It’s a given: There’s no other platform more useful for professional networking than LinkedIn. As such, no brand would develop a content marketing strategy without considering the platform as one of its main channels.
If you’re in the B2B industry, you’ve probably spent a few minutes posting content and connecting with possible leads. But aside from the usual publish and send, are you truly using LinkedIn to its full potential?
Since it first went live on the internet, LinkedIn continuously improved and published LinkedIn tools that can help professionals make the most of their LinkedIn network. To stay on top of online business, we see announcements here and there of LinkedIn-compatible tools that can help us with our day-to-day tasks.
We compiled a list of useful LinkedIn plugins that you can use to put yourself ahead of your competitors and into your target market’s purchase list.
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LinkedIn Showcase Pages
Linkedin offers a LinkedIn tool to highlight a single business unit or initiative through Showcase Pages. Designed to promote specific products to a particular audience, you have the option to dedicate a whole separate page to a single personalized campaign. Much like your company page, you can monitor your analytics and see how your content marketing strategy is holding up.
Through dedicated pages, LinkedIn Showcase Pages allows leaders to create deeper posts targeted to a specific market without allowing it to overpower (or get buried under) other content. A quick example: Microsoft holds different products for different business processes. To separate one from the other, the company utilizes different LinkedIn Showcase Pages for Office and Lync, which are marketed to two very different audiences.
LinkedIn Elevate
The people who make a business successful aren’t the customers, but the employees who pour out everything into the processes, services, and products. Since employees know the ins and outs of your business, customers believe that employee insights are more authentic. In a recent survey, employees have ten times more connections than their company has followers.
Aside from the badge of credibility, putting your employees out there enhances your reputation as an industry expert. With LinkedIn Elevate, your employees can now share curated company content within their LinkedIn network. Once published, you have access to measured analytics that can determine the impact of every post. You won’t only be putting out positive recommendations, but you’ll be positioning yourself and your workers out there as experts in your field.
LinkedIn Small Business
Putting out your business when you’re just starting is no easy task, and LinkedIn knows this too. To empower small business owners, the platform launched LinkedIn Small Business, a handy repository for SMEs. Filled with tips on establishing a company, connecting with users, and engaging with leads, this LinkedIn plugin serves as an excellent guide for professionals who are still experimenting their way into the market.
Additionally, LinkedIn Small Business allows companies to showcase their abilities, expertise, and services. It’s a big “we’re open!” sign on the online world.
Company Insider Widget
Further strengthening the role of employees in business success, new tools today offer the opportunity for your audience to familiarize themselves thoroughly with your brand. There’s no better way to get to know a brand than through the people who work behind the services and products you offer.
A new LinkedIn widget called Company Insider gives a secure and easy way to provide information on organizational developments across its channels. Employers can show employees to site visitors and set automatic updates on new hires. The best way to connect with your target audience is by showing them who you are as a company – more than merely a faceless brand that’s trying to sell.
LinkedIn Pulse App
From LinkedIn itself, Pulse was created for professionals to stay updated with the latest stories and articles. The LinkedIn tool imitates a blogging platform where users have the liberty to curate stories based on interest or author. When creating your content marketing strategy, Pulse proves to be a helpful tool to pinpoint trends and most-talked-about topics.
The Pulse App is especially useful for B2B brands. Apart from staying on top of recent conversations, Pulse gives leaders an avenue to establish their expertise in their field. It’s an opportunity to widen their reach outside their network and build trust among potential customers.
We could all do with a little help
No one establishes a huge brand without hard work. But when it comes to putting your name out there and getting ahead of your competitors, it’s best to work smart, not work hard. With LinkedIn tools and plugins available at your disposal, you can focus on the more important aspects of your business – like ensuring product or service efficiency and quality.
These tools are only some of the wide variety of LinkedIn plugins available to users. When it comes to building your brand, LinkedIn offers more than just a place to talk and publish content. LinkedIn tools and plugins are continuously developed for business leaders to get quality leads, improve their content, and showcase their credibility. While there’s nothing wrong with continuing the common routine of post-engage-connect, you could be doing more with your time online. If there was a more convenient option to do your usual LinkedIn marketing process, why wouldn’t you choose it?