LinkedIn is a social media and marketing powerhouse. While other platforms have been getting lots of media attention, some of it not so good, LinkedIn has quietly become one of the most important and respected players in the social media landscape. In fact, by 2024 it’s expected to capture nearly 25% of all B2B digital ad dollars spent in the U.S..
Brands looking to get the attention of LinkedIn’s more than 900 million worldwide members need to learn how to leverage the platform effectively.
To help others learn from experts already doing that, Zoetica Media founder Kami Huyse invited public relations and social media director Cynthia Murga and marketing and brand communications manager Dana Zambon of HR solutions provider Insperity to share their insights.
LinkedIn Serves as a Solid Channel for Companies and Brands
“As a B2B and as B2B marketers, we knew that LinkedIn was something that needed to be utilized more,” Cynthia said. ”LinkedIn is also considered a social selling tool, and this is where our sales organization also can really impact the work they're doing and connect with audiences, prospects, clients, partners at a higher level.”
Dana noted that HootSuite’s recent sharing that “four out of five people on LinkedIn Drive business decisions” and the fact that “there's 58 million companies on LinkedIn” support a strong argument for engaging on the platform.
Insperity’s Two-Pronged Strategy
Cynthia shared that Insperity’s strategy involves two parts: advertising to target its niche audience and the use of organic social media which “helps humanize the brand.”
“We’re always utilizing content marketing material [and] thought leadership pieces – if we see something that is working organically then [we try to figure out] how can we put money behind it, or if it's an ad that we put on LinkedIn and we knew that it worked great, [we try to figure out how] do we take it, repurpose it, and use it in an organic way,” she said.
Meanwhile, Dana talked about “a study that showed that [company] page followers who are exposed to both paid and organic are 61% more likely to convert… it's a symbiotic relationship; you really can't have a complete strategy of one without the other.”
Insperity’s Day-to-Day Marketing Workflow
Insperity has an in-house marketing agency with approximately 60 people. To keep all of the marketing roles working together cohesively, there are daily check-ins and tracking of all work through its kanban board.
Dana explains that this helps track both status and progress. “The very nature of how we work lends itself to that consistency, that alignment, that continual communication….there is constant collaboration.
Content Creation and Planning
Insperity uses a combination of real time content creation and planning ahead. “For the most part, yes we like to be proactive in the social PR space right and even in the digital content space,” says Cynthia. “We like to identify topics ahead of time, whether it's every quarter [or] annually.”
Keeping a finger on the pulse of what’s going on in the world is important. “We do try to proactively identify topics that we see are trending within our customer base, [information gleaned from] surveys that we're taking,… and also what the sales organization is hearing from prospects and clients,” she explains.
Insperity also aims to repurpose content as much as possible. For example, after using internal subject matter experts to help write blog posts, the marketing team might pull specific messaging from a post that can be used for a LinkedIn carousel or a fun infographic that leads readers back to the original blog post.
The same principles that Insperity uses can be used in smaller organizations as well. “To me the key to consistency in your content, regardless of who created it, whether it's in-house or freelancers.” Dana argues. It's “critical to make sure whatever comes to you is on brand, is the voice what it should be, [and that it is] adhering to your editorial style guide.”
Elevate Your Employees’ Brand on LinkedIn Too
Insperity believes in helping its employees with their personal brand as well. “You need to build your personal brand to really garner that trust from your target audience,” says Cynthia. Focus on relationship building first. “I always tell them, do not go straight for the sale, don’t connect with them [on LinkedIn] and then [immediately try to] sell them thirty services. Connect with them, follow them, engage with their content, …maybe you can start there, make it more personal before you go straight into the sell.”
Being relatable and bringing personality to one’s LinkedIn presence is proving to be hugely successful – hardly anyone wants to read the old-style corporate speak anymore.
To learn more ways Cynthia and Dana helped make Insperity a company that’s been recognized as a Top 100 Places to Work and a Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Award Winner, watch the full video replay here!