Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Incorporate LinkedIn with Your B2B Digital Marketing

With over 2 million company pages and 161 million users, LinkedIn offers a wealth of digital marketing options to businesses and professionals around the globe. Any digital marketing agency will tell you that this social media outlet offers exposure that is as valuable as word-of-mouth advertising, but has the added benefit of measurability.

LinkedIn B2B Digital Marketing Strategy

B2B Digital Marketing Benefits of LinkedIn

Promote your blog. LinkedIn has a simple tool that allows you to add a link from your website to your business’ LinkedIn page. A digital marketing agency can even help you connect your blog to the LinkedIn account so your connections can see new posts as they go live, which can simultaneously increase traffic and brand awareness. 


·        Enhance website SEO. When you create a company page on LinkedIn, you have the option of making the information that you provide available for search engines to index. If you want to enhance the SEO of your business’ website, this is a good thing. Because of its popularity, LinkedIn ranks high on search engine results. This can influence what people see when they perform a search on your business or use specific key words, especially if you have your business’ public profile set to “Full View.”

·        Reach beyond your connections with sponsored updates. When you post updates on your business’ LinkedIn page, only your connections see them. LinkedIn now allows you to extend your reach with sponsored updates, which appear in the news feeds of other LinkedIn users. Digital marketing agency experts share that sponsored updates are simple to create and are non-intrusive. A well-worded update can drive users to check out things like new products, events, videos and white papers in a way that is more effective than a paid sidebar advertisement. You can also choose your target audience with just a few clicks.

·        Generate leads. Social media is a great way to engage with prospective and current customers, nurture relationships and enhance retention. It’s also an effective tool for generating new professional leads when you position yourself as a thought leader. To do this, you must have a consistent LinkedIn presence and offer valuable, relevant information to your target audience.
      
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23065375@N05/2247354856/sizes/m/in/photostream/      After you create a rich profile for your business’ page, establish a presence by leveraging your existing network and offering timely status updates. Join and participate in up to five LinkedIn groups that are relevant to your target market and/or geographic location to offer expert insight, share valuable content and educate. As your LinkedIn presence increases and you extend your connections, the trust that you build in others will drive new leads.

Digital marketing extends beyond your company’s website, blog, Facebook profile and Twitter account. As with any other social media platform, B2B marketing on LinkedIn takes time, thoughtfulness and intentional efforts to build a following and get the returns that you seek. Speak to a marketing consultant to learn more about building your company’s LinkedIn presence or revamping your efforts.

Cameron Madill is CEO of PixelSpoke, a digital marketing and web design agency located in Portland, Oregon. PixelSpoke works with small to mid-size companies to design websites and create marketing plans which will expand their business. Connect with PixelSpoke on LinkedIn for other marketing insights.