How to Build a LinkedIn Social Media Strategy
Can we take a moment to appreciate LinkedIn's break through in social media marketing? LinkedIn has seen such growth over the past few years and really re-branded themselves as more than an employment website but as an active social media platform used for connections, brand awareness, and lead generation. In 2020, the content creation on LinkedIn increased by 60%!!!
Although, LinkedIn is growing, sometimes it's still forgotten about as a marketing platform by many. Leaving many of us wonder, how do we build an effective LinkedIn strategy? You might take a similar approach to LinkedIn's strategy as you do your other platforms, such as brand persona, brand goals, audience and market research, etc. However, your content, messaging, and audience will differ in this platform and you should keep their differences in mind.
Here's a step-by-step on building a LinkedIn strategy!
1.) LinkedIn Presence: Should you be on LinkedIn in the first place? Is your ideal customer on LinkedIn? Check out some LinkedIn demographics below, if this doesn't describe your target market, LinkedIn might not be the place for you or you might need reconsider the time and effort you want to put into the platform to see ROI.
57% male
60% are between the ages of 25 and 34 years old
76% are outside of the US
50% of college graduates are on LinkedIn
For B2B marketers, LinkedIn is the 2nd most popular platform
2.) Research: Make sure you know the platform and your audience in and out. You might know LinkedIn's general audience...but what part of that audience is your target audience? And how do they use the platform, when are they on it, what types of content? If you're a new account, find some ways to conduct market research (LinkedIn polls are perfect for this!). When it comes to content, Video/photo/job/text posts, newsletters, articles, live, InMail, LinkedIn has so many options to choose from. Generally speaking, videos and photos show a lot of success on the platform, considering videos show a 25 times higher engagement rate and photos get 2 times higher engagement. However, your research should help you choose what works best with your goals, target audience, and brand.
3.) Goals: Think about what your goals are specifically for this channel, and your general business goals. Your goals for this channel are probably going to differ from your other platforms, since it has a different purpose, demographic, and characteristics. However, your general business goals might be able to be met through LinkedIn, so be sure to review them. Make sure you clearly define your goals, consider using the SMART method (Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-framed). After you have your goals set, start thinking about social media key performance indicators (KPIs) that will help you meet those goals!
4.) Content: Your content and messaging, and allllll the details that come with it you can lay out in your strategy. Content pillars, posting times, hashtags, tone, long-form vs short-form, etc. The quality of your research and defining your goals will be able to shine through when it comes to the content details, so make sure you take the time to thoroughly complete step #2 & 3! During this step, don't be afraid to think outside the box. LinkedIn is certainly not all business anymore, it can be just as creative and fun as TikTok and Instagram!
5.) Audit: As with every strategy, you should do a review of effectiveness after a certain period of time. That might be a month, a quarter, six-months, or even a year. You should include your audit timeframe in your strategy and make sure you're sticking to it (Which is the hardest part 😉)
