Three Reasons Why LinkedIn For B2B Marketing Can Set You Ahead Of The Pack
by MGB2B
While you might not realize it, LinkedIn for B2B marketing is nothing to sneeze at. In fact, it’s the most dominant social media channel when it comes to B2B marketing. It offers a unique opportunity for brand promotion and lead generation to an audience whose mind is already on business. That alone should make it a must for B2B marketing strategies. Don’t believe it? According to LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, 80% of B2B marketing leads from social media come through LinkedIn. On top of that, 92% of B2B marketers use this platform. What’s more, LinkedIn is responsible for 46% of all social media traffic to B2B websites.
Now that you understand it’s breadth, here’s three ways LinkedIn can work for you:
1. Your Company Page
First and foremost, let’s talk about your main company page. It heightens brand awareness and legitimacy just by the sheer fact of having one. But the more engaging your page, the better it will perform. Here’s where you can share your company story, showcase your executive branding, and create compelling content that establishes trust, authority, and thought leadership. Company and industry news, videos, tutorials, helpful white papers, and infographics all have a home here. And thanks to easy-to-use analytics, you’ll be able to see what is working (and what isn’t) so you can shift your strategy to be more effective.
2. LinkedIn Groups
One of the biggest benefits of LinkedIn for B2B marketing is the group feature. In 2013, 81% of users belonged to at least one group, and that number has only grown. Groups are the epitome of targeted marketing: instead of just having a generic public page, you can develop a niche closed community that connects with individuals with shared interests. Not only are they a great place to foster brand recognition, you can position your company as an industry leader within different sectors. Better yet, groups are a great place to get a micro view of marketing trends and monitor the needs of those you are targeting.
3. LinkedIn Pulse
Pulse gives users daily news related to their specific interests. So if your brand posts about your industry frequently, your stories have a higher chance of being featured on a potential lead’s Pulse feed. This means keeping a regular schedule of consistent, meaningful posts is extremely valuable for increasing your reach – and leads.
Off all the social networks, LinkedIn is the best place to interact professionally with your target audience. Keep in mind, it’s not a place to sell or make deals. Instead, it’s a place to establish your brand as a trustworthy and reputable resource. When you use LinkedIn for B2B marketing, you can attract higher quality leads, create targeted connections, and continually reinforce relationships with prospects and current customers. But like all social media (and marketing for that matter), to succeed, you have to have a strategy in place. If you need help getting off the ground, start by reading this piece on content strategy – or by giving us call.
Continue Reading
How to Make Your B2B Content Stand Out
by Emily Swet
The B2B content marketing landscape is like a riptide. It moves strong and fast and has the potential to sweep your marketing out to sea if you don’t have a plan in place. But your content needs to do more than stay afloat – it needs to stand out. Here are a few tips to make sure you do both:
Know the Basics.
Before you can think about standing out, make sure your team nails the following:
- Identifying the valuable organic keywords for your market.
- Creating standout content optimized for search, but written for a human.
- Leveraging that content with visuals and rich data.
- Using strong calls-to-action wherever relevant to bring leads in.
Create a Content Mission Statement.
An ambiguous goal results in ambiguous results. A clearly defined mission statement can help define your goals in the content marketing process. Knowing what you want your content to do helps you decide what to create, where to post it, and how to promote it. Here are two examples to get the ball rolling:
- “Our content will increase qualified leads by ___% annually by providing a resource on purchase decisions” or
- “Our content will establish our brand as a trusted authority in the field of ____”
Don’t Imitate Your Competitors.
It’s tempting to look at what the other guys are doing and hop on the bandwagon. Don’t. Instead, look at what your competitors are offering and analyze it. What customer needs aren’t being met? What questions can your brand answer that they don’t? And how is your brand voice different from theirs? And on that note…
Deliver What You Promise.
Your content must give your audience what they are looking for. If it doesn’t, scrap it. Even if you aren’t giving them the ol’ bait n’ switch, content that promises a deep dive and doesn’t deliver will leave your audience feeling duped and annoyed.
Be Authentic.
This one goes across the board. Customers are savvier than ever before and have comparison tools in their pockets. Be forthright and truthful to your brand in your voice, in your campaigns, and in your content, and your audience will respect your authenticity.
Analyze What Worked and What Didn’t.
Conduct A/B testing throughout your campaigns to determine what’s a success, and what isn’t. Once armed with that info, you can tweak your less successful campaigns to mirror what worked in others. You can test everything from headlines and visuals to ad placement, social channels, and call-to-action placement.
Don’t Rely Solely on Organic Reach.
Social channels continue to change their algorithms, making organic reach more difficult to rely on. Paid distribution is far more effective in connecting content to potential leads.
Whatever you choose, don’t wait too long. According to the Content Marketing Institute, 72% of B2B marketers say having a strategy in place has contributed to the success of their programs. The longer you wait to adopt a content strategy, the harder it will be to rise above the tide.
Continue ReadingB2B Myth of the Week: Social Media Content Should Be All-Business
by MGB2B
Myth: Social Media Content for B2B Brands Needs to be All-Business
Fact: Social Media is the Perfect Channel to Show Brand Personality
Social media content for B2B brands must revolve around statistics, numbers, and charts. Right? Wrong. While buyers do need practical information, it’s also necessary to humanize your brand. To do so, make sure some of your content resonates with your buyer’s emotions. After all, at the end of the day, it’s a human making purchase decisions. Need help getting started? Here’s three jumping off points to get your creative content up and running:
-
Tell Stories
Storytelling is a simple way for buyers to relate to the brand. This, in turn, strengthens the relationship between brands and buyers. By sharing stories on social media, your company has a chance to develop a personality that strikes a chord with your audience. According to a study at Stanford University, information shared through stories is remembered 22 times more than facts alone. So what kind of stories can you tell? Try a testimonial from a satisfied client. Polish up your brand creation story. Or consider a story that demonstrates how your product or service can solve a problem.
-
Use Humor.
People often assume that social media content for B2B brands is limited to stiff and serious posts. Including humorous content is a great way to get people interested in what your brand is doing. Let’s face it, most people don’t expect B2B brands to be funny. Use that to your advantage. Incorporating humor can be an extremely successful way of getting attention from potential buyers. There are plenty of ways to mix a little humor into your content calendar. Get creative with photos and videos that your brand is sharing. Is there something people find confusing about your brand? Poke fun at yourself (like MailChimp does). Or maybe there’s a common challenge in your industry you can make light of. A little levity can go a long way in ingratiating your brand to your audience.
-
Show the Brand’s Personality.
Developing a personality that is associated with your brand has way more impact than just facts and numbers. Audiences remember personalities over stats. This one’s tricky – it’s easy for B2Bs to fall into the same-old personality traits: committed, quality-oriented, eco-friendly, etc. But who is your brand really? And how does that resonate with your audience? Make yourself memorable. Think about what ultimately motivates your brand, and develop your character from there. Is your brand personality wise? An explorer? A trusted advisor? Do you aim to challenge or inspire? Whatever you feel your brand is, infuse those characteristics into your content (not to mention your ad copy and visuals) and stand out from the pack.
Even though it seems like social media content for B2B brands is limited, it’s just the opposite. It’s an opportunity to showcase just what makes your brand tick. While facts and stats provide the proof, your brand personality will resonate far longer.
Continue Reading