After back-breaking research, we’ve gathered insights from industry experts. Read ahead 12 of the most effective LinkedIn marketing strategies for small businesses in 2024. If you can implement them, you’re all set for thriving growth.
You see, LinkedIn is a gold mine. Especially for small B2B businesses’ marketing. Why? Because, unlike any other platform, LinkedIn is all about business growth. In fact, 99% of the companies on LinkedIn are small businesses – CEOs and entrepreneurs doing wonders.
If you own a small business and are looking to improve your online marketing strategy then you’ve come to the right place. Jaqueline Miranda, Psychologist at Practical Pie says “LinkedIn is currently one of the most widely used social networking sites among businesses and professionals that are interested in expanding their professional networks.” In point of fact, it is estimated that LinkedIn has more than 660 million users all over the world.
That’s why, even though the platform is lucrative, you need to follow proven tactics to make your marketing efforts hot-shot.
Keep on reading.
12 Effective LinkedIn Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses, according to pros.
Show up Consistently
Showing up consistently is key on LinkedIn. Joe Troyer, CEO & Growth Advisor of ReviewGrower puts “Before we dive into what kind of quality the content has, we need to discuss the quantity. It is not enough to post fine conversation starter content once in a blue moon…”
He then proceeds “on the contrary, even if the quality of the content can differ at times, it is important to be frequent in the postings.”
Doing frequent posting will always have you in the feeds of your prospects. And that’s good for branding, as well as revenue.
Ensure your Content is of High-Quality
Just saying ‘high-quality’ sounds vague and cliché, right? Here’s what high-quality content really is:
…Set a benchmark for the quality of your content, which can be a quantitative analysis on a sheet against a point system and every post should be ranked there based on several factors such as attractiveness, clarity, and text.
And he’s rightfully true.
Having a distinct system will not only maintain your content standard but will also help you always keep your content aligned with your brand voice.
I’d add more here to have a proven content framework for all your channels, not just on LinkedIn.
According to Ellie Shippey, E-commerce Growth Specialist, EZContacts “As in our company, we use a strategy called “Prove to be an Authority”.”
This strategy’s aim is to create your business’s authority among your ideal clients and network toward your brand. You must show that you know what you’re talking about in order to gain the confidence of your audience. To put it another way, you must establish your subject-matter expertise. You may accomplish this by providing materials and resources that your target customers will find useful.
When you curate content, make sure it looks professional and solves a problem or challenge that your ideal clients may face. Also, give your own views or perspective on the material. Your clients will most likely discover this information elsewhere; what makes it distinct is your viewpoint on it, says Shawn Malkou, Managing Broker at X2Mortgage.
You should also develop and distribute your own original material if you have the abilities and resources. LinkedIn Publisher makes it easy for you to submit status updates or long-form articles. The material you create should be exclusively focused on your target clients and interesting to them.
Update your Brand’s Front face on LinkedIn: Logo, Cover, and Tagline.
That makes a difference. Without each or all of them, you’re just an anonymous someone on LinkedIn.
Besides, the latest research shows brands with updated logos on their page get 6 times more traffic on LinkedIn.
That’s why Scott O’Brien, Head of Sales at PPC Ad Lab reinforces, “The cover photo of the company should be representative of the goals of the company. It should align with the objective and the message that the company wants to send across to the world.” Exactly. Reinforce your values; show why and who you exist for.
Have a look at GreenHouse Software as an example:
Leverage LinkedIn Polls
LinkedIn polls are highly engaging. Matt Weidle, Business Development Manager at Buyer’s Guide says “Polls are the most engaging form of a post. Unlike other forms where the person has to scroll through comments to read others’ perspectives, polls are quick, letting the person know the thoughts of others…”
And engagement isn’t the only reason why polls are good. Michael then continues “it is beneficial for the company as well as they can predict the results of their products and gauge those reactions to bring improvements.”
Leverage them for your good.
Have a look at Dell’s poll as an example:
Never Ignore your About Section
Your about section communicates your values, vision, and brand voice. Most small businesses make these two mistakes: they either ignore it completely or fail to do it right.
In the “About Us” section, the maximum number of characters allowed is 2,000. This restriction, provided that you choose your words correctly, should provide plenty of space for you to tell your profile visitors everything there is to know about your product/service.
“About section is a way of connecting to your target audience,” says Alex Savy, Co-Founder, and Editor-in-Chief of Comfynorth.
Couldn’t have said it any more accurately. Mark then goes on to say:
“Make sure the language is persuasive but not too convoluted so that the overall message is not understood by the customer. Additionally, add clear contact details for the customer to reach you.”
And you need to optimize both: your company’s page and as well as your own page to grow your personal brand.
Making a company page on LinkedIn is a great way to promote your brand and engage with clients, both present and potential. Make sure to include key information about your company, such as the products and services you offer, the history of your company, as well as your contact information. You can also use your company page to provide updates about your company, including new products and services, and special promotions says Sandra Rios, Director of Client Services at Buzz Agency.
I’ll leave with a company inspiration.
This is from Apple:
Apple keeps it simple, and direct and adds contact info. More importantly, Apple showcases the values it stands for.
Join LinkedIn Groups and Mark your Presence
Not just any groups; groups that are relatable to your industry. Join groups where your target prospects, like-minded people, and future business investors hang out. And don’t just join.
Actively engage, participate, express views, and help others. The main goal is to get discovered and noticed.
“Be sure that your company is part of good LinkedIn groups and that you post there frequently to engage with the audience”, says Tanner Arnold, President & CEO of Revelation Machinery.
Make your Brand’s Page Talk to Your Prospects
Treat your company’s page as your landing page – each element focusing on providing value to the ideal prospects.
Andrew Priobrazhenskyi, CEO of DiscountReactor says “The profile page of your company has to be catering to your potential customers. Think of it as a starting point for your sale, and therefore, add a good About section with a catchy logo and a clear link to your website.”
Have a look at Devex’s page; all of its focus is its audience.
Run Ad Campaigns
Yes, I know – it might sound like a burden since small businesses can be tight on their budgets. But, a creative and targeted ad can bring you direct leads, which means more revenue.
It’s better than you hoping for someone to land on your profile, and start a conversation.
Steve Rose, Vice President at Money Transfers says “There is no better way to get your message across to your prospective clients than to use ads as you are sure that there is no chance of the ad vanishing into thin air. That being the case, instead of relying on your potential client to stumble upon by chance on your company profile, it is best to deliver the message to them.”
Stay Relevant by Leveraging Hashtags, Keywords and Trends
I can’t state how important it is today to keep up with the trends, so you can stay relevant. And not just any random trends, but the ones your audience closely follows.
Plus, hashtags – give you SEO benefits by acting as keywords. Consistently stick to a couple of hashtags in your posts so you can slowly become an authority over those topics.
Keywords are phrases or words that search engines scan to better understand the information that users are trying to find. Therefore, the more relevant and high-quality keywords you use in the content section of your Linkedin Profile, the more likely it is that you will attract relevant LinkedIn users to your page.
I’d quote Nick Oberheiden – Founder & Attorney at Oberheiden P.C. He said, “Hashtags are part and parcel of every social media as they connect people, [….] stick to some keywords that you should include in all of your posts and they will help prospective clients to go through all of your posts.”
Along with that, he also recommended using hashtags that are relatable to the posts. So it will be easier to find a specific post, on a specific topic. “Along with that, it is also recommended to use hashtags tailored to each post”.
Put Spotlight Over your Employees
Share your employees’ stories – stories connect better. You’ll not only show that you have a passion-driven man-force producing the best but also you’ll attract the right talent. How? Because you’ll help them explore what it’s like to work with you.
Abdul Saboor, Full Stack Developer at The Stock Dork says, “put one of your employees in the spotlight by making them share their journey and why they decided to be part of the company.”
Publish Resources, Case-Studies, and Stories through LinkedIn Articles
Normal LinkedIn post allows you limited characters. You can’t post larger stories and full-length blog posts. But one of the reasons why I personally love LinkedIn is their built-in ‘article’ feature.
Highlight important stuff, share journey stories, case studies, achievements, and a lot more to engage and help your audience.
Jake Cowans, Founder, and CCO of CompanyScouts“…add images, videos, or any hyperlinks to their website giving the illusion of a blog post more than a normal social media posting.”
Analyze your top competitors deeply
This is crucial and can prove to become a quick win. How?
You can easily analyze their profiles, see what’s working for them, how audiences react to them, and what loopholes you can leverage for your own good.
Save yourself time, resources, and trial & error; simply, recreate their winning LinkedIn marketing strategies – and boom.
“If the competitor company is successful, how they engage with their followers can be good learning for your organization”, says Steve Elliott, franchise owner of Restoration1.
Bottom Line: It’s all a waste, unless…
You can always make the most out of your LinkedIn marketing strategies. Ensure you follow only the best and proven practices that work. You’ll find a myriad of resources on the Internet aiding you to nail LinkedIn marketing.
But, you know what? It’s all a waste.
It’s all a waste unless you start implementing these strategies—Kick-start with these 12 proven tactics mentioned above, which my team and I put together for you.
Here’s a recap for you again:
- Show up consistently
- Post-high-quality content – keeping your standard maintained
- Must have your brand’s logo on the page and a tagline. Keep updating cover photos to showcase your achievements and reinforce values.
- Run LinkedIn polls smartly
- Update the company’s About section – and as well as your own as a CEO/personal brand.
- Join relevant LinkedIn groups and become active
- Make your brand’s page focused on prospects
- Run ad campaigns
- Stay relevant by leveraging trends and hashtags
- Put spotlight over your employees
- Publish helpful resources, case studies, or stories through LinkedIn articles
- Analyze top competitors to dissect what’s working
Save or bookmark this page for later – you might need to revisit it.
Good luck!