If there's one word that best summarizes the evolution of digital marketing from its early days to the current era, I think it would be: intent.
When the internet was a shiny new object some 25 years ago, people were fascinated by the ability to reach spectacularly large quantities of folks – all around the world – with a message. In many cases, they didn't care who. The sheer reach was unprecedented.
By now, the World Wide Web has reached a relative state of maturity. Its users have come to expect the same from creators and brands that broadcast there. People are increasingly intolerant of irrelevant or interruptive content being thrust upon them. Context is king.
When someone pulls up a Google search, they may have any number of intentions. The SEO discipline is a relentless study of those intentions, and how to best anticipate them. When someone logs into a social media channel, their mindsets can vary greatly, but on LinkedIn, it all comes back to this:
Ready to do business.
Whether that means expanding your network, reconnecting with an old colleague, learning about a potential employer, researching a vendor, joining a trending conversation in your field, or any number of other activities ... it all traces back to the same fundamental purpose: growing professionally and getting business done.
Over the past several months, we’ve produced a wide range of content intended to help brands and marketers reach the right people with the right message in this uniquely receptive environment. Here’s a rundown with handy links to each resource.
Ready to Do Business: Grow Your Impact on LinkedIn
Take Steps Now to Further Your Brand’s Future [INFOGRAPHIC]
In the wake of a very difficult year, 2021 stands out as a crucial time for building long-term brand trust and credibility. Many businesses and professionals still find themselves mired in uncertainty over what’s to come. B2B marketers can rise to the occasion through a content marketing strategy focused on value and human connection.
In this post, and associated infographic, you’ll learn how to rethink your content mix for increased relevance and impact amid changing customer expectations, and also how to adopt a “Big Rock” approach to make your strategy more efficient and scalable.
For Building Brand Trust, Here’s Where Today’s Marketers Should Focus [POCKET GUIDE]
Sticking with the crucial objective of strengthening trust, this handy pocket guide delineates two different dimensions — capability trust and character trust — and offers up practical advice on strengthening both in a setting that is extremely well suited for doing so. Last year’s Business Insider and eMarketer’s Digital Trust Report found LinkedIn to be the most trusted social media platform for a fourth straight time.
Brand Building Takes Time. Finding the Right Tool Shouldn’t. [POCKET GUIDE]
Brand-building is a methodical and progressive pursuit, but you’re not making inroads until you select your tools and get after it. This quick-and-easy guide highlights various LinkedIn products and ad formats, illustrating how and when to use each for maximum effectiveness.
B2B Isn’t Boring. It’s Brilliant. [POCKET GUIDE]
It’s long past time for B2B marketers to move beyond the belief that business-focused content is inherently dry and dull. Plenty of brands are disproving that notion with creative, lively, fascinating campaigns, and we’ve curated four standout examples to help inspire you. You can find them in the above post or the downloadable pocket guide.
Remember: Just because LinkedIn members log on with a ready-to-do-business mindset doesn’t mean they don’t want to be entertained and engaged at a human level.
How Johnson & Johnson Drives Massive Engagement on LinkedIn Live [INFOGRAPHIC]
For a more in-depth look at what it takes to break through and energize your audience on LinkedIn, we invite you to explore this story of how Johnson & Johnson used LinkedIn Live to promote its “Road to a Vaccine” video series and wound up generating more than 1 million views.
Read about the story above or click straight through to the infographic.
Flywheel of B2B Thought Leadership [POCKET GUIDE]
As mentioned earlier, thought leadership is a vital tactic for building trust and credibility in your brand. But it can also seem a little ambiguous on the surface. What really qualifies as “thought leadership,” and which qualities differentiate the good from the great?
Edelman’s Flywheel of B2B Thought Leadership provides a helpful framework built around six essential elements. Explore the pocket guide and read all about it.
Executive Thought Leadership Quick Start Guide [QUICK START GUIDE]
Thought leadership is particularly powerful when created and shared by executives, because it puts a face behind the viewpoints and reinforces confidence in the company's vision. More than half of all professionals say that a business executive’s presence on social media positively influences their purchase decision, and two-thirds say they’re more likely to recommend a company or brand if they follow one of its executives on social media.
This guide provides a practical blueprint for executive thought leadership success, illustrating the various archetypal shapes it can take and highlighting prominent business icons who are getting it right.
Put Your Content In Front of an Audience Ready To Do Business [INFOGRAPHIC]
Effective targeting is instrumental to effective marketing on LinkedIn. This infographic serves as a helpful primer on getting to the heart of your ideal audience by laying out the various targeting options and helping you strike the right balance between relevance and scale.
Your Quick & Easy Guide to Harness Targeting Options on LinkedIn [POCKET GUIDE]
Take a deeper dive into the many features and capabilities available through LinkedIn’s robust targeting tools with this concise yet comprehensive guide. It walks you through getting started in Campaign Manager with visuals, and outlines the purpose of each targeting criterion and category.
How ThoughtWorks Generated 20x More Leads Using LinkedIn’s Targeting Tools [INFOGRAPHIC]
What is the impact of harnessing LinkedIn’s targeting tools to zero in on the right professional audience? ThoughtWorks demonstrated just that with this stellar thought leadership campaign, which generated 20x more leads than all other platforms combined. “With LinkedIn, we were able to laser-focus our targeting efforts and generate a remarkable volume of quality leads,” said the company’s Global Head of Marketing. Learn all about their experience, with key takeaways.
How IMA Used LinkedIn’s Targeting Tools to Boost Email Signups By 513% [INFOGRAPHIC]
As another example of advanced targeting prowess in action, the Institute of Management Accountants smartly tailored its approach to reach members with a high likelihood of being interested in their offering, and drove a massive increase in email sign-ups as a result. This infographic breaks down how IMA optimized and excelled.
Ready for Business 2021 Magazine Out Now [DIGITAL MAGAZINE]
It’s a strange new world. Our digital publication, Ready for Business 2021, helps you navigate it with a bevy of expert tips, real-life stories, and actionable playbooks, all presented in a beautifully-designed full-color magazine spread. Click here to pull up the full view on your screen and page through.
LinkedIn Means Business
The LinkedIn platform hosts a community of 750 million professionals, all sharing a mindset that is conducive to business-oriented conversations and actions. In the era of intent, mindset matters more than ever before.
The resources above can help you identify your ideal audience and reach them with ads and content that move the needle.
Feeling ready? Let’s get to business.
