When it comes to the world of social media marketing, LinkedIn may seem like a forgotten little sister to the global giants that Facebook, Instagram and even Twitter have become. It may not even have been on your digital marketing radar at all. However, while the platform has maintained a ‘stuffy’ imagery as the place you go to find a job, not engaging content, it still has considerable marketing value for the right brand. How do you know if that’s your brand? Here’s Zebra 360 Online Marketing key tips for determining if LinkedIn is the right space for your brand.
LinkedIn? What’s that?
If you’ve been too caught up in the flurry around more social platforms, we don’t blame you if you’re a little rusty when it comes to LinkedIn. After all, it does have more of a reputation for being a place to post your CV and expand your industry network then for marketing your business or posting content. It remains a thriving platform, however, and with a more niche approach to the social media marketing arena, can be a powerful way to boost your brand profile and perform in a less crowded space for the right company.
LinkedIn has always had a more ‘serious business’ profile than other social media platforms. This isn’t a space where we share funny memes and light-hearted jokes, but rather a space for building a meaty brand profile as an Employer. All the same, recent updates to the platform have encouraged a space where serious industry discussion and content related to your work can gain decent visibility. It can also be a key in positioning you as an industry leader, and someone highly knowledgeable about their industry. Whether you use this to capitalise on your position as a solopreneur looking for clients, or a big business wanting to reach out to clients and potential employees alike, there’s still a chunk of market share there that’s often under-utilised.
It’s not right for all brands, of course. Very visually oriented brands, and brands which cater to youth markets, tend to flock to Instagram instead. Others may favour the more relaxed content-share and social engagement offered by Facebook. But if you want to gain some ‘street cred’ as a serious industry figure, especially for more corporate-minded or traditional business models, then LinkedIn may be the niche you have been looking for.
What can I do on LinkedIn to market my business?
LinkedIn does offer one unique way of portraying your brand that other platforms don’t- and that’s the ability to build both a consumer-facing profile and an employee-facing profile. For businesses and brands looking to headhunt and attract talented team members as well as keep their business visible to their consumers, this can be invaluable. While we naturally tend to favour the consumer-marketing aspect of our businesses in digital marketing (we need clients and consumers, after all), it’s important to remember that a reputation as an ethical business and a good employer can do wonders for a brand’s profile too.
Likewise, LinkedIn still offers one thing many other digital platforms don’t- and that’s stellar networking opportunities. For a Solopreneur, or a business who relies on reputation, referral and word-of-mouth to build their client base, this can be a key feature to capitalise. Getting your name ‘out there’ as someone with industry knowledge and experience can help get you noticed by other people in the same field. It’s also a great way to build links with related businesses whose fields of operation intersect with yours- for example, the graphic designer who forms powerful networks with printers and web designers whose customers will also draw on your services too.
While content sharing isn’t the focus of LinkedIn as it is with other platforms, they do also give you an important niche to present your more serious ‘business-minded’ thought pieces and content, building a portfolio of industry-relevant content to draw on and share to other platforms as well as generating some platform-native engagement and visibility.
What markets does LinkedIn offer most?
It only takes a minute or two on LinkedIn to realise that almost any industry, and almost any demographic, is represented there. However, the major demographics of LinkedIn tend to be older than that of other social media platforms, although younger job seekers are also heavily represented. It’s also dominated by both the tech (and related) industries and non-retail, corporate entities. For those in technological, design, science, business, mining and financial industries, you will find a lot of value and interest here.
Do I need a LinkedIn presence?
This is, of course, the key question. LinkedIn probably won’t be the primary social media platform of choice for most of your digital marketing endeavours, unless the demographics we mentioned above feature heavily in your marketing efforts. However, for certain industries, it can still act as a powerful secondary way to establish your brand as a serious industry competitor, and a great way to present your ‘chops’ in your field to a like-minded crowd looking for influencers and industry leaders to follow and network with.
Not sure how to choose which social media platforms to focus your advertising efforts on? The Zebra 360 Online Marketing team have the experience and industry know-how to help you position your brand correctly across all media channels, and we’re here to help.
