LinkedIn has done an exemplary job of branding their platform as a place to “do business where business is done.”

Rather than spotlighting news, inspiration or personal updates as other platforms do, LinkedIn offers users a place to forge meaningful professional connections, gather industry insights and support brands that are aligned with what they believe in. LinkedIn also offers brands a unique opportunity to spotlight who they are, what they do and know, and what they stand for among audiences who are both familiar and unfamiliar with them.

Over the past year amid COVID-19, economic shifts and the acceleration and magnification of social justice movements, LinkedIn has become an increasingly important place for brands to show up and interact with existing and prospective employees, customers, vendors and suppliers. And they are not only showing up, they’re upping their marketing investment on the platform. According to EMarketer forecasts, LinkedIn will command 1.4% of U.S. digital ad revenue share in 2021, an increase from the 1.2% (and $3 billion) it captured in 2019.

As LinkedIn grows in numbers and engagement, so do the opportunities for brands. That’s why today’s marketers simply must invest in developing thoughtful strategies and data-driven campaigns. Here are three tips to help you leverage LinkedIn to increase awareness and impact for your brand.

1. Build Your Strategy for Short- and Long-Term Impact

To create an effective and impactful LinkedIn marketing strategy, it’s important to first consider where the audience is in their journey with your brand. You’ll need to factor that information into your campaign strategy and content development plan to ensure you’re designing the optimal experience on your account.

Once you know where most of your audience is, you can build out a campaign to connect with them. Your campaign and content should center around two objectives: 1) short-term engagement and 2) long-term growth. Short-term engagement content should create urgency around services or products offered by your brand, e.g., what’s new, seasonal, trending and the like. Long-term campaigns should consider the content that aligns with your growth plan, which might include sharing a thought leadership piece that showcases your brand’s expertise and helps to establish your company as a go-to resource for customers. Both short-term engagement and long-term growth elements will be important to your success over time, seeding connections and leads and then cultivating them.

2. Use Video to Strengthen Affinity and Woo Newcomers

Video is a fast, educational and engaging way for your audience to get a snapshot of who you are as a brand, and the power of video translates into the LinkedIn space. According to Influence Marketing Hub and Wyzowl, 38% of marketers post video content on LinkedIn – and 75% found it an effective way to power their initiatives.

Hiebing recently partnered with Oregon Tool to release the rebranding of their company, which had been known as Blount. A company with a long history dating back to 1947, the organization wanted to highlight their legacy of innovation and spotlight how their past set the stage for their future. It also underscored how they as an organization exist to support and serve their customers and the work that they do in the world. The rebranding video was shared on LinkedIn to inform, inspire and excite their team members, customers, vendors and suppliers. And that it did. The dynamic Oregon Tool reveal video not only built awareness about the rebranding, it received a great deal of engagement, comments and shares (that also furthered awareness).

For audiences that already familiar with and fans of your brand, informational content is key – they’re already believers, so look to bolster their view and reliance on your brand. These audiences on LinkedIn are generally seeking out professional connections and/or industry-related news and updates – topics your brand, which they already know and trust, can certainly offer them. The trust built with these audiences raises the probability of them spending meaningful time engaged with thought pieces or case studies your brand offers.

Information-rich video content runs the gamut, but one thing that it should always do is serve to solve a pain point, whether that’s need-to-know, best practice-oriented or perhaps in-depth content. Examples might include a colorful video infographic about how your brand solves a problem or is different from the competitors. Content could also showcase what trends are worth embracing or ignoring and why. In any case, rational content boosts your brand’s credibility, establishing it as a thought leader and a reliable resource for your audience.

We recently teamed up with Schneider to create video content that powers their newest initiative, Schneider FreightPower. This short video offers a quick demo positioning FreightPower as the solution to problems for shippers and carriers nationwide. For those who are familiar with Schneider and looking to better understand available ways to move goods, this offers a quick and informative get – and exactly what’s important for audiences considering these services to know.

3. Make the Most of Ad Types to Connect With Your Audience

Rarely does one size fit all, and that’s why LinkedIn offers a mix of ad types for connecting with your audience in the most relevant form and fashion. Here’s a closer look at three of the options that might suit your campaign strategy and content lineup:

LinkedIn Text Ads are part of an affordable pay-per-click model that allows for multiple campaigns on a scalable budget. This makes it easier for brands to test the effectiveness of your strategy as well as uncover what type of creative resonates most with your target.
Sponsored content is a type of ad that’s designed to build brand awareness and drive lead generation. Among the options for sponsored content are single-image, carousel and video ads.Using these in a campaign allows your brand to hyper-target specific audiences while also driving traffic to your website with higher conversion rates.

Dynamic ads are tailored to the audience members based on personal data. (Each LinkedIn member sees their own personal data; data isn’t shared with other members.)  Dynamic ads come in a variety of formats that serve to promote something, e.g., your company page, open job listings or a special sale or offer – and they always feature a call to action. Not surprisingly, job listings are the most popular of all the ads on LinkedIn – as job seekers know this is the place to do business where business is done.

LinkedIn’s growing influence and robust marketing resources make it a platform for you to resonate with your audience and drive long-term affinity for your brand. If you want to explore how Hiebing can assist with creating a marketing strategy and amplifying your brand story, email Dana at darnold@hiebing.com to set up a call.