Since crossing the 500 million user threshold in 2017, LinkedIn continues to be the social media platform that professional services firms cannot ignore. More than half of LinkedIn’s users log in monthly – and 40% of them daily. Of this ever-expanding user base, 61 million are senior-level influencers and 40 million are in decision-making positions. When it comes to generating connections, LinkedIn is key.
So where to start with your content?
Rule number 1 is to ensure that you have completed your LinkedIn user profile and to have brought it in line with all other online platforms. Be consistent across all of your social media sites and your firm’s website. Your firm has a unique story to tell, so tell it with up-to-date, consistent content.
Once all your content is accurate and consistent, get active! Of all those hundreds of millions of LinkedIn users, only 3 million take the time to share content on a weekly basis – however, there are 9 billion content impressions in the LinkedIn feed every week. Even if you’re not very good at maths, you can see that content sharing just once a week will have a big performance impact on your marketing success.
Trust in LinkedIn is high, which is why 92% of marketing professionals put it into their digital marketing mix for sharing valuable content.
What type of content performs well?
Now that you have established a good base, you need to think about the type of content that will bring the best results for your firm.
Okdork.com have crunched the numbers and identified some interesting data.
- A good headline is key to drawing in the readers but should be no more than 40-49 characters long.
- Articles with exactly 8 images perform best. Whilst you should have at least 1 image in your post – we are visual beings – the optimum number appears to be 8 and creates the most amount of views, shares, comments, and likes on LinkedIn – do avoid video links though, these do not perform well
- Lists and “How to…” blog titles draw the reader in.
- Be neutral in your writing. Content that is either very positive or negative is far less effective than neutral, factual posts that are relevant to your clients. They also tend to create more engagement through comments.
- Long posts get viewed and shared more, the optimum length being around 1,900 words. So, don’t be shy when it comes to writing your posts, but keep it simple.
- Your posts will perform best if they are easy to read. The clearer the content, the more readers, likes and shares you will entice.
Don’t forget who you are
Tell the story of your firm through your LinkedIn profile and content, but don’t forget to make it human. Too often people think that B2B means remaining corporate and uber-professional at all times. Relationships, however, are always personal.
Let your firm’s ethos shine through and join groups on LinkedIn that will reflect what your firm stands for. These groups are a great way for making connections with like-minded businesses and individuals. They also let others see what you are all about.
Once you have written up your content, you want to get involved with LinkedIn’s Trending Storylines.
With this feature the hashtag rules and helps you to achieve high visibility and allows you to add your own thoughts to the latest news. It also allows you to see how your potential new clients react to your content and input. Just remember to keep the hashtag active in your follow up posts to make the most of your time in the spotlight.
Creating relevant content that brings you the best possible response on LinkedIn does not have to be hard. With these few tips you should be well on the way for a good online presence.