LinkedIn is a professional network that is ready-made for innovative leadership and content distribution. It’s a wide-reaching social media platform that both connects and engages. So, why are so few marketing professionals taking advantage of it?
There are many who still view LinkedIn as a site best reserved for job searches, recruiting, indiscriminate connection attempts and endless skill endorsements. But, these thoughts are a thing of the past, as LinkedIn is so much more than that. While yes, it is essentially a social website dedicated to business and professional interests, it’s also the ideal platform for advanced content marketing strategies.
Though LinkedIn may lack in overall numbers, as compared to, say, Facebook, it more than makes up for in the quality engagement and data-gathering opportunities it presents. The network’s more than 400 million members are the movers and shakers of industries across the board. They represent a vast mix of the people who drive today’s business engine at every level of the game, including major influencers and decision-makers.
So, our question to you – why are you still ignoring LinkedIn for content marketing?
Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why you need to reconsider this social network’s content-friendly assets:
You Can Create a Content Showcase on LinkedIn
There’s a reason why more and more big-name companies are switching their focus toward LinkedIn content marketing. The various LinkedIn Pages options, for example, allow you to show off personality as well as segmented possibilities (i.e. you can present and focus on one subject at a time – a showcase if you will). Take GE’s LinkedIn presence, for instance.
GE has been working to establish a refreshing presence by focusing on science, innovation and technology in particular. Thanks to LinkedIn’s segmented possibilities, they can focus on this particular subject by linking interesting studies into their company feed. They aim to post (or share) links related to both their own technologies and others that their audience may find interesting. They also share inspirational quotes and original, long-form content, including videos and infographics. They even run a web series that features Bill Nye teaching science with emojis. And well, the series has been a huge hit, garnering high engagement at the intersection of STEM and pop culture.
Taking LinkedIn’s segmented possibilities even further, GE also takes advantage of the site’s Affiliated Company Pages as separate platforms. For example, users who are interested in health science can find what they’re looking for on the GE Healthcare page. Those looking for content in energy innovation may find it on their Power and Water page, etc.
These Showcase Pages allow companies to grow niche communities around products, services and interests that their public is engaged in. Each page presents a feed of relevant content showcasing everything from a company’s main web page, to their blog, to their YouTube channel. LinkedIn offers these specific tools to better target content for those most likely to need and consume it. The possibilities are endless!
You Can Experiment with Storytelling
More than just a tool for engagement, LinkedIn allows you to shape a narrative. This specific platform opens things up for more content experimentation. Long-form content, for example, does very well on this platform and gets a considerable amount of engagement.
Features, like LinkedIn’s Pulse, make this network a place for thought leadership from community influencers (e.g. Bill Gates) and for storytelling from major publishing partners (e.g. CBS Interactive, Bloomberg, The Atlantic). From the leaders of corporations to nonprofits, industry movers and shakers are sharing their insights and lessons with a vast, interested audience.
You Can Reach the Right Audience
While the tools of LinkedIn provide wonderful outlets for publishing content, the network’s distribution possibilities are what really make it worth your while. To best take advantage of this, it’s time to consider making paid tools an essential part of your content marketing strategy.
Sponsored content on LinkedIn gives you a chance to target specific audience segments. And, this specific targeting is perfect for those interested less in quantity and more in who is qualified. For example, targeting can be sharply defined according to program objectives. It even allows you to reach businesses of a certain size within a specific region.
LinkedIn targeting covers everything from company size, to location and industry, to position and seniority, in 20 languages across 200 countries. It allows you to gain immediate exposer and get your thought leadership content directly in front of marketing decision-makers. That is targeting at its best!
With an audience reach of this magnitude and the most advanced content marketing tools at your disposal, you simply can’t afford to ignore the amazing possibilities of LinkedIn any longer. If you would like to speak with a marketing expert from the Realnets team, get in touch with us today at 773.631.6851. We are here to help your business grow!
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