Table of Contents
Why LinkedIn is important for businesses
What is the difference between organic and paid activities on LinkedIn?
How to make the most out of organic posting on LinkedIn
How to improve ROI of LinkedIn paid advertising
Download the Grey Dog LinkedIn for business checklist
Get in touch with Grey Dog
Why LinkedIn is important for businesses
LinkedIn is a powerful tool that offers a fantastic opportunity for businesses to increase brand awareness, generate leads and ultimately, increase business growth.
While many users are familiar with the basic features, unlocking the platform’s full potential involves a strategic blend of organic posting and paid advertising efforts.
Whether you’re aiming to increase your brand’s visibility or exploring the benefits of paid advertising, this comprehensive guide will show you how to maximise your presence on LinkedIn.
Ready to make the most of your LinkedIn presence? We’re offering a handy LinkedIn for business checklist.
What is the difference between organic and paid activities on LinkedIn?
The main difference between organic and paid strategies on LinkedIn comes down to visibility: by posting organically (or, in other words, for free), you naturally build a presence over time through regular posts and engagement with your audience via likes, shares and comments. Organic posts are mainly viewed by your followers. However, through engagement with your content, your posts have the potential to reach a larger audience.
Alternatively, paid strategies like sponsored posts and InMail messages involve targeted advertising to increase reach and guarantee that specific content is seen by a selected audience.
How to make the most of organic posting on LinkedIn
1. Optimise your company page
Your company page is your ‘storefront’ and acts as a mini website. Use it to your full advantage by completing it with a compelling ‘about us’ description that includes relevant keywords, so that people (and the algorithm) can find you more easily.
Add your logo and a header image in your brand colours. Include keywords, your company tagline or a new product or service you want to promote
Pin your top-performing posts to the top of your profile. This can be used to promote a new campaign or product, or act as an ‘explainer’ to give visitors more context around your brand or offering.
By regularly sharing a mix of content, including industry news, thought leadership pieces on key trends, case studies, and company updates, you increase brand awareness and keep your brand top-of-mind for your audience.
Video content, infographics, polls and high-quality photographs and graphics will lead to higher reach and engagement. Grey Dog recommends using a variety of content and formats.
In the caption of your post, make sure to include a CTA (call to action). Not sure what a CTA is? Here’s a handy guide to marketing jargon.
Use 3 to 5 specific and relevant hashtags to the content of your posts to increase the visibility of your content and join trending conversations.
3. Engage with your audience
Foster connections and engagement by responding to comments and posing questions to invite further discussion.
Participate in relevant groups and discussions to establish your brand as an industry leader.
4. Encourage sharing
Encourage your colleagues and employees to share company updates, job postings, and relevant content on their personal profiles. Personal pages and posts tend to get better engagement so advocating for sharing from personal pages for your company is a good way to improve engagement. Tag other people and companies, where relevant.
5. Leverage LinkedIn articles
Showcase your expertise and thought leadership by publishing long-form content using LinkedIn Articles. Add your comments to collaborative LinkedIn Articles to further increase awareness of your thought leadership.
6. Maintain a consistent posting schedule
Building your presence on LinkedIn takes time and consistency. Maintaining a consistent posting schedule can be tricky, especially if you don’t have a plan. To keep on track and post consistently, check out the Grey Dog content planner and make content planning a breeze!
7. Track performance
Track days and times when posts perform best so that you can develop an optimal posting times schedule.
How to improve ROI of LinkedIn paid advertising
1. Create targeted LinkedIn ads
LinkedIn’s targeting options allow you to narrow down your audience based on job title, company size, industry, sector and other factors. Grey Dog recommends being specific with ad targeting, but not so specific that you narrow your audience too much. Rule of thumb: choose location and two other targeting criteria to start.
2. Experiment with formats
There are different ad formats to choose from including sponsored content, sponsored InMail and display ads; experiment with different formats to test which ones resonate the most with your audience.
3. Use compelling ad copy and imagery
Concise and compelling ad copy in your brand’s tone of voice will highlight your brand’s unique value proposition and encourage people to ‘convert’, for example clicking on the link in the ad and driving traffic to the ad landing page.
Eye-catching visuals, such as high-quality images or videos, will capture attention and increase brand awareness.
See our LinkedIn checklist for character restrictions on different ad formats.
4. Use A/B testing
Testing different ad variations and formats is the best way to understand what resonates with your audience. Experiment with different headlines, ad copy, images, and CTAs.
5. Create an effective landing page
Landing pages for ads on LinkedIn play a key role because they act as the bridge between the ad your audience sees and the action they take. Think of them like a well-designed destination where your audience lands after clicking on an ad.
A good landing page has consistent messaging and ensures a smooth and user-friendly experience, increasing the chances of your audience doing what the ad wants them to do, whether it’s making a purchase, signing up, or exploring more about a product or service.
6. Set realistic bidding and budgets
Monitor your ad performance and adjust your bidding strategy and budget accordingly. LinkedIn Ads can be more expensive, so it’s crucial to find the right balance.
7. Analytics and reporting
Regularly analyse performance metrics to understand what’s working and refine your strategy accordingly. Use LinkedIn Analytics to gain insights into your audience and adjust your targeting.
Ready to maximise your LinkedIn presence?
We hope you’ve found this guide useful! To get your free Grey Dog LinkedIn for Business Checklist, click one of these buttons!
And if you need support with your LinkedIn marketing, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch here!