LinkedIn webinar: Content Marketing Best Practices

©2014 LinkedIn Corporation. Strictly Confidential, All Rights Reserved. LinkedIn Content Marketing

Content Marketing Best Practices

©2014 LinkedIn Corporation. All Rights

Reserved.1


#LinkedInContent - @jaimelynn09 - @chris_p_intel

Introductions

2



Executive summary

5 Lessons from the Intel IT Center

Content on LinkedIn: What works

Top 10 tips for compelling updates

Success stories: using Sponsored Updates to drive business results

Key Takeaways

Q&A

Agenda



Executive summary

4

Company updates and Sponsored Updates should be thought of as Native Content: content marketing delivered in a native format

In order to be truly native, the content must match the context: keep it professional, helpful, and aspirational

When crafting an update, be concise, and be mobile-friendly. More than ½ of sponsored update engagement comes from mobile devices



Content Marketing

5



6

Content Marketing

“Delivering information that makes your buyer more intelligent”- Content Marketing Institute

Source: Content Marketing Institute



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The 4-1-1 Rule



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Intel’s 5 lessons: the Importance of EmpathyTalk with, not at, your audience



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Intel’s 5 lessons: Strong Heart, Thick SkinBe passionate about your topic, and willing to fail



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Intel’s 5 lessons: Be CuriousExperiment and Create New Best Practices



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Intel’s 5 lessons: Organic Updates vs. Sponsored Updates

Existing Followers

+

New Followers



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Intel’s 5 lessons: Process, Perseverance, and Discipline Through Both Strategy and Execution

Frequency

Mix

R & R

0

+1

+2

+3

Content Execution Content Strategy



So who is your buyer and what are they on LinkedIn to learn about?



Your Brand in the LinkedIn Ecosystem

Network Knowledge

Be helpful.Be human.Be accurate.

Three keys to success

Identity



Use personas + LinkedIn targeting to ensure relevancy.

Be accurate

Organic (follower) targeting

Sponsored Update targeting

Recommended minimum

audience size: 5-10,000

Recommended minimum

audience size: 250,000*

*depending on budget and desired reach




Watch what is trending on LinkedIn


Be accurate




Call out your intended audience


Be accurate




Simply: get personal


Be human




Everyone needs a lighthearted break from work


Be human




Help professionals be more productive


Be helpful




And successful


Be helpful



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Company and Sponsored Updates on

LinkedIn: Native Content

Key Takeaway: native advertising in the LinkedIn news feed is about more than just matching the look and feel. You also need to match the context.



Top Tips for Compelling Updates

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HEADLINES MATTER

Top Performing Sponsored Updates

Numbered lists make content easier to

consume

Strong language creates a

sense of urgency


ASK QUESTIONS TO ENGAGE THE READER


Start with a question or quote to hook

your reader

Make sure the image is relevant

and adds to the tone of the post


OPTIMIZE FOR MOBILE


Eliminate the intro copy, or keep it fewer

than 150 characters

Use link posts to optimize mobile

clicks (make sure the landing page is

responsively designed)


SPEAK DIRECTLY TO THE AUDIENCE YOU

ARE TARGETING


Call out your target audience directly in the

copy

Ask questions and use “you” directly

to your target audience


INSPIRE THROUGH STORYTELLING


Rich media image commands

attention in the news feed

Use first-person language and

include a clear call-to-action



Success Stories

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Case Study: Adobe

Sponsored Updates for Branding

LinkedIn Confidential ©2014 All Rights Reserved

“With the ability to

target specific audiences with relevant and

contextual content, Sponsored Updates

allowed us to reach the right

audience on the right channel, ultimately

helping to move the needle on a primary

objective – to inform and educate

marketers that Adobe is an industry leader

in providing digital marketing solutions.”

Adobe

Results

• 50% more likely to agree that “Adobe is

shaping the future of digital marketing”

• 2.5x more likely to agree that Adobe’s

Sponsored Updates “captured their attention”



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Case Study: Capgemini & NewsCred

Sponsored Updates for Thought Leadership

LinkedIn Confidential ©2014 All Rights Reserved

“…The engagement has been

unprecedented—nothing they had ever seen

using traditional B2B marketing campaigns.

Sponsored updates on LinkedIn have an

engagement rate of 1.76%, which translates

to over 3,000 new followers each week on

their company page…”

Newscred

69%

LinkedIn

Shares

100,000

new

followersResults



Case Study: Hubspot

Sponsored Updates for Lead Generation

Results• 400% more leads within their target

audience than on other platforms

"We have seen very high quality leads coming in from our sponsored updates on LinkedIn. Not only can we target the audience we want to, we can promote our best performing content. “

Hubspot

32LinkedIn Confidential ©2014 All Rights Reserved



Key Takeaways

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Key Takeaways

Make your customers more productive and successful1

BlackRock 4 things to know about gold's biggest sell-off in years

http://bit.ly/12FpSCZHas Gold Lost its Luster? | iShares Blog

bit.ly • Of all the investment topics I've discussed with clients,

whether to invest in gold usually elicits the most divergent

opinions. As an investment that is almost impossible to value,

people's views on gold are often more a matter of philosophy

than...

Like (12) • Comment (6) • Share • 9 days ago



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Key Takeaways

Be the editor: A/B test your headlines. Shorter tends to be better.

2



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Sponsored Updates Content Best Practice Cheat Sheet

Optimizing content

• Always ask, “why would my audience read this?”

• Use concise and compelling intros and headlines

• Ask compelling questions to involve the target audience

• Include a clear call to action, regardless of the objective

• Make sure your landing pages are optimized for mobile traffic

Managing updates

• Plan your editorial calendar, but also react to timely events

• Respond to comments regularly

• Consider keeping updates running through the weekend

• Test to see what works with your audience and then refine

Optimizing visuals

• Always include an image, presentation, or video

• Ensure the thumbnail is relevant for external links



Q&A

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©2013 LinkedIn Corporation. All Rights Reserved. LinkedIn Content Marketing Workshop Discovery Brief 38