How to Market on LinkedIn

TL;DR

What are the best practices for B2B marketing on LinkedIn?

Core Definition: B2B marketing on LinkedIn is a strategic approach that involves tailoring content and engagement for a professional audience of decision-makers and C-suite executives. Unlike other social platforms, it focuses on networking, sharing industry-specific insights, and establishing thought leadership to achieve business objectives.

LinkedIn stands apart from other social media outlets, functioning as a professional networking hub where decision-makers and C-suite executives congregate. This unique environment requires a fine-tuned marketing approach that prioritizes valuable, industry-relevant content over casual posts to effectively engage a business-oriented audience.

Establish a clear process by setting SMART goals, planning content with an editorial calendar, and maintaining a consistent posting schedule.
Understand your audience by targeting decision-makers with content on industry trends, leadership, and best practices, and leverage LinkedIn Groups to expand your reach.
Master the platform by engaging with industry influencers, using a mix of post types like short updates and long-form articles, and creating content with compelling headlines.
Focus on creating high-value, practically helpful content that tells stories of success or offers career-advancing tips to resonate with a professional audience.

LinkedIn is a well-established professional networking platform, distinct from social media sites like Twitter or Instagram. This distinction means that approaching marketing on the platform requires a unique strategy. Marketing on LinkedIn is the process of using the platform to generate leads, drive website traffic, build brand awareness, and foster professional relationships with a target audience. This approach is fundamentally different from other social media marketing efforts.

While different, LinkedIn is still a powerful social media outlet where you can post content, engage with readers, and promote your company or client similarly to Facebook. The main difference in your marketing on LinkedIn lies in building your target persona. When considering Social Media for B2B, LinkedIn is the primary hub for C-suite networkers and decision-makers from major international companies. This high-level audience requires you to fine-tune your presence and content strategy to match the professional expectations found on the platform.

Some facts about marketing on LinkedIn to start us off:

LinkedIn Statistic	Details
User Base	Approximately 500 million users worldwide.
International Growth	Two-thirds of new accounts originate from outside of North America.
Engagement Source	Posts shared by peers (57%) and colleagues (54%) generate the most likes and comments.
B2B Social Media Rank	It is the top B2B social media platform.

Now that you've got the basics of what this platform offers, let's get into the meat of this article—best practices for marketing on LinkedIn.

Know your process

This is generally best-practice stuff, but it applies especially to marketing on LinkedIn. Lay out your campaign ahead of time, assemble your editorial calendar, and maintain consistency. Start by defining your SMART goals by asking key questions:

What are you marketing?
Who is your target persona for LinkedIn?
Is this part of a more extensive campaign, or is LinkedIn a separate channel with unique content?
How long will the initial campaign run?
What key performance indicators (KPIs) will you measure?
What are your conversion targets?
Do you have sufficient unique content tailored for the LinkedIn audience?
What is the timeframe for achieving these metrics?

Once your goals are laid out, understand how LinkedIn fits into this scheme. One of those questions was, "Are you here as part of a larger campaign…?" It's critical to know how to handle your time spent on this channel. If you're going to cross-post content, it's worth your time to tweak it to the audience on this platform since they may only see it here on LinkedIn and not on any other social platform.

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The final step to knowing your process is keeping it consistent. Like SEO, LinkedIn rewards businesses and individuals who post regularly and often. Plan your posting schedule accordingly. There will be more on this in the content section below.

How to Build a B2B LinkedIn Marketing Strategy

Master B2B LinkedIn marketing by defining your campaign process, targeting decision-makers, and leveraging native content formats. This workflow guides you from goal setting to publishing high-converting articles.

Effort: 1-2 days Tools Needed: 2

Define your campaign goals and metrics.

Establish your SMART goals and determine your exact target persona. Decide whether this is a standalone campaign or part of a broader strategy, and set clear conversion targets.

Create a consistent editorial calendar.

Plan your posting schedule in advance to ensure consistent delivery. LinkedIn algorithms reward businesses and individuals who post regularly and maintain an active presence.

Engage target audiences in LinkedIn groups.

Research which industry groups your target decision-makers and followers actively participate in. Post relevant content directly to these groups to expand your reach among key influencers.

Cultivate relationships with industry influencers.

Engage with industry titans by sharing and leaving thoughtful comments on their posts. This encourages them to reciprocate, exposing your content to their massive follower base.

Diversify content with multiple post types.

Mix short status updates, links, and media with native long-form blog posts using the Post Editor tool. Use short updates for quick shares and long-form pieces for deep industry insights.

Write attention-grabbing, actionable headlines.

Utilize proven headline starters like 'How to...' or 'The future of...' to immediately hook readers. Ensure your headline promises practical, helpful information that professionals need to read.

End articles with a tasteful cliffhanger.

Conclude your long-form native posts by teasing more comprehensive insights available on your website. Provide a direct link to a white paper or landing page to drive targeted traffic and conversions.

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Know your audience

As mentioned above, LinkedIn is a self-selecting channel. You're more likely to find decision-makers here than any other social media site. These people are here to network, not procrastinate. The content they share the most is on topics that strike a chord with them. The top subjects are:

Industry trends
Tips and tricks/best practices
Jobs/skills
Leadership

Use the power of LinkedIn groups to further your reach within your target audience. The influencers you want to reach may not be following you directly yet. So find them where they are, in industry groups. Do your research, see which groups some of your followers are in, and then post relevant pieces directly to these groups to get them in front of similar people.

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Know your platform

Marketing on LinkedIn differs from other social media channels because of the power it gives influencers. These are often the titans of their industries. Cultivate relationships with these people by sharing and posting thoughtful comments on their posts. Soon, they'll return the favor with yours. And if not, reach out and see if they might be interested. Having these people share your content not only raises its stock with LinkedIn but also exposes it to the potentially massive base of followers the influencer has.

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LinkedIn offers several post formats, each attracting different user segments. Understanding these formats is key to successful marketing on LinkedIn:

Status Updates: Ideal for sharing short messages, quick insights, and links to relevant content from your site or around the web.
Rich Media: Photos and videos can increase engagement and visually tell your brand's story.
LinkedIn Articles (Post Editor): This native tool allows you to publish long-form blog posts directly on the platform, establishing you as a thought leader.

Remember that consistency matters here, just like on other channels. Keep your editorial calendar updated with when you will post the big pieces. Then work on several status updates in between each of these. This will keep people checking your feed for updates and links while they await your next piece on industry trends.

Content is king

There have already been tips related to the content above, so here we will focus on the form and content of your longer pieces for LinkedIn. There are several things to remember, starting with writing a great headline. Headlines are the first—and if they aren't attention-grabbing, people will see only part of your article.

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Carrying that forward, Buzzsumo analyzed the top shared 10,000 posts on LinkedIn and says these are the top 5 headline starters:

How to…
The future of…
You need to…
Why you should…
Can learn from…

LinkedIn's research has shown that its users share practically helpful articles more than any other type of article. So use one of the above starters, then follow through with a headline that reels your audience in and makes them NEED to read.

And since you can't disappoint your readers now, your content must be on point. Tell them what you promised you would tell them with that catchy headline. In other words, make sure your content marketing strategy is consistent. LinkedIn readers want stories about success, tips, tricks to advance in their careers, and information relevant to their working lives.

To wrap up your piece, use a tasteful cliffhanger to draw readers over to your website to find out how it all ends. If you have a white paper on industry trends, write an article that starts filling your readers in on the broader outlook, then end with a link to your white paper and tell them they can get all the details there. Now you've positioned yourself as the source for great, relevant articles AND can provide the details to back up that reputation.

LinkedIn Marketing for B2B: FAQ

Why is LinkedIn effective for B2B marketing?

Popular

Yes, it is highly effective. Evidence shows LinkedIn is the top B2B social media platform because its user base consists of C-suite executives and decision-makers, ensuring your content reaches key professionals.

What defines a successful LinkedIn content strategy?

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A successful strategy combines consistency with valuable content. The platform's algorithm rewards regular posting, and users engage most with helpful industry trends, leadership insights, and career tips.

How does LinkedIn marketing differ from other social media?

It differs in its professional audience and purpose. Unlike casual platforms, LinkedIn users are there to network and learn. This means your marketing must focus on industry value rather than general entertainment.

What type of content performs best on LinkedIn?

Practically helpful content performs best. Data shows that articles about industry trends, professional tips, and leadership are shared most. This is because users seek content relevant to their careers.

Is posting consistently on LinkedIn important for marketing?

Yes, consistency is critical for visibility. Like SEO, LinkedIn's algorithm rewards accounts that post regularly. This keeps your brand top-of-mind with your audience and builds authority on the platform.

Can long-form articles be effective on LinkedIn?

Yes, long-form content is very effective. LinkedIn's native Post Editor tool allows you to publish detailed articles. These are ideal for sharing in-depth tips, industry analysis, and success stories.

Written By Jesse

Jesse hails from Seattle, WA. When he's not creating great content or staring at his laptop screen waiting for inspiration, he's probably walking in the trees somewhere in the foothills of the nearby Cascade Mountains.