Is social media part of your company’s marketing mix? Should it be? How should you decide? Such questions are common as many who have yet to embrace social platforms realize they might be short-changing their marketing efforts.

To help answer these questions, we launched a blog series focused on social media platforms and business marketing. While today’s post will look at LinkedIn, other posts in this series cover Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest.

LinkedIn Statistics to Consider

As the social network for professionals, it makes sense that LinkedIn should be on your business radar. What began as the platform specifically for job seekers is now the platform for all things business, especially for B2B companies. Not convinced? Consider the following statistics from LinkedIn. (Source)

LinkedIn User Statistics

• 610+ million subscribers (active user base estimated at 250 million)
• 46 million users are B2B decision makers
• 10 million users are C-suite executives
• 45% of LinkedIn users make over $75,000
• 38% of LinkedIn users are Millennials
• 30+ million businesses have profiles on LinkedIn
• Users say they turn to LinkedIn for:
  • Industry News
  • Expert Advice
  • Career Training
  • Peer insight and recommendations
  • Quality content 

While the number of Americans on LinkedIn is notably smaller than other platforms (25% subscribe to LinkedIn versus 68% for Facebook), what drives participation is uniquely business-focused on LinkedIn compared to the social/entertainment drivers of other platforms. Couple this with the type of information/content sought by the typical user, and it may convince you that your business marketing strategy really ought to include LinkedIn.

LinkedIn Marketing Statistics

• 91% of executives (from businesses of all sizes) say LinkedIn is their social media network of choice for getting valuable information, Compare that to 29% for Twitter and 27% for Facebook (Source)
• 43% of all marketers on LinkedIn say they have sourced a lead through the platform (Source)
• 80% of leads come through LinkedIn, according to B2B marketers (Source)
• 46% of traffic to company websites from social platforms comes from LinkedIn (Source)
• While 91% of executives look to LinkedIn for valuable information, only 0.2% of users currently post articles on the platform
• Only 3 million users post content weekly

The fact that most executives look to LinkedIn for valuable information and insight makes it a key platform for establishing your company as a thought leader. With only 0.2% of users currently publishing articles through the platform, there is far less clutter than other platforms.

LinkedIn as a Business Platform – Pros 

LinkedIn is an excellent platform for:

• Most significant professional network in the world
• A unique platform for generating B2B leads (as stats above show)
• Great platform to stay up on industry news
• Source of specific information about leads and competitors
• Tool for recruiting new talent

LinkedIn as a Business Platform – Cons 

• The platform has excessive promotion and spam you’ll have to filter through
• Time-consuming initially (profile set up)
• Establishing a presence and building a business network (following) can be difficult

Looking at LinkedIn’s statistics alongside its pros and cons may help you decide if it’s a fit for your company’s marketing strategy.

11 Tips for Using LinkedIn

If you choose to expand your company’s online presence using LinkedIn, you’ll want to use the platform as effectively as possible. The following tips will get you started:

1. Don’t spam! Spamming will not help build thought leadership; it will just annoy others.
2. Build an active profile, including your company’s vision and mission.
3. Keep content on an 80/20 scale, 80% user-focused / 20% promotion.
4. Post-industry-specific content that builds your business authority
5. Post content that adds value to others (how-to posts, tips & tricks, etc.)
6. Post company news, product resources, new releases, and updates.
7. Encourage and Train employees to engage with your company’s content to further their reach.
8. Post at least once a day – if less often, keep it consistent.
9. Use images and video to increase reach engagement.
10. Test various times (currently noon on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are considered ideal) – discover through analytics what’s best for your company.
11. Publish articles natively rather than linking outreach is higher with original materials.

Are you Ready for Your Mulligan? 

If you find it makes sense for your business to partner with a content marketing professional, our team at Mulligan Management Group will welcome the chance to sit down with you and discuss your needs. Visit our website www.mulliganmanagementgroup.com, email us at info@mulliganmanagement.com, or call De-de at 330-472-7673.

Mulligan Management Group  www.mulliganmanagementgroup.com  is a digital marketing agency located in Hudson, Ohio. Our team of professionals helps our clients build their internet presence and expand their authority online.

Our services range from website design and development to professional content creation, to social media strategies and implementation. We also offer to consult in all functional areas.