Linkedin Best Practices for B2B Growth

By Jeff Vining, Director of Research and Market Analysis

Before LinkedIn, how did we develop our career interests or forge professional relationships? If we have difficulty answering this question, maybe it's because of how ubiquitous LinkedIn has become. Did you know that 40% of Linkedin members check their accounts daily? To consume, post, or share articles, podcasts, videos, or webinars.

Many Linkedin members, especially marketers, are measured on their performance to target and convert business prospects. Linkedin is one of their more popular tools for achieving their targets. One study found LinkedIn is 277% more effective at generating leads than Facebook and Twitter. Given this, it's no surprise that 79% of marketers see Linkedin as a lead generator.  

Understanding how best to generate, nurture, and convert leads from LinkedIn membership is critical for fueling the sales pipeline. Creating competition for attention and mindshare is vital, and these best practices may offer an advantage.  

Adopt a digital-first strategy

Digital events, webinars, and virtual touchpoints via LinkedIn feed across desktop, mobile, and tablet should be first. If your company includes post-COVID plans with phrases such as "when things return to normal," they will likely fail. Over 70% of B2B decision-makers prefer remote interactions with sellers, citing ease of scheduling, travel expenses, and safety savings. 

Create memorable headlines

Turn your company pages into memories. Consider the first thing visitors see, so be ready to inspire and educate them. Develop compelling headlines, such as, The Top 5 Ways to Get____, Your Low on ____, Here's How to Fix It, or ___, vs. ____, Which is Better? Any compelling headline is to be complemented by bold or memorable imagery that illustrates or exhorts the viewers.

Engage the autopilot

Automation refers to using tools to automatically generate leads and reports, send out connection requests, and test campaign messages that you would otherwise have to perform manually. Use Linkedin tools that integrate with other marketing tools to advance your company and lead generation searches. 

Discover the right people

In terms of sales and marketing strategies, quality leads will go further along the pipeline than quantity leads. Quality leads as those where a client is more likely to buy XYZ products or services per year. Build ideal customer profiles (personas) you prefer. Then refine these by location, affiliations, and other attributes with members. Who's already shown interest in your products or services by visiting websites or registering for events.  

Don't forget who is in charge

Content is king, and relevance is queen, and engagement is the kingdom. This phrase summarizes what success should resemble. Too often, marketers forget members are in control, and therefore, you must post content that answers their questions or educates them on a particular topic. One approach is to become a virtual town crier by offering weekly recaps about blogs, articles, and infographics that demonstrate expertise or usefulness. 

Sources

Arnau Bages-Amat, Liz Harrison, Dennis Spillecke and Jennifer Staley, These Eight Charts Show How COVID-19 Has Changed B2B Sales Forever, October 14, 2020.

Lara Julio, Generating Leads on LinkedIn: 5 Tips from the Marketing Lab, March 16, 2021.

Maddy Osman, Mind-Blowing LinkedIn Statistics and Facts (2021). July 20, 2021.

Rebecca Corliss, LinkedIn 277% More Effective for Lead Generation Than Facebook and Twitter, Updated January 8, 2020.

Marcus Andrews, 5 Things Hubspot We've Learned After A Year With LinkedIn Ads, Updated February 12, 2020.

Sanna Aagarrd, Why Content is King, Relevance is Queen, and Engagement is the Kingdom in Online Marketing, April 16, 2016.