LinkedIn has come a long way. It used to be a place where job seekers kept their hopes alive, but it’s now a thriving networking space for the next generation of professionals.
The evolution into a hub for young professionals looking to talk business has also changed the way content is shared on the platform.
Everyone is now out to market themselves. And, every piece of content, from a status update to an article, is part of a marketing strategy designed to make a name or build a brand.
Navigating such a space can be a challenge, but you shouldn’t worry. In this article, we’re sharing six Linkedin marketing strategies you should use to get your name out there in 2022.
Why LinkedIn?
For the longest time, LinkedIn was a largely irrelevant platform not even used by the people it was intended to for. But, lately, that’s been changing.
Between the coronavirus pandemic changing how people connect for business, and the platform’s transformation into a content platform for the biz-focused individual, LinkedIn is having the best of times.
It might still be a fringe platform compared to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, but LinkedIn is here to stay.
Establishing yourself there while it’s still early days is definitely the move to make.
Over 30 million users have landed a job through a LinkedIn connection, and over 120 million others have managed to score themselves an interview on the platform.
That and the fact that over 85% of recruiters use LinkedIn for leads when filling roles should let you know that you must be putting your best foot forward there.
But, how do you do that?
Below are 6 LinkedIn marketing strategies to help you make the best impression this year.`
1. Define your audience
Making a good impression is all about knowing who you want to impress, then figuring out how to go about it.
You’ll never impress everyone, so, on LinkedIn, like in every other setting, you should pick your niche and know the users you want to appeal to.
If you never take the time to define your audience, you could try a million different LinkedIn marketing strategies and find that none of them work for you. It’s like the question goes, “If you don’t know where you are going, how will you know when you get there?”
Knowing your audience lays the foundation for whatever LinkedIn marketing strategy you might want to try next. It’ll also make it easier for you to create the image you want as well as the type of content you need to be making to build your audience.
- Here are some questions to help you define your audience:
- What industries are my audience in?
- What problems do I help solve?
- What problems does my audience have?
- How does my audience communicate?
- What content is my audience looking for?
- What solutions does my audience want?
- What motivates the decision-makers in my audience?
Ask yourself questions like these, and more will help develop your sense of who you want to reach and what marketing strategies will help you get there.
2. Engage with other professionals
Growing on any social media platform, let alone Linkedin is about hard work. But, one of the proven strategies to make the task simpler is by dedicating as much time as you possibly can to engaging with others on the platform.
Spending time talking to other professionals is a great way to establish yourself and make your presence known on LinkedIn.
Engaging with other users on their posts or in the DM’s is a powerful marketing strategy because it can be a while before you’re creating the quality content you need to get others wanting to connect with you.
Finding LinkedIn users you’d like to emulate or people with the type of audience you’d like to have, and sharing your knowledge and perspective under their posts can help get you on a lot of people’s radars.
The beauty of this LinkedIn marketing strategy is that if you’re sincere and you show yourself to be knowledgeable and competent, it won’t be long before people realize the value of connecting with you. It’s also a great shortcut for skipping right to connecting with people.
3. Create targeted content for your audience
Once you have an idea of who you want to be connecting with and you’ve been engaging with other users, you can shift your focus to the next LinkedIn marketing strategy which is creating high-quality targeted content.
Engaging with other users might get you noticed and make you likable, but it won’t build you an audience. The only way to build an audience is to create content and get it out there in front of people.
The first two strategies we covered will help you with this part. If you go through them, you will know what to produce and how to share it.
Depending on the audience you want to reach, you might have to focus on producing long-form articles, listicles, infographics, or even video content. LinkedIn is a content platform, and you have to be prepared to make content in many different formats.
4 Cross-Promote your content
The next LinkedIn marketing strategy you should use, once you’re making your own content, is cross-promoting your content. Put simply, that means promoting your content onto as many platforms as you can.
Because LinkedIn isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, chances are you’ve already built up an audience on other platforms. Well, you should use that to your advantage, and promote your LinkedIn wherever you’ve already established your audience.
You could have an audience on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or even a blog, podcast, or email list. Whatever you’re on, leverage it and use it to grow your LinkedIn audience.
Your LinkedIn content might differ from your regular content, but you never know who in your audience might be looking for something different. Using this marketing strategy will also make it easier for you to grow and it’s a great way to expand your reach across multiple platforms all at once.
An easy way to use this LinkedIn strategy is to use Hypefury’s cross-posting feature. You can use it to share content across Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn all at once, effortlessly.
5. Interact tactfully (Don’t spam content or people’s inboxes)
One mistake people make across all social media when trying to get noticed is spamming people’s timelines and inboxes. This happens a lot more than you’d think, which is why interacting tactfully is a LinkedIn marketing strategy you should try.
How you communicate with others sets you apart. Not everybody does it right, which is why you should put some thought into how you go about it.
Be it in the comments, the posts you share, or privately in the DM’s, make sure you conduct yourself properly. That doesn’t mean being snobby or uptight, it simply means you should be able to read the room and act accordingly.
When it’s time to joke, joke. When it’s time to be serious, be serious. Don’t make a fool of yourself by failing to gauge the mood of your interactions on the platforms. Do it one too many times and you’ll miss out on opportunities you should have had and people will distance themselves from you.
6. Join Groups and Communities
Last, but not least of all the marketing strategies you should use for LinkedIn in 2022 is joining groups and communities that match your interests.
To find these groups on LinkedIn, simply search for whatever keyword you’d like then select the “group” filter for the results.
Joining groups on LinkedIn is one of the best ways to make the most of your time on the platform. While people question the usefulness of the platform as a whole, LinkedIn groups are a great place to prospect for leads, connect with like-minded individuals, and learn from experienced professionals in your field.
Conclusion
LinkedIn might not have the coolest of reputations compared to other social media platforms, but you can still use it to great effect if you follow the right blueprint.
The 7 marketing strategies above are what we think you should focus on if you want to find the gems of opportunity available on LinkedIn.
For more on how you can make the most of LinkedIn check out episode 29 of Hypefury Presents where Justin Welsh lays out how he’s been able to build an audience and reaps the rewards of establishing himself on the platform. You can listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Spotify.
Be sure to follow us on Twitter for the best on how to build and monetize your social media audiences.
