With over 900 million members and counting, LinkedIn is the world's largest professional network. That's right! In short, LinkedIn is a powerhouse of B2B marketing tools and opportunities.
Now, if that's not enough to convince you of the importance of LinkedIn B2B marketing, consider this:
LinkedIn's targeting options, content capabilities, and lead generation features make it a must-have tool for any B2B marketer.
But with so many different options available, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. That's where this guide comes in.
We've done the research and testing for you. We’ll explore the best LinkedIn marketing tools and explain how to leverage their power to drive business growth.
So sit back, grab a cuppa, and let's dive into the world of marketing tools on LinkedIn. We promise you won't be disappointed.
However, before we break down the tools that’ll help you nail your profession as a marketing professional, let’s get a few basics right!
For starters,
But what exactly does LinkedIn marketing entail?
It involves the following—
Additionally, LinkedIn has features like analytics, connections, and brand-building tools. Thereby, the possibilities are endless.
It doesn’t matter whether you're a seasoned LinkedIn pro or just starting. LinkedIn helps you gain the maximum outputs from your B2B marketing efforts.
Hence, from sharing content to driving traffic, unlock the full potential of LinkedIn marketing tools NOW!
It's understandable to focus your social media marketing efforts on popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. However, neglecting LinkedIn is a major blunder!
It’s the world's largest professional network. Plus, it houses a massive chunk of your target audience. Thus, it's the perfect platform for connecting with decision-makers and generating high-quality leads.
Again, in today's hyper-competitive marketplace, it's critical to have a strong online presence. And LinkedIn is the perfect platform to help you do just that.
What’s more? LinkedIn is 227% more effective at generating leads than Facebook and Twitter.
So, by excluding tools for LinkedIn marketing from your promotional strategy, you miss out on a massive opportunity to grow your business. Also, you fail to establish valuable professional relationships.
Now, you already know that numbers speak louder than words. So, were we able to convince you? If yes, it's time to get on board and start reaping the rewards.
By now, you must have realized that LinkedIn is the perfect platform for promoting your B2B business on social media. It provides an exciting combination of advertising, sponsored posts, InMail for direct communication, and industry groups.
The platform is also perfect for designing your ideal LinkedIn Marketing Strategy.
Why?
Because of its detailed audience profiling algorithm!
In fact, from LinkedIn company page promotion to lead generation, the platform offers everything you need to make the most of your B2B marketing efforts.
It also offers functions for post engagement (shares, comments, likes) and skill endorsements.
Now, the most successful businesses use a mixture of all these LinkedIn tools for marketing to supercharge their sales. Keep reading to find out what are the best LinkedIn marketing tools for promoting your B2B company.
LinkedIn offers many B2B marketing tools to help your business build brand awareness, generate leads, and ultimately boost sales. To help you out, we've compiled a list of the best LinkedIn marketing tools.
They’re guaranteed to take your marketing efforts to the next level. Whether you're looking to promote your company page, generate leads, or engage with your audience, these tools have covered you!
Identifying your precise target persona on LinkedIn can be a challenging task. After all, there’s a multitude of filters on the platform. You also need to overcome constraints and face the absence of exporting options.
However, we have researched numerous strategies to locate our ideal customer profile (ICP) on LinkedIn. So, let's explore how you can use the Advanced Search option on LinkedIn for prospect outreach.
Suppose you’re a B2B marketer seeking potential partners interested in ed-tech. Here's how you can access various search categories on LinkedIn:
Click "See all results" at the bottom of the dropdown menu.
Next, you can use the "People" filter to refine your search results and find people related to your keywords.
However, it's essential to focus on quality over quantity.
For example, your ideal customer persona is located in the US. They should have worked in a director-level role at an ed-tech company for at least 5 years.
To narrow down your search:
Click on the "All filters" button in the top right corner.
The new dashboard allows you to filter your results by categories such as type of connections, location, current or past company, industry, school, profile language, and more.
To find your targeted audience, use the "Locations," "Profile language," and "Industry" filters. And you’ll get a more curated list:
Let's say you met Eva Watson, a founder, at a conference a few months ago. But you only remember her name and the fact that she works for a company based in San Francisco. So, how can you locate her on LinkedIn?
There are two possible scenarios when it comes to searching by name.
If you only have partial information, such as a first name or job title, you can combine those keywords to refine your search. For example, you could search for "Eva + founder + San Francisco" or any other relevant information to help locate her profile.
Finding someone's LinkedIn profile by only knowing their email address can be done using Microsoft Outlook and LinkedIn accounts. Here's how:
To find new prospects/competitors, you can search for targeted company employees on LinkedIn. For example, if you're a Marketing Manager searching for ed-tech companies located in the US with specific employee and revenue ranges, you can follow these steps:
LinkedIn hashtags can significantly boost users' visibility by making their posts discoverable to anyone searching for or following the hashtag.
For instance, if you are a freelance copywriter offering blogging services to SaaS companies, you can search for hashtags your potential clients might use, such as #SaaS, to access relevant content on the same topic.
Are LinkedIn Ads effective for B2B companies?
Well, the answer is a no-brainer! With LinkedIn Ads, you can create highly targeted ads to reach your desired audience. They allow you to target users based on various criteria.
Some include job title, company, industry, location, and more.
Additionally, LinkedIn Ads provide detailed analytics to help you track the performance of your campaigns. Now, to convince you further, here are two compelling LinkedIn B2B marketing examples of its ad performance:
That being said, let’s dive into the four major LinkedIn Ad types –
We’ll also illustrate one example per ad type, which showcases the impact of these LinkedIn B2B marketing tools.
Sponsored Ads are a great way to highlight your content to a B2B audience. You can use them to promote your blog posts, whitepapers, case studies, and other valuable content. Your material is presented before people who are most likely to engage with it.
Additionally, Sponsored Ads are shown only in the main feed. They’re similar to other channels where ads blend into a user's feed. Sponsored Ads include the following:
Kate Spade New York used a single-image ad to promote its smartwatch and increase brand awareness among LinkedIn members. The advert showcased actress Busy Philipps donning the brand’s watch.
The ad received a 2.44% engagement rate and a 1.78% CTR, making it a successful campaign. In fact, the company’s LinkedIn members generated the highest CTR among the four platforms used in the campaign.
Dynamic Ads allow you to personalize your ads for each user. As such, you can create different versions of your ad. Each option has customized messaging and imagery, depending on the user's LinkedIn profile information.
Hence, Dynamic Ads are particularly effective for account-based marketing (ABM) and lead-generation campaigns. They come in four formats and are popular for creating highly stylized ads:
4 Types of LinkedIn’s Dynamic Ads
NerdWallet used Follower Ads to promote its "nerdy" company culture and attract top technology talent.
As a result, LinkedIn Pages and Follower Ads allowed them to showcase their company culture to potential employees and followers. They also succeeded in directing LinkedIn members to their Careers Page, where jobs are posted. In short, the initiative was highly successful!
Text Ads on LinkedIn are visible on the right side of the main feed. They also feature a bold call-to-action (CTA) as a headline and a supporting sentence. Creating these ads is quite simple. Why? You can choose a target audience and track leads quickly.
In contrast, Message Ads are sent directly to a LinkedIn member's inbox. This allows you to communicate with leads without any character limit. You can also enhance the impact of your messages by incorporating features such as forms.
Compared to an email inbox, LinkedIn Messages are less cluttered. Hence, these messages are more visible. Using the Conversion Tracker, you can also track who engages with and converts from your ads.
Design Pickle, a graphic design company, generated over $1 million in revenue with Text Ads by targeting and retargeting specific LinkedIn audiences.
VistaVu Solutions, a B2B company, improved brand awareness, generated leads, and increased brand credibility by using Message Ads to amplify its unique value proposition.
Both companies achieved their goals by leveraging LinkedIn's advertising platform's unique targeting capabilities and features.
So, what’s the takeaway from these 4 examples?
LinkedIn provides a unique opportunity to promote B2B marketing through its various ad formats. Hence, choosing the right ad type and context is essential to reach your target audience effectively.
InMail is an effective tool for B2B marketers. Its response rate is three times higher than a regular email!
Why? InMail allows users to send personalized messages to other LinkedIn members – not in their immediate or connected network. Hence, you can reach out to decision-makers directly. You needn’t rely on other channels like email or social media.
Plus, to get the most out of InMail as a marketing tool, craft personalized and relevant messages. Your content MUST provide value to the recipient. However, never spam recipients. This can damage your reputation and result in negative consequences.
NOTE: LinkedIn provides users with data on the performance of their InMail campaigns. As a result, you can track the success of your outreach efforts and make adjustments as needed.
LinkedIn Pages are profiles for companies on the platform. They allow you to create an online presence, promote your brand, and interact with potential customers. Now, the primary types of LinkedIn Pages are Company Pages and Showcase Pages. Let’s check out the primary features of both these page types.
LinkedIn Groups are online communities on the platform. Here, professionals can connect, share information, and discuss a specific industry, interest, or topic. LinkedIn Groups are free to join and allow members to post articles, participate in discussions, and share insights with other group members.
As a tool for B2B marketers, LinkedIn Groups offer several benefits, including:
There are different types of LinkedIn Groups, including open, closed, and secret groups.
To find and join relevant LinkedIn Groups, search for groups related to your industry, interests, or target audience. Once you join, participate in discussions, share industry insights, and connect with professionals. Be helpful rather than simply promoting your products/ services. Also, engage in conversations and build relationships with other group members.
This platform, designed by the social media giant itself, aims to connect buyers and sellers uniquely. LinkedIn Sales Navigator offers a variety of features. But some of the most important ones include the following:
Additionally, you can use lead recommendations and the various tools offered by Sales Navigator. As such, you can connect with and sell to each prospect more effectively. However, we can’t give you 100% assurance that using Sales Navigator will skyrocket your LinkedIn B2B sales and revenue.
But it’s certainly a worthwhile tool to explore. Plus, LinkedIn continuously adds new features to the platform. This gives users the confidence that their time spent with the tool is well-invested. So, if you're looking to boost your sales, consider trying Sales Navigator.
Are you looking for a way to integrate LinkedIn features into your website? Consider using LinkedIn Plugins. However, some companies may not view them as direct LinkedIn B2B marketing tools for social selling or boosting sales.
However, Plugins can offer significant opportunities. For instance, you can share your company profile with website visitors to give them a better idea of your organization and its associated people.
Here are some of the LinkedIn Plugins available:
It’s true that LinkedIn Plugins may not be the most active strategy for increasing sales. But they can work quietly in the background to provide your audience with additional information. This can encourage prospects to contact you.
LinkedIn Analytics is a set of tools that allow you to measure the effectiveness of your B2B marketing campaigns. You can gain insights into how your content is performing by using analytics. You can also quantify who engages with it and how to optimize your campaigns to improve your results.
By analyzing your data, you can also determine which campaigns are working and which are not. Plus, you can identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions to enhance your promotional initiatives. Now, there are several analytics tools available on LinkedIn, including the following:
These tools allow you to see how your LinkedIn Company Page and individual posts perform. The results are displayed in terms of views, engagement, and clicks. You can also see demographic information about the people who are engaging with your content.
This tool provides information about the people who follow your LinkedIn Company Page. Moreover, you get information about these individuals, including their job titles, industries, and locations. Such details can help you tailor your content to your target audience.
This tool allows you to see how your LinkedIn advertising campaigns are performing. Some of the metrics include – clicks, impressions, and conversions. Using this data, you can optimize your campaigns and improve your results. For example, you can:
You can follow several best practices when using the best LinkedIn B2B strategy for your marketing efforts. However, here are our chosen few:
It is critical to create and share information and engaging content that resonates with your target audience. This can include sharing industry trends and insights, creating how-to guides or tutorials, and sharing thought leadership pieces showcasing your industry expertise.
As we mentioned above, LinkedIn Analytics allows you to track the performance of your content and campaigns. Use these insights to understand what's working and what's not, optimizing your strategy and improving your results.
Visual content tends to perform better than text-only content on social media, and LinkedIn is no exception. Use eye-catching images to grab your audience's attention, and embed videos to make your content more engaging.
Experiment with posting at different times and use data to identify when your audience is most active and engaged. This can help increase your posts' reach and engagement. You can also follow the 321 Rule for content posting.
The 321 Rule is a strategy for posting on LinkedIn that suggests the following:
The 321 Rule encourages maintaining an active presence on LinkedIn while also providing value to your network through a mix of original and curated content. By consistently posting and sharing valuable content, you can build your brand, establish thought leadership, and increase engagement with your audience on the platform.
Consistency is key when it comes to social media marketing. For instance, use one week to post about industry trends and one week about leadership. Keep one week about the personal experience of work culture and one week about industry knowledge.
Why? The LinkedIn algorithm detects the engagements are from a particular segmented audience. Then, it’s likely to promote your post to more people just like them.
Look at the Company Pages of your competitors and other businesses in your industry. You can then see what's working for them. Use this as inspiration to improve your strategy and stay ahead of the curve.
Include relevant keywords in your description and content to ensure your company page is fully optimized for search. This can help improve your visibility and attract more followers.
Encourage your colleagues to engage with and share your content to help increase your reach and build credibility. This can also amplify your brand's voice and improve your social media presence.
As explained earlier, LinkedIn offers a range of advertising options. These can help you reach your target audience and achieve your marketing goals. Explore these options to see if they fit your business and marketing objectives well.
LinkedIn limits 30,000 connections. So, be methodical about whom you connect with. Consider what’s your ideal connection purpose. Your connections will share your LinkedIn posts so they reach new audiences – who, in turn, will follow you. So, break down your audience into separate segments and connect with one segment at a time.
For example, let’s assume you target US CEOs, CMOs, and CSOs. First, connect to everyone who’s a CMO in San Francisco. Then move on to every CSO in San Francisco, then CEOs in the same area. When you're done here, move on to the next city.
LinkedIn offers many powerful B2B marketing tools to help businesses connect with their target audience, generate leads, and grow their brand. Using the tips and strategies outlined in this article, you can make the most of these tools and take your LinkedIn B2B marketing to the next level.
If you need further assistance or guidance in your LinkedIn B2B marketing efforts, don't hesitate to contact Revnew. We are a leading LinkedIn B2B marketing agency that can help you achieve your business goals.