by Conor McDonough, Partner, Scribendi Digital Marketing
LinkedIn users have taken a long time to figure out how they want to use LinkedIn. It is a source for job openings, networking, blog and article posting, discussion, and industry news all in one. But individuals use LinkedIn differently, so how do you craft the right marketing message for LinkedIn?
Target Your Audience with Paid Ads
LinkedIn allows for targeted advertising on a detailed, winnowed down level. In some cases, depending on profile settings, you are able to target individuals! That means you can put your message in front of the exact person who is the decision maker of a potential lead.
You can also target by company. Every employee of a company you are trying to work with will see your advertisement, which, when it comes time to make a decision, will hopefully ensure that everyone in that decision-making meeting has the same idea of your company and your message.
How to Budget: LinkedIn tracks every minute detail of your spending in clicks and views. Creating the right budget will take some testing, but it will be very clear that either you’ve chosen the wrong audience or the wrong messaging based on LinkedIn’s reporting.
Don’t get discouraged! LinkedIn advertising doesn’t require thousands of dollars per month. It is cost effective enough that you are able to adapt your messaging and your audience as you start to see the results of your spending.
Be Specific With Your Messaging
LinkedIn is not the place for broad “look at me” messaging. It is the place to position yourself as a problem solver. Look at your industry and the specific pain points that effect every business in it, then craft a message that shows that you both:
A) understand the paint point
and
B) have a solution.
Participate in Groups (Without Being Sales-y)
Monitoring the discussions in industry LinkedIn groups is an easy way to keep track of the actual day to day problems effecting companies you are targeting. But there are rules. People don’t like to be sold to in LinkedIn groups. Rather than actively trying to solve a problem by pushing a service, post links to your articles, blogs, webinars, videos, any knowledge base you have that address the discussed problems. LinkedIn groups are best for inbound marketing leads.
Hiring? Focus on Culture.
A person looking for a job on LinkedIn is different than a person looking for a job on InDeed or Monster.com. A LinkedIn job seeker is more likely to make a decision based on company culture. Your job postings should talk about what makes your company unique in your field and the kind of positive growth that will come with joining the team. Don’t just post “Company X looking for Position Y” with a list of required qualifications. Sell your brand and your culture in your job posting.
At Scribendi we’ve helped clients in a wide range of industries to create compelling messaging and put it in front of the right audience on LinkedIn. We’ve run hiring ad campaigns, written and boosted articles and blogs in industry groups, and targeted individuals and companies with specific, leading-driving messaging. We also track every dollar spent and adjust and adapt on the fly.
To get started with LinkedIn advertising, schedule a meeting with Bill and I! We’ll walk you through best practices, help you to set a budget, and work with you to create the proper messaging and implementation. Call Scribendi at (339) 244-4222 or fill out our contact form to schedule a phone call or a video conference.