B2B Marketing on LinkedIn [How To Get More Engagement from your LinkedIn Posts]

When it comes to b2b marketing, I wouldn’t waste my time on any other social media platform. If you’re a b2b marketer or business owner you need to be getting the most from LinkedIn.

C-Level executives and decision makers spend more time on LinkedIn than on any other platform. It’s the preferred platform of Fortune 500 companies and is 277% more effective at generating b2b leads organically than Facebook or Instagram.

It’s not hard to see why. The content quality, while still subject to the typical viral whirlwinds, is profoundly better and the reach potential is much greater.

If you want to see up to 1,000% increase in engagement, more leads, more conversions, and more of everything, then this article is for you.

What Makes LinkedIn Better?

Alright, I understand I should be on LinkedIn, but what makes it so good for b2b marketing?

The Algorithm

LinkedIn uses an algorithm to show users content it thinks they’ll be interested in and are likely to engage with. The LinkedIn algorithm is simple to understand and by using it to your advantage - you can maximize your content reach. We will dive into the algorithm in more detail later.

Quality of Users

LinkedIn users tend to take a more active role in their career and they’re interested in things that will benefit them to that end. Because LinkedIn is a networking platform that relies on sharing job history and experiences, it’s harder to justify being on it if that’s not your intention.

The users are also more likely qualified to make b2b buying decisions. Studies show that the average LinkedIn user commands higher salary than average. In addition, over 40% of article readers are in upper level positions.

More Civil Discourse

Raise your hand if you’ve been trolled?

I’m not promising it won’t happen on LinkedIn, but it’s not as common. LinkedIn and anonymity don’t go well. What good does it do to be on a networking site if no one knows who you are? It’s because of this, that there is usually less name calling, trolling, harassing, and toxicity.

It doesn’t serve your career if your employer or potential future employer sees you’re being nasty to others.

How to Be More Effective On LinkedIn

Now that you know what makes LinkedIn promising for b2b marketing, here’s how to make the most out of it.

Engage and Network

There’s so many simple and impactful ways to get visibility on LinkedIn. Comment on posts of potential clients or industry influencers. No, don’t pitch your product, but add to the discussion. Share your genuine and professional opinion on things. People will connect with you quickly.

Join industry related groups and subscribe to newsletters. It’s not only a great way to learn about the content your prospects like and the problems they have, but it’s a great way to attract and gain a following. Contribute to groups, comment on and share articles. If there’s one thing LinkedIn users do well, it’s reciprocating attention.

Contribute good stuff

If you’re going to get lots of engagement, you’ve got to contribute good stuff! Don’t just say things you want to say. Say things others want to listen to. Write content that speaks to the problems of your customers.

Share ideas of industry experts and offer insights that would benefit others.

Start all of your content with your ideal customer in mind. What would you want them to take away? What does your content have to offer them?

If you’ve good stuff to say, here are some popular frameworks for delivering your message.

Types of Popular Posts

Here are some posts that resonate with readers and get engagement.

Professional Insight

This is a hot take on an issue or an opinion on a popular problem within the industry. It’s also a post that invites discussion. For example, let’s say you're the CEO of a medical device company that manufactures pacemakers. You might want to share a new study from the American Heart Association and provide some of your takeaways. You can invite your prospects (physicians) to join the conversation.

Check out the example below. The poster opens with philosophical questions, peaking intrigue, while sharing a professional article.

Story Telling

Stories will always be a powerful way to connect with an audience. This can be a customer success story, a lesson learned, even something personal that is relatable that resonates with others.

Here’s a great example of good storytelling from a professional recruiter as she explains how her client navigated a particular situation.

Helpful Advice

Provide actionable, helpful advice that will help alleviate a potential customer pain point. This can be tips, tricks, lessons learned or any other form of advice. This is a chance to showcase your knowlege on a particular subject.

Here's part of a 'Helpful Advice' post.

Understand the Algorithm

Luckily, understanding the LinkedIn algorithm is a lot easier than deciphering google ranking. There is really only a few core things that impact the effectiveness of your posts.

Number of connections

How many people are you connected with? How many people follow you? Making a random LinkedIn connection is a lot more acceptable than a random Facebook friendship. You can make a simple introduction on the premise of like minded people connecting. After searching for your industry or interests, you can quickly send out invites.

Relativeness of content

LinkedIn serves up content to you if it’s relative to your interests. It does that by looking at industry specific words and hashtags. Ever noticed how awfully good it is at recommending people and Content? The nice part about this is if you make a good effort to produce relative content that speaks to your customer’s problems, they’ll find it.

Momentum

It’s called something else, I’m sure, but if your content quickly generates interaction in the first few hours then LinkedIn showcases

it to more people. A snowball effect, so to speak. How do you get initial interaction? Post at times when most of your connections are online and post consistently. If you’re new to generating LinkedIn content, you’re going to have a few strikeouts. Don’t beat yourself up over it.

Quality

Woah there, just because LinkedIn can sense relative content, doesn’t mean it doesn’t know when you’re overdoing it. If your post has multiple hashtags peppered everywhere or if you tag people who are unlikely to respond, the algorithm will hide your post. LinkedIn also check for readability - so avoid poor grammar and spelling errors.m

Conclusion

It’s not overly complicated. Post valuable things consistently, interact with others, and contribute to the discussions that are important to your customers and you will be amazed at the following you’ll be able to build.