Learnings From The LinkedIn Content Marketing Masterclass

Several Wpromoters from the New York office recently attended a LinkedIn Content Marketing Masterclass given by the social media company at its Empire State Building location.  The class, headed by LinkedIn Content Marketing Evangelist, Pearce Delisle, gave insights into how to optimize content marketing campaigns on LinkedIn.

Through a comprehensive presentation, Delisle provided attendees with a wealth of information on the latest LinkedIn research, strategies, and best practices, and demonstrated how marketers could enhance their campaigns to achieve better results. Interactive group exercises allowed the Wpromote team members to share their ideas and discuss challenges with other marketing professionals from throughout the country.

Several of the key takeaways from the class include:

LinkedIn offers unique content marketing opportunities

Unlike Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn is focused on professionals and high-quality content related to career and professional interests. This presents distinct content marketing opportunities for brands and businesses. When used effectively, LinkedIn can help generate awareness and leads, and position your brand and your team members as industry thought leaders.

Marketers must know their own audience

Understanding your audience is the key to creating impactful content that will attract and engage your market. Some ways you can gain insight into the people who are currently visiting your website include:

• Analyze your website demographics, keywords, and competitors
• Get feedback from your employees and customers
• Conduct A/B testing and social listening

Dig deep into the data to discover what your audience is talking about, what they are looking for, and what is important to them. Use this knowledge to help guide your content development and your content distribution strategy.

Industry trends & news drive engagement

LinkedIn users are actively seeking information, and content related to industry trends and news is the top driver of engagement on the platform. Tips/best practices content ranks a close second. To create content that is pertinent to their audience’s needs, marketers must keep on top of what’s going on in their industry.

Timeliness, relevancy, & credibility are critical

LinkedIn research found that timeliness and relevancy were more important than pure originality when it came to what types of thought leadership prospects value.  In terms of content engagement, prospects are most likely to view and interact with content that is associated with something they are currently working on and that has been forwarded by someone they know and respect.

Leverage executives for POV-focused content

Research shows that while how-to articles and guides perform well on LinkedIn, the most shared types of content are opinion pieces. People resonate with timely articles and videos generated by industry professionals who take strong points of view on a particular topic.

To take advantage of this thought leadership opportunity, leverage your CEOs and subject matter experts to create content that is casual, candid, and as “in the moment” as possible. Encourage them to share their passion and expertise, their thoughts on important trends and breaking industry news, and their recommendations for overcoming business challenges.

Create breakthrough content

LinkedIn is the destination for people who want to find and consume informational and aspirational content related to business and professional development. Here are some elements that LinkedIn suggests you include in your content in order to stand out in the LinkedIn feed and resonate with your audience.

Headlines that drive shares

LinkedIn data shows that within the past 10 months, the following headline words and phrases have driven the most shares on the platform:

• How to
• Is the new
• The year of
• In the workplace
• The future of
• Why you should
• The power of
• 5 ways to
• Can learn from
• Leader
• Success
• Secret
• 10
• Trends
• Future

These words and phrases suggest value, authority, and/or exclusivity.  However, the headline can’t do it all since everyone is trying to be a leader. You need to consider other factors as well.

Statistics and quotes

Statistics from reputable sources and powerful quotes from industry leaders demonstrate value. Incorporate them into your creative where it makes sense.

Compelling visuals

In the class, Pearce Delisle discussed how “imagery is the biggest factor in engagement” and that “visuals are the new headlines.” Content that uses real people or unexpected images will attract more attention than content that relies on stock photography. It will differentiate your brand from your competitors and help establish your brand identity.

Video

Cisco research found that “video is projected to claim more than 80% of all web traffic by 2019.”  If you are not currently producing video, now is the time to start. LinkedIn shared the following best practices to keep in mind when creating your video content.

A/B Test

Any content for a paid LinkedIn campaign should be tested. Test every component of your creative: the image, headline, copy, colors, call to action – even a single word can be tested. You might be surprised at what the results show. Something that may seem insignificant at first could significantly impact a campaign’s clickthrough rate (CTR) and conversion rate (CVR). Optimize – and keep optimizing –  your campaigns based on your findings.

According to LinkedIn, there are 450 million professionals on the platform. 92% of B2B marketers leverage LinkedIn over all other social platforms, and 79% of B2B marketers view LinkedIn as an effective source for generating B2B leads. If you are looking to connect with senior-level influencers and decision-makers, a LinkedIn content marketing strategy could be a smart addition to your digital marketing portfolio.