Few social media's have carved themselves as effective and unique a niche as LinkedIn has done over the last few years, as social media platforms have become the dominant force in online socialising. With a focus more on the networking part of social networking, LinkedIn has defined itself as the digital equivalent of the classic, business-centric networking event that every young marketer is forced to attend and awkwardly eat canapes at, during some point in their career. That being said, its clearly a service that people desired considering it has a user base of 650 million people, just under half of which log in every month.
With the growth of the platform, marketers have done what they do best and implemented marketing and advertising options throughout the service, options that are unique given the business focus and engagement levels of the LinkedIn user base. As such, let's talk about how to get the best out of your marketing at those juicy, LinkenIn-using CEOs, Founders and Directors of something-or-other.
LinkedIn ads come in two flavours; Self Service and LinkedIn Advertising Partner Solutions. Self Service is, as the name implies, the more DIY option, where you have the power to fiddle with all the bits and pieces (schedules, audiences, bids, budget etc.) Comparatively, Partner Solutions pair you with an agency that can either look after the nitty, gritty for you, or show you the ropes and help you skill up.
Self Service ads have a few different variants, several of which you'll probably recognise from other Social Media offerings. Your options include;
As with all marketing executions, the hive mind also has some tips if you want to follow in the footsteps of past successful campaigns. For the most part, the same general best-practice guidelines you use on Facebook and Instagram will serve you well here, things like 'try and use original photography','use specific calls to action with action verbs' and of course, 'personalise where possible', but there are also some LinkedIn specifics.
So there it is, a brief guide to the best LinkedIn has to offer us marketers. With a bit of a plan and some forward thinking, LinkedIn can be pretty bloody rewarding to a lot of brands, so jump in and take a look!