How to WIN with LinkedIn Content Marketing?
Most people see it as an ideal place job-hunting (and gig-hunting). For some, it’s a place to find the newest recruits.
LinkedIn has more than 550 million users, and it’s ranked as the most trusted social network along with Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. While it’s not the largest of all social media networks, it’s highly trusted. Therefore, it’s a big opportunity to have your voice heard on LinkedIn and bolster your standing as an expert in your field. It’s the best online platform for marketing yourself and your brand/business.
“What should I post to LinkedIn?”
This is a question that a lot of people often ask. Yet, they don’t seem to find an actionable answer to it, because in my countless crawlings through hundreds of profiles of individuals as well as companies alike, most don’t have a steady stream of valuable content.
Note that just posting some URLs don’t count as content. Not anymore. Sure, that article on Entrepreneur magazine might be valuable, but if it’s the only way you know how to combine other people’s content into your brand, you might as well close up shop.
Here are 10 surefire LinkedIn content ideas you can put to use right away and what you can accomplish with each.
1. Write Long-Form Articles.
Unlike other social platforms, LinkedIn allows you to specifically create long-form articles. Once published, these articles will be a part of LinkedIn Pulse, LinkedIn’s crowdsourced ‘Resources’ page.
Now, there are 2 ways that you can utilize this element.
- You can directly publish independent / pillar articles.
- You can use this to publish content, that you’ll be linking out frequently in your short-form posts. This is a great way to link out, without letting users leave the platform, which LinkedIn hates.
You don’t necessarily have to publish original articles here, but it’ll get you a lot of extra brownie points if you do.
2. Post little bites of information.
It might be a result of a new study. It might be a statistic.
Or it can be your catchphrase.
Just put it on a picture, and post it for your network to see.
This helps your audience to consume highlighted information quickly, and on-the-go, without much hassle.
It also helps you to expand your audience by appealing to and resonating with like-minded people, without having them to take action.
3. Publish presentation slides (that don’t suck).
Did a slide presentation recently, without putting half of your audience to sleep?
Great! Put it on LinkedIn as well.
LinkedIn seems to ‘promote’ the idea of publishing presentation docs, as they have a separate tab for people who check out other people’s profiles to see if they’ve published any documents.
You can even take a long infographic, break it down into several pages, and publish it.
4. Create great videos that aren’t sales pitches.
Look. We get it.
You’re on LinkedIn because you want something from someone.
But you can’t clap with one hand (unless you slap). You have to bring something valuable to the table.
And the best way to bring value in bulk is to create and publish valuable content. Not sales pitches.
You don’t have to have a high-end camera, a great script, or any other hyped-up stuff you might think you need. I’ve seen many professionals share their Skype sessions that are immensely valuable.
5. Join a group discussion.
First off, this isn’t an invitation to spam groups with your business deals or to reply to every single comment. Hop in when it makes sense. Give your $0.02 if someone asks, and you can answer.
This doesn’t necessarily mean joining a group. You can also do it by jumping on to a hashtag conversation. The newer the better.
Keep in mind that despite being a platform for professionals, it’s still a social networking site. As a result of engaging with others, you’re boosting your brand.
Incorporating these ideas into your LinkedIn marketing/branding strategy will help you increase your influence, and strengthen your reputation on the platform easily.
Remember to double-down on what works.
