Sophisticated Marketers Guide to LinkedIn LIMITED EDITION vNEW FOR 2017

L I M I T E D E D I T I O N

2017NEW FOR

CHAPTER 3: Optimizing yOur prOfile

9–10

CHAPTER 7: expand yOur targeted reach

25–37

•CHAPTER 4: expand yOur netwOrk Of influencers

11–14

CHAPTER 8: measure the impact and Optimize

38–41

CHAPTER 5: easily keep yOur finger On the pulse

15–17

CHAPTER 9: unlOck the pOwer Of linkedin’s partner prOgram

42–43

CHAPTER 6: Build yOur Brand and cOmpany presence Organically

18–24

25 sOcial media experts yOu need tO knOw

44–45

a nOte tO the sOphisticated marketer

why shOuld yOu read this guide?

CHAPTER 1: why dOes yOur Business need linkedin?

CHAPTER 2: market tO whO matters

1 2 3–4 5–8

table of contents

1

WhatisaSophisticatedMarketer?It’ssomeonewhounderstandsthefundamental,unchangingprinciplesofmarketingbuthasabsoluteconfidenceapplyingthoseprinciplestonewtechniquesandplatforms.

TheSophisticatedMarketerishungrytotrynewthingsandlearnnewskills—butequallycommittedtotestingeffectiveness,optimizingaroundwhatworks,anddemandingrobustdataandROI.Theyrecognizesocialmediaandcontentmarketingasthreadsthatrunthroughouttheirintegratedmarketingstrategies—

a note to thesophisticated marketer

fundamentaltothetaskofbuildingabrandandgrowingabusiness.Theycrafthybridstrategiesforachievingtheirgoals,graspingtheopportunitytolearnnewskillsalongtheway.

Theyhavefun—andLinkedInistheirplayground.

ResearchreleasedbytheContentMarketingInstitute(CMI)atthestartof2017showsmorecontentmarketersfindingsuccessonLinkedInthanonanyothersocialplatform.That’sbecauseLinkedInisthenaturalenvironmentforaSophisticatedMarketer.Astheworld’slargestprofessionalcontentplatformitembodiesthepotentialofsocialandcontentcombined—butitcandoalotmorebesides.

OnLinkedIn,youcantargetaudienceswithprecision,deliveringinnovativedisplayadsandmailmessageswithguaranteeddeliverabilityandexceptionalresponserates.Youcantailorcontenttoyour

differentaudiences,testdifferentcreativeapproaches,keepexperimentingcreatively,anddriveROIbydoublingdownonwhatworks.Youcanmixorganicandpaidactivity,buildinfluencerbrandsacrossyourbusiness,dovetailmoreeffectivelywithsales,andkeepexploringnewwaystogrow.

We’veupdatedthisGuidefor2017,withallofthelatestLinkedInfeatures,tipsandtacticstohelpSophisticatedMarketerslikeyougetmorefromourplatform.It’sbothaninstructionmanualandastrategicguide—aone-stopshoptothevastopportunitiesforincreasingawareness,influencingperception,drivinghigh-qualityleads,andgrowingrevenue.

Let’sgetstarted,shallwe?

Jason Miller Group Manager, Content Marketing LinkedIn Marketing Solutions

2

ThisguideisalaborofloveforushereatLinkedIn.Wecreatedittobeaone-stopshopforeverythingyouneedtoknowaboutgettingthemostvalueoutofLinkedInforyourselfandyourcompany.It’snotjustaninstructionmanual,butastrategicguidewithlotsofinputfromtopthoughtleadersandLinkedInmarketingexperts,combinedwiththeexpertiseoftheLinkedInMarketingSolutionsteam.

Andit’sallabouthowtotrulytapintothepotentialandpowerofsocialmediamarketing.That’sbecausesocialmediamarketingisnolongeranice-to-have.It’sanecessarypartofasuccessfulintegratedmarketingapproachfordrivingawareness,leadsandultimatelyrevenue.

Wecallthis"TheSophisticatedMarketer'sGuide"becausewefeelit’stimetotakesocialmediamarketingtothenextlevel,movingbeyondtheorytoenlightenedpractice.It’stimetogetrealresultswithyoursocialmarketing,andthisguidewillhelp.

linkedin has products that impact every stage of the purchase process. the goal of this guide is to provide the absolute best, most up-to-date, definitive guide for marketers to learn how to market to who matters on linkedin as part of their integrated approach to marketing.

why should you read this guide?

3Why Does Your Business Need LinkedIn?

The world’s largesT professional neTwork

(in millions of members)

CHAPTER 1

ProfessionalsarenotjustcomingtoLinkedIninhugenumbers;they’reengagingwithahugepurpose.They’recomingspecificallytoconnecttonetworks,brandsandopportunitiesbyengagingwithhigh-qualitycontentacrosstheLinkedInplatform.Thisisaverydifferentmindsetandintentfromothersocialmediaplatforms;we'redrivenbyourmembers’professionalaspirations.

Theworld’sprofessionalscometoLinkedInfor:

• Industrynews

• Expertadvice

• Careertraining

• Peerinsightsandrecommendations

• ContentpublishedbyLinkedIn’s500+Influencers

LinkedIniswhere,byfar,thelargestnumberofprofessionalsgathertostayconnectedandinformed,advancetheircareers,andworksmarter.Morethan467millionprofessionalsareonLinkedIn.Thesearethedecisionmakers,influencers,andleadersoftodayandtomorrow—thepeopleyouwanttotarget,allinoneplace.

OnLinkedIn,wehave:

• 61millionsenior-levelinfluencers

• 40milliondecisionmakers

• 10.7millionopinionleaders

• 6.8millionC-levelexecs

• 3millionMBAgraduates

these days in the business world, relationships matter more than ever. people tune out irrelevant or promotional messages. But they do want to engage with companies that focus on sharing useful and relevant information and content. the companies that inform and engage aren’t just selling — they’re building relationships.

why does your Business need linkedin?

The World’s Professionals Come to LinkedIn for Knowledge

there are 2 million publishers posting fresh content on linkedin — along with peer posts in the feed, long-form content, linkedin groups and 7 million brand-managed company pages. linkedin is the definitive professional publishing platform, where our members come to learn, share and get inspired.

Source:“LinkedInAnnouncesFirstQuarter2016Results,”LinkedIn,2016

467

Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

218238 259

277296

313332

341

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3

350

380

396413 430

450

Q12013 2014 2015 2016

4Why Does Your Business Need LinkedIn?

CHAPTER 1

Whyaretheworld’sprofessionalsnowgatheringinthisoneplace,onLinkedIn?Becausethepeopleyou’relookingtomarkettoarejustlikeyouandme.We’reallsearchingfortherightdestinationstofindthebestinformation,andthereareactuallyfewerplaceswherewe’regatheringinlargenumbers.

WithLinkedIn,you’rereachingaquality audienceinaprofessional context.And,youcanengagetheminaverymeaningfulway:bysharing valuable contentwithproductstailoredtohowprofessionalsengage.Bydoingso,youbecomepartofyouraudience’sconversationsandeducationontheplatform.

Allittakesisasophisticatedmarketerwhoseizestheopportunitytoengagethem.

Whatdowemeanbyasophisticatedmarketer?Theideaofbeingasophisticatedmarketercomesfromthetransitionofsocialmediamarketingfrompuretheorytoeffectiveuse.Butmarketerscan’tjust“do”social.Nowtheyneedtoproduceresultsandactionableinsightsinordertoprovethevalueoftheirefforts.Fortunately,wearenolongerforcedtotakeaspray-and-prayapproachtogettingourmessagesheardinthenoisyworldofsocial.

Thetechnologyisinplacethatallowsustoadoptamuchmorerefinedapproach—sophisticatedifyouwill—tosocialmediamarketing,usingtheworld’slargestprofessionalnetwork.

linkedin is a platform enabling sophisticated marketers to forge relationships with these professionals. in fact, this is the first time in the history of media you can engage with the world's professionals in one place. it’s no wonder linkedin has quickly become the go-to content publishing platform for marketers.

Sources:"B2BMarketing2016Benchmarks,Budgets,

andTrends—NorthAmerica,"ContentMarketing

Institute/MarketingProfs.Webbiquity,2013."LinkedIn

forB2BLeadgeneration"infographic,Oktopostas

sharedbybusiness2community.com,2014.

LINKEDIN IS THE #1 CHANNEL TO DISTRIBUTE CONTENTB2B marketers who use various social media sites to distribute content:

LINKEDIN DRIVES MORE TRAFFIC TO B2B BLOGS & SITES90% of social traffic was driven by the big three networks, with half of it coming from linkedin.

94%

80.33%

89%

12.73%

77%

6.73%

77%

0.21%

61%

LINKEDIN CONSIDERED MOST EFFECTIVE FOR B2B LEAD GEN80% of social media B2B leads come from linkedin.

linkedin by The numbers

EXECUTIVES RATE LINKEDIN HIGH ON VALUE GAINEDFROM THEIR SOCIAL MARKETING INITIATIVESlinkedin is the number one choice for professionally relevant content.

linkedin

Online news sites

twitter

facebook

google+

91%

64%

29%

27%

16%

oth

ers

5

CHAPTER 2

as a sophisticated marketer, grasp the reality of today’s purchase process: Buyers are up to 90% through the purchase process before they make direct contact with your sales team. that means the onus is on you to attract and engage these buyers by delivering content that helps them narrow down their options.

That’swheretheLinkedplatformdeliversvalue,by:

1. TargeTingCreatingawarenessofyourbrandandproductsearlyinthepurchaseprocess

2. engagingPositioningyourbrandasathoughtleaderandengagingaudiencesmoredeeplywithcontentasthey’reformingperceptionsanddecisions

3. opTimizingDrivingtherightaudiencestotakeaction,helpingyougeneratequalityleadsandnewbusiness

market to who matters: achieve your marketing goals

Market to Who Matters: Achieve Your Marketing Goals

Our innovative products help marketers navigate the complex B2B buying process, where multiple touchpoints influence every sale.

“ linkedin is the only platform that the majority of B2B marketers consider to be effective.”

— "Content Marketing Research Report," Content Marketing Institute, 2016

geT To The righT professional audience Withyourspecificendgoalnowinmind,ourtargetingisthecoreofwhatenablesyoursuccessonLinkedIn.Theauthenticmember-generated,firstpartydataonLinkedInismoreaccurateandhighlydifferentiatedinthemarketnoiseofaudiencedata.Wemakeiteasyforyoutosegmentandreachyouraudiencebyoffering:

• rich demographic daTaJobFunction,Seniority,CompanyName,Geo,Industry

• inTeresT-based TargeTingGroupMembership,Skills,FieldofStudy

• persona TargeTingJobSearchers,OpinionLeaders,MassAffluent,BusinessTravelers

• your own audience daTa TargetAccountLists,ExternalDataIntegrations

engage your audience wiTh conTenTBasedonyourgoalsandthemetricsyou’llusetogradethesuccessofyourprograms—andgivenhowmembersengageontheplatform—youcantakeadvantageofamixoforganiccontentandpaidadvertisingopportunities.

6

CHAPTER 2

1. your company pageCompanyPageshaveevolvedfromanice-to-havetoaneed-to-have.ThroughaCompanyPage,youcanmarketyourbusinesstotheLinkedIncommunity,tellingyourcompany’sstoryandgivingcustomersandprospectsaplacetolearnaboutyourbusiness,youremployees,andyourbrand.

2. showcase pagesByusingShowcasePagestocreatededicatedpagesforyourmoreprominentbrands,businesses,andinitiatives,youcanextendyourLinkedInpresence.

3. long-form posTsUsinganintuitivebloggingtoolthatseamlesslyintegrateswithyourprofileonLinkedIn,youcanpublishnewandpreviouslypublishedcontentonLinkedIntoquicklygrowyouraudienceandnetwork.

4. conTenT uploaded To slideshareSlideShareisnotjustarepositoryforyourslidepresentations.It’sasocialchannelwhereyoucanestablishyourbrandasathoughtleaderandauthorityaroundtopicsandkeywords.

here are strategic marketing opportunities to better reach and nurture prospective buyers. we’ll explore these in greater detail in chapter 6 and chapter 7:

8 WAyS TO TAP INTO THE POWER OF LINKEDIN

ORGANICYoucanbuildyourbrandandcontentpresencethrough:


7

CHAPTER 2

8 WAyS TO TAP INTO THE POWER OF LINKEDIN

5. linkedin sponsored conTenTDeliveringyourcontentdirectlyintotheLinkedInfeed,thisallowsyoutocapturepeople’sattentionwherethey’remostengaged:whileconsuminginformationsharedwiththembytheirprofessionalnetwork.SponsoredContentisfoundationalandarguablyLinkedIn’smostversatileproduct;youcandesignyourprogramtoservebrandingandawarenessobjectives,alongwithdirectresponseandlead-generationgoals.

7. linkedin TexT adsTheseareapowerfulwaytomakesureyougetontheradarearlyandbuildyourbrandwiththerightaudiences—inthepremiumcontextoftheworld’slargestprofessionalnetwork.

8. linkedin dynamic ads DynamicAds(e.g.,FollowCompany,Spotlight)empoweryoutoaccuratelytargetyouraudiencewithhighlyrelevantandcustomizablecreativeonLinkedIn.com.BecausethisdynamicallygeneratedadformatleveragesinformationfromLinkedInmemberprofiles,itishighlyengagingandveryeffectiveatdrivingtraffictoyourwebsiteorCompanyPage.

PAIDAsyoustartbuildingyourorganicpresence,inparallel,youcanbegininvestinginarangeofpaidopportunitiestoreachtherightpeopleonLinkedInandengagethematscaleonmobileanddesktop:

• IntheLinkedInFeedandbeyond(SponsoredContent)

• IntheLinkedInInbox(SponsoredInMail)

• Earlyinthepurchaseprocess

• Throughothernativeadformats(DynamicAds)

6. linkedin sponsored inmailThemostdirectwaytoengageyourprospectsonLinkedIn,thisisagame-changerintermsoftakingemailmarketingeffectivenesstothenextlevelanddrivingtangiblemetricsincludingleads,cost-per-lead,andpipeline.Youdothatbydeliveringtargeted,personalizedmessagesandcontentrightintoprospectivecustomers’LinkedIninboxes.


extend the quality traffic of linkedin professionals to your own branded sites. embedding calls-to-action in your creative on linkedin ensures the flow of influential, affluent and educated professionals to your own online properties.

8

CHAPTER 2

Founder and CEO of Copyblogger Media

li: do you regulary check your pulse feed? if so, how do you use it?

BC:I’vejuststartedfollowingtheMarketingStrategiescategoryonPulse,andit’satreasure-troveofcontentallinoneplace.Thishasbecomeagreatresourcenotonlyforstayingup-to-dateonthelatestideasfromothers,butitalsofuelsourowncontent-sharingonothersocialnetworks.

ask the expert: Brian clark

li: what’s your best advice for writing a compelling company page update?

BC:Tellastory.Andmoreimportantly,relatethatstorybacktoyouridealprospect’sproblemsordesires.Evenifthestoryfocusesonthefounding,evolutionorgrowthofyourcompany,makesurepeopleunderstandthatallofthosegreatthingshappenedbecauseofthevalueyouprovideyouraudience,customers,andclients.

li: how can a business best take advantage of linkedin for lead generation?

BC:LinkedIn,unlikeFacebookandTwitter,isallaboutbusiness.Themindsetandintentarenaturallymorereceptivetosolvingbusinessproblemsthanthekindofsocializingandsharingthathappenselsewhere.

Thatsaid,youstillhavetoleadwithvaluetogeneratequalifiedleads.LinkedIn’sfocusoncontentmarketinghasprimedthe

audiencetoexpectinformationandinsightfirst,andthenacalltoactionthattakestherelationshiptothenextlevel.Forthosewhohavebeendoingcontentmarketingfromtheirownsitesforyears, LinkedInbecomesanessentialoutpostforthatcontent,mixedwithin-personengagement.

li: where do you see linkedin in 5 years?

BC:LinkedInappearstobeallinonbecomingatruemediacompany.I’veheardsomegrumblingsfromearlyLinkedInfansthatthecompanyandsitearelosingthesingularfocusitstartedwith,butIseeitdifferently.AbusinesseducationhubofthesortLinkedInisbuildingcanonlyincreasethevalueoftheecosystem.

li: what’s something that’s not in your linkedin profile?

BC:I’vemadenomentionofthefactthatIusedtopracticelawinmyLinkedInprofile.Somepeoplemaystillholdthatagainstme.


www.linkedin.com/pub/brian-clark/8/606/b5a

www.linkedin.com/pub/brian-clark/8/606/b5a

9

CHAPTER 3

Optimizing Your Profile

Whethersomeoneissearchingforpeople,jobs,companies,orgroups,weprovidethemostrelevantresultsbasedonyourprofessionalidentity,yournetwork,andhowthepeopleinyournetworkengagewithLinkedIn.Plus,oneofthefirststepsmanymemberstakewhenreceivingcontentfromacompanyoranothermemberisclickingthroughtothepersonalprofileorCompanyPagetolearnaboutthesender.That’swhyit’scriticalforyouandyourcompanytomaintaincompleteandoptimizedprofiles.

how you can benefiT from an opTimized profileAsamarketer,youcanuseLinkedInfornetworkingandtofurtheryourprofession.Afterall,thesedays,veryfewpeopleendupworkingforasinglecompanytheirentirecareer.Sowhetheryou’reactivelyseekinganewpositionormaximizingthejobyouarealreadyin,it’swisetomakesureyourprofileissetupformaximumexposureandengagement.Inaddition,addingrichmediacontent—suchasSlideSharepresentations,videos,andinfographicstoyourprofile—isafantasticwaytoshowcasevisualassetstoprofilevisitors.

how your company can benefiT from an opTimized profileItgoeswithoutsayingthatyourcompanyandallofitsemployeesshouldoptimizetheirLinkedInprofiles.Afterall,anoptimizedprofilecanboostthevisibilityofyourcompanyanditscontentinthesearchresults—bothonandoffthenetwork.That’sbecausesearchengineslikeGooglescourpagesandURLsforkeywords,andLinkedInprofilesoffermanyopportunitiestoembedkeywords,suchaswithintheLinkedInURL,otherURLsyoulistwithinyourprofile,jobtitlesanddescriptions,andcontentlinksyouinclude.Soifyourcompanyanditsemployeeshaveoptimizedtheirprofiles,youcouldverywellgainanadvantagewhenprospectivecustomersaresearchingforcompanies,productsandserviceslikeyours.

every day, we see millions of professionals find others and get found through linkedin search.

Optimizing your profile

this infographic highlights all the opportunities for getting the most from your profile.

10

CHAPTER 3

CEO of POSSIBLE

li: what factors are most important to you when considering advertising channels for your clients?

SA:Ourtoponesincludeaudienceconcentrationandrelevance,segmentationandtargetingfunctionality,andtheabilitytoextendoramplifychannelcontentacrossotherownedandearnedproperties.Wealsoleverageoursociallisteningandmarketingsciencestechnologiestoidentifyopportunitiesforthebrandwithineachchannelandwitheachaudience.

ask the expert: shane atchison

li: what types of clients should be leveraging linkedin more than they currently are?

SA:IthinkthatclientswithinvestmentsincontentaremissingamassiveopportunitytoleveragetheirLinkedInpresence.TheycoulduseLinkedInincombinationwiththeirownedpropertiestopreciselytarget,share,andthenrealizereturnontheircontentinvestments.Butforthis,theyneedacomprehensivestrategythatintegratestheLinkedInplatform,theircontentandtheirCRMefforts.

li: what is the risk of a client not having a company presence on linkedin?

SA:Thebiggestrisk,especiallyforB2B,isalossofdiscoverability.LinkedInisbecomingthedefactostartingpointwhensearchingforpartnersandevaluatingsolutions.AthoughtfulLinkedInpresenceisnotonlyagreatopportunitytoincreaseyourvisibilityasanindividual.Corporationscanalsouseittoturnboththeirworkforceandfollowersintobrandambassadors.

li: how are your clients’ marketing objectives different on linkedin compared to other social networks? how does that impact your clients’ content strategy?

SA:Mostsocialnetworksonlyserveopportunitiesatthetopofthefunnelandprovidelimitedwaystoengage.YoucantailortheLinkedInplatformtoeachclient’smarketingobjectivesanduseitaspartofalargercontentstrategy.Theplatformmakesiteasierforbrandstoserveaudienceswithcontenttailoredtotheindividual—bothintermsofdepthandtiming.Thismakescontentsmarterandrelevantatscale.Asaresult,itcandriveengagementlifecyclesratherthanone-offopportunities.

li: how do you compare the audience-targeting capability of linkedin with other social networks?

SA:TherearethreemajorwaysLinkedIndataisbetterfortargeting:Recency,authenticity,andstandardizationofdata.RecencymeansthatpeopletendtokeeptheirLinkedInprofilesuptodate—somethingtheyrarelydoonothernetworks.Authenticitymeansthatthey

arewhotheysaytheyare.Youcan’tputafakejobtitleuponLinkedIn.Andthestandardizationofuser-generateddatamakesiteasiertoanalyzeandintegratetheplatformintoyourcontentstrategy.

li: how are marketers getting it wrong with linkedin?

SA:Theythinkofitsimplyasahiring,prospecting,orone-dimensionaladvertisingplatform.It’sactuallyaversatilecontentplatformwithprecisedatathatcanbeintegratedintoavarietyofprogramsonandoffthesite.Forexample,B2CbrandsoftenmisstheopportunityLinkedInprovidestoenhanceorexpanddistributionnetworksorchannelpartnercommunicationplans.TheyalsomisstheopportunitytobuildprogramsaroundLinkedInthatleveragecontenttodriveengagementlifecyclesandstimulateorganiccommunity-building.Theplatform’scapabilitiesinthisareaareunmatchedandunderutilized.

Optimizing Your Profile

www.linkedin.com/in/shaneatchison

11

CHAPTER 4

Expand Your Network of Influencers

Inlate2012,wemadeitpossibleforanyLinkedInmembertofollowanexclusivegroupofInfluencersonLinkedIn.FromC-levelexecutivesandentrepreneurstoworldleadersandphilanthropists,theseInfluencerscontributeuniquebusinessinsightsandsparkthought-provokingdiscussionsonarangeofissues.DisplayedviaPulse,theInfluencersprogramisasourceoftrulyoriginalcontent.Butmoreimportantly,it’smeanttoinspire,inform,andmakeyouabettermarketer.

TheInfluencerprogramnumbers500ofthemostinfluentialthoughtleaders.PoststhatourInfluencerswriteonLinkedIngarneronaveragemorethan25Kpageviews,morethan300likes,and100comments.AndyoucandirectlyengagewithanyoftheseInfluencers,eitherby“Liking”apostorjumpingintoaconversationaboutapost.Moreover,throughthreadedcomments,youcanreplytoapostbyanInfluencertostartconversationsanddebateswithotherswhoarereadingthatpost.Youcanmentionotherpeopletodrawthemintoadiscussion,andgetnotifiedwhenyourcommenthasreceivedaresponse.

expand your network of influencers

“ it thrills me to see linkedin gaining ground as an interesting place to hang out. i’ve long held that linkedin is the dark horse of the social media platforms — or, at least, it’s the workhorse of the bunch. if twitter is where you go to meet people you don’t know and facebook is where you go to talk with people you already know, then linkedin is where all of you can meet up to get stuff done together.”

— Ann Handley, Author of content rules, Chief Content Officer at Marketing Profs

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CHAPTER 4

Inadditiontojoininginrichconversations,youwillseewhichInfluencersandtopicsaredrivingthemostinterest—perhapssparkinganideaofyourownforapostorcontentasset.PlustheabilityforLinkedInmemberstolikeandshareInfluencercontentletsyouquicklyfindoutwhatthepeopleinyournetworkarereadingandreactingto,helpingyouunearthnewideas.Wanttobroadenyourhorizons?TakeadvantageofdiscoverymoduleswithinLinkedIntohelpyoufindmorerelevantcontentbasedonthepeopleyou’refollowingandthepostsyou’rereading.

Bill gates is an influencer with over 6,836,041 followers. One of his posts garnered over 1.9M views, more than 11K thumbs up, and over 4000 comments.

the average influencer post garners nearly

49% of influencer followers are director-level and above.

22% are entry-level professionals.

Joe pulizzi, a speaker, entrepreneur, author, and founder of content marketing institute, has over 188,000 linkedin followers. One of his posts pulled in 138K views, 800 thumbs up, and over 200 comments. it’s easy to be part of such a rich discussion!

6,000,000+

30,000

188,000+ FOLLOWERS

VIEWS

FOLLOWERS

Follow Influencers Without Being Connected to Them

consider These examples


13

CHAPTER 4

LinkedIn Expert & Author: "LinkedIn Marketing: An Hour a Day," International Keynote Speaker, Forbes Top 20 Most Influential

li: what type of content best connects with audiences on linkedin? is there a specific type of content you prefer to consume on linkedin?

VR:That’skindofanapplesor orangestypeofquestion,whenitcomestoLinkedIn.I’mafruitsaladgalmyself!

LinkedInInfluencersandPulse:Firstofall,LinkedIntrulyunderstandstheimportanceofgoodcontent.Rightnowit’stheonlysocialmediasitetohaveitsownbloggingplatformfueledbytheworld’sthought

ask the expert: Viveka Von rosen

leaders(LinkedInInfluencers).Thesepeople,mostofthemhouseholdnames(best-sellingauthors,Fortune500CEOs,headsofstate)createcontentspecificallyforLinkedIn.YoucanfollownotonlytheseInfluencers,butalsochannelsofcontent(thankstoPulse.)

Infact,LinkedInrecentlyupdatedthePulseapptointeractmorefreelythroughtheLinkedIninterface,sothatyourPulseapponyouriPadoriPhonewillactuallymonitorwhatyoudoonLinkedInandmakesuggestionsforyou.YoucanalsoveryeasilysharethiscontentthroughPulse.

IthinkPulseisagreatplacetofindrelevantbusinesscontenttosharenotonlyonLinkedIn,butothersocialsitesaswell.WhenaclientneedsagoodbusinessarticletoposttotheirFacebookpageorTwitter,IcanoftenfindsomethingrelevantonPulse—quicklyandeasily.SoPulsegetsmoreofmyattentionthananyotherRSSfeedornewsaggregatorIuse.

LinkedInUpdateMentions:Aslongasyouareconnectedtoapersonorfollowingacompany,youcansharetheircontentandmentiontheminanupdate.

IwishIhadthetimetocheckonmyhomepageeveryhourandreadalltheupdatesfromeveryoneofmy29K+connections,butIdon’t.(Andtobehonest,Iwouldn’twantto!)Chancesare,youdon’teither.SoIrelyonLinkedInStatusUpdatementionsandLinkedIn’snew(ish)Notificationstabtoseewhatpeoplearesayingaboutme,whatcontentofminetheyaresharingandtheircommentsonmyupdates.SowhileIdon’tlistentoALLupdates,Ilistentotheonesthatinvolvemeinsomeway.

group conTenTFor(soft)marketresearch,considerLinkedInGroups.Groupsarefulloflike-minded,targetedaudiences.Askquestions.Askforhelp.Occasionallyshareanarticleyoulike.IlovethecontentandinteractiononsomeofmyGroups,andIknowIcanalwaysgotheretogetquickanswerstomyquestionsandfindoutthelatestandgreatestinthesalesworld.

Itjusttakessometimetofindthesegoodgroups.Irecommendaskingyournetworkwhatgroupstheylikeandwhy.(Forinstance,IamaravingfanofJillKonrath’sGroup,FreshSalesStrategies,becauseitalwaysoffersfabulousingestiblecontent).

li: how do you make sure personal time spent on linkedin is productive? how does this differ from other social networks?

VR:LinkedInisprobablylesslikelythansomeoftheothersocialsitestosuckyouintotherabbitholeofsingingcatsandsurfingdogvideos.Butmessages,updates,Groups,andPulsecancertainlysuckyouin.It’susuallyallgoodstuffandrelevanttoyourbusinesswhichmeansyoumightevenspendmoretimetheresinceit’s“allowed.”IrecommendschedulingyourLinkedIn(andother“social”)timetomakesureyouhaveastartandstoptime.IalsosuggestyoucreateachecklistthatcoverseverythingyouneedtodoonLinkedIn(monthly,weekly,anddaily).


VR:Basicallymarketersdothesethreethingswrong:

• Sellingtoomuch

• Notmakinguseofthetools

• Notrealizingitspotential


www.linkedin.com/in/linkedinexpert




14

CHAPTER 4

sellingIalwaystellpeopleyouwillneversellyourstuffonLinkedIn.Thelikelihoodofsomeoneseeinganupdateyouhavepostedonhowyousellthebestgadgetandthenbuyingitisunlikely.LinkedInisaboutcreatingrelationshipswithpeople.Onceyouhaveestablishedaconnectionandaremovingfromthe“know”eachothertothe“likeandtrust”eachotherlevelofengagement—onlythendoyouhaveagoodchanceofsharingyourproductsandserviceswithsomeonelikelytopurchasethem.Buttheserelationshipstakeeffortandnurturing.Establishingthatsenseof“likeandtrust”mightseemlikealotofwork,butthepayoffcanbemonumental.GettingpeopletobuyfromyouonLinkedInmeansatimeinvestment,buttomeitiswellworthit.

ToolsLinkedInhassomanycoollittletools.Myfavoriteistheir“SharingBookmarklet.”TofindtheSharingBookmarklet,youjustcomedowntothe“Tools”linkandthenontherighthandsideclickonthetabthatsays“SharingBookmarklet.”DragtheBookmarkletbuttonuptoyourbrowserbar.Thennomatterwhatwebpageyou’reon,allyouhavetodoisclickonthe‘shareonLinkedIn’linkandyoucaneasilysharethatpage.

ask the expert: Viveka Von rosen

NotallwebsitesareLinkedIn-centric.Soifyoufindawebsite,blogpost,orarticlethatdoesn’thavetheLinkedInsharebutton,youcanstillshareitbyclickingonthe“ShareonLinkedIn”button.Youcanpostthepageasanupdateorasatweet.YoucanpostittoyourGroupsbyclickingtheGroupoption,thentypinginthenameoftheLinkedInGroupsyouwishtosharethepostwith.Youcanevensendittoanindividual.

Thisisaveryquickandeasywaytoposthelpful,useful,andinterestingcontentwithyournetwork.Theseupdateswillshowuponyourconnection’shomepageaswellasinyourprofileunder“Activity.”

poTenTialHopefullysomeofthethingsIhavementionedwillopenafeweyestothepotentialofLinkedIn.Thereisjustsomuchyoucandowithit.Itisacompletelyunder-utilizedtoolfromGroupstoCompanyPagesandbeyond.ButIguessthat’swhyIhaveajob!Ifyouhavequestionsabouthowitcanhelpwithprospecting,leadgen,relationshipbuilding,andtopofmindawareness,pleasefeelfreetoreachouttome!

www.LinkedIn.com/in/LinkedInexpert


http://www.linkedin.com/in/linkedinexpert

15

CHAPTER 5

Easily Keep Your Finger On the Pulse

Infact,likemostmarketers,youprobablyfindit’sincreasinglydifficulttofigureoutwhatmattersmostwhenreadingnewsacrossmultiplesources.MillionsofprofessionalsinvesttheirtimeonLinkedIn,stayingontopofindustrynewsthroughPulse,thenewsappandcontentbrandforLinkedIn.

PulseoffersamorerelevantnewsexperiencewithcontenttailoredtoyourprofessionalintereststhroughoutLinkedIn.It’sthemainvehicleforoursocialnewsexperienceacrosswebandmobile.Andit’sakeywayformarketerstostaycurrentonallthelatestinsightsandtrends.

access more relevanT conTenTWiththeLinkedInPulseapp,youcanaccessfullarticlesandrichgraphicsfromawealthofresources,throughourpartnershipswithmorethan750publishers,suchasHarvardBusinessReview,TechCrunch,andFastCompany.

Pulsemakesitpossibletoaccesstailorednewsbasedonyourinterests.Specifically,youasamarketercaneasilyleverageallthegreatbusinessknowledgeflowingthroughLinkedInintheformofnews,Influencerposts,industryupdates,discussions,comments,andmore.Andbecauseyoucancustomizecontentbasedonyourpreferences,youcanzeroinonwhatmattersmosttoyou.ThinkofPulseasyourdaily“newspaper”—onethatletsyoustayuptospeedwhetheryou’reonyourdesktop,mobilephone(AndroidoriOS),ortablet.

with all the news websites, blogs, and newsletters out there, staying in the know can be time-consuming.

easily keep your finger on the pulse

Discover New Professional Content we’ve not only improved the overall search functionality with faster auto-complete suggestions, but we’ve also made it easier for you to find “what’s new” across timely world events and what’s trending among professionals like you worldwide.

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CHAPTER 5

delivering smarT recommendaTionsWedisplaystoriesbasedonaproprietaryalgorithmthatweighsyourinterestsandthestoriestrendingamongprofessionalsworldwide.

organize your daily readsListsinthePulseappallowyoutoorganizeyourchannelsintotopicsofyourchoice,suchasTechnology,Sports,Favorites,orMustReads.AnyChannelsorInfluencercontentthatyoufollowonLinkedIn.comwillautomaticallysyncwiththePulseapp,andyoucanalsoaddanyblogornewsfeedviatherobustsearchfunctionalityonPulse.Asaresult,yougaininstantaccesstothemostrelevantandpersonalizednewscontentthatmapstoyourprofessionalinterests.

Andhere’sasuggestionforaChanneltofollowrightawayforfreshinsightsonmarketingfromLinkedInInfluencersandtopsourcessuchasTheWallStreetJournal,AdWeek,Mashable,andmore:theMarketingStrategiesChannelwww.LinkedIn.com/channels/marketing_strategies

share wiTh your neTworkWe’vemadeiteveneasierforyoutosharenewsandinsightsfromyourPulseapp.Withthenew,enhancedsocialfeatures—easilyaccessiblewithineverypieceofcontentatthetopofthescreen—youcanseewhatotherprofessionalsaretalkingaboutandinstantlylike,comment,orshareanarticlewithyourprofessionalnetworkonLinkedIn.

Jump-Start Your Pulse Experience when you download the new pulse app on iOs or android, you will be prompted to sign in using your linkedin profile. Once you’ve done this, we will automatically bring in the channels, influencers, and linkedin content you follow into your pulse experience. additionally, pulse will offer personalized content recommendations that are customized to your linkedin preferences and professional interests.


https://www.linkedin.com/channels/marketing_strategies

https://www.linkedin.com/channels/marketing_strategies

http://www.pulse.me/pulse-download

17

andbrandthoughtleadership,andconnectwithothergroupslikeindustrymediaandprospectiveemployees.Whetherit’stargetedadvertisingorcuratingamixofindustryandcompanynewsonthebrandpage,companiesthatwanttoattractandengageotherbusinessesneedtobeonLinkedIn.

CHAPTER 5

CEO @TopRank Online Marketing, Author: "Optimize," Public Speaker: Integrated Search, Social, & Content Marketing

li: do you regularly check your pulse feed? if so, how do you use it?

LO:IcheckLinkedIndaily,includingthePulsefeed.Ifollowanumberofthethoughtleadersandalsolookforthenewsstoriesmynetworkisengagingwith.ThefeedofferscontentthatIcaninteractwiththroughliking,commenting,sharingonLinkedInorcuratingtoourbroadercommunity.

li: what’s your best advice for writing a compelling company page update?

ask the expert: lee Odden

LO:Thismightseemlikeacartandhorsesituation,butit’simportanttohaveanaudience.UpdatingaCompanyPageto2followersvs.200justisn’tthesame.Aswithanyotherpublishingplatform,thinkofwhoyournetworkisandwhatthey’reinterestedin.Whatdotheyexpect?Givingpeoplewhattheywantintheformofusefulcontent,tips,andinformationaboutchangesatyourcompanyisagreatwaytoattractmorefollowersandbetterengagethoseyoualreadyhave.

Fromawritingstandpoint,writesnappy,compellingtitles.Checkubersuggest.ioforpopularkeywords,andconsiderusingspecificphrasesinthetitleanddescription—butonlyiftheymakesenseandaddvaluetothemessage.YoucanattractmorefollowerstoyourLinkedInCompanyPagethroughsearchonLinkedInaswellasorganicsearch.

li: how can a business take advantage of linkedin as part of a content marketing strategy?

LO:Contentparticipationonanysocialnetworkorwebplatformshouldbeinformedbyacompany’sbusinessandcontent

marketingstrategies.Arecustomersthere,andwhataretheydoing?Whataretheyinterestedin?Whatopportunitiesarethereforthebrandtobevaluabletothoseprospectivecustomers?

Formostcompaniesthatsellintothebusinessmarket,participatingonLinkedInshouldbeano-brainer.ThespecificwayLinkedInisuseddependsonthecompany,industry,andproductmix.Italsodependsonwhatkindsofopportunitiestherearetobe“thebestanswer”onLinkedInforthethingscustomersareinterestedin.

aT a minimum:• EnsureexecutiveLinkedInprofilesarefilledoutandoptimized.

• MakesuretheCompanyPageisrobust.

• CurateusefulnewsasstatusupdatesandontheCompanyPage.

• UseLinkedInasafollowupaftermeetingpeopleonlineandespeciallyatofflineeventswherebusinesscardsareexchanged.

Beyondthat,LinkedIn’ssocialnetworkplatformprovidesmanyopportunitiestoengagewithprospects,supportindividual


http://www.linkedin.com/in/leeodden




http://ubersuggest.io

18

CHAPTER 6

Build Your Brand and Company Presence Organically: Content Marketing On LinkedIn

Bydeliveringrelevantcontent,youcanorganicallybuildyourbrandandcompanypresenceandyourrelationshipswithtargets.LinkedInprovidesthefollowingsolutionsfordeliveringrelevantcontenttoourmembers:

• YourLinkedInCompanyPage

• ShowcasePagesforproductorthoughtleadershipcontent

• Publishlong-formposts

• SlideShare

CompanyPagesarewhereyoucancatchtheeyeofprospectivecustomersbyfeaturingthoughtleadershipcontentoranythingelsethatwouldberelevanttoyourtargetaudience,includinglinkstoyourlatestandgreatestwhitepapers,e-books,casestudiesandhow-tocontent.Bydeliveringusefulandengagingcontent,you’llfosterengagementandhelpyourmessagespreadfaster.

Andremember:Integrationwithcommonsocialmediamanagementvendors—includingAdobe,Hootsuite™,Percolate,Salesforce,Shoutlet,Spredfast,andSprinklr—makesiteasierforyoutomanageyourCompanyPage.

% 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Source:B2BMarketing2016Benchmarks,Budgets,andTrends—NorthAmerica,

ContentMarketingInstitute/MarketingProfs

linkedin continues to be the #1 channel to distribute content.

Build your Brand and company presence Organically: content marketing on linkedin

linkedin: a key plaTform for b2b conTenT delivery

Mobilize Your Employees to Amplify Your Message Best-in-class companies encourage their own employees to share content on linkedin with their networks, significantly increasing content reach. this is especially powerful for companies whose sales reps are connected to the right decision makers.

19

CHAPTER 6

Likemanycompanies,youlikelyconsidermanypartsofyourbusinessasimportant.Andtogiveeachitsdueattention,youlikelyhavemorethanone“voice.”WithShowcasePages,youcanbuildapresenceandpresentauniquevoiceforeveryimportantpartofyourbusiness.Bycreatingdedicatedpagesforyourmoreprominentbrands,businesses,andinitiativesusingShowcasePages,youcanextendyourLinkedInpresence.

Inotherwords,youcancreateadistinctplatformforeachaspectofyourbusinessthathasitsownmessagetosharewithitsowntargetaudience.It’sauniquewaytodirectlyengagetherightpeopleintherightcontext.AndjustaswithCompanyPages,youradministratorswillbeabletomonitorperformancethroughdedicatedanalyticstoolswithintheShowcasePageexperience.

Showcase Pages: Demonstrate Thought Leadership with Specific Audiences

5 Steps to Engaging Followers on LinkedIn:

1. establish your presence

2. attract followers

3. engage followers

4. amplify through the network

5. analyze and refine

“ when i ran marketing at a mobile startup, we routinely compared the impact of each channel at each funnel stage. we plotted channels along two dimensions: volume of names and cost per lead. linkedin topped all other lead sources, across both dimensions, and at every stage of the funnel. when it came to content distribution and lead generation, linkedin quickly became the first dollar budgeted each quarter.”

— Joe Chernov, VP of Marketing at InsightSquared


20

CHAPTER 6

Themorethemerrieronthesocialmerry-go-round.Herearesomesimple,effectivestrategiesforattractingmorefollowerswithyourcompanyupdates:

• Engageyourcolleagues.AstudybyBrightEdgefoundthat9ofthetop10brandswiththemostfollowersonLinkedInhaveatleast60%oftheiremployeesonLinkedIn.

• Cultivatealargerfollowingwithamulti-channelapproach.EncourageyourteammatestoaddalinktoyourCompanyPageintheiremailsignatures.Ifneeded,askyourdesignerforhelpcreatingacustomizedbannerorbutton.

Attract More Followers Did you Know?

there are more than 2 million unique publishers actively using the linkedin share button on their sites to send content to the linkedin platform.

“ content marketing is the planning, creation, promotion, and measurement of content to a target audience with the goal of satisfying customers and affecting a business outcome. linkedin offers an incredibly useful platform for research, ideation, and the amplification of content to specific interest groups from your target customers to the influencers that inspire them to take action. linkedin is essential for achieving content marketing results.”

— Lee Odden, CEO @TopRank Online Marketing, Author: Optimize, Public Speaker: Integrated Search, Social, and Content Marketing


http://www.brightedge.com/

21

CHAPTER 6

PublishingonLinkedIngivesallprofessionalstheabilitytosharetheirexpertisewiththeworld.OncesolelyfortheuseofanexclusivegroupofInfluencers,nowallmembersareinvitedtopublishlong-formcontentonLinkedIn.

UsinganintuitivebloggingtoolthatseamlesslyintegrateswithyourprofileonLinkedIn,youcanpublishnewandpreviouslypublishedcontentonLinkedIntoquicklygrowyouraudienceandnetwork.ArticlespostedwiththetoolaresearchablebykeywordinLinkedIn’spostsearchbox.Ifyourpostisviewedenoughtimes,itcangetpickedupbyPulse,LinkedIn'snewsappandcontentbrand—whichmeansyoucangrowviews,comments,andsharesbyleapsandbounds.

TherealpowerofpublishingonLinkedIncanbeunleashedwhenyoucombinesubject-matterexpertise,CompanyandShowcasePages,employeeamplification,andSponsoredContentforanalways-onthoughtleadershipengine.Forexample,yourCMO/CEOpublishesathoughtleadershippieceonLinkedIn.YoupublishitonyourCompanyPage,ShowcasePage,orboth,askingyouremployeestosharewiththeirnetworks,andfinallyextendthepost'sreachusingtargetedSponsoredContentandDirectSponsoredContent.

Take Advantage of Publishing On LinkedIn


3 Reasons to Go Long on LinkedIn: 1. the content you publish is attached to and becomes a part of your

linkedin profile, positioning you as an expert and thought leader.

2. you can create an always-on strategy with your c-level team, subject-matter experts, and employees by delivering your message with credibility and authenticity.

3. your posts have the potential to be featured on linkedin pulse and recommended to a much broader group of members.

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CHAPTER 6

Weareallvisualthinkers.Infact,75%ofthesensoryneuronsinourbrainsprocessvisualinformation.Visualcontentcanhelpsetyouapartfromtext-heavycompetition,andSlideShareistheperfectchannelforyourvisualcontent.

SlideShareisnotjustarepositoryforyourslidepresentations.It’sasocialchannelwhereyoucanestablishyourbrandasathoughtleaderandauthorityaroundtopicsandkeywords.

Through slideshare, you can: • Sharepresentations,videos,infographics,andotherdocumentswithyourLinkedInnetwork

• Uploadportfolios,conferencetalks,PDFs,marketing/salespresentations,andmore

• Embedvideosinpresentations,andaddaudiotomakeawebinar

Eachmonth,morethan400,000newpiecesofcontentareaddedtoSlideShare,whichhosts70millionuniquevisitorsmonthly.Onanaverageday,nearly4millionpeoplevisitSlideShare(justondesktop!).ThatmakesSlideSharetheworld’slargestprofessionalcontent-sharingcommunity.Andthat’ssomethingyoucan’taffordtooverlook.

SlideShare: Tap into Visual Tendencies“ it’s almost not fair to ask for my take on slideshare. i consider it one of the top three ‘plays’ in my own content marketing efforts. i contribute to the slideshare blog. i recommend it to every one of my clients, and am hired often to write and design the presentations. however, i’m biased for many reasons. atop the list: slideshare — and its integration with linkedin — accounts for a massive chunk of my website’s traffic, has a lot to do with the authority i’ve gained in content marketing and copywriting for the web, and is helping to bring me all kinds of opportunities including new business, partnerships, and speaking engagements. if you’re not using slideshare to distribute your content, you’re missing out on, what, 60 million eyeball opportunities a month? and if you are, you know exactly how the service can align with your marketing goals.”

— Barry Feldman, Feldman Creative


23

CHAPTER 6

have i goT a sTory for you!

1.Keepyourpresentationsshortandsweet:Between10–30slidesisoptimal.

2.Bevisual:Shootforanaverageof19imagesinyour10–30slides.

3.Gettothepoint:Aimforanaverageof24wordsperslide.

4.Betheauthorityonyourtopic:Chooseatopicandownit.

5.Focusondesign,andtellastory:Designyourdecktopullthereaderfromoneslidetothenext.

6.RevuptheSEOforeachpresentation:Includekeyword-richtitles,descriptionsandtagsinordertogiveyourpresentationsafightingchanceintheworldofsearchenginesaswellasinsidetheSlideSharesearchresults.

7.Integrateyourpresentationsintomultiplechannels:SlideShareeasilyembedsintolandingpagesandblogsandrendersbeautifullyinTwitter.

8.Repurposeyourpresentations:Sliceanddicethemintoblogposts,infographics,webinars,andvideos.

9.MakeSlideSharepartofeverycampaign:AddaSlideSharecheckboxtoyourcampaignchecklist.

Ifyoudon’thaveaSlideShareaccount,signupfromLinkedIntoshareyourpresentationsworldwideanddrivemoreviewsandtraffic.

9 Tips to Help Ensure Content Domination on SlideShare:

a good story captivates an audience. think about your favorite book, tV show or movie; the plot and way it is told hooks you in. now what if every presentation you sat through or gave was that spell-binding?

Did you Know?

more than 30 million pieces of content are uploaded to slideshare. (february, 2016)


“ in a recent conference, i was asked my opinion on what is the biggest opportunity in B2B content marketing. without hesitation, i answered 'slideshare.'”

— Michael Brenner, Vice President of Marketing Insider Group, Speaker, Blogger and Social Business Marketing Leader

24

CHAPTER 6

The4-1-1RulewascoinedbyTippingpointLabsandJoePulizzioftheContentMarketingInstitute.WhileitwasoriginallycreatedwithTwitterinmind,itcansuccessfullybeappliedtoyourcompany’scontentmarketingstrategyusingLinkedIn.

The rule sTaTes:“Foreveryoneself-servingtweet,youshouldretweetonerelevanttweetandmostimportantlysharefourpiecesofrelevantcontentwrittenbyothers.”

It’sbasicallysayingtosharethelove.Insteadofconstantlybombardingyourfollowerswithdemos,webinarsandwhitepaperdownloads,createacadenceofhelpfulinsightsrelevanttoyouraudience.Mixinabitofindustrythoughtleadercontent;newsandtrendsareagreatwaytobuildrelationshipswithprospectswhilekeepingcurrentcustomersintheknow.

You’llauthenticallyengageinconversations,buildawarenessandinteractwithLinkedInmemberswithoutgivingtheimpressionthatyou’reaself-centeredknow-it-all.It’sallpartofmovingtothenewmarketingmindsetof“alwaysbehelping”insteadoftheoutdated“alwaysbeselling.”

Consistentposting:Createaneditorialcalendarofupdateswithinyourcompany,andhighlightrelevantthird-partymaterial.Thenshareitwithcompanyfollowers.Buildingacadencearoundthe4-1-1rulewillcontinuallyaddvalueforyourfollowers.

Follow the 4-1-1 Rule

Source:TippingpointLabs.www.tippingpointlabs.com

4 New Tweets 1 Self-Serving Tweet

“ sell something, get a customer for a day. help someone, get a customer for life.”

— Jay Baer, Digital Marketing Strategist, Speaker, Author and President of Convince & Convert


1 Retweet

http://www.tippingpointlabs.com

25

CHAPTER 7

Expand Your Targeted Reach: Paid Advertising On LinkedIn

Bycombiningmassreachwithaccuratetargeting,LinkedInadvertisingsolutionsenableyouto:

• Engageyourtargetfromamongthemostaffluent,influential,andeducatedaudienceonsocialmedia.

• Increaseawareness,credibilityandimpactthroughthepowerofsocialproof.

• Drivetrafficandleadstoyoursite.

HerearetheLinkedInadvertisingsolutionsatyourdisposaltohelpyouachievethoseresults:

• SponsoredContent

• SponsoredInMail

• ProgrammaticBuying

• DynamicAds

• TextAds

expand your targeted reach: paid advertising on linkedin

26

CHAPTER 7

Ourmembersarealreadyengagingwithhigh-qualitycontentfromnewssites,thoughtleaders,theirconnections,andbrands.WithSponsoredContent,youcanjointheconversationandappearalongwiththatcontent.YoucanpublishSponsoredContentwithrichmediaandensurerelevancewithrobusttargetingfunctionality.Andthatmeansyoucanreachtherightpeopleattherighttimewithyourbestarticles,images,infographics,PDFs,presentations,andvideos.Plus,SponsoredContentistheonlywaytoreachLinkedIn’smobileusersatscale,sincetheyappearinthefeedondesktop,tablet,andsmartphone.

sponsored conTenT is a powerful Tool To:• Raiseawarenessandshapeperception.SendSponsoredContenttoyourtargetaudiencetorapidlyincreaseawarenessandshapetheperceptionofyourbrand,products,andservices.

• Drivequalityleads.Generatequalityleadsbysharinginsightsthatprofessionalsseek.WatchthatcontentspreadviathepeersharingthatoccursnaturallyonLinkedIn.

• Buildrelationshipswiththeworld’sprofessionals.PublishyourcontentwithSponsoredContenttocreatevalueandestablishtrustthatsparksongoingconversationsanddeepercustomerrelationships.

TargeTing opTionsSponsoredContentallowsyoutoreachatargetedaudiencebeyondyourCompanyPagefollowers.Youcandefineyouraudienceusingcriteriasuchaslocation,companysize,industry,jobfunction,andseniority.Remember,there’salwaysatradeoffbetweentargetingandaudiencesize.Ifyoutargettoospecifically,yourcontentmayreachaverysmallaudience.

performance TrackingYoucanpromotecontentin20languagesacrossthe200countriesandterritorieswherewehavemembers.Withinaminuteortwoofpublishingyourupdate,you’llseeimpressionandengagementmetrics—andreportingonyourpostwillbeupdatedinnearrealtime.Thatmeansyoucantrackhowwellyourpostshitthemarkandfine-tuneyourstrategyinstantly.

Sponsored Content: Appear in the LinkedIn Feed and Beyond

Think of Targeted and Sponsored Content as Native Advertising

sponsored content is native to the browsing experience, incorporated directly into the member’s feed so as not to interrupt the stream of content. that said, be sure to keep two to four sponsored content campaigns live at all times — that way you can appeal to members who are in the evaluation stage and still interested in high-level content, as well as those that are closer to a purchase decision.

alteryx, an advanced analytics software company, generates quality leads at lower cost, using sponsored content to engage with targeted, premium audiences.

“ with sponsored content we get the right kind of leads who are interested in relevant content we've created and in learning more about our product.”

— Rick Schultz, Senior VP of Marketing


27

CHAPTER 7

how sponsored conTenT worksGettingaLinkedInCompanyPageisthefirststeptousingSponsoredContent.AllSponsoredContentmustfirstbecreatedasorganicCompanyUpdates.

Similartoanadunit,aSponsoredContentpostcanbeviewedbymemberswhentheyvisitLinkedIn.SponsoredContentisclearlydistinguishedfromorganiccontenttomakesureourmemberscandifferentiatebetweenorganicandpaidcontent.Currently,theyarelabeledas“Promoted.”LinksinSponsoredContentcandrivetrafficwhereveryou’dlike,includingyourcontentportals,relevantnewsorarticles,YouTubeorSlideSharechannels,whitepapers,andeventregistrationforms.

SponsoredContentispurchasedthroughasecond-priceauction.Here’showitworks:EachtimethereisanopportunityforSponsoredContenttobeshown,LinkedInrunsanauctiontodeterminewhichposttoshow.Foranygivenauction,therecanbemanybidsfromcompetingadvertiserslookingtoreachthatmember.Thatmeanswhenyousponsorcontent,yourcampaignentersanauctiontodeterminewhetherit’sshowntoyourtargetaudience.SponsoredContentinventoryisnon-guaranteed,butyoumayadjustyourbidandcontenttoperformbetterintheauction.Remember,becauseLinkedInrunsasecond-priceauction,ifyouwinyourbid,you'llonlypayonecentmorethanthesecond-highestbidder.


28

CHAPTER 7

Author, Maximize Your Social, Trilingual Social Media Strategy & Social Business Coach, Consultant, Trainer & Speaker


NS:ThecontentthatbestconnectswithaudiencesonLinkedInisundoubtedlythetypethatmakesusdoourjobsbetteraswellasinvestinourprofessionalbrand.Withoutadoubt,therecentlyaddedInfluencercontentisofthehighestquality,butthereisothergreatcontenttobefound

ask the expert: neal schaffer

inNetworkUpdatesaswellasrelevantGroups.Itallcomesdowntocontentthatisbothrelevantandtimely—butdeepaswell.li: how do you make sure personal time spent on linkedin is productive? how does this differ from other social networks?

NS:IspendmypersonaltimeonLinkedInin2ways:1)Keepingup-to-dateandengagingwithmynetwork,and2)Businessintelligencelookingforinformationonpeople,companies,ornewsinmyindustry.Ilimitmytimeandremainclearonmyobjectives.

li: what recommendations do you have for marketers looking to connect with target audiences on linkedin?

NS:LinkedIn,likeanyothersocialnetwork,isaboutpeoplethatareusingsocialmediaforcommunicationwithothersaswellasinformationgathering.Professionalsarenotlookingtobesoldto,buttheyareseekingoutinformationthatcanhelpthemdotheirjobsbetter.ThebestapproachthatIwouldrecommendformarketerstoconnectwiththeirtargetaudiencewouldlooklikea

combinationofthefollowing:

• EstablishrobustprofilesthatmakeyoudiscoverableinLinkedIn'sprofilesearch.

• Sharerelevantcontentconsistentlyfromyourpersonalprofile.

• Reachoutandconnectwiththosefromyourtargetaudiencethatyouknowbuthaveyettoconnectwith.

• ProactivelyutilizeyourLinkedInnetworkforintroductionstokeypeopleinyourtargetaudience,usingLinkedInInmailswhenanintroductionisnotpossible.

• Engageinrelevantgroups.

• Createagrouptorepresentyourcompany.

• PromoteyourLinkedInCompanyPage,buildupafollowerbase,andengagewiththem.

• UtilizeTextAdstohelppreciselyconnectyouwithyourtargetaudience.


29

CHAPTER 7

UsingSponsoredInMail,youcanreachhigh-value,targetedprospectsonLinkedInwithattention-grabbingmessagesthatspeakdirectlytotheirinterests.Youcandesignaterecipientsbygeography,jobrole,groupmembership,companysize,andothercriteria.

ThesenotificationsareprominentlydisplayedontheLinkedInhomepageandinmembers’inboxesforhighvisibilitythatcutsthroughtheclutter.DiscoveranewwaytoincreasetheeffectivenessofyouremailmarketingeffortanddriveleadsfromLinkedIn.ReachmembersonlywhentheyareactiveontheLinkedInsitetoboostengagement.

sponsored inmail is ideal for: • Boostingconversionswithtargetedproductandservicepromotions.

• Promotingcontentyouraudiencewantstosee,suchasinfographics,whitepapers,andreports.

• Personalizinginvitationstoeventsandconferences.

TheflexibleformatmakesitsimpletointegratecontentandmessagingfromacrossyourLinkedInecosystem.Accuratetargetingensuresyoureachthemembersthatmattermost,fromacrossournetworkofover467millionprofessionals.

Sponsored InMail: Deliver Directly to Members’ Inboxes

sponsored inmail leverages the credibility of the linkedin platform so that they are more likely to be opened, read, and acted on — unlike conventional email campaigns.

engage your key target audiences across desktop and mobile.

drive conversations by delivering personalized messages within the uncluttered linkedin inbox environment.

send a personalized message directly to a member’s inbox.

“ with so many competitors going after the same customers, VistaVu knew it was time to rethink its strategy. Our goal was to break away from the crowd by really demonstrating our industry focus and unique value proposition. for us, it was about getting our message and differentiated product offerings to the right audience. not only did we receive more leads, but the quality and the promise of the leads was unmatched.”

— Nicole Baron, Marketing Manager, VistaVu Solutions


a unique producT in an uncluTTered environmenT• Mobile-optimizeddesignforeasyclicks:Persistentcall-to-actionbuttonremainsontopofcontentwhileuserscrolls.

• Real-timedeliveryensurestimelyreach:SponsoredInMailmessagesareonlydeliveredwhenmembersareonLinkedIn.

• Unclutteredprofessionalcontext:Strictdeliveryfrequencycapsensureyourmessagegetsmaximummindshare.

• Flexibilitytotailoryourcontent:Sendapersonalizedmessagethatwillresonatemostwithyourtargetaudience.

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CHAPTER 7

DukeUniversity’sCrossContinentMBAprogramoffersauniquevaluepropositionthatcanbedifficulttoconveythroughtraditionaladformats.“Recruitingworkingprofessionalsintoourglobalprogramshasalwaysbeenachallenge,becauseourconceptisthatyoucontinueinyourrolewhileearningaworld-classMBA,”saysElizabethHogan,associatedeanforglobalmarketingatDuke.“Yetwhenhigh-potentialprofessionalsinemergingmarketsthinkaboutbusinessschool,theyassumeitinvolvesquittingtheirjobstodoanMBAprograminanothercountry,orattendingalocalschoolintheeveningsoronweekends.”

Themajorityofapplicantstotheprograminthepasthadcomeinfromword-of-mouthreferrals.However,Dukewantedtopromotetheprogramtonewprospectsindiverseglobalregionswhowouldnothavelearnedaboutitotherwise.

HoganrolledoutSponsoredInMailstargetedbyseniority,geography,anddegreeresultinginanopenrateof68 percent,a400 percentincreaseinconversions,andasalespipelineclosurespeedincreaseof300 percent.

Duke University Sees Sky-high Conversion Rates with Sponsored InMail

" One of the extraordinary things about this inmail campaigns is that we have two students starting in august who had never heard of this program when they received our inmail in march. in the history of my marketing experience at his school, i've never seen us convert that quickly."

— Elizabeth Hogan, Associate Dean, Global Marketing, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University


31

CHAPTER 7

LinkedIn Account Targeting: Tailor your Sponsored Content or Sponsored InMail Campaigns to a Priority List of Accounts

LinkedIn'sprofiletargetingcombinedwithLinkedInAccountTargetingwillallowyoutomarketproductsandgenerateopportunitiestotherightpersonaswithintheaccountsthatmattermosttoyourbusiness.LinkedInAccountTargetingisavailabletocustomerspurchasingSponsoredInMailandSponsoredContentthroughaLinkedInaccountrepresentative,andweplantoexpandthistoourself-servecustomersovertime.

3 Characteristics of a Top-notch Account Based Marketing Strategy

sales and markeTing are in syncInABM,marketingfocusesontheaccountsthatmattermosttothesalesteam,insteadofcastingawidenetwiththeirleadgenerationefforts.Thatmeansmorecommunicationbetweentheteamsthanmostorganizationsareusedto.It’susefultothinkofsalesandmarketingworkingtogetheraspartsofan“accountteam.”

Thatmeansmarketingfocusesitsbudgetontheaccountsthatsalesdeemsmostimportant,creatingcontentspecificallyforthesekeyaccounts.Salesandmarketingagreeonasharedvocabulary,commongoals,andmetricsusedtoevaluatesuccess.

markeTing reaches verTically and horizonTally across TargeT accounTsThetraditionalB2Bsalesapproachistofocusonafewkeydecisionmakers.AstheB2Bbuyingprocessbecomesmorecollaborative,thatapproachislesseffective.Ourresearchshowsthatanaverageof3-5departmentsareinvolvedinpurchasingdecisions,dependingontheindustry.

ForABM,thegoalistotargetmultipledepartmentswithintheaccount,withpersonalizedcontentforeach.Individualcontactsareimportant,butneedtobeviewedinthecontextoftheentireaccount.


Customer list

Companies on LinkedInLinkedIn

Account Targeting

InthenewB2Bbuyerjourney,vendorsneedtobeknowncompany-widetohaveanimpact.ABMaccomplishesthisbytargetingamessageatscaletothebroaderbuyinggroup.

conTenT develops TrusT and shares knowledgeBuildingandnurturingrelationshipsiscentraltoasuccessfulABMprogram.Ourresearchshowsthatbuyersaremorelikelytoformarelationshipwithvendorswhoprovidevaluableconsultation,education,andtools.

Soit’simportantthatyourcontentplanhasamplethoughtleadershipcontent.Therearethreeimportantconsiderationsforcreatingcontentthatdemonstratessubjectmatterexpertise:1. Understandwhatstakeholdersbelieve.Startwithresearchintotheexistingstateofthe

conversation,soyoucanmeetyourreaderwheretheyare.2. Developandarticulateawell-informedpointofview.Makeastrongcaseforyourposition

—makeitclearthatyouhavetheauthoritytotakeadefinitivestand.3. Frameyourstoryintermsofvaluedelivered.Backupyourviewpointwithreal-world

examplesthatdemonstrateyourideasinaction.

Ideally,youshouldhaveauniquevaluepropositionandrelevantcontentforeachdepartmentthatinfluencesabuyingdecision.

https://business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/ad-targeting/account-targeting

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Agency Partner Manager at Pinterest (Formerly Agency Lead at AOL)


NS:BecauseoftheassociationofthecontentonLinkedIn,aswellaswiththeaudiencethatgoestothesite—anycategorywhereaclientisaimingtomakeheadwayfromaleadershipperspective.Ifyou’relookingtomakealeadershipstatementand/orbeseencuratingapointofviewwithcontent,thereisalotofupsidetotheLinkedInproposition.

ask the expert: nate stricker

li: how do you compare the audience targeting capability of linkedin with other social networks?

NS:WithLinkedIn,withcontentgeneration,there’sanopportunitywithnativecontenttobeabitmoresurgicalwiththedatayouhave,andthekindofcontentyoudeliver—theholygrailoftheaudienceandthecontentequationtogether.Ithinkthat’sdefinitelyanareawherethereisopportunitybecausenoonenetworkisespeciallynailingitrightnow.


NS:There’sstillsomeeducationrequired.Evenbeforebeingthoughtofasamediaopportunityforadvertisers,LinkedInisviewedasamarketer’sin-housePRfirm—thePRmechanism,ifyouwill.Ithinkthefirststepisrecognizingthatithasquiteabittoofferfromanadvertisingperspective.ThesecondthingisthattherearealotofcategoriesthatcouldbenefitfromLinkedInbeyondtheobviousones.It’snotjustanenvironmentfortheWellsFargosandtheBankofAmericasandtheUniversityofPhoenixesoftheworld,buthashuge

valuefortheGEsandtheGeicosandtheChryslers,etc.Ithinkthat’sastorythatcanbebetterflavoredinthemarketplace.

li: how would you advise a marketer looking to create more “shareable” content? are there specific strategies or specific tools you would recommend?

NS:Fromatoolstandpoint,areallygoodsociallisteningservicecancoverawideswathofsources.Itcanalsoprovideaccesstoothermedia,searchtrends,andsearchbehaviorssoyouhavearichtapestrytodrawfromintermsofwhatisrelevantforconsumers,particularlyyourtargetaudience.Goodlisteningisthefirststep.You’renotgoingtocreateshareablecontentifwhatyou’rebuildingisnotrelevantandintriguingtoconsumers.Sometimesit’sabalanceofwhattheadvertiserwantstogetacrossversusthepassionsthatignitetheinterestoftheconsumer.

Thesecondpartishavingcompellingcontentthatleveragesthingslikesight,sound,andmotiontousethelisteningplatformtofindtopicsthathaveacurrencytothem.Thenfinallymakingiteasytoshare,soausercanchoosetoshareinwhicheverplatformtheyaremostcomfortablewith.


www.linkedin.com/pub/nate-stricker/4/167/62

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“ from a marketing standpoint, the targeting is unprecedented. for marketing campaigns, linkedin can identify who to send it to and when to send it, but with precision we have never seen before. the success stories are still building, but we will see more B2B marketers drive success via linkedin over the next couple years.”

—Craig Rosenberg, The Funnelholic www.funnelholic.com

Programmatic BuyingWe'vealsolaunchedprogrammaticbuyingasawaytoaccessLinkedInDisplayAds.ThismeansyoucannowworkwithyourpreferredbuyingplatformtobuyhighlyvisibleadsthathelpyoureachandengagetherightbuyersandbuildyourbrandinthepremiumcontextofLinkedIn.

Ourgoalwithprogrammaticbuyingistogiveyoumoreflexibilityinhowyouworkwithus,andexpandthewayswecanpartnertomeetyourmarketinggoals.

how iT worksYouhavetheoptiontopurchaseourdisplayadsprogrammaticallyeitherthroughanOpenAuctionorviaLinkedInPrivateAuctions.BothgiveyoutheflexibilityandcontroltoreachyourtargetaudiencesonLinkedIn.Ifyou’realreadybuyingprogrammatically,OpenAuctionisthefastestwaytobuyLinkedInDisplayAdsprogrammatically.Foradvertiserslookingforadditionaltargetingcapabilities,thePrivateAuctionisagreatoption.

WhenusingyourownfirstorthirdpartydatalikewebsitevisitorsandCRMcontacts,ourPrivateAuctionofferstheabilitytoexplicitlytargettheLinkedIn.comhomepageasaplacement.Asanotherbenefit,ourPrivateAuctionpurchasingoptionallowsadvertiserstotargetselectLinkedInaudiencesegments(e.g.,target“ITdecisionmakers”)ifyoudon’twanttouseyourownfirstorthirdpartydata.

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CHAPTER 7

Asasophisticatedmarketer,youknowthatmessagerelevancyiscriticaltosuccessfullyconnectingwithtargetaudiencesanddrivingdesiredactions.AndLinkedInDynamicAdsmakesitpossibletoaccuratelytargetdecisionmakersanddealinfluencerswithhighlyrelevant,dynamicallygenerated,customizablecreativeonLinkedIn.com.UsingDynamicAds,youcan:

• Targettheaudiencesthatmatter.Selecttheaudiencesyouwanttoreachbasedonawiderangeofprofessionaltargetingoptions,includingcompany,workexperience,groups,andinterests.

• Customizeyourcreative;personalizeyourmessage.Craftyouradcopy,chooseyourcalltoaction,andleveragedynamicallygeneratedimagesfromLinkedInmemberprofiles.

• Growyourcompanyfollowercount.EncourageLinkedInmemberstofollowyourcompanyandbuildbetterrelationshipswithyourtargetaudiencewithone-click“FollowCompany”callstoaction.

60% of marketers say personalizing the customer experience is their top marketing objective.


Dynamic Ads for Personalized Targeting

35

CHAPTER 7


LinkedInTextadsisanintuitive,self-serviceadvertisingsolutionthatenablesyoutocreateeasily(inminutes),thenmanageandoptimizecustomizedcampaignstargetingapremiumprofessionalaudienceanddrivehigh-qualityleadstoyourbusinessonabudgetthatworksforyou.

WithTextAds,youhaveatyourfingertipstheabilityto:

• Easilycreateandlaunchwell-targetedcampaignswithcustomizedcreativeinjustminutes.

• Fine-tuneyourtargetaudiencebasedonlocation,demographics,skills,interestsandworkhistorytoachievetherightmixofvolumeandprecision.

• Gainmeaningfulinsightsintoyourcampaignandcreativeperformancewithpowerfulaudiencesegmentationanalytics.andsocialengagementmeasurementtools

• Intelligentlyoptimizeyourbudgets,bidsandcreativetoachieveyourbrandingandcustomeracquisitionobjectives.

Text Ads: Generate Quality Leads with an Easy, Self-serve Solution

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CHAPTER 7


LinkedInConversionTracking—asetofcapabilitiesbuiltdirectlyintoLinkedInCampaignManager—enablesyoutoeasilymeasureleads,sign-ups,contentdownloads,purchases,andotherdesiredactionsonyourLinkedInSponsoredContent,InMail,andTextAdscampaigns.Withconversiontracking,youcanunderstandmoreaboutthespecificadsandeventheuniqueLinkedInaudiencesthataredrivingyourconversions.LinkedInConversionTrackingallowsyoutoidentifytheseniority,industry,jobfunction,locationandcompanysizeofthepeoplewhoarebecomingleads.

WithLinkedInConversionTracking,youcan:

• Trackthemetricsthatmattermost:TrackwebsiteconversionsfromyourLinkedInprogramsdirectlyinCampaignManager.Ataglance,youcanunderstandyourLinkedInadvertisingROI,conversioncount,cost-per-conversion,conversionrate,andreturnonadspend.Youcaneventrackwhichaudiencesegmentsaredrivingthemostconversions.

• Recordeveryconversion,everytime:Trackconversionsonyourwebsitefromdesktopandmobile,whethermembersconvertedafterclickingon—orevenafterjustviewing—oneofyourads.

• Optimizeyourcampaignstodriveevenbetterperformance:Monitorthespecificcampaigns,ads,andthenatureoftheaudiencesthataredrivingconversions.ThenusethisinformationtoimproveyourSponsoredContentandTextAdstargetingandcreative,andmaximizethedownstreamimpactofleadandopportunitypipelinegoals.

LinkedIn Conversion Tracking: Easily Measure and Optimize the Business Impact of your LinkedIn Sponsored Content, InMail, and Text Ads

With conversion tracking, you can: 1. track leads from your linkedin ad campaigns.

2. understand the rOi of your spend.

3. Optimize for the results that matter most.

MarketingQualified Leads

CostPer Lead

SalesQualified Leads

MarketingImpacted Pipeline

RevenuePer Opportunity

https://business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/conversion-tracking

37

CHAPTER 7

Chief Product Officer at LegalShield Official


CD:Italldependsonthegoalsofthecampaignorwhatwearetryingtoaccomplish.MyfocusisonaglobalcampaignthattranscendstheUSandEurope,soalotofwhatwearedoingisbranding.Welookatplatformsas"howcanwebestutilizeourmoneytogetinfrontofasmanypeopleaswecantoconvincethemwe'reabrandforthem?"Questionnumberoneisalways,"Canwebuildthebrandonthisplatform?"

ask the expert: chris d'alessandro


CD:Anyorganizationthatneedstodoabetterjobofgettingthebrandinfrontofaffluentpeopleorjusttherightprofessionalpeople.LinkedInisagreatplatformfortargetingthistypeofaudience.TheothertypeofclientthatneedstobeonLinkedInisanyorganizationthatneedstorecruittoptalent.

li: how do you compare the audience targeting capability of linkedin with other social networks?

CD:Thebiggestthingthat’scometoourattentionisthatwecantrusttheresultsfromLinkedIn.PeoplearelessapttoelaborateonLinkedInthantheyareonothersocialnetworks.Sometimesyoudon’tknowifyou’reactuallygettingthepersonyou’retargeting,andmypersonalversionofwhyIpreferLinkedInoverothersocialnetworksisbecauseIknowwhoI’mgetting.ItrustLinkedIndatanotbecauseothersocialnetworksarelyingabouttheirdata,butratherbecauseconsumersaremoreapttoelaborateonothersocialnetworks.


CD:Theyareseeingitasanadvertisingplatform,andtheyarenotleveragingitasacontentplatform.Advertisersaretryingtodrivelowerfunnelactivitiesinsteadofparticipatingintheconversation.IseeLinkedInasawaytocontinuethedialogueinawaythatnaturallypromotesthevaluepropositionofthebrand,andIthinkmanybrandsarestillusingitasanadplatformbecausemostmedia-buyingagenciesfollowthepathofleastresistanceandbuywhatiseasy.Gettingthecreativeandcontentdevelopmentteamsinvolvedmakesitharderforthemtobuy.Theycansimplyputanadonthepageinsteadofengagingthecreativeagencyandbuildingaplanthatwillbebetterinthelongrun.


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CHAPTER 8

• Fromthereachandshareofvoiceasyoulooktocreateawareness,shapekeyLinkedInaudiences'perception(targetedimpressions,percentageshareofvoice).

• Aretherightpeopleengagingwithyourcontent(socialactions,clickintelligencebyaudience,contentmarketingscore,click-throughrate,costperclick,costperthousand)?

• Areyoupromptingthemtotakeaction(costperlead,actionsbyaudience)?89%

88%

85%

29%

30%

42%

australia

united states

united kingdom

closing The conTenT markeTing gap

Sources:ContentMarketingintheUK:2015Benchmarks,Budgets,andTrends:Content

MarketingInstitute/DMAUK,ContentMarketinginAustralia:2013Trends—ContentMarketing

Institute/TheAssociationfordata-drivenmarketing&advertising(ADMA),2016B2BContent

MarketingTrends—NorthAmerica:ContentMarketingInstitute/MarketingProfs

DESPITE USING CONTENT MARKETING TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS, GLOBAL MARKETERS DON’T FEEL THEy’RE BEING AS EFFECTIVE AS THEy COULD BE.

using content marketingfeel they’re being effective

Measure the Impact and Optimize

depending on your goals and the kpis you use to measure performance, linkedin gives you clear visibility into your programs' impact throughout the purchase process.

measure the impact and Optimize

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CHAPTER 8

Your Overall Content Marketing Score By Target Audience and Topic

250

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

CLIENT

CM

S Sc

ore

Best in class influence

Weaker content influence

10 7 of

WHO: Audience = Decision Makers WHAT: Topic = Leadership

Blackrock Microsoft Dell CapgeminiOracle Citi Amex Accenture Salesforce

Peers:

benchmark your conTenT performance ThinkoftheContentMarketingScoreasabarometerthathelpsyourcompany,product,andbrandunderstandtheimpactofitscontentmarketingeffortsonLinkedIn.ByattributingaContentMarketingScoretoyourcontent,itquantifiestheinfluenceofyourcompany,product,andbrandonLinkedIn.

TheContentMarketingScoreprovidesthisinsightby:

• Highlightingtheaudience(s)consumingyourcontentonLinkedIn

• Quantifyingyourcompany’scontentpresenceandengagementonLinkedIn

Inotherwords,ittellsyouifmemberswithinyourtargetaudienceareengagingwithyourcontent.Anditcanshowyouhowyoustackupagainstyourcompetitors.Youcanevenseeabreakdownofhowyou’reperformingacrossthedifferentareasofLinkedIn—whetherbyGroups,updates,orposts.

Turn insighTs inTo conTenT goldAllthatinformationisvaluable,butweknowinsightsareuselessunlessyoucanactuponthem.TheContentMarketingScoremakesthatpossiblebyprovidingspecificrecommendationsondefiningandadjustingyourcontentstrategytoachievethebestresultspossible.ThesemayincludesuggestionstoexperimentwithnewwaystoincreaseyourfollowerbasebyutilizingSponsoredContent,encouragingemployeestopublishmoreposts,orfocusingonyourcontentrelevance.

A Dynamic Duo unlike trending content, which gives you insight into the hottest topics across linkedin, the content marketing score is specific to your company, product, and brand.


quanTify your conTenT markeTing efforTs on linkedin Asasophisticatedmarketer,youknowyouneedtoproveyourcontentmarketinginitiatives'impact.Ideallyyouwantto:

• Understandthecontentandtopicsthatresonatewithyouraudience.

• Measuretheeffectivenessofyourcontent-basedcampaigns.

• Benchmarkyourprogramsuccess.

• Seehowyoustackupagainstyourcompetition.

• Rankyourbrandwithacomprehensivescore.

Likethemosteffectivecontentmarketers,youprobablyreachyouraudienceinmultiplewaysacrossLinkedIn,viaemployeeposts,SponsoredContent,andinfluencerposts.LinkedIn'sContentMarketingScoretiesallofthisoutreachtogethersoyougetanintegratedviewofhowyoureffortsarepayingoff.

Inanutshell,theContentMarketingScorefromLinkedIn:

• Analyzeswhoengageswithyourcontent

• Comparesyoutoyourpeers

• Suggestshowtoimproveyourscore

ToreceiveyourcustomContentMarketingScore,pleasecontactyourLinkedInaccountexecutiveoraccountmanager.

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CHAPTER 8

be Trendy (wiTh your conTenT)YourtargetaudienceisonLinkedIn.Nowit’sjustamatterofdeliveringthecontentthatattractsandengagesthem.Buthowdoyouknowjustwhichtopicswillcatch—andkeep—theirattention?Andhowdoyouknowwhichmemberswillbemostinterestedinyourcontent?Whetheryou’renewtocontentmarketingorlookingtodriveevenmoreengagementwithyourexistingcontent,TrendingContentfromLinkedIncanhelpyoufocusonthetopicsthatmatter.

Onadailybasis,LinkedInmembersactivelyengagewithcontentfromfourprimarysourcesofinspiration,insights,andinformationonournetwork:

• Newsfrompublishers

• PeersonLinkedInGroups

• Thoughtleaders

• Brands

WHAT’S TRENDING

The Topics ThaT maTTerYour Target Audience is on LinkedIn

Next-LevelContent

Marketers face a challenge in knowing exactly who's

consuming their content and whether it's reaching their

desired audiences. For more engagement, reach and virality

marketers need to tune their content strategies to the types of

content trending for their target audiences.

The Topics That Matter

Who Shares the Most*Audiences sharing the top 15 most shared articles on LinkedIn, Dec. 2013–Jan. 2014

Entrepreneurs

Financial Advisors Venture Capitalists

Young Upwardly Mobile

Retirement

Women

Career Changers

Small Business Owners

What’s Trending *Top trending topics on LinkedIn, Nov ’14-Jan ’15

3 4 5

6789

1 2

10 sem Social Media EmployeeEngagement

Self-Esteem

IntegratedMarketing

Online Advertising

Web MarketingMarketingSocial MediaMarketing

Recruiting

Source:LinkedInInternalData

align your conTenT calendar wiTh your audienceWithLinkedIn,youcanseetrendingtopicsacrossallthosesources:LinkedInGroups,newsposts,thoughtleadershippostsanddiscussions,andCompanyPages.

You’llseewhichtopicsmatterandwhichmembersaresharingthemostcontentonanygivensubject.You’llevenbeabletopinpointwhichtopicsaregoingviral.Howdowedeliverthisinvaluabledata?Weevaluateinfluencerarticles,networkupdates,andSponsoredContenttounderstandwhichcontentmembersaresharing.Usingacomplexalgorithmbuiltbyourdatascienceteam,weputeachpieceofcontentintooneormoreofover17,000topiccategories.Wethenlayeronmemberprofileattributestounderstandwhoissharingthecontent.Withallthatinsight,youcanfine-tuneyourstrategytoalignwiththelatesttrends.ThatmeansyoucanincreasethelikelihoodofyourowncontentgoingviralandreachandengagemoremembersonLinkedIn.ToreceiveyourcustomTrendingContentanalysis,pleasecontactyourLinkedInaccountexecutiveoraccountmanager.

ThesetoolsarecurrentlyavailableforLinkedInMarketingSolutionscustomerswithanAccountExecutive.YoucancontactyourAccountExecutiveforyourscore.


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CHAPTER 8

CEO at The Engine Group (Formerly President of Global Digital Data and Analytics at Starcom MediaVest Group)


LW:Oneofthethingswesayisthatit’saboutbehavior,notchannels.Fromourperspective,whenyoustartwithconsumerbehavior,youusuallystartwithdata.Wereallybelievethatdatahelpstocreateexperiences,andweusethephrases"createdbydata"and"creatingitsowndata."Youcanusedatatounderstandconsumerbehaviors

ask the expert: lisa weinstein

onaplatformlikeLinkedIn.Then,astheconsumerisengaged,heorshecreatesnewdatatohelpyouoptimizethatexperience.Itstartswithbehavior,whichisinformedbydata,whichwethenusetoinformcontent.

li: how are your clients’ marketing objectives different on linkedin compared to other social networks? how does that impact your clients’ content strategy?

LW:IwouldarguethattheobjectivesofaplatformlikeLinkedInshouldnotbedifferentfromothersocialnetworksandthatallnetworksshouldadduptotheclients'overallmarketingobjectives.AsyoudrilldownintotheusecaseforLinkedIn,itcouldabsolutelybeleveragedforsomemoretacticalandspecificinitiatives.Butifyou’retalkingaboutmarketingobjectivesbroadly,I’dliketothinkthateverythingwedoandallthesethingswecreateladdersuptobiggerobjectiveslikesales,topoffunnel,etc.Tooofteninsocialmedia,marketersgethunguponchasingthesocialnetworks’specificmetrics.Attheendoftheday,whathastomatteristhatamarketer’sinvestmentsaremovingthe

needleagainstthecoremacroobjective.LinkedInhasproveneffectiveforclientswholeverageitacrossthespectrumofobjectivesrangingfrombrandliftandconsiderationtoROIanddirectresponse.LinkedInworksagainstkeymeasures,whethertheyareatthetoporbottomofthefunnel.

li: how would you advise a marketer looking to create more “shareable” content? are there specific strategies or tools you recommend?

LW:Webelievesharingisanindicatorofvaluableconsumerbehavior.We’vespentalotoftimeontoolsprovidedbycompanieslikeShareThis,whichprovidepowerfulindicatorsofthetypesofcontentthataremostsharable.We’vebuiltaplanningtoolthatallowsourplannerstobuyadsagainstcontentthatismorelikelytobeshared.We’veactuallyspentalotoftimeinthespacelookingattrendsoftopicsandkeywordsthatareanotherindicatorofthingsbeingshared.

WepartnerwithcompanieslikeVisibleMeasuresonthevideoside.Itcanbedifferentwithvideo,andtheyhaveyears'

worthofdataonthetypesofvideocontentthatwillmostlikelydrivecertainearnedresponses.Wealsosharethatparttoplanhowourvideocontentcandrivegreatershares,becausewethinkit’sastrategicquestion.It’svitaltoourstrategytothinkabouttheintersectionofpaid,owned,andearnedcontent.


42unlock the power of linkedin's partner programs

CHAPTER 9

ads parTnersManageandoptimizeyouradvertisingcampaignsleveragingindustry-leadingtechnologyandexpertstrategists.

conTenT parTnersAccesshigh-qualityprofessionalcontenttopoweryourcontentmarketing.

company page parTnersEasilymanageyourLinkedInCompanyPagesandothersocialpropertiesusingoneunifieddashboard.

linkedin’s partner programs are designed to work with companies that share our goal of serving our members’ needs. from entertaining promotions to targeted multi-channel messages, linkedin’s platform can significantly increase your consumer engagement beyond linkedin.com. strengthen your customer relationships, campaign performance, and company presence using the powerful technology and expertise of our partners.

unlock the power of linkedin's partner programs

“ partnering with linkedin has enabled us to deliver robust audience demographics, content analytics, and publishing capabilities to today’s biggest brands across every industry. Brands are using this context and capability to deliver great experiences that make professionals more productive and successful, and as a result, are building valuable and lasting relationships.”

— Jim Rudden, CMO Spredfast Inc.cusTom apps parTnersBoostbrandengagementandcreateuniqueexperiencesthroughcustom-builtmarketingsolutions.

compliance parTnersLeveragetrustedtechnologytokeepyourLinkedInmarketingcompliantwithregulationsinfinancialservicesandotherindustries.

analyTics parTnersGetmarketinginsightsthathelpyoubuildbetterLinkedIncampaignsandplanyourmediastrategies.

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CHAPTER 9

LinkedIn Marketing Expert, GetLinkedInHelp.com

li: how are your marketing objectives different on linkedin compared to other social networks?

KJ:IdonotdoanythingonFacebook,asmycompletefocusisonCEOs,C-levelmarketingandsalesexecutives,andsmallbusinessownersinB2Borganizations.Twitter,Iuseasatooltobroadcastmydifferentmessages.

IuseLinkedIntodirectlyconnectwithandbuildrelationshipswithkeydecisionmakers(myprospects),keyprofessionals

ask the expert: kristina Jaramillo

thatinfluencebusinessmarketingdecisions,andpotentialreferralsources/whitelabelpartners.


KJ:ThebesttypeofcontentthatIfoundiscasestudiesandreal-lifeexamples—thisdemonstratesyourrelevance.MostbusinessleadersandB2Bmarketers’LinkedInprofilesdonothavecasestudies.Theytalkabouttheirskillsandexpertisebutthereisnocontentfortheirtargetedprospectstoseewhytheyshouldconnect.WithinthedifferentLinkedInGroups,youshouldalsocreatediscussionsonreal-lifecasestudies.ThisgivesB2Borganizationsachancetoshowcasetheirexpertiseandatthesametimeeducateprospectsonthechallengescompaniesarehavingandthestepstheyneedtotaketoovercomethechallenge.

HerearesomeotherformsofcontentthathaveworkedwellformeandformyGetLinkedInHelpclients:

Radio show interviews:IhostaB2Bmarketingradioshowatwww.blogtalkradio.com/b2bmarketingradioshowwhereguestexperts,includingLinkedIn’sSeniorContentMarketingManagerJasonMiller,sharetheirinsights.

SlideShare presentations and videos that support your case study and result-based LinkedIn profile:Someofourclients'most-readdiscussionswerebasedontheirSlideSharepresentationcontent.

Blog posts and articles that change the way people think and act:Ipersonallylovecontentthatismeanttostartadebate.ThegoalistochangehowpeoplepresentthemselvesonLinkedInandhowtheymarketonLinkedIn.

li: how do you make sure personal time spent on linkedin is productive? how does this differ from other social networks?

KJ:YoucreateaLinkedInstrategythatincludesidentifyingyourgoals,(leadgeneration,brandawareness,thoughtleadership,strengtheningstrategicalliances,communitybuilding,gettingmoreVAR,etc.)—definingyourtargetaudience,locatingtheGroupsyourtargetedaudiencesbelongtoandidentifyingthetypeofcontentthatyouraudiencewillrelateto.Withinyourstrategy,youhavetoalsomapouttheactionsneededtotakeonLinkedIn(webinars,webcasts,whitepapersandemailmarketing).

li: how are marketers getting it wrong with linkedin? KJ:MarketersaregettingitwrongwithLinkedIninanumberofways.They’rebasicallycompletingbrandmaintenanceactivitiesinsteadofusingitasatoolforleadgeneration.Theymaydosomeupdatesandsomecommentingondiscussionsbutthereisnostrategybehindtheirefforts.Theyarejustconnectingwithanyoneandeveryone.

unlock the power of linkedin's partner programs

www.linkedin.com/in/kristinajaramillo

www.linkedin.com/in/kristinajaramillo

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/b2bmarketingradioshow

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/b2bmarketingradioshow

44

1. Jay BaerSpeaker,Author,ConsultantBlogs:jaybaer.com,convinceandconvert.comTwitter:@jaybaerLinkedIn:in/jasonbaer

2. Michael BrennerSeniorDirector,GlobalMarketingatSAP,PresidentandCo-FounderofBusiness2CommunityBlog:b2bmarketinginsider.comTwitter:@BrennerMichaelLinkedIn:in/michaelbrenner

3. Michael BritoGroupDirectorMediaandEngagementatWCG,aW2OCompanyBlog:britopian.comTwitter:@BritopianLinkedIn:in/michaelbrito

stay in the know with tips and advice from the leading social media experts. here’s a list of some of our favorites, representing the best of the best in social media marketing.

4. Jeff BullasConsultant,Speaker,BloggerBlog:jeffbullas.comTwitter:@jeffbullasLinkedIn:in/jeffbullas

5. Brian CarterVPofMarketingatInfinigraph,Author,SpeakerBlog:briancarteryeah.com/blog/Twitter:@briancarterLinkedIn:in/briancarterms

6. Brian ClarkFounderandCEOofCopybloggerBlog:copyblogger.com/blog/Twitter:@copybloggerLinkedIn:pub/brian-clark/8/606/b5a

7. Heidi CohenColumnistBlog:heidicohen.com/tag/blog/Twitter:@heidicohenLinkedin:in/heidicohen

8. Steven FarnsworthChiefDigitalStrategistatJoltDigitalMarketing,Author,SpeakerBlog:stevefarnsworth.wordpress.comTwitter:@steveologyLinkedin:in/stevefarnsworth

9. Barry FeldmanOwneratFeldmanCreative,SpeakerBlog:feldmancreative.com/blogTwitter:@FeldmanCreativeLinkedin:in/feldmancreative

10. Ann HandleyHeadofContentatMarketingProfs,AuthorBlog:marketingprofs.comTwitter:@annhandleyLinkedIn:/in/annhandley

11. Matt HeinzPresidentatHeinzMarketingIncBlog:heinzmarketing.comTwitter:@HeinzMarketingLinkedin:in/mattheinz

25 social media experts you need to know

12. Doug KarrChiefMarketingOfficeratCircuPress,AuthorBlog:marketingtechblog.com/author/douglaskarr/Twitter:@douglaskarrLinkedin:in/douglaskarr

13. Jason KeathCEOofSocialFreshBlog:socialfresh.comTwitter:@jasonkeathLinkedIn:in/jasonkeath

14. Nichole KellyCEOatSocialMediaExplorer,SMEDigitalAuthor,SpeakerBlog:socialmediaexplorer.comTwitter:@Nichole_KellyLinkedin:in/nicholekelly


http://jaybaer.com

http://convinceandconvert.com

http://twitter.com/jaybaer

http://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonbaer

twitter.com/BrennerMichael

twitter.com/BrennerMichael

http://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelbrenner

twitter.com/Britopian

twitter.com/Britopian

http://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelbrito

twitter.com/jeffbullas

twitter.com/jeffbullas

http://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffbullas

twitter.com/briancarter

twitter.com/briancarter

http://www.linkedin.com/in/briancarterms

http://copyblogger.com/blog/

http://twitter.com/copyblogger

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/brian-clark/8/606/b5a

http://heidicohen.com/tag/blog/

http://twitter.com/heidicohen

http://www.linkedin.com/in/heidicohen

http://stevefarnsworth.wordpress.com/

http://twitter.com/steveology

http://feldmancreative.com/blog

http://twitter.com/FeldmanCreative

http://www.linkedin.com/in/feldmancreative

http://marketingprofs.com

http://twitter.com/annhandley

http://www.linkedin.com/in/annhandley

http://heinzmarketing.com

http://twitter.com/HeinzMarketing

http://www.linkedin.com/in/mattheinz

http://marketingtechblog.com/author/douglaskarr/

http://marketingtechblog.com/author/douglaskarr/

http://twitter.com/douglaskarr

http://www.linkedin.com/in/douglaskarr

http://socialfresh.com

http://twitter.com/jasonkeath

http://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonkeath

http://socialmediaexplorer.com

http://twitter.com/Nichole_Kelly

http://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholekelly

45

15. Dave KerpenCEOLikeableLocalAuthor,SpeakerBlog:davekerpen.com/blogTwitter:@DaveKerpenLinkedin:in/davekerpen

16. Stephanie SammonsFounderofWiredAdvisor™SpeakerBlog:blog.wiredadvisor.comTwitter:@StephSammonsLinkedin:in/stephaniesammons

17. David Meerman ScottMarketingStrategist,Speaker,AuthorBlog:webinknow.comTwitter:@dmscottLinkedIn:in/davidmeermanscott

18. Jason Miller GroupManager,ContentMarketingBlog:rocknrollcocktail.com/Twitter:@JasonMillerCALinkedin:in/jsnmiller


19. Lee OddenCEOatTopRankOnlineMarketingAuthor,SpeakerBlog:toprankblog.comTwitter:@leeoddenLinkedin:in/leeodden

20. Joe PulizziFounderatContentMarketingInstituteAuthor,SpeakerLinkedin:in/joepulizziTwitter:@JoePulizziBlog:contentmarketinginstitute.com

21. Viveka Von RosenLinkedInExpert,AuthorBlog:linkedintobusiness.com/Twitter:@LinkedInExpertLinkedIn:in/linkedinexpert

22. Neal SchafferAuthor,SpeakerLinkedin:in/nealschafferBlog:maximizeyoursocial.com/Twitter:@NealSchafferLinkedin:in/nealschaffer

23. Koka SextonGlobalIndustryPrincipal,SocialSelling,HootsuiteBlog:kokasexton.com/word/Twitter:@kokasextonLinkedin:in/kokasexton

24. Mike StelznerFounderofSocialMediaExaminer,AuthorBlog:socialmediaexaminer.comTwitter:@Mike_StelznerLinkedIn:in/stelzner

25. Todd WheatlandVPofMarketingatKellyServicesAuthor,SpeakerBlog:slide-guidebook.com/Twitter:@ToddWheatlandLinkedin:in/wheatland


http://davekerpen.ceo/

http://twitter.com/DaveKerpen

https://www.linkedin.com/in/davekerpen

http://blog.wiredadvisor.com

http://twitter.com/StephSammons

http://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniesammons

http://webinknow.com

http://twitter.com/dmscott

http://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmeermanscott

http://rocknrollcocktail.com/

http://twitter.com/JasonMillerCA

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jsnmiller

http://toprankblog.com

http://twitter.com/leeodden


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