How LinkedIn Can Improve Your B2B Marketing Strategy

Leads, Leads, Leads

The research is there – most B2B marketing strategies are looking to social media to achieve their leads. But in comparison, social media is actually being over-used when talking about ‘lead generation.’ Among the other sites, LinkedIn has been the most effective in racking in B2B leads. It’s safe to say social media platforms aren’t scoring particularly high on the lead scale. As you can see, LinkedIn is responsible for more than 80% of a business’s social media leads! The other social media platforms only combine for 19.67% of leads!

B2B Marketing Strategy 101: Company Page= Lead Funnel

You can turn your LinkedIn company page into a lead pipeline by structuring it with a conversion action as the end-goal. Your company page should be the highlight of your B2B marketing strategy. So, making sure you have the conversion action (clicking through to your website) within the company description or even the Recent Updates is a must.

Could you make sure your header image is attractive and interest? It’s the first way to lead…well, your leads…to an action.

*This is crucial*
Next step would be to create a clear and compelling pitch in your company description. Most companies fall through during this process, wanting to emphasize how much they grew, or how many offices they’ve opened. That’s not the ‘lead generation’ material we are looking for. Instead, you want to speak directly TO your target audience, invite them to your company website, and have them feel the urge to act once they’ve finished reading.

*This is also crucial*
The most impactful section of your company description is the first couple of lines. Why? Because that’s all that LinkedIn displays. So, to read your full description, the client/customer must click “see more.” Grab their attention within the first couple of sentences, or there won’t be a chance for them to read that glorious copy you created in your description.

Showcase Pages

Another option for lead generation would be to create a showcase page. Showcase pages were designed for companies to promote individual brands that are extensions of the company. LinkedIn writes, “It makes sense to create a Showcase Page when you want to represent a brand, business unit, or company initiative. These pages are intended to develop a long-term relationship with a specific audience.”

Showcase pages were essentially custom-made for B2Bs to generate leads better. A Showcase page could target one specific customer segment and only provide information that is relevant to them. The page’s significant differences from your company page are larger header image, more above-the-fold update posts, and more places to link back to your site.

Advanced Analytics, Advanced Targeting

The most important part of any B2B marketing strategy is, connecting. You can achieve higher results and create more compelling content when you know your audience and what content resonates with them. Luckily LinkedIn understands this and has plenty of options for monitoring and optimizing your free campaign performance. LinkedIn Company Page analytics and analytics for publishing on LinkedIn are both ideal for optimizing your content on a regular basis. From driving engagement and followers to detailed demographics and similar brand comparisons.

Use LinkedIn Campaign Manager analytics to improve your paid campaign performance. You’re able to check all advertising accounts on your Company Page and your Showcase Page. LinkedIn recently upgraded their data collection. So you’re ready to target professional audiences with even greater precision and scale. Here are some of the options:

• Rich Demographic Data – Filter by Job Function, Seniority, Company Name, Geography, Industry, and more.
• Interest-based filtering – Target members by the LinkedIn Groups they belong to, their field of study, the skills they self-identify, and more.
• Persona Targeting – Reach key segments like Job Searchers, Opinion Leaders, Business, Travelers, and more based on member profile data and behavior.
• Your audience data – Match your target account list against the 8 Million+ Company Pages on LinkedIn to achieve your account based marketing goals.

Sponsored Content/ Lead Gen Forms

With sponsored content or native ads, you’re able to get the word out about your brand across all platforms and use in-depth targeting options to get to that exact audience you want. It’s a great way to build relationships with fellow businesses, whether it’s sharing your company’s content or just sparking some conversation with the prospects. The more engaged the client, the more attention your ad will receive.

With LinkedIn, you can track the number of leads you’re getting from your ads with conversion tracking, and test your messaging. It makes optimizing seamless, with budget settings and cost per impressions settings.

It’s even easier now with LinkedIn’s new Lead Gen Forms – designed explicitly for Sponsored Content. These pre-filled forms are marketing gems. Making it easier to collect high-end leads and drive traffic. You can check your campaign’s cost per lead, lead form fill rate, and the number of leads you’re getting from specific audiences. Prepare that ROI to be at an all-time high.