It is fair to say that right now the number one place for B2B content marketing is LinkedIn, so if you haven't started using the site to share content yet, you need to make it a priority. With 303 million active monthly users, it is exposure you cannot afford to ignore. It is a platform that can often be overlooked, but for your business, it may be the most important one in terms of visibility. It can provide you with thousands of extra followers and millions of video views, as influencer and strategist Shay Rowbottom discovered when she started creating content on LinkedIn back in 2008. She began by posting videos intended to promote her Facebook agency. Rowbottom explained “I did three videos per week consistently for two months, and by the end of that time period, I realised I had generated over six figures,” She believed so conclusively in the power of LinkedIn versus any other social networking site that she subsequently sold her shares in her Facebook agency and launched a brand new LinkedIn agency. She now coaches clients on how to use LinkedIn as effectively as she did, and here we share some of her top tips:
1. Videos need to be short and to the point.
A stranger who has no idea who you are, and what your business is about will not invest over 5 minutes of their time trying to find out by watching a lengthy video. Therefore keep them short and engaging, with a target of around 90 seconds.
2. However, the accompanying text should be lengthy.
On LinkedIn, you are given 1,300 characters to work with for your accompanying text so it is important that you use this! It has been noted that longer text posts perform better, so use it to give some background as to why viewers should watch your video post. You could also use it to expand on anything that needs further explanation.
3. Use your short window of time wisely.
For example, do not introduce yourself in your video. You may think this is essential, but frankly, it just eats up time and can bore viewers from the get-go encouraging them to switch off. You need to capture them from the start, so think about a catchy headline or “hook”. Once they are interested, they will search for you after the video.
4. Drive the algorithm by generating comments.
Don't be afraid to ask for comments, it really is worth it. Rowbottom backs this by admitting “I would always send my video to relevant people on LinkedIn and ask for a comment or ask each of my 30 employees to go comment," The more comments on your post, the more exposure it will get!
5. Use hashtags for increased visibility
Look up relevant hashtags that have the biggest following on LinkedIn and use them in your posts for increased visibility. Also, it is a good idea to create a custom hashtag for your business name.
6. Determine the best time to post.
The only way to determine when is the best time to post is to try posting at sporadic times and then analysing which posts yield the highest number of impressions. It is a case of trial and error in the beginning and then after a few months, you will have enough data to make sense of it and then you can post more strategically. If you follow these six simple tips, you should find that you reach new audiences on LinkedIn which will potentially lead to an increase in customers for your business.