Editor's Note: This post originally appears on the LinkedIn Sales & Marketing Solutions EMEA Blog.
By this point, almost everyone seems to understand what content marketing is. Content strategy? Not so much.
We continue to see a widespread disconnect around content marketing strategy and what it means. Some folks don’t think it exists. Others define it in their own unique ways.But very few organizations have a definitive grasp of the concept, helping to explain why only 38 percent of respondents surveyed for CMI’s Content Marketing in the UK 2018 report indicated they have a documented one in place.
A content marketing strategy, as we described it recently, “revolves around the carefully considered exchange of valuable content for valuable engagement, with a commitment to identifying and measuring that value.”
Under this interpretation, or any other really, LinkedIn needs to play a major tactical role in the content strategies for today’s B2B companies.
LinkedIn and Content Strategy
The dictionary defines strategy as “a plan of action or policy designed to achieve a major or overall aim.” According to the aforementioned report from Content Marketing Institute, LinkedIn was named as the No. 1 social media channel for helping organizations achieve specific objectives.
Here are seven reasons why LinkedIn is essential to a strategic, objective-based content marketing approach:
Targeted Reach
LinkedIn hosts a community of more than 575 million professionals around the globe. No matter who your B2B customers are, they are almost certainly on the platform. And with the depth of filters and targeting parameters you can use to orient campaigns, your ability to refine the scope of your messaging is unparalleled.
Context and Relevance
An effective content strategy isn’t just about reaching the right people — it’s about reaching them in the right context. This is can be a major challenge for B2B marketers operating in the social space, because typically people aren’t seeking out professional content while leisurely scrolling through their personal feeds. But on LinkedIn, discovering useful professional content is the reason many members log in.
The emphasis here is on being “useful,” but ultimately LinkedIn is almost always a superior setting for reaching buyers and decision-makers in a relevant way. This helps explain why the platform drives 80% of B2B social media leads.
When it comes to demonstrating thought leadership, LinkedIn is one of your best bets for gaining authority in your niche, with a large number of engaged executives, influencers, and others serious about honing their craft and learning new things.
Versatility
Today’s content marketing strategies need to include various different forms of material, ranging from written posts to infographics to videos and beyond. Organic and paid reach should each play its part. You can easily incorporate all of these different styles into your content mix on LinkedIn, especially now that native video functionality has arrived.
As visual content marketing becomes more integral for driving social engagement, B2B video in particular is an area of prime opportunity for strategic marketers on LinkedIn. We recently shared some tips for quickly and easily creating professional video.
Research
The single biggest priority for B2B marketers is gaining a comprehensive understanding of customers and prospects. This isn’t a new development by any means, but as buyers become conditioned to expect increasingly tailored and customised experiences, the stakes are rising all the time.
The majority of professionals and businesses are represented on LinkedIn. Simply scanning content feeds and surveying the insights companies and their employees share on their profiles can be extremely informative. Becoming active in LinkedIn Groups relevant to your vertical is another great way to interact with and learn from people in your field.
Inbound Influx
The fundamental idea behind content creation is to gain visibility and attract users to your brand organically. There are plenty of components in that equation, of course, but LinkedIn ought to be one of them. When you and your company are active on the platform, prospective customers are more likely to find you, especially if you’re frequently discussing subjects of pertinence.
Specifically, the LinkedIn Company Page is a vital consideration. It will usually appear near the top of search results when someone Googles your organisation, and also ties to the profiles of all your employees on the network. Don’t make the mistake of overlooking it as part of your content strategy. You can find some helpful pointers for optimizing your LinkedIn Company Page here.
Relationship-Building
Content marketing strategy is all about the long-term view. Sure, running one-off ads and campaigns can be valuable, but nothing compares to the importance of building authentic, sturdy professional relationships outside your own walls. LinkedIn is your conduit to prospects, colleagues, peers, influencers, and business leaders around the world. Keep tabs on them by following their activities and stay on their radars by occasionally commenting on updates, sharing content they may find interesting, and even reaching out via instant messaging on LinkedIn when appropriate.
These practices are central to an account-based marketing methodology.
Measurement
One of the most crucial elements of a marketing strategy (I might argue the most crucial) is ongoing measurement and optimisation. No matter which tactics you’re using, you can almost always improve on them. Through LinkedIn you’re able to access a wealth of analytical tools so you can track who is interacting with your content and how. Test different images, headlines, copy, and more to finetune your approach with data and keep things moving forward.
Onward and Upward!
Hopefully these seven imperatives help make the case for blending LinkedIn into your content strategy if you’ve been on the fence. A number of new features will be arriving this year to help you pursue your objectives more vigorously.
Be sure download our guide, 7 Reasons Why LinkedIn Needs to Be a Part of Your Content Strategy, to learn more about how to win with content marketing on LinkedIn.
