It’s easy to get overwhelmed as a marketer when you’re looking at the blank page that is your LinkedIn Marketing strategy. Even the pros sometimes neglect the most obvious LinkedIn marketing fundamentals because there’s so much to do when it comes to generating leads on the platform.
With over 660 million members and an increasingly engaged audience year-over-year, it’s clear that tapping into this audience can help build brand awareness and boost revenue for business.
But what’s the best way to go about it?
The good news is there are a few key ways — the core LinkedIn marketing practices a business should focus on — that can help strengthen your brand and get leads from LinkedIn.
1. Turn LinkedIn leads into Messenger subscribers
Even the most savvy LinkedIn marketers miss this important tip. Using ManyChat’s Messenger Ref URL you can send any connections or leads on LinkedIn into a Messenger conversation.
Organic posts
“Organic reach on LinkedIn is amazing, and you can reach a lot of high-ticket prospects fairly easily,” Angela Allan, award-winning Chat Marketing agency owner explains, “you don’t need to pay for this either compared to LinkedIn ads, Sales Navigator or a Premium account.”
One way to bridge ManyChat to LinkedIn is by dropping a Messenger Ref URL in published posts.
Since organic reach is generally higher than Facebook or Twitter, there will be more eyes on your post, and more eyes on your Messenger link.
Comments
Begin responding to posts on your own Page, or another LinkedIn users page, where you can provide value with a flow in your Messenger bot.
“LinkedIn has untapped potential,” Angela adds, “continue to post educational content and use the Ref URL organically to engage with an audience that’s willing to listen and respond.”
Direct messages
Whether you’re a B2B marketer or store owner, you can turn connections into Messenger subscribers through direct messages on LinkedIn as well.
For example, John Bellamy, a LinkedIn Marketing and ManyChat Expert, uses a simple lead magnet campaign to turn LinkedIn connects into subscribers.
Below is an example of a message he uses:
Notice how the call-to-action is a Messenger Ref URL? When someone clicks it, they’ll enter a bot flow and automatically become a subscriber.
Your bot flow
Once you get a LinkedIn lead into your bot flow, you can direct the conversation to anywhere.
John Bellamy, from the example above, gives leads four different options when they come into his Messenger channel from LinkedIn.
The message is an entry point which takes users deeper into the bot, creating conversation and building relationships with his audience on LinkedIn.
2. Send paid LinkedIn traffic to Messenger
Similar to Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn has many different advertising options from Direct Sponsored Content to Sponsored InMail and Lead From ads. You can test a mix sending different types of ads to a target audience to reach a number of objectives from brand awareness to direct sales.
Now, you can run regular old LinkedIn ads with a destination URL to a landing page or your company site. Or, you can add your Messenger Ref URL as the destination and send paid traffic into your bot.
Learn about basics of LinkedIn ads, as they’ll help you target a more detailed audience and maximize your ad spend. Most ads tend to have a higher cost-per-click on LinkedIn compared to Facebook or Twitter, but the conversion rate can be higher.
Get more LinkedIn leads with ManyChat. It’s free to get started.
3. Optimize your Company Page for search
The first rule of mastering LinkedIn marketing is to optimize your profile for search. A well-optimized Company Page can help people find your business when searching for what you offer. It’s also another place where Google can better understand what your business does.
Three ways to quickly optimize your LinkedIn Company Page are:
- Include keywords. Add keywords and phrases potential customers could search for to find you. Insert them in your About tab, headline, description, and find the industry that closely matches your business.
- Add your Company website. Linking to your site is an easy way to boost your search ranking. Make sure your employees LinkedIn profiles are also updated.
- Share content. Just because you gravitate toward sharing on Facebook or Twitter doesn’t mean you should not share content on LinkedIn. The more people interact with your content, the higher up your Company Page will end up in search.
Once you’re ready to be found on LinkedIn, you’ll find that leads may come around more frequently, and you’ll start to be confident in your LinkedIn marketing skills.
4. Make sure your Page and LinkedIn profile are conversation-friendly
As a LinkedIn marketer, you want to make sure to focus on creating profiles that attract new leads to your business. So how do you optimize for conversations? There are a few things to consider:
1. LinkedIn Profile photo: upload a high-quality image featuring a close shot of your face and a simple background. Smile and wear appropriate attire for bonus points.
2. Cover photo: include a background image that represents you brand, and explains your role at the company:
3. About me: Include a little bit about yourself, your background, and what your company does.
If you want to get the most out of your LinkedIn marketing strategy, make sure you and each employee with a LinkedIn profile are friendly and professional. Encourage them to start a conversation with you and check out more about what your company offers.
5. Attract leads with a LinkedIn Group
Nearly 50% of LinkedIn members say they are more likely to buy from a company they engage with on the platform. While 80% state that they want to connect with companies to help with their decision making.
One powerful way to strengthen this type of engagement with your audience is with a LinkedIn Group.
Different from the popular Facebook group, it’s incredibly useful for marketers to keep members updated. You send a daily or weekly digest of all group activities to your members keeping them informed through the social media platform. It also lets you send an announcement email to your members each week to encourage discussion and community interaction.
To create a LinkedIn Group people want to join, start by:
1. Picking an attractive topic: you want to pick a topic that interests your target audience rather than promoting your brand. They’ve got to want to join your Group, after all. If members stick around, they will eventually form an organic connection with the topic and your brand. This earned connection will be more valuable than a forced one.
2. Creating custom messages: people interested in joining your Group will be automatically sent your message — make your brand stand out with relatable and powerful copy. You can also create a “Welcome post” introducing yourself, what the group is for, some quick rules, and pin it to the top of the Group’s feed.
3. Being an active member: Spark discussions, welcome new members, reply to their comments, and like their posts. It takes effort to bring a Group alive, but you’ll be rewarded with increased engagement and better opportunities to generate leads.
Making the most of your LinkedIn Marketing strategy
With these LinkedIn marketing tips in hand, you’ll be well on your way to building an engaged audience to support your business strategy. Whether it’s running paid Sponsored Content ads or engaging with people in comments, you can use ManyChat to help turn LinkedIn leads into Messenger subscribers to build a relationship with your audience.
