Time to get back to marketing basics on LinkedIn. There is no better social network for business-to-business (B2B) marketing than LinkedIn. Over 200 million professionals actively use LinkedIn for networking and career development, and companies are seeing great results from LinkedIn marketing efforts.
In 2012, a HubSpot study found that LinkedIn is 277% more effective for lead generation than Facebook and Twitter, and in 2013, HubSpot found that 43% of marketers had found a new customer on LinkedIn. Recently, AdWeek reported that 43% of marketing agency executives believe LinkedIn is the most important social media vehicle for generating new business leads according to a new study by RSW/US.
Here are tips to turn your B2B LinkedIn Company Page into a sales tool, so you can get some of the positive results that other B2B companies are seeing on LinkedIn.
1. Create a Keyword-rich Overview that Sells Your Company
First, you need to attract potential customers to your website. Don’t skimp on your company overview. Instead, be sure to include keywords that your target audience would use when they’re searching for a company, products, or services like yours. Your overview should sell your company, not bore visitors. Compel them to click around and get to know more about your products and services rather than click away and never return again.
2. Invest Time into Creating Amazing Product and Service Pages
Once you’ve attracted potential customers to your website, you need to show them what you offer and how your products and services can benefit them. Develop comprehensive product and services pages that explain your most popular products at the very least. Don’t simply copy and paste content from your website or sales brochure. Instead, focus on why a LinkedIn user would visit your company page, and succinctly deliver the information they want and need. Consider creating targeted product and services pages for specific segments of your audience.
3. Don’t Forget Your Employees are Your Best Brand Advocates
Next, you need to find more ways to attract prospects and jump start word of mouth marketing. Your employees play a big role and should be your most vocal brand advocates. Make sure your employees understand their role in building your brand and business by acting as brand advocates both online and offline. On LinkedIn, they should connect with your company page and engage by liking updates and commenting as appropriate. They’re LinkedIn Profile pictures and names appear in the sidebar of your Company Page in a special employee section, so visitors can see if anyone in their own LinkedIn networks works for your company. It’s one more way to build a connection and add a level of trust with prospects.
4. Ask Your Clients and Customers to Review Your Products on Your Company Page
Now, it’s time to start developing your social proof to deepen the trust in your brand among prospects. Every review that a LinkedIn member publishes on your Company Page is a testimonial, and those testimonials can be extremely effective in developing interest and trust in your brand that lead to purchases. LinkedIn users who review your products and services on your Company Page are highlighted in your Page’s sidebar. Not only can visitors see your employees’ LinkedIn Profile photos and names, but they can also see if they’re already connected to those employees on LinkedIn. As your Company Page gets more reviews, you can integrate them directly into your sales process and refer consumers to them.
5. Put Your Best Foot Forward by Publishing Useful Updates on Your LinkedIn Company Page
Build a connection with prospects by providing information that matters to them. This is a critical step in converting prospects and developing customer loyalty. Focus on useful, meaningful updates that your target audience is most likely to find value in and share with their own audiences. Furthermore, use LinkedIn featured updates to spotlight your best content at the top of your company’s LinkedIn home page. If you’re having an incredible sale, make sure everyone sees it and takes action by making it a featured update.
6. Get More Personal by Targeting Your Updates
Get the most effective messages in front of the right people by segmenting your audience and speaking directly to niche groups. In marketing, targeted messages are far more likely to compel consumers to purchase, repurchase, or talk about your brand. On LinkedIn Company Pages, research shows that targeted updated have a 66% higher audience engagement rate than non-targeted updates. The targeted message feature is underutilized on LinkedIn Company Pages. Differentiate your company by leveraging this feature for informal personalization that reduces message clutter and improves the overall user experience on your LinkedIn Company Page. Better sales results are sure to follow.
Image: Sheila Scarborough
Susan Gunelius is the author of 10 marketing, social media, branding, copywriting, and technology books, and she is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She also owns Women on Business, an award-wining blog for business women. She is a featured columnist for Entrepreneur.com and Forbes.com, and her marketing-related articles have appeared on websites such as MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, TodayShow.com, and more.
She has over 20 years of experience in the marketing field having spent the first decade of her career directing marketing programs for some of the largest companies in the world, including divisions of AT&T and HSBC. Today, her clients include large and small companies around the world and household brands like Citigroup, Cox Communications, Intuit, and more. Susan is frequently interviewed about marketing and branding by television, radio, print, and online media organizations, and she speaks about these topics at events around the world. You can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+.