmenting audiences for a higher quality of leads

Social media networks provide a strong base for not only reaching different target audiences but segmenting them as well. If you want to boost your conversion rate, you first need to increase the quality of leads that you generate. And with LinkedIn, you can easily do that with the use of filters and modifying search options. With a little tweaking, you can ensure that your content reaches all those user profiles that have the highest chances of converting into customers. Additionally, a business can test their content on a variety of audiences to see how different groups respond to the content it creates.

#6: Establishing quality business connections

Unlike other social media networks, LinkedIn is oriented toward the professional side of the business. More than half of LinkedIn users have college degrees and are looking to self-improve as well as create connections to benefit their professional interests. As such a network, different businesses benefit from LinkedIn simply by having a platform to connect with each other. One place where all the innovative and forward-thinking individuals in modern business can come and offer their opinions as well as discuss those of others. That is a unique culture of companies working together to make business easier for everybody.

#7: Building authority through knowledge

LinkedIn is a platform based on professionals sharing knowledge and insight with others. By creating engaging content that other users will find valuable, you can win them over as advocates of your company. And by having them share your words with others, you will be able to expand the reach and strength of your brand. However, to accomplish this, you need to take the right approach is not only to create but also to format your content adequately. Consider the following concepts:

• Blog posts – as the most basic and direct approach.
• Infographics – a great visual summary of analytical articles dealing with statistics and big data.
• Webinars – as inviting educational tools to help other professionals in your niche.
• Podcasts and videos – to put you in a guiding role.

For any business to benefit from LinkedIn, it needs to be attentive when it comes to publishing content. That means regular updates to ensure regular engagement with followers. And authenticity is vital – people are always looking for content they haven’t seen before. Finally, make sure that the content you share is relevant rather than spam-filled for the sake of sharing.

#8: Introducing new products

Keeping up with the latest product information is among the top 5 reasons why people follow brands on social media. With LinkedIn, a company can not only introduce a new product, but it can also promote it through tutorials and explanations on how it can prove beneficial for a business.

• For example, imagine a tech company has developed a unique piece of software. It wouldn’t be enough to simply let people know that they have a new piece of software, They would also need to go into details – explaining the benefits of your business purchasing that software. In addition to providing LinkedIn users with an article explaining the features the software offers, you can also provide them with a link leading to your website. There, they would be able to find all the additional information they require to make their buying decision.

#9: Staying ahead of competitors

Modern consumers are exposed to highly competitive markets, with a plethora of companies and products to choose from. Therefore, it is your job to separate your business from the rest through enticing visual representation. And to do that, you need to consider the visual appearance of your business. Start by consulting with a team of web designers that could give their opinion on the subject.

When it comes to LinkedIn, consider the visual appeal of your posts. Make sure that the photos, stories, and infographics you use have a tailored and memorable appearance. Visual storytelling makes for the best impression upon leads for your business. It is important to convey the values, mission, and vision that your brand is looking to uphold.

#10: Recruiting qualified employees

Although a basic notion of how different businesses benefit from LinkedIn, employee recruitment still remains a fundamental part of LinkedIn. After all, it is the primary function on which this particular social media platform was focused on. Users can include details about their employment, resumes, work history, achievements, passions, etc. Companies can use all this to find the perfect candidates for job openings – ones that would be best suited to help them grow.

#11: Following industry trends

To stay ahead of the competition, you need to stay on top of newsfeeds. A majority of B2B marketers rely on LinkedIn when it comes to distributing content. That is what makes it a gold mine of useful information that could prove relevant for staying ahead of the rest. By keeping an eye on on-going trends in your and other industries, you can detect trends. And these trends can prove helpful in coming up with innovative and impactful business solutions before anyone else. Whether we’re discussing talent acquisition, software investments, SEO trends, digital marketing solutions, new products, etc. – information is currency.

#12: Improving your SERP rankings

As any professional SEO agency will tell you, optimization content is a vital step in gaining value, no matter the platform. Whether we are discussing your website, social media accounts, or guest blogs – the optimization process needs to be on point. Google and other search engines do offer value on how your social media accounts and business listings are arranged. Any inconsistencies can easily lead to devaluation while maintaining accuracy and a proper choice of keywords can significantly elevate any business in terms of rankings on search results.

The result of this endeavor is that different businesses benefit from LinkedIn in terms of appearing on search results pages. Not only can your brand name provide results toward social media accounts and listings directories, but the overall value of your website can also experience improvement. By optimizing the content you post online, you can attract the right crowds to your website, increasing organic traffic, and securing engagement and leads on a long-term basis.

#13: Gathering analytical data

To notice flaws in how you are running a social media account or campaign, you need data. As a page administrator, LinkedIn provides you with the option to view and check analytical data regarding your company page. This can provide a better insight into the performance of your account in the following ways:

• Exploring the engagement rate of your posts
• Using KPIs to identify behavioral trends
• Gaining a better grasp of your target audience
• Identifying demographics and sources of your followers
• Monitoring page traffic and activity

All this data can be put to use in terms of upgrading your LinkedIn account to the point of becoming an acquisition to your overall social media strategy.

7 LinkedIn marketing tips

Before businesses start benefiting from the use of LinkedIn accounts, they first need to create the right approach. That means building and maintaining a business profile that is managed regularly, without errors, and one that is relevant and informative for followers. And the best method to achieve that is to follow these six guidelines:

• Share posts with rich media. We previously discussed the importance of having versatile formats of content on your LinkedIn account. Posts with images tend to gain twice as much engagement from followers. People prefer custom images over stock photos. Videos see up to five times more responses from followers than any other type of content. It’s important to take all this into consideration.
• Make your posts ideal for reach and impact. Different businesses benefit from LinkedIn by using content that interests their followers. The algorithm uses personal connections, interest relevance, and engagement probability to show people the content they are most likely looking to find. Keep your posts attention-grabbing, short, to the point, inviting, and on time. And be responsive to feedback and engagement.
• Time your posting schedule. There are always times better suited for posting content, depending on the behavioral patterns of the target audience. The more often you post content, the better. And the more accurately you time your posts, the more engagement you are likely to see. All audiences are different, so use LinkedIn or Hootsuite analytics to verify that these times work for you.
• Use LinkedIn Live. Live broadcasts see a much larger engagement than a regular pre-taped video post. From webinars to interviews and virtual events, hosting live streaming videos can help you establish a stronger connection with audiences.
• Launch a showcase page. This gives you the ability to engage LinkedIn users that don’t follow your page. The showcase page is much like a landing page – showing off a special initiative to specific audiences and advertising your products directly to them.
• Target the right audience. One of the more noteworthy LinkedIn marketing tools is its organic targeting option for posts (available for a minimum of 300 followers). Page admin can target posts based on follower profile data, including organization size, industry, job, seniority, geography, and language preference.

Start working on your LinkedIn account today!

Although B2B companies can see a higher ROI from LinkedIn, other types of business can also benefit from it. After all, having a LinkedIn company page that is rich in content, perfectly organized, and relevant is more likely to attract quality leads to your company. In addition to that, it also serves to raise your brand image to the next level, presenting your business as a reputable and reliable organization. By understanding how different businesses benefit from LinkedIn, you can realize the importance of investing resources in this advertising channel.

• Consult with our social media team today and start rebuilding your LinkedIn account to build referral relationships, generate sales leads, and attract talented members to join your team.