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Marketing Through LinkedIn: Tips and Tricks

Posted on by Rick E

When professionals gather in one spot of the Internet, you can bet that there will be discussions between experts of their respective fields. If you let them discuss, it will seem like everyone’s ideas are over the place. But out the seeming disorder are the fusions of ideas—even industries—that otherwise wouldn’t be created.

This is the beauty of the professional social media network LinkedIn. Other than feeling safe in a space dedicated to professionals who are mindful about their own careers, you’re also seeing and being seen by like-minded individuals, specifically those coming from your own industry.

The site is not a bad place to start networking and marketing. If anything, it’s one of the best social media platforms out there—at least for B2Bs. Sure, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram still reign supreme as far as connecting people is concerned, but when using these three, you’re bound to encounter more personal posts than professional ones. In LinkedIn, the former is kept to a minimum—or none at all—and almost everything is a stepping stone toward betterment of work, career, and mindset, among others.

So when you’re on the social media website, what must you do to maximize your marketing efforts? Here are a few tips and tricks to help you connect and expand.

Marketing Tip #1: Post High-Quality Content

Post High-Quality Content

Great content leads to more connections. The more quality posts you have, the more visible you are to your niche audience and the public in general. How else do you expand if people can’t see what you have in store for them?

A big no is saturating your profile with mediocre content just to say that you’re posting regularly. It’s more about quality than quantity—but it’s also beneficial if you cater to both. If you have the insight to back your posts up, then people will flock to your profile.

Connect with Personalized Invites

Automation has its pros and cons. It’s highly efficient, but it does sacrifice a humanizing component (more on that later). Just look at the template LinkedIn provides when you’re about to send an invite to a person you want to connect with. It’s generic and, although quite formal in its own right, tiresome to read over and over.

Personalize your requests to connect. It shows that you took the time to compose a message. You can say how you genuinely liked their post or their work or say that you found their content inspiring—things a default email cannot express. People appreciate sincerity.

Marketing Tip #3: Take Advantage of Customized URLs

Take Advantage of Customized URLs

If you took the time to spice up your profile—which you must—then you might as well go all the way. Personalizing your LinkedIn web address gives your own space on the platform, makes you stand out from the other 467 million users, and serves as an easier resource for people who want to discover you via Google search. Not to mention your profile’s ranking in Google’s search results page.

More than that, customizing your URL makes it easier for people to remember your web address. Instead of complicated numbers and slashes and whatever symbols are there, having your brand—or name, even—on the address bar gives a sense of familiarity that doesn’t come with the generic address LinkedIn provides.

Be Human

All in all, your marketing comes down to what your style is and how you approach your prospects. Giving your brand a face, a name, and a persona that people will recognize goes a long way toward top-of-mind awareness, which is one of the goals of your marketing efforts. And being your customers’ first option is proof that your marketing strategies are effective.

Knowing that someone is behind the brand reinforces the idea of a business entity connecting to and relating with its customers. The more you tug at and win their hearts, the stronger your bond with them becomes. It doesn’t matter if it’s a niche audience or not. When you have dedicated people who think of you first, it means they trust your brand; it shows they have confidence in you.

Social media websites are no longer just for personal connections. Business entities also use Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for marketing purposes. But they usually contend with and compete for attention against personal posts, updates, photos, check-ins, etc. For a dedicated space like LinkedIn, though, the opportunities are endless. The better the strategy, the sweeter the marketing success.

Bear one mantra in mind. Aim to help instead of sell. Don’t be part of the noise that people avoid. Instead, cater to their needs and wants. Build a rapport, and they will come to you. 

 

Resources:

DeMers, Jayson. “The Definitive Guide to Marketing Your Business on LinkedIn.” Forbes. September 18, 2015. www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2015/09/18/the-definitive-guide-to-marketing-your-business-on-linkedin/#44658ad6a3d6

Duermyer, Randy. “How to Create a Custom LinkedIn Profile URL.” The Balance. November 2, 2016. www.thebalance.com/how-to-create-a-custom-linkedin-profile-url-1794576

Mustapha, Zak. “45 Experts Share Their Biggest Linkedin Marketing Strategy.” The Huffington Post. June 29, 2016. www.huffingtonpost.com/zak-mustapha/45-experts-share-their-bi_b_10375374.html

Nemo, John. “5 of the Most Effective LinkedIn Marketing Methods – According to Science.” Social Media Today. February 13, 2017. www.socialmediatoday.com/social-networks/5-most-effective-linkedin-marketing-methods-according-science

Newberry, Christina. “LinkedIn for Business: The Ultimate Marketing Guide.” Hootsuite. September 20, 2016. blog.hootsuite.com/linkedin-for-business

Patel, Neil. “7 Advanced LinkedIn Strategies for B2B Marketing.” Kissmetrics Blog. n.d. blog.kissmetrics.com/linkedin-strategies-b2b-marketing

Pirouz, Alex. “How to Master Content Marketing on LinkedIn.” HubSpot. July 20, 2015. blog.hubspot.com/marketing/linkedin-content-marketing#sm.0001frknxr3k3dlkqq22lsqtd9h7a

Segal, Sapir. “4 Effective LinkedIn Strategies to Master B2B Marketing.” Oktopost. n.d. www.oktopost.com/blog/4-effective-linkedin-strategies-for-b2b-marketing

Smith, Craig. “13 Amazing LinkedIn Statistics and Facts (February 2017).” DMR. March 22, 2017. www.expandedramblings.com/index.php/by-the-numbers-a-few-important-linkedin-stats

Van Yoder, Steven. “Stop Selling and (Instead) Help Your Customers Buy.” MarketingProfs. December 14, 2010. www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2010/4104/stop-selling-and-instead-help-your-customers-buy

“15 LinkedIn Marketing Hacks to Grow Your Business.” Business News Daily. September 29, 2014. www.businessnewsdaily.com/7206-linkedin-marketing-business.html

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Persuasion: The Ultimate Essential Skill in Marketing

Posted on by Rick E

You’ve had good sales, and you’ve definitely had bad ones. It’s a facet of a marketer’s life: successes and failures, closes and rejections, profits and losses. Who hasn’t experienced both? But the lesson there lies on the fact that you will do everything to minimize that ratio. Perhaps five yays to one nay? How do you do that?

Sales is a game of numbers—and persuasion, the latter more so since you dictate how that whole process goes. When the whole transaction arrives at that part, it’s just you and your potential customer—and ultimately them alone. It’s their choice; you’re there to make them see that choosing you is the correct one.

Good marketers will keep talking about what they’re offering non-stop, hoping that the service or product—its features, specifications, and the like—will entice the customer to buy it and letting it do the talk. Great marketers will relate with the following infographic. Let’s study up on persuasion, the ultimate essential skill.

There are many psychological effects at play when persuading. Take the scarcity principle and the backfire effect as examples. While one is advantageous, the other will break every bit of work you’ve done—maybe because they weren’t interested enough to begin with or they have a different opinion (even then, you really can’t pinpoint why).

This is a simple representation of how and why the human mind is tricky. Psychology, eh? There are a handful of shortcuts here and there, but while those can be a great help, none of them is a guarantee.

One reminder you always have to keep in mind is to be honest and genuine. When you say that you want to help, it should be the ultimate goal. It’s not just about closing a sale, not turning a profit, and not making money.

An honest marketer is often the best kind. No need for embellishments. No need for sugarcoating. Just genuineness. What maybe the ultimate trait you can have coupled with the ultimate skill you can hone may just be the best combination.

Resources:

Kessler, Doug. “6 examples of insane honesty in content marketing.” Velocity. May 12, 2015. www.velocitypartners.com/blog/6-examples-of-insane-honesty-in-content-marketing

Kessler, Doug. “7 Ways to Be Insanely Honest in Your Marketing.” Hubspot. May 15, 2015. blog.hubspot.com/marketing/insane-honesty-marketing#sm.0001frknxr3k3dlkqq22lsqtd9h7a

Lee, Kevan. “How to Win Friends and Influence Your Audience: 10 Theories to Know For Greater Persuasion.” Buffer. April 29, 2014. https://blog.bufferapp.com/social-media-influence

Wright Wiley, Kim. “The Persuasion Principle.” Selling Power. n.d. www.sellingpower.com/content/article/index.php?a=7825/the-persuasion-principle&page=1

3 Tips on How to Improve SEO Writing for Your Business

Posted on by Rick E

With our increasingly digitized lifestyles, technology plays an even bigger role in society.

For businesses, the playing field has moved online. The Internet’s influence on people can greatly improve or ruin a company’s reputation. Beyond traditional marketing tactics like network expansions, the Internet now serves as the main arena where entrepreneurs vie for customers’ attention.

One way to improve your digital marketing strategy is through SEO writing for your company’s website or blog. Sometimes, SEO writing can be tricky, especially if you have lots of competition online. Fortunately, we’ve compiled three tips to improve SEO for your business:

Strategic Keywords

You want to be the first thing people see in a search engine when they look up something related to your brand offer.

More website views mean more people are becoming interested in you.

If you follow up on this interest with frequent correspondence and an effective sales pitch, you can best convert leads into sales.

But how do you come out on top when there are other sites competing for the slot?

Dave Davies, Beanstalk SEO Services CEO, suggests in his article on Search Engine Watch a strategic use of keywords in your entries.

These keywords are the things your potential leads will be typing in the search bar.

They act as the middle ground between your company’s specific services and the customer’s more general concerns.

Be exact with a keyword that will lead a prospect to you, but don’t overdo it.

Instead of individual words, use phrases to qualify your keywords without making it look like blatant marketing.

There’s no fixed formula to coining the right keywords.

Give yourself options before settling into what feels most natural and effective.

Relevant Content

The most important thing in your blog post or website is the content.

You may have all the right keywords, but without solid content to back you up, your post will fall flat.

Keep your writing original and fresh.

Be mindful not to duplicate content. Jayson DeMers, founder of Seattle-based social media marketing firm, Audience Bloom, provides useful tools that help you gauge your article’s originality.

These sites include Copyscape and Copysentry, which analyze your content for you.

If you want to keep yourself on a Google search’s first page, update often and avoid re-posting existing entries.

Besides, frequently updated material that keeps up with people’s changing interests attracts more attention.

You may be able to draw people in at first click, but the trick is to keep them reading. Consider your page’s bounce rate compared to how many online viewers actually interact with your site.

Limit the number of bounces you get by publishing material that’s worth reading to the end.

Consistent Branding

To make your site link-worthy, its content should bear your brand.

Once a viewer goes through your site, they’ll want to know who you are.

Establishing a personal connection with the client is as important outside a pitch as it is during your presentation.

People are more willing to invest in something familiar to them.

Use your posts as a springboard to bring your services to the viewer’s attention.

Introduce your business and foster a link between you and your virtual audience to gain their trust.

However, this doesn’t mean you’re stuck with a limited set of topics that revolve around your services.

Expand to related areas that will broaden your scope while keeping your identity.

It also helps to include links to your references within the text.

This associates you with authority sources, or other credible sites.

Conclusion

Writing with SEO can improve your overall digital marketing strategy.

Choosing strategic keywords and creating unique content showcases your brand and improves your online marketability.

Simply being on top of a search list doesn’t guarantee lead conversion.

But bringing in enough interested people to your page raises your chances.

After the initial contact with your prospect, don’t forget to follow up.

If you play all the right cards, they might even invite you to deliver your sales pitch in person.

References

“Bounce Rate.” Google Analytics. Accessed November 2, 2015. https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/1009409?hl=en

Davies, Dave. “How to Find Profitable Keywords For Your Website.” Search Engine Watch. March 29, 2012. Accessed November 2, 2015. http://searchenginewatch.com/sew/how-to/2164520/profitable-keywords-website

Demers, Jayson. “7 Advanced Ways to Improve Your Site’s SEO.” Entrepreneur. September 30, 2014. Accessed November 2, 2015. www.entrepreneur.com/article/237819

Demers, Jayson. “How to Make Sure You’re Not Publishing Duplicate Content.” Audience Bloom. August 14, 2013. Accessed November 2, 2015. www.audiencebloom.com/2013/08/how-to-make-sure-youre-not-publishing-duplicate-content/

Featured Image: “SEO” by NOGRAN s.r.o. on Flickr.com

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