LinkedIn is primarily a professional networking site. Launched in May 2003 LinkedIn has created 660 million users scattered over 200 countries in less than two decades.
It is no longer merely a social media platform that connects job seekers and employers. Instead, it has evolved into a highly effective marketing tool.
Overall, a powerful opportunity for business owners (of course for bloggers as well) to get attention and build an audience.
Formulating an efficient LinkedIn marketing strategy has become critical for everyone. When done correctly, it can aid in developing brand awareness and the formation of long-term professional partnerships. It can also help generate leads.
So, here are a few LinkedIn marketing tips for bloggers. First, let’s explore the LinkedIn platform:
Start by Creating a LinkedIn Account
Creating a LinkedIn account is similar to creating other social media account. Here are the steps:
- Go to the LinkedIn signup page.
- Enter the first name, second name, email address, and password of your choice.
- Check email inbox and confirm your email.
- Complete other details such as profile picture, job details, education, interests, certificate, etc.
Note: Always use your real name when creating LinkedIn, Do not use a Pseudo name, or business name as that will risk suspension of your account.
How to Create an Appealing LinkedIn Profile?
There will be hundreds of people checking out your profile; professionals, founders of companies, and your colleagues. Therefore, it’s so important to make a warm, trustworthy business profile that tells people who you are, in a few words.
Include the link to your blog or business website. It should be as attractive as your website.
Follow the following tips for an outstanding LinkedIn Profile:
- Use a smiling headshot picture with a contrasting background. Avoid excessive beard, goggles, cap, makeup, etc. Don’t pose with a bent neck. Look into the camera. Here’s an example below:
- Write a catchy headline that reads your current professional position or title. Keep it updated, this is what most of the profile visitors will read before they jump into reading your summary.
- Get a cover image with a clear purpose. Be clear and concise because visitors will not give you more than 2 seconds to impress them.
- Write an interesting summary; get down the primary purpose of your blog or business, and your mission with it. About yourself and your career so far. Write it more as a story than as a professional biodata.
- Customize your LinkedIn URL for your name. Don’t change it too often. LinkedIn allows you to edit it five times in 180 days. So, the best is to fix one and never change it.
- Update your education, job experience, achievements, certificates (if any), and other details. Complete every piece of information. Update your resume (if you are seeking for a job on LinkedIn)
How to Get Started With LinkedIn Marketing?
With your LinkedIn account in place; a profile image, a cover image, profile details, your website link, summary, etc., are all set, you are ready to start with your LinkedIn Marketing Strategy.
Here’s what you need to do:
1. Building Connections
LinkedIn allows you to build your network in two ways: Connections and Followers.
When your connection request is accepted by the other person, you automatically follow them, however, if you aren’t interested in their content appearing in your newsfeed, you can unfollow without removing them as a connection.
LinkedIn allows you to send 100 connection requests per week. So, avoid sending an excessive connection request, take it slow, focus on quality with each connection you built.
Send requests to only those whom you think will add value to your network. If your weekly limit is over, you can make a LinkedIn post, expressing your interest in expanding your LinkedIn connection, asking viewers to send you a connection request.
2. Creating Posts
To spread your ideas, thought, or content, job updates, or your promotion, or your newly published blogs, or a newly launched product; start by creating an engaging LinkedIn post
- Text
- Photos
- Video
- Documents
- Hiring
- Polls
Select the audience, add #tags, and then post by clicking on the “Post” button.
The LinkedIn algorithm loves long content, and not too often links. Use pictures to grab attention and boost engagements. Don’t miss to use relatable #tags, and tag your connection if they matter in that post by using “@name”
3. Creating Polls
LinkedIn Polls should be a part of your LinkedIn marketing strategy. It’s a great way to take opinions from your connections or post-viewers.
You can frame out questions, write down two or more options, set the poll duration, and post it for others to vote. Take at least one poll per week. Use the result in your blog writing, understanding business demands, or work-process.
Disclaimer: LinkedIn does not allow you to create polls on sensitive data, political opinions of the people, and other medical information. So, being professional, focusing on work, ideas, leadership, even entrainment is fine. But, avoid anything that can harm your LinkedIn profile.
Here are a few tips to create high engaging polls on LinkedIn:
- Be short and straight with questions.
- Poll Options are easy to read.
- Make it actionable (ask opinions in comments, if any)
- Be friendly and add humor with your words in the polls.
- Create a poll at the right time (when users are active, mostly during the day and evening time)
- Actively respond.
4. Inbox Conversation
Through inbox conversation on LinkedIn, you can get into a one-on-one discussion with the connections, and converse on matters of interest.
Remember, inbox conversation on LinkedIn is different as compared to other social platforms like Facebook or Instagram. Be professional, don’t get personal, as long as you very well know that personal in personal environment.
5. Featured Post
This is a very useful feature of LinkedIn, and it works much like the pin post feature.
As a blogger or a business owner, you can feature those posts that matter to your blog or business; something that you want to be on the top in your LinkedIn profile. You can edit, add and order new featured posts.
6. Endorsement & Recommendation
LinkedIn is more about personal branding. It is more about “you” than about your “business“.
With recommendation and endorsement, give or take social proof on your work and personal skills. This develops your authority in that field and creates a better impression on profile visitors.
Be real and authentic while giving or receiving recommendations.
7. Publish LinkedIn Article
LinkedIn has more than just posts and polls. It allows you to write and publish your article; to share good insight on a topic with your connections.
For bloggers or website owners, these articles can be part of their backlink strategy. To start writing LinkedIn articles, click on “Write Article” as shown below in the picture:
It has all features that you need to write a masterpiece. You get a toolbar with heading, bold, italic and underline, listing, sorting, and quotes.
Add a catchy headline, upload a cover image for the article, 1280 X 720 recommended, and start writing.
Your work is saved automatically as a draft. Once you have done writing, click on “Publish” to post the article.
LinkedIn Marketing Tips
LinkedIn Marketing tips add a bonus to your overall LinkedIn marketing strategy.
With all that we have learned so far in the article, you can have a good stand; however, let’s be more than average in LinkedIn marketing with these powerful tips.
1. Stay Active & Consistent
If you want to attract traffic to your blog from LinkedIn, you must be active on the platform and write frequently.
Remember to timely post on LinkedIn. It can be polls, articles, work memes, or marketing quotes. People will know you are active and ready for partnership in collaborative endeavors.
Share your blogging achievements regularly. which can be anything like; a sudden rise in Google analytics graph, approval of Google AdSense, launch of new page, or addition of any team members. Whatever it is, stay active.
2. Don’t Spam
Avoid spamming.
You don’t have to pop up on your networks’ newsfeed without any reason.
The best days to upload material on LinkedIn, according to their data, are Tuesday and Thursday, either early in the morning, noon, or early evening, with a different sweet spot between 10 am, and 11 am on Tuesday. This makes a lot of sense intuitively.
Don’t send long pre-written messages in inboxes.
3. Commenting is the best way to engagement
Asking questions and replying to comments on LinkedIn is just like networking offline- be conversational and engaging. Comments are better than inbox for sharing your thoughts on someone’s post.
Share your point of view in a positive tone. Be kind and pleasant with others. Your thoughts might not always resonate with the post, but there is always a positive to express your disagreements.
Also, when others comment or hit like on your post, it becomes visible to not just your connection but also to the connection of those who commented.
As shown below:
4. Promote Other Blogs
Don’t self-promote. Post informational blogs from others that might be amusing to your connections.
Make a calendar reminder to help you stay on track with your LinkedIn posts.
5. Join LinkedIn Groups
Check out the groups you’re interested in after you’ve found them. Examine whether they’ll be a suitable fit for you. For example, if you are a blogger, join a community where there are bloggers and content creators. Groups with genuine engagements are recommended.
Examine the guidelines. Examine the number of members in each group and the activity within them. Whether it’s an open group, you can look at the types of postings to see if they’re appropriate for your target market.
6. Post Content Variations
Include a question, a statistic, or a personal viewpoint when posting article links.
Please give them a cause to like, share, or comment on your content. Be sure to respond to anyone who comments on your post. Reply to keep the conversation going and strengthen your networking connections.
Work memes are another post-type found to be of great use for boosting engagements and comments.
Make polls to generate interest in one of your articles by asking a trivial question that is answered in your blog post.
7. Google Loves LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a first-choice social media for so many professions. Even Google algorithms prefer LinkedIn.
For example, if you search NxtDecade; the LinkedIn profile of the founder of NxtDecade (Satya Prakash Mourya) appears 2nd in SERPs.
So, keep your LinkedIn updated with your blogging website or business website.
8. Follow Influencers
To find amazing content to share with your LinkedIn network, follow LinkedIn Influencers.
To engage with Influencer communities, leave a comment on most of their articles. You’ll also get some fantastic ideas for future blog topics! Hence, first things first.
Research and create a list of influencers of your niche and follow them. This enhances your reputation by association and fosters confidence among your networks, resulting in more visitors to your blog.
Conclusion
LinkedIn can help you achieve many things, from developing connections and forming partnerships to generating leads and increasing brand awareness, boosting traffic to your blog.
So it’s a fantastic addition to your digital or blogging marketing plan. Go ahead and start building your own LinkedIn marketing strategy with these tips and points in mind.
Stay connected with NxtDecade, we have more interesting blogs to check.
Nice blog. It will be really helpful for me.
Nice blog. It will be really helpful for me.
Linkedin marketing is the biggest social network in the world. Quality and helpful content, This was genuinely so helpful, Your outro is super smooth, and I love it.
LinkedIn is an incredible tool for marketing purposes, especially if you’re someone that’s active in the B2B side of things. You can better connect with professionals and establish relationships with them.
True! and, the interaction is much more organized on LinkedIn as compared to other social platforms