Skip to main content

Why LinkedIn Ranked #1 for B2B Marketers in 2020

Following trends from previous years, LinkedIn once again takes the top spot for the most relied-upon social media channel for generating leads among B2B marketers.

Up against networks like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, it may not be too surprising that the highly targeted business professionals in B2B show more trust in LinkedIn, but the race was close.

 The 2021 B2B Marketing Mix Report, which forecasts marketing trends for the year ahead, shows that of the B2B marketing professionals surveyed, 86% will rely on LinkedIn for generating leads. Facebook (79%), Twitter (60%), and Instagram (60%) aren’t far behind, but they lack the reputation and professionally focused capabilities that help LinkedIn stand out.

Let’s take a look at the top marketing options LinkedIn offers B2B marketers, which have pushed the social media channel over the edge in terms of engagement, open rates, and lead generation.

LinkedIn Ads

In LinkedIn’s own words, they help people “do business where business gets done,” and that’s undoubtedly true for marketers who have used the platform for networking and lead generation. LinkedIn provides various tools that allow marketers to quickly develop and launch effective ads without spending tons of money.

In 2021, B2B marketers are looking to increase sales leads and convert those leads into customers, and the platform’s highly focused targeting capabilities accelerate that process.

As marketers dial in their personas, they can optimize their ads based on traits like job titles, company names, industries, professional interests, personal interests, and more. LinkedIn’s term for ads is Sponsored Content, and it comes in a variety of sizes and formats, including:

  • Single Image Ads
  • Video Ads
  • Carousel Ads
  • Text Ads
  • Follower Ads
  • Spotlight Ads
  • Job Ads
  • Content Ads

This flexibility offers content and creative strategists an inspiring range of possibilities to work with for designing exciting ads that connect with your ideal customers.

LinkedIn InMail

Typically, you have to approve a connection to another user on LinkedIn before you can send each other direct messages. Versions of this restriction exist on other social media platforms as well, but LinkedIn InMail allows you to sidestep that barrier to connect directly with business professionals.

InMail lets B2B marketers craft brief, clear messages to the exact people they need to address while avoiding the look, feel, and approach of standard ads that would appear normally in the user’s feed. InMail messages are a traditional ABM approach that’s thriving amidst the challenges of the pandemic, with more than 1 in 2 prospects opening up a message ad, according to LinkedIn.

They’re conversational and make people more receptive to the information you’re sharing. They give recipients the sense that there’s a real person on the other end, which can be infinitely more effective in building trust and engagement than traditional digital ads.

Throughout the pandemic, InMail has also been vital in promoting the tsunami of webinars and video conferences that have taken over the professional world. It has allowed marketers to get the message out directly to their highest-priority contacts with highly personalized invitations, dramatically boosting attendance.

LinkedIn Groups

On Twitter, brand accounts are able to connect with people through jokes and memes and entertaining personalities. However, in the professional atmospheres of LinkedIn and B2B marketing, it’s the person-to-person connection that often makes the difference.

If you know how to make the most of LinkedIn Groups, you can forge great relationships that help generate leads and sales. To increase engagement on LinkedIn Groups, LinkedIn suggests:

  • Inviting your 1st degree connections and allowing members to invite theirs as well
  • Sharing the group publicly to your LinkedIn feed or privately via LinkedIn Messaging
  • Sharing the group URL in any other channels where you engage with potential members

Like InMail, Groups is a tool that has found increased value amidst the pandemic. With so many people working remotely, digital avenues of communication are booming. But to thrive in LinkedIn Groups, you need to have a good understanding of the communities you’re involved in and be mindful of group etiquette and policies. Follow the rules, share relevant content, and limit blatant self-promotion to avoid being ignored or getting yourself banned. Here are some guidelines to keep in mind:

  • Thank members for their contributions with a like or comment
  • Send private messages to members to follow-up on a specific topic
  • Recommend a member’s post on a weekly basis to highlight their contribution

Most B2B marketers find that having an assigned person to handle all company group contacts goes a long way in ensuring you’re a welcome and valued member of the groups you start and join.

Start Generating More Leads

Whether you’re beginning a new campaign, re-strategizing an existing campaign, looking into LinkedIn Stories, or simply looking for more ways to generate leads, it’s clear that LinkedIn is your best social bet.

Curious where all other marketing channels fall on the modern B2B marketers’ priority list? Download the 2021 B2B Marketing Mix Report for a full breakdown of the trends and tactics that marketing professionals are looking to for their 2021 campaigns.

See how COVID-19 dramatically impacted marketing spending, get more insights into lead generation, and see how ABM is making a major comeback.

The post Why LinkedIn Ranked #1 for B2B Marketers in 2020 appeared first on Marketing Insider Group.



from Marketing Insider Group https://ift.tt/3emFp4S
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is a Local Citation? Local SEO

In simple SEO terms, a local citation refers to any mention of your company online. This could be in a business directory, or on an industry-specific site, a blog or any other local website. Although local citations can help you rank in local search results, they are no longer a major ranking factor . However, they are still worth considering in order to promote your business. Common citations you are likely to already know of include listings on business directory websites such as Yell or Thomson Local . A complete citation should include the name, address and phone number of your business. Local citations do not always include a link to your site although they are more valuable if they do. What do they do? Citations help rank your Google Local Pack listing (this was formerly called Google+ Local map) by providing Google with credible sources of information about your business. Citations tell Google that your business exists, is legitimate and that what you say about it is accur...
12 comments
Read more

The beginner’s guide to semantic search: Examples and tools

Ever since Google’s Hummingbird, the term “semantic search” has been thrown around a lot. Yet, the concept is often misunderstood. What is semantic search and how it helps SEO efforts? When people speak to each other, they understand more than just words. They understand the context, non-verbal cues  (facial expressions, nuances of the voice, etc.) and so much more. It comes naturally, so we don’t really appreciate how difficult it is to explain what is being communicated without the help of all “beyond-words” signals. Factors that make the lives of both Google and SEO so difficult Google is trying (and often struggling) to understand what it is that their users want (without actually seeing or hearing them) SEOs are trying to reverse-engineer what it is that Google managed to understand from their users’ queries and how to build pages that meet those mysterious criteria. As Google’s algorithm is getting more mature, it is becoming even more difficult to decode what...
8 comments
Read more

7 Boring SEO Tasks You Can Automate to Save One Day Per Week

An SEO expert’s day is filled with a plentitude of activities to rank well on Google , starting with taking care of basic content quality to backlinks, site structure, mobile user experience, and other technical features. Not to mention having to squeeze the time spent on each task between meetings, conference calls, emails, and urgent projects, which take up a large portion of the week. Before you can even think about finishing less-important SEO tasks, you are already running out of time. The truth is some tasks are too boring to complete at the end of a tiring day. But you can’t leave it on the table to handle some other day, as it will only overshadow other, more important tasks. So, what’s the way out? The good news is advanced online tools can handle your boring SEO tasks, helping you save at least one day per week for creative activities. Here are some of the boring SEO tasks you can automate now and save yourself from performing these tedious activities. 1. Automate SE...
1 comment
Read more