Singapore has some of the most ardent social media users, not just regionally but also by world standards. Over the last 10 years, social media has revolutionalized much especially in terms of challenging traditional business marketing methods. Today, social media is not just a platform for entertainment and sharing photos with families and friends; it is a highly effective method for businesses to make themselves noticed.

Most companies are now using these platforms as their primary marketing channels as they allow them to interact directly with their clients and market their brand cost effectively.

One of the most popular and effective platforms for marketing your business in Singapore is LinkedIn. Conservative and unconfirmed figures indicate that there are more than 1.73 million LinkedIn users in Singapore. While a majority of these users rely on LinkedIn to network professionally and search for jobs, some clever and innovative businesses are tapping into this market segment.

How? By selling their services and products in ways no one would have imagined. The thing is, if you want a platform where business deals and connections are made, deals go down, and leads are generated, then you need to commit more time to LinkedIn.

How To Set Up A LinkedIn Marketing Strategy?

Here are some tips on how to set up a LinkedIn marketing strategy and reap profits from it. Note that these tips may not apply to Facebook and Twitter.

• Create a LinkedIn Group

A LinkedIn group is pretty much similar to a Facebook fan page, but more efficient in promoting engagements and generating leads.

One of the benefits of having a group of potential customers is that you get an opportunity to get business leads from high-end clients and decision makers. Come up with a group title or name that resonates with the nature of your business or industry, before sending out invitations. Below are additional wise nuggets to help you expand your group;

• • Include high-value keywords in the group’s description to increase its search ranking
  • Include keywords in the title to make it easier for Google and other search engines to index and display it in search engine results page
  • Add a link to your official business website or blog to drive organic traffic to the site. The members will be able to seamlessly access your site by clicking on the link instead of spending time searching for it on Google
  • Make sure that you add a blog RRS feed to the group, so that all new articles that you publish are automatically indicated on the home page of all group members.
  • Commit yourself to sending at least one weekly message that is packed with valuable information to the group members. Doing so will not only help you to build credibility but also drive traffic to your website
  • Interact and connect with people in the group more often to understand their needs. In the process, introduce your business and the products you are offering

All these wise nuggets will increase your chances of generating leads for your company. Concisely, come up with a group that meets a need for the audience you are targeting. Therefore, you will need to carry out a feasibility study before creating the group.

• Build Credibility and Ask Questions

Thousands of Singaporeans use LinkedIn Answers to look for facts related to their jobs or courses. It is one of the most trusted platforms to get answers from the top-rated experts in the various niches and from across the globe.

The success of any business is dependent on its credibility and reputation in the market. If the targeted customers identify your company as an authority in a particular niche, they will confidently purchase your products and seek your services repeatedly.

The most successful Clementi-based software development company spends almost two hours a week answering questions from other LinkedIn users. This simple tactic gives the company at least five new clients per month.

Here are three tips on how to increase your chances of getting leads by answering questions;

Step 1: Carry out a background research on the person who asked the question to understand their background. Then, come up with an ingenious way to link the response to some of the information posted on their LinkedIn profile.

For example, if you get a question related social media marketing from a company director research the company to know the products or services that it offers and use that information to come up with a personalized response.

Step 2: Do not shy away for sharing resourceful links to websites and authority blogs that contain additional information. You can also recommend an expert who is more experienced and knowledgeable on that topic.

Step 3: Keep the conversation going by requesting them to reach out to you privately if they need additional help. Doing so will give you an excellent opportunity to share more information about your products and services.

• Host Events Regularly

Just like other social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn has an intuitive events platform that allows users to create host events for free.

For instance, if you intend to hold a social media sensitization campaign in three cities, Bukit Batok, Novena, and Tampines, you can create the event and then proceed to promote it to get as many attendees as possible.

Anyone who comes across the event and indicates that he or she is attending, that information or notification will be immediately posted on the home profile of all the group members as well as the people that you have connected with.

This will, in turn, give you free exposure and triple the chances of the event ad going viral.

As you promote the event, be sure to send out personalized invitation messages to people are would be interested in it based on niche and region to get the best outcome.

• Carry Out an Advanced Search of the Market

LinkedIn has a power advanced search function that allows a user to find and connect with the exact prospects they are going after. All you need to do is click on the “Advanced” tab located on the top right side of the home page right next to the search box.

You will be transferred to a new page where you can use industry, company names, titles, and keywords to look for the exact information that you want. There are also niche-specific filters that you can use to target a particular group of people in your niche.

Finally, we all love receiving personalized information from organizations and local businesses that we’ve purchased from. Once you locate leads, send professional, personalized messages to them.

Any expert LinkedIn marketer can attest to the fact one of the surest ways of making a sale on this platform is by connecting with the prospective customers on as many personal levels as possible. Spend time going through their profiles to gather as much information as possible to help you come up with the most personalized message possible.

Last but not least, you’ll need to also focus on SEO and SEM.

The two will catapult your business to greater heights, considering that you’ll be available on the top pages of major search engines. Get an SEM and SEO Singapore consultant, let them optimize your site and make it ‘favorable’ on search engines.

While at it, they should also ensure that it is mobile friendly; this is the newest trend or trick in the world of SEO.

• Join Targeted Groups

One of the essential keys to using Linkedin to your advantage is joining a specifically targeted group.

With approximately 1.5 million groups available for businesses to make their selections from, over 81% of its users have joined at least one. From Inbound Marketers to Social Media Today, there is a group for virtually anyone who has an interest. So, all you have to do is find your niche network and join in by sharing your own blog articles.

Finding a group on LinkedIn is easy. To get started, just click on your ‘interests’ tab, and then the ‘Groups” option in the drop-down menu. & nbsp;

This feature will give you a chance to search for topics that you have an interest in while also suggesting groups that will fit your profile, activities, and other related interests. Once you have found groups that spark your interest, check them out to see if they are a good fit for your company.

Review the guidelines, the activities within the group and the number of members that have joined up. If you have found an open group, you will also have the opportunity to look at the types of content posted and take an assessment of how it will fit into your selected target market.

Even though you will have over 1.5 million LinkedIn groups to choose from, be selective about which ones you join. Look for groups in your niche that show authentic engagement and those that will add value to your business.

Remember, these groups make awesome networking opportunities for companies that want to get ahead of their competition.

• Provide Interesting and Engaging Content for Your Target Audience

To increase the traffic on your blog, you need to pay close attention to the content that you write for your target audience.

If you want them to notice your brand right away, you need to create a theme that will not only support your business’ objectives but also keep their interests by spicing things up a bit.  For example, you may want to host contests or give the group a chance to enter a sweepstakes.

In some cases, you may want to provide your services for free. Remember, this is a perfect opportunity to use the ‘Promotions’ sections of LinkedIn groups to promote discounts, giveaways, and other deals.

To ensure your blog is successful, your content must be engaging and interesting to those who read your blogs.  With a business theme to base your content on, you can build a host of different attention grabbing images and headlines.  With the use of many of the newer marketing content techniques, you can keep your audience intrigued and coming back for more information.

• Make Sure to Follow LinkedIn Influencers

Since the addition of LinkedIn Influencers, businesses have had an opportunity to hobnob with the top influencers in their industry.  

In short, this feature gives business owners a chance to learn from the best. Before you can become a part of the conversation, however, you will need to apply.  Applying and receiving an acceptance is not always easy if you do not have a strong following to back your application up.

So, the questions is, how can you use this tactic to promote your blog?

Build your reputation up by association and then work towards earning your target audience’s trust. In order to accomplish these objectives, you should start this campaign by creating a list of influencers that you want to follow. Share their content with your audience.

Even though this initial strategy will not provide you with direct hits to your company’s blog, it will still position you as an influencer with a big presence. This is especially the case when you offer intelligent comments on your influencers’ content.  

Because the top influencers’ blogs generate a lot of traffic on LinkedIn, you can also benefit from the high visibility that comes along with joining in.

Other LinkedIn Marketing Strategies That May Work For Singapore

1. Write posts.

It can be tempting to sit back and passively wait for business to come to you on LinkedIn.

After all, you have already created a profile for your business, your resume, and have listed off your greatest strengths. However, if you want to grow your Singapore business quickly, then you’re going to have to offer something of value.

You need to write posts as this will help to ensure that you make the right connections.

2. Send personalised notes with your invites.

Most business owners tend to send out “one size fits all” LinkedIn invites. The better option is to create personalised notes to go along with it them. The recipient needs to know why you are connecting with them.

This is especially the case if your business is B2B. Make sure that you have a company profile and encourage your team to create a personal profile as well so that they can link to your brand. This is because each member of your staff has specific skills and talent that they are contributing to your business.

These attributes can be highlighted along with your brand’s keywords in each of your employee’s summary and experience sections.

Also, LinkedIn Recommendations will help to increase your visibility.

You should also consider asking your team to join groups and offer their insights. Suggest that they send personalised notes whenever they decide to reach out to people. They should include their reasoning for reaching out to them.

Keep in mind that one of your company’s best resources is your team. Use their individuality and passion to your advantage. Empower them and encourage them to use their own voices and build their own expertise and influence. In this way, each of these individuals will become your greatest advocates.

3. Don’t sell. Inform and educate.

There are a lot of Singapore businesses who have the habit of taking the traditional approach to advertising. This means they spend a lot of time talking about their products and services. While this may work in some instances, it’s not likely to work on platforms like LinkedIn.

You see, most people don’t care about the products and services that you offer. What they are primarily concerned with are themselves and the problems they’re facing. In addition to this, they want to be entertained.

So in order to get people talking about your business, you need to show them something remarkable. When people start talking about you, the sales will practically take care of themselves.

4. Build relationships.

One of the reasons why LinkedIn is such a great social media marketing tool for Singapore businesses is because it helps you to build relationships with industry influencers. So make sure that you take the time to follow these individuals and share their content.

Interact with them. Remember, they have thousands of followers and are very likely to share your business with their audience.

You should get into this habit as soon as possible, even if your audience isn’t that large.

5. Craft your profile carefully.

When it comes to making your impression on LinkedIn, there is no better way to do it than with your profile. This is the first glimpse that people get in your business–whether it’s through your business page or your personal brand. And that’s why it’s so important to carefully craft your profile. You need to make sure that every element is professional.

Make sure that your profile contains the most important elements such as a header and description. Make sure that it actually reflects what your business does. It should be clear what type of products or services you offer.

And the content that you include should be engaging enough to keep your reader’s attention.

Start with an eye-catching header image.

Not only should it be able to catch people’s attention but it should also be of the highest quality. Make sure that you include a short description of your company. LinkedIn’s ideal background image size is 1400 pixels x 425 pixels. Make sure that it is customised with the colours of your brand. The look of your LinkedIn profile should convey your business messaging.

For instance, showcase images of your latest product or offer. Luckily, there are several free photo editing websites to choose from such as Canva and Picmonkey. You should always use a professional headshot. This will help to give your visitors and more personable impression of you.

When building your profile, remember to get to the point and let others know who you are as soon as possible. This makes it easier for people to quickly identify you and accept your connection request.

You see, what many Singapore business owners don’t realise is that whenever you ask to connect with someone and they tell LinkedIn that they don’t know you, this counts against your profile. If a lot of people say that they don’t know you, your profile may get banned.

Include your skills and main keyword phrases in your headline.

This will ensure that you are found more easily in internal searches. Completely fill out all of your contact information and include your websites and social networks so that others will be able to contact you.

6. Pitch for freelance work.

Are you a freelancer? Well, you could always browse the full-time jobs for your industry.

Once you find a position that you’re interested in and notice that they are hiring, pitch them freelance help. In many cases, you will find that the job becomes long-term.

7. Be engaging.

One of the main things that Singapore business owners forget to do is to be human. Don’t be afraid to engage people in conversation. Have chats with them. Connect with people and share valuable information. Respond to be people and like their posts. In other words, you should bond with people in your industry. Above all else, show your human side.

8. Make helping others your first priority.

Would you like to gain a customer for life? Try helping people. In many cases, companies will ask to connect with someone only to send them a sales pitch a few days later. Perhaps they send them a message.

Maybe they actually call the individual. This is hardly the way to get loyal customers. But it is a common practice. What this means is that you can stand out from your competition by doing just the opposite.

Instead of attempting to close the deal immediately, find a way to help the person that you have just connected with. Offer some advice for free. Most people will feel obligated to return this favour.

And they will be less likely to turn you down whenever you do decide to send them a sales pitch.

9. Join groups and participate in discussions.

One of the best ways to make sure that you become apart of the community in your industry is to join groups. Not only should you join groups, but you should make sure that they are highly relevant. The reason this strategy is so effective is because it gives you the ability to nurture your leads as well as showcase your expertise.

There are over 2 million groups that you can choose from.

So make sure that you choose the ones that are an exact match to the type of audience that you are interested in attracting. Once you have officially joined, get involved. Seek out LinkedIn group discussions and then join in on them. That means that you need to ask questions and post content.

This is one of the best ways to get attention for your business. Whenever you become an active member of certain groups and offer answers to questions, you’ll find that a lot of members will want to connect with you. And many take an interest in your products or services.

10. Only showcase your best.

It can be extremely tempting to list every accolade or bit of experience that you have had. However, it’s a good idea to reserve only your most impressive, most notable experiences for your LinkedIn profile. Sure, you may have worked for tons of companies, but you will get more mileage out of listing those that are most well-known.

11. Connect in the right way.

When you really take the time to consider what LinkedIn offers, you will come to realise that it provides a golden opportunity. Unlike platforms like Facebook or Instagram, people aren’t here to make light conversation. They are here strictly for business. This means that they are primed and ready for your marketing pitches.

However, the key is to not jump in head first. You should instead take a moment to consider your audience and how you should go about approaching them. Each audience is different and each requires a different approach. Don’t spam them. Cater to their preferences and tailor your strategy specifically for them.

12. Share, share, and share.

Not only should you write posts, but you should make sure that you are sharing them the optimal number of times. According to LinkedIn, when businesses share at least 20 times each month they reach about 60 percent of their audience. When you break this number down, you will arrive at five posts per week.

So this means that in order to reach the most amount of people, you should post once per day.

13. Be professional.

Sure, LinkedIn is a social media platform. It’s a place where you can connect with people and build networks. However, you need to make sure that you only share information that can benefit your followers business-wise.

This means that you should avoid posting personal details about your life. You must remain professional.

Focus on people’s struggle and share content that helps.

This is what will get people to your blog and increase your list of subscribers. And the more emails they read, the more they trust you. So save the family stories and details about what you had for breakfast this morning for other platforms because this one is filled with professionals.

14. Take advantage of Pulse.

Did you know that you can watch who comments and likes your articles by using Pulse? Once you identify these individuals you can connect with them and gain another lead. Simply publish your content on Pulse, engage with the individuals who comment, and if your notice that they have read two or more of your articles then send them a note through LinkedIn.

Another way in which you can get the most out of Pulse is by republishing content from your blog. Just change your titles and slightly tweak your content so that the message fits your LinkedIn audience. It helps to increase your digital property.

15. Combine LinkedIn and SlideShare.

If you want to amplify your reach and attract a new audience, you can always combine LinkedIn and SlideShare. LinkedIn has a laser-focused user base that is always searching for something specific. What does this mean?

It means that the leads that you get from this platform will be more targeted and the networks will be stronger.

And this creates opportunities for your content to go viral. That is why when you combine this platform with SlideShare it can ensure that you reach the largest amount of people possible.

16. Become an authority.

As we have already mentioned, one of the best ways to gain followers and get visibility for your brand is to sign up for LinkedIn groups and become an active member.

However, you can take your influence to an entirely different level by working to become an authority in these groups. This is one of the quickest ways to build an engaged and large following on LinkedIn.

The strategy is relatively simple and straightforward.

First, you should seek out influencers in your industry. Second, you should scroll down their profile and locate their LinkedIn groups. Join the ones that are the largest and most relevant to your niche.

There should be a minimum of 10,000 members. Next, you should add yourself to each of these groups. Then, share quality content with them. Lastly, you should engage with the individuals who share.

The best part about this strategy is that you can join several groups. This means that you will get several shares per group. You’ll gain a significant amount of traction this way.

17. Become an expert.

Not only should you become an authority, a person that people look to for helpful information, you should also become an industry expert. You’re not just a resource, you’re a leader in your niche. This is someone people will look to when making their final buying decisions. And luckily, LinkedIn offers several opportunities for Singapore businesses that want to really distinguish themselves above the rest. This is done through independent organisations and groups.

18. Align your pitch with the mission of the audience.

There are a couple of reasons why Singapore business owners enjoy using LinkedIn. First, it allows them to connect with other businesses that make a difference in their niche. Secondly, it gives them the ability to brainstorm and share ideas with these individuals.

However, it’s important that you are strategic about how you achieve both of these things. More specifically, you need to make sure that these things take place organically.

Let’s say that you happen to read several great articles written by the same person and they happen to be in your niche. You could always reach out to this person through a message on LinkedIn, tell them how much you enjoyed reading their content and then connect with them.

You may know someone else who this person would have something in common with and you can introduce them.

As time progresses you may even meet up with this person to discuss ideas.

Another great example would be your starting a LinkedIn group that is dedicated solely to your niche. You don’t spam people on your contact list. Instead, you allow this list to grow organically. You mention the group in follow-up emails after events.

The great thing about this strategy is that you create long-term relationships.

Sure, this may be an elevator pitch but it’s done naturally so that it does not offend your audience. And most importantly, you are aligning your goals with those of your intended audience. This strategy may take a bigger investment of time, but it has a lasting effect.

19. Connect with like-minded people and search for specific leads.

If you want to get the most out of LinkedIn, then you need to go beyond forming connection in your industry. You need to make it a point to connect with like-minded people. The best part about this strategy is that you will be able to connect with the right people for your specific business.

What this means is that you need to spend much of your time prospecting. Use LinkedIn’s Advanced Search feature to study people in your area. This is especially great for local businesses.

When you form these types of connections, you will find that there are many more opportunities for you to get visibility for your business. You may be asked to attend or even speak at certain events. Don’t focus on bulk. Rather consider the specific qualities of the people that you decide to connect with.

One of the benefits of using LinkedIn is that it tends to result in a higher conversion rate. Since this platform is based on business connections it will help you to cut through all of the clutter confusion. It takes you right to its main purpose–networking.

It’s specifically efficient at market segmentation.

Whenever you look for specific leads, LinkedIn’s search editor will give your a ton of options. You can actually engage with your potential leads before you pitch to them. You can actually build rapport.

20. Offer value and expect nothing in return.

We have already discussed the importance of helping people. However, we haven’t touched on why you shouldn’t expect something in return. LinkedIn makes it easy for businesses to send quick messages.

However, not all of these messages will result in a conversion. Why is this? Well, it’s because most businesses offer nothing of value when pitching their idea. And what’s worse they intrude upon the person’s time and expect something in return.

For example, most pitches start off with the business getting in contact with someone. They request that the person give them a moment of their time so that they can tell them more about their company and what products or services they offer. Unfortunately, this seems like a complete waste of time to the recipient and likely and causes them to disconnect.

The better option for Singapore business owners is to do their research before approaching the person.

They need to find out exactly what the person values and offer it to them. The value may be a link to a few articles that will help them solve their problem, a free white paper about challenges in their industry and how your business could help them or a connection to someone in your industry who could possibly help them. After delivering the value, they should respect nothing in return.

Remember, marketing and sales is about building relationships. And that’s because, people don’t buy from businesses. They support people that they actually trust, know, and like. These things take time to build.

21. Pay attention to the quality of your content.

Should you publish content on LinkedIn? Yes, you should. Should you post daily so that it reaches as much of your audience as possible? Yes, you should. Should you pay close attention to the quality of your content? Absolutely. You may post content and consistently, but if it lacks value and is not well-researched, then it won’t do much to help your business. So make sure that when you create content, it’s original and something that your audience will actually want to read.

22. Locate the emails of bloggers and reach out to them.

Would you like to reach out to bloggers and influencers? One of the best ways to do it is to find their email addresses so that you can get in touch with them. Luckily, there are several tools that can help you with this task. For instance, you can use EmailHunter.

You simply install it onto the Chrome browser, go through all of your Linked profiles and select the red button. With just one click, you will get a list of contact so that can do manual outreach and promotion. It’s simple but it can help to somewhat automate the process for you.

23. Offer a unique perspective.

While you should always strive to post high-quality content and consistently, if you really want to stand out then you need to offer a unique perspective. Get people to notice your brand by pointing out something that is wrong with your industry and how it can be fixed. Make sure that the subject matter actually means something to you as you will speak about it more passionately.

24. Ask for LinkedIn recommendations at the right time and be very specific.

One of the things that makes LinkedIn such a powerful tool is that it features real people. And this makes it pretty easy to verify whether or not a testimonial is actually authentic. And this is great because it means that your testimonials will hold a significant amount of weight and gives your business a lot of credibility. And this helps to increase trust levels and awareness.

However, it’s very important that Singapore business owners know when and how to ask for a testimonial for their business. The timing has to be just right when you’re requesting a LinkedIn recommendation.

It’s a good idea to ask the client for a recommendation right after you have finished the job. This way, they will be able to offer a testimonial that has more depth and meaning because it’s still fresh on their mind.

Ask the client to make sure that the review they leave for you is as personalised as possible. It should never be based on the generic template that LinkedIn offers. Try outlining a few questions that will help guide your clients through their testimonial.

This outline will also serve as a guide for all of your future reviews. Ask them what were the before and after results of using your products and services.

What was it like to work with you. Did they enjoy your style of communication? What was the process like? Was there a quick turnaround time?

Keep in mind that a testimonial that is purposeful and impactful can have a huge impact on your bottom line. These testimonials should be displayed on your website and email signatures. They should also be placed on other platforms so that you gain more exposure.

25. Only share posts that are of the highest quality.

A big part of any social media platform is sharing the posts of others. And this is especially the case when it comes to LinkedIn. As business professionals network, they tend to gain inspiration from others and they want to share what they have read with their network. However, you need to be careful about what you share.

Just as it is important for you to create content of the highest quality, it’s just as important that you only share content that is of the highest quality. In this case, other people’s content is apart of your content marketing strategy. So you will be judged based on what you recommend.

This is especially the case if your business is B2B. The LinkedIn audience is well-informed, so you need to post content that is exceptional. It’s ideal to break your sharing down into a ratio. 50 percent of your sharing should be of the posts you create. The other 50% should be from other influencers and bloggers.

26. Showcase your company culture.

A great way to stand out from the competition is to create content that goes beyond your newsletter or a simple blog. Why not create content that gives your audience an inside look at your company and how it functions. Share what is going on behind the scenes. Describe the culture of your company. Delve into your interests. This way, you will be able to expand your reach and connect with an entirely different audience. Sure, newsletters and blogs are great, but it’s a good idea to vary your content.

27. Develop a strategy.

It’s quite easy to assume that LinkedIn is just like any other social media platform and that all it takes is filling out your profile and posting a few times per week. However, this could not be further from the truth. If you want to get the most out of this platform, then you need a solid marketing plan. The best LinkedIn social media campaign starts with a strategy.

So take the time to consider what your objective is. Who are the people that you are most interested in targeting. What would you like to achieve with your business? Once you have come up with the answers to these questions, they can help to guide what tactics you’ll use on this platform.

For example, if you are mostly interested in lead generation, then you need to ensure that you include a CTAs, or call-to-action, in the Sponsored Updates section. This will help to turn your visitors into actual prospects.

If your ultimate goal is to be seen as an industry thought leader, then you should use LinkedIn’s publishing platform to release content that is long and deep and pushes the discussion forward. If you would like to increase your brand awareness, then publish top of the funnel content so that you are able to reach a larger audience.

Perhaps your goal is not just one thing. It could be various things.Whatever the case, you should start with a strategy.

28. Ask how you can help.

While there are a lot of niches in which it is easy for Singapore business owners to figure out what their audiences want, there are others that take a little more investigation. In fact, in some cases, you may need to reach out to your newest connections every week just to find out in what ways you can help them.

For example, you can start each week by sending your newest connections a personalised message. The subject like could be, “How Can I Help?” Ask them why they connected with you and to tell your about the newest that they’re working on.

You’ll find that this particular strategies can attract a lot of new leads.

29. Use the advanced search option for overseas meetings.

Are you interested in setting up overseas meetings? Then you could always use the advanced search option to your advantage. This is an excellent tool for Singapore business owners who want to locate like-minded business associates. No matter how many people you have in your network, in some cases, your best referrals can come from third level connections.

30. Recycle and syndicate your content.

Just because you have already used your content elsewhere does not mean it can’t be effective on other platforms. So consider recycling the content on your other platforms and publishing it on LinkedIn. What’s great about this is that it can save you a significant amount of time and is still very effective.

LinkedIn groups have a tendency very spammy. That’s because there are a lot of group members who tend to leave links but they never interact, so it’s a virtual ghost town which means there is no traffic to your site. By using the recycle and syndication strategy you can gain a lot more traction. Use this content to drive people to your site, and then use retargeting.

31. Treat LinkedIn interactions as you would in-person interactions.

When you interact with other people on LinkedIn, you need to behave in a way that you would with your next door neighbour. In terms of proper etiquette, social media is not much different than your town or city.

So make sure that you are a good neighbour. If you notice that you don’t really have anything in common with someone, then there is really no need to send this person an invitation or message. If you do notice that you have something in common with them, then you need to make sure that the invitation or message that you send to them is genuine and sincere.

This means that you should never start off with a sales pitch. Instead, you should formally introduce yourself and give them a little bit of background on who you are.

Next, you should never approach anyone and start bragging about all of your past and latest accomplishments as this can be interpreted as arrogant or rude. Make sure that you give people a heads up when you find something that could potentially make their lives easier.

And make sure to take the time to compliment the person who created the content that was life-changing.

Also, it’s important to take the time to congratulate your connections whenever they have reached a certain milestone or are celebrating something special. For instance, you can wish them a happy birthday. You can wish them a happy anniversary.

Perhaps they have achieved an impressive business goal and you want to let them know that they have done a great job. Whatever the case is, you need to make sure that you are always a good neighbour. A successful LinkedIn strategy requires more than your having a lot of followers. It requires your building a great reputation in your community.

32. Post partial articles.

As we have discussed, a crucial part of a LinkedIn marketing campaign is posting quality content. However, what if you are interested in getting your LinkedIn traffic back to your site? Sure, you want to get people to follow you on LinkedIn, but your ultimate goal is to drive traffic.

The good news is, you don’t have to “waste” all of your content on LinkedIn. In some cases, you can use your publishing space as a teaser. More specifically, you can post half of your article on this platform and then create a link back to your website. This way, in order to read the rest of your article, they must go to your site. This particular strategy works great for list articles.

For example, you create an article entitled, “15 Tips for Reorganising Your Home Office.”

In this case, you would post 6-7 points on LinkedIn and then suggest that they read the full article on your website. Simply include a link at the very bottom of your post that says, “Read all 15 by clicking here.”

This can help to drive a significant amount of traffic to your site where the reader can be pixeled for re-targeting later on Google and Facebook. And make sure that you have a pop-up on your website that ask the visitor to join your mailing list.

Make sure that you create a stellar headline as well as a captivating introductory paragraph.

Also, you shouldn’t save the best points for your website. Ideally, your most compelling points should be mentioned in the first half of your article on LinkedIn so that people want to know more. You definitely need to be able to pique their curiosity.

Complete Guide to LinkedIn Ads

Already, we have discussed everything you need to do to set up your LinkedIn profile to promote your brand properly. LinkedIn allows brands to create ads to connect with the target audience like other social media platforms.

When doing any form of digital marketing, failing to plan is equivalent to shooting in the dark and expecting to hit the target.

Millions of brands use LinkedIn ads to attract customers, and so should you to realise the full potential of your business. Knowing the different types of ads, you can run on this platform will point you in the right direction.

Research shows that LinkedIn has more than 690 million active users. 4 out of 5 users have a potent ability to impact your business decisions. They also have twice the buying power of the conventional online audiences.

Let’s shift gears and look at the different types of LinkedIn ads and how they can influence your business.

The Different Types of LinkedIn Ads

Did you know there are more than six different ads that you can use to attract qualified leads on LinkedIn?

All is not lost if you are yet to run a marketing campaign on this platform. Here is a complete guide on the different types of LinkedIn ads and how to leverage them to supercharge your business to the next level of success.

• Sponsored Messaging

Sponsored Messaging allows brands to advertise their products and services directly to potential customers by sending custom marketing messages directly to their inboxes. This feature was previously referred to as Sponsored InMail. Since its inception, it has proven effective in spurring engagement and sales.

However, there is a limit on the number of people you can send Sponsored Message ads to per month. One potential customer cannot receive the ad more than twice within one month. Segmenting the target customers and creating succinct ads will help you get maximum results from this type of LinkedIn ad.

It’s also important to note that even though 89% of online customers prefer buying from businesses that stay in touch with them via personalised messaging, only 48% of companies use this strategy to connect with existing and potential customers.

• Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is also referred to as native ads. Sponsored Content is displayed in the target audience’s LinkedIn feed when scrolling on either desktop or mobile. Currently, the platform labels this content as promoted to differentiate them from the conventional content posted on the platform by other users.

Use visually appealing LinkedIn ads such as single image ads, carousel ads, and video ads to make your sponsored content stand out from the crowd. Remember, the human brain is wired to process visuals faster than blocks of text.

Hence, having sponsored content in a visual format will encourage prospects to take the desired action rather than text. Be sure to monitor the engagement levels of different ad formats to know which one resonates best with the target customers.

• Dynamic Ads

Personalisation is the secret ingredient to success when digital marketing, especially on social media. The LinkedIn team is aware of this and created dynamic ads to help brands communicate directly with potential customers through personalisation.

The Dynamic Ads are displayed on the right side of the user’s feed. The target customers’ details such as job title, employer’s name, and personal profile photo are mirrored back to them to grab their attention.

Even though such personalised ads effectively spur engagement, some members may feel they infringe on their privacy and decide to change their account settings to hide their details.

• Text Ads

Like the dynamic ads, text ads are displayed on the right side of the user’s LinkedIn feed. They are ideal for attracting qualified leads from the ever-growing professional audience on this platform.

Research shows that 58% of digital marketers consider lead generation one of their primary goals when creating and running digital marketing campaigns.

Use LinkedIn Text Ads to boost your other lead generation strategies without spending a fortune.

3 Primary Objectives of LinkedIn Ads

One of the benefits of advertising on LinkedIn is that it enables marketers to create objective-based advertising campaigns. The campaigns are tailored to achieve a specific set of goals.

Here is an overview of the three primary objectives you can achieve through LinkedIn Ads.

• Awareness Ads on LinkedIn

Having a robust brand awareness strategy is one of the surest ways of getting your brand known by the target customers. Online customers are more likely to buy a product or service from a brand that they know than a new brand that they have never heard about.

Get into the minds of the target customers by using LinkedIn awareness ads. These ads are expertly designed to spark a conversation about your product and services, and this aspect makes them perfect for running an impression-based campaign.

If well-executed, they will help you attract more followers, spur engagement, and increase views on a budget.

• Consideration Ads on LinkedIn

As mentioned earlier, LinkedIn has millions of monthly active users. Targeting all the members will cost you an arm and a leg. Take maximum use of your marketing budget by running consideration ads on LinkedIn to qualify your leads.

Use this type of LinkedIn ad to achieve the following objectives.

• • Increase Engagement: Use the ads to encourage the audience to like, comment, and share your content. The ads can also help to increase traffic to your website and social media platforms.
  • Increase Website Visits: More traffic to your website will give you more chances to generate sales. Use consideration ads to channel potential customers to your landing page and website.
  • Boost Video Views: Video engages with customers better than text. Create consideration ads in video format to highlight our product features, services, and business story.

• Conversion Ads on LinkedIn

A conversion ad on LinkedIn will compel qualified leads to take the desired action. Here are the three objectives you can achieve using this type of ad.

• • Lead Generation: A conversion ad will connect your business with qualified leads by using different forms containing LinkedIn users’ data.
  • Increase Website Conversions: The ads will encourage prospects who land on your website to buy or take other desired actions such as joining a mailing list or downloading your ebook. 
  • Connect with Qualified Professionals: LinkedIn is widely used by professionals in different industries to scout for job opportunities. Use a conversion ad to share information about a job opening in your company.

Detailed Overview of Different LinkedIn Ad Formats

There are 11 different ad formats that you can use to connect with potential customers who are active LinkedIn users.

Let us shift gears and briefly look at each of these formats.

• Conversational Ads

As the name suggests, conversational ads are designed to spark a conversation about your brand. The ads highlight your services and products and encourage prospects to buy. They effectively promote brand awareness, engagement, lead generation, website visits, and lead generation.

Here are the requirements you should adhere to when creating a conversational ad.

• • The ad name should not exceed 255 characters
  • The terms and conditions and custom footer should not exceed 2,500 character
  • Banner creative ads for desktops should have images of 300 x 250-pixel max and should be in either PNG or JPEG.
  • The introductory message shouldn’t exceed 500 characters
  • CTA text should have 25 characters max
  • One message can have up to five CTA buttons
  • Message text shouldn’t exceed 500 characters

• Carousel Ads

Carousel ads comprise a row of cards that showcase your different products and share insights and the brand’s story. The audience can swipe the cards in either left or right direction. The use of strong visuals to design the cards effectively increases engagement, brand awareness, website traffic, and conversion rate.

Here are the specifications for LinkedIn Carousel Ads.

• • Ad name should not exceed 255 characters
  • Introductory text should be 150 characters max
  • The file size shouldn’t exceed 10 MB
  • One ad should have 2-10 cards
  • Maximum image dimension is 6012 x 6012 pixels
  • Only allowed rich media formats are GIF (no animation), PNG, and JPG
  • Ads that lead to a specific page should not have more than 45 characters.
  • Ads that contain a lead generation form CTA should not have more than 30 characters.

• Follower Ads

Follower ads are dynamic ads that are personalised to encourage LinkedIn users to follow you.

They aim to increase engagement and website visits, and brand awareness. Here are the specifications you should adhere to when creating a LinkedIn follower ad.

• • Ad description should be 70 characters max
  • The ad headline should be 50 characters max
  • The company name should be 25 characters max
  • The preferred ad image size is 100 x 100 pixels for both PNG and JPG

• Lead Generation Forms

Lead generation forms will enable you to connect with qualified leads. For example, if you plan to host a webinar, you can link the event CTA to a lead generation form. After the event, you can visit the LinkedIn ads manager to download the profile data of your leads.

Alternatively, you can synchronise your LinkedIn account with your CRM software.

• • Keep the following specs in mind when creating a LinkedIn lead generation form.
  • The form name should be up to 256 characters
  • The headline shouldn’t exceed 60 characters
  • Details should be 70 characters max
  • The privacy policy text should be up to 2,000 characters max

• Spotlight Ads

Spotlight ads are meant to shine a light on your brand’s content, services, and products.

Prospects are redirected to your website or landing page when they click on the ad. They rely on personalisation to boost brand awareness, increase engagement and website visits and generate leads.

Below are the specifications for spotlight ads.

• • Ad description should have 70 characters max
  • Ad headline should be 50 characters max
  • Company name should be 25 characters max
  • Preferred image size is 100 x 100 pixels and can be in either PNG or JPG
  • Maximum length of CTA is 18 characters
  • Custom background should not exceed 2MB and should be 300 x 250 pixels exact

• Job Ads

Also referred to as Work With Us ADS, LinkedIn job ads can achieve up to 50x higher CTR rate than the conventional recruitment ad.

They achieve a high CTA rate because they block competitors from displaying job ads on your employees’ profiles.

The specifications for a job ad are;

• • Company name should be 25 characters max
  • Company logo should be 100 x 100 pixel
  • CTA button should be 44 characters max
  • Ad headline should be 70 characters max

• Message Ads

Message ads effectively convey the intended message to prospects compared to other ads. Research shows that 1 in every two potential customers open and read a message ad. Use this ad format to communicate directly with your audience.

Below are the specs for the LinkedIn message ad.

• • Message subject should not exceed 60 characters
  • CTA button copy should have 20 characters max
  • Message text should have a maximum of 1,500 characters
  • Custom terms and conditions should not exceed 2,500 characters
  • Banner creative with either PNG, JPEG, and GIF should be 300 x 250 pixels

• Single Image Ads

Single image ads are displayed on the LinkedIn homepage. They look similar to conventional content posts.

The only difference is that they are marked as “promoted,” advertisers pay for them. Use them to increase website visits, conversion rate, brand awareness, connect with qualified job applicants and lead generations.

Here are the specifications for single-image ads.

• • Name of ad should have 255 characters (optional)
  • Introductory text should have 150 characters max
  • Destination link should be up to 2,000 characters
  • Ad image can be in PNG, GIF, or JPG format. Image size should be 7680 x 7680 pixels max
  • Recommended headline length is 70 characters max, but we have seen some headlines that have up to 200 characters
  • Recommended length of description is 100 characters, but some advertisers have up to 300 characters long description

• Single Job Ad

The single job ad is meant to promote job openings directly to your LinkedIn audience. The ad is displayed in the user’s newsfeed and often links to a website page that contains additional information about the job opportunity.

Here are the specifications for creating a single job ad on LinkedIn.

• • Ad name should have 255 characters max
  • The introductory text should have 150 characters max. However, the desktop max is currently capped at 600 characters.

• Video Ads

Use LinkedIn video ads to show potential customers that your brand is an authority. For example, the ad can highlight customer experience, introduce new products, promote thought leadership, give insight into company culture, etc. They offer a perfect opportunity to show, not tell, your brand’s story to prospects.

The specifications for LinkedIn video ads are;

Though optional, the ad name should have 255 characters max

• • Introductory text should be 600 characters max (also optional)
  • Recommended length of the videos is 3 seconds – 30 minutes. Data shows top-performing ads are 15 seconds or less long.
  • Video file size should range between 75 KB and 200 MB
  • Under 30 frames per second
  • Width of the video should be 640 – 1,920 pixels
  • Aspect ratio should be 1.778 – 0.5652
  • Height should range between 360 – 1,920 pixels

• Text Ads

80% of B2B leads are from social media platforms such as LinkedIn. If you are on a budget, running text ads on LinkedIn is one of the guaranteed ways of increasing website conversions, website traffic, and brand awareness.

Adhere to the following specs when creating this type of ad.

• • Headline should have 25 characters max
  • Ad description should have 75 characters max
  • Image should be 100 x 100 pixels in either PNG or JPG format.
  • Recommended image file size is 2MB or less

How to Create a Robust LinkedIn Ad Campaign

The above LinkedIn ad formats have the potential to help your business realise its full potential. However, the campaign should be properly structured to be effective in achieving the expected results.

Here is a detailed guide on creating a robust LinkedIn ad campaign in nine simple steps.

Step 1: Create a LinkedIn Page

Create a custom LinkedIn page for your brand if you don’t have one to start leveraging the Sponsored Messaging Ads and Sponsored Content. Here is a detailed guide by Hootsuite on creating a LinkedIn page for business.

Step 2: Access Your Campaign Manager Platform

The LinkedIn Ad Manager also referred to as the Campaign Manager, is a holistic platform that offers detailed information about your campaigns. Use it to run advertising campaigns and set and manage your budget.

Step 3: Set the Ad Objective

In every ad format discussed earlier, we indicated the primary objectives that different LinkedIn ads can achieve. Consider the type of action you want the target customers to take when they come across your ad. Use that information to set an objective for each ad you intend to create and run on LinkedIn.

Step 4: Identify the Target Audience

Identify the target audience by first setting the location, industry type, and professional and personal interests. If you intend to run a LinkedIn job ad, indicate the job title and the skills the applicants should have.

We recommend using LinkedIn Recommends to run your first campaign. The target audience for the initial Text Ads and Sponsored Ads should be at least 50,000, and 15,000 for Message Ads. You can use Matched Audiences to connect with prospects you know through retargeting and uploading a list of the email addresses.

Step 5: Select an Ad Format

Already, we have discussed the 11 different ad formats and their specifications. Select an ad format based on the objectives. Consider the pros and cons of each format to make the right decision.

Step 6: Set a Budget and Schedule

Log in to your Campaign Manager to set a budget for your ad campaign.

This platform will also give you a budget range based on bids from other advertisers targeting the same audience. Experiment with the different options for 2-4 weeks to find out what works or doesn’t work for your brand.

As you learn the ropes, it’s recommendable to set a monthly budget of $5,000 or a minimum daily budget of $100. Monitor the results achieved to figure out whether you should reduce or increase your spending.

Step 7: Create Your Ads

The Campaign Manager will generate a preview of your Text or Sponsored Content Ads to show you the ads’ look before they go live. Use this option to fine-tune the ads before they go live. If you intend to send Message Ads, send a test message to yourself to know if any tweaks are required.

Step 8: Submit Payment Information

LinkedIn charges a fee for all ads posted on the platform. Provide payment information such as your official name and credit card number for payment purposes. You won’t have to resubmit this information unless you acquire a new credit card.

Step 9: Monitor Performance of Your Ads

The Campaign Manager has a reporting dashboard with different performance metrics, demographics, and access charts.

You can analyse the report here or download the report in CSV format for further analysis with your team. Run A/B tests to know which ad format works best for your brand and track conversions to get maximum ROI.

LinkedIn Ads Best Practices You Should Adhere to Always

The performance of your LinkedIn ads is dependent on how you structure and monitor the campaign. Here are the best LinkedIn Ads practices you should adhere to always.

• Identify and Understand Your Target Audience

When running an ad campaign on LinkedIn, it’s imperative to set the countries or regions the ads should be displayed. The desired location is the only mandatory field you must fill when creating the campaign.

You can broaden your reach to connect with the target audience better by indicating the metropolitan or city, province, and state. You can use other parameters to refine the audience’s education, personal interests, professional interests, company details, and demographics.

LinkedIn team discourages advertisers from being too over-specific when targeting ads. Initially, cast your net wide to expand your reach and learn more about your audience quickly. Carry out A/B test campaigns with different criteria to get a crystal-clear perspective of your audience.

• Develop Clear CTA and Succinct Copy

Regardless of the type of LinkedIn ad you create, it should have a clear CTA to inform prospects of the next step they should take after interacting with your ad. Don’t leave them in the dark and eliminate guesswork by ensuring the ad copy is concise and compelling.

“Sign Up Today” and “Register Now” is the most effective CTAs, but you can experiment with other non-generic copy to stand out. Here is an article we recently wrote on how to write compelling CTA.

• Use the Right Content

Identifying the right audience will help LinkedIn to increase its content reach.

However, it won’t keep prospects glued to the screen. Here are tested and proven ways of grasping the target audience’s attention and encouraging them to take the desired action.

• Sponsored Content

Consider repurposing content that was ranked highly by Google and spurred engagement. Don’t limit yourself to only posts published on your website; you can also use social media posts as sponsored content.

Use rich media elements such as audio and video to grasp the reader’s attention. Connect with the audience emotionally by sharing stories about human interests, such as user-generated content (UGC).

• Sponsored Messaging

Share webinars, industry analysis, case studies, blog posts, and industry trends to show prospects that your company is an authority. Promote tutorials, product demos, UGC, upcoming events, or webinars to encourage participation and convert regular followers into customers.

• Text Ads

Contrary to popular belief, text ads should have visuals to encourage the audience to interact with your brand. Though optional, images will help you get more results from your LinkedIn campaign. Consider including a high-quality profile image or logo to help the audience recognise your company fast.

• Video Ads

Short videos less than 30 seconds record a 200% view completion rate than long videos. Most views stop watching videos after the first 10 seconds if the content is not relevant and engaging enough. So, keep your videos sweet and short. In addition, include subtitles and enable sound-off viewing.

• Carousel Ads

Start with 3-5 cards per carousel ad to know if they resonate with your audience. Increase or reduce the number of cards based on the results achieved. Break down bulk content pieces into carousel cards to communicate effectively with prospects.

Include high-quality visuals that match the content to pique the potential customers’ interest. Remember to include a clear CTA in the card and direct messaging.

• Dynamic Ads

Personalise your dynamic ads by being as descriptive as possible in the ad text and headline. Experiment with different image layouts before posting; make sure the messaging and CTA is clear.

Final Thoughts

LinkedIn ads will enable you to realise the full potential of your business. Ensure that you adhere to the different ad format specifications to get the utmost value for money. More importantly, monitor the results you get from each ad to know which format suits your audience.

When it comes to LinkedIn, there is a ridiculous amount of opportunities and knowledge available to you.

However, if you want to get the most out of this platform, you need to know how to navigate it. You need to know how to attract the most qualified leads.

And much of this comes down to your ability to be helpful and offer value. You need to be willing to align your goals, with those of your audience. You must also be willing to create lasting connections.