The Power of LinkedIn: Why It’s Essential for B2B Marketing
Vicky Steen, marketing specialist at CUDOS Creative, shares insights on LinkedIn’s role as a powerful tool for B2B marketing, breaking down common misconceptions and highlighting the key benefits of investing in this ever-growing platform.
“LinkedIn has come a long way from being a platform simply for job seekers and recruiters. Today, it’s a dynamic space for businesses to build brand awareness, establish thought leadership, connect with decision-makers, and drive measurable growth. Yet, misconceptions persist…some of the more common ones I hear often include:
“We only need LinkedIn when we’re recruiting.”
“We don’t need it – we get all our business from referrals.”
“Social media just encourages negative comments.”
“Someone from the office can update our LinkedIn page”
Having worked in marketing for over 25 years, I continually help clients to see the tangible benefits of investing in LinkedIn. Here are the top reasons why…
Why LinkedIn Matters for B2B Marketing
1. Grow Your Online Brand Presence
There are several statistics on how often a brand needs to appear before it resonates with an audience or prompts action. For example, the Marketing Rule of Seven suggests a brand message needs to be seen at least seven times before a purchase decision is made. Yet this principle, developed in the 1930s for TV advertising, and of course no longer applies in today’s digital landscape.
In our cluttered, fast-paced world, making an impact in just seven interactions is highly unlikely. That’s why we create ongoing marketing campaigns that are creative, meaningful, and emotive. By using a series of intentional touchpoints, we focus on building lasting relationships with your audience over time via digital marketing and offline channels.
2. Drive Traffic to Your Website
I work with many clients on the design and development of their websites, and one of my key questions to them is, “So how are you going to drive traffic to your new website?” Creating regular content that is meaningful and informative is key. Share engaging blog posts, videos, or infographics via LinkedIn and be sure to add a hyperlink to your post to guide followers back to your site. This simple step can help build engagement and direct valuable traffic to your shiny new website and improve your SEO.
3. Celebrate Success
One of the businesses I worked with recently had a huge amount of success and growth, working with household names such as Amazon, Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda and Post Office. What did they do with this information? They told no one. We developed an effective communications strategy to grow and nurture their company LinkedIn page which celebrated success. Written case studies, testimonials, and fantastic imagery really put them on the map, made their competitors take notice and positioned them as a market leader.
4. Demonstrate Thought Leadership
By sharing industry insights, analysis, and commentary on LinkedIn, you position yourself as an authority in your field. Regularly publishing thought leadership content shows that you understand industry challenges and trends, helping you gain trust and respect among your peers and potential clients.
5. Visibility with Key Decision Makers
This one is pretty obvious, but had to make the list. LinkedIn’s advanced filter and targeting tool means you can connect with your target audience – and the key decision makers. So you want to sell your product to architects? Make a list of those firms, search by company, name, job title, and connect with the relevant people. Your content will then be in front of your specific target audience, acting as a constant reminder.
6. Benchmark Against Competitors
LinkedIn’s free competitive analysis tools allow you to track how often your competitors post, their engagement, trending posts and follower growth. These free insights can help you refine your strategy and ensure your brand stands out in a crowded space. CUDOS works with clients to grow followers, post regular content backed up with monthly reports to monitor growth and successes and learnings.
7. Global Reach
With over 1 billion members across 200 countries, LinkedIn offers immense potential to grow your business’s global audience. While not every user will be relevant, the platform still provides access to millions of professionals, creating unique opportunities for growth.
8. Talent Acquisition
Ok so this one does come back to recruitment. But job adverts aside, LinkedIn is the ideal platform to showcase your supportive company culture, growth opportunities, and commitment to employee development. If you want to attract top talent, remember that candidates will likely research your company online first—and often exclusively. If your website and social media channels don’t reflect your values and workplace environment, you may lose a great candidate before they even click ‘apply now.’
Summing up and our next blog…
And this is just the beginning! We haven’t even covered communications strategies, best practices for channel growth, content creation or posting schedules. Stay tuned for next month’s deep dive on optimising your LinkedIn strategy.
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Contact us to learn how we can craft engaging communication strategies to reach and connect with your target audience. We can amplify your brand’s visibility, drive traffic to your website, build a loyal community, and help you to generate new business.