PART 1 NEW for 2015 The Sophisticated Marketer’s Guide to

Now with MORE B2B Goodness!

PART 1: Why does my business need LinkedIn? 1 Table of Contents

A NOTE TO THE WHY SHOULD PART 1: WHY DOES PART 2: LAYING SOPHISTICATED I BE READING MY BUSINESS NEED THE FOUNDATION: MARKETER THIS GUIDE? LINKEDIN? TAP INTO THE ONLY FULL FUNNEL PROFESSIONAL PLATFORM

3 4 5–6 7–12

PART 3: OPTIMIZING PART 4: EXPAND PART 5: EASILY PART 6: EXPAND YOUR PROFILE YOUR NETWORK KEEP YOUR FINGER YOUR TARGETED OF INFLUENCERS ON THE PULSE REACH: ADVERTISING ON LINKEDIN

13– 15 16– 19 20–22 23–29

PART 7: NURTURE PART 8: PUBLISH PART 9: UNLOCK 25 SOCIAL MEDIA LEADS BEYOND WITH A PURPOSE: THE POWER OF EXPERTS YOU NEED THE INBOX: CONTENT LINKEDIN’S TO KNOW LINKEDIN LEAD MARKETING PARTNER ACCELERATOR ON LINKEDIN PROGRAMS

30–33 34– 51 52–54 54-55

2 A Note to the SOPHISTICATED MARKETER

executes them in a calculated hybrid of strategies. This type of marketer is grounded in timeless, Mad Men-era tactics and combines them with new, modern technology. What worked during the golden age of marketing still works today, but marketers need to adapt. Social media is their playground, content is their fuel, and platforms like LinkedIn are the new black.

2015 is the year where the one-two This guide was written with you in punch of social media and content mind, the sophisticated marketer. marketing become a vital part of any Everything you need to know about successfully integrated, full funnel marketing on LinkedIn, written both marketing approach. Social media strategically, and instructionally. no longer lives in a silo but instead It’s your one-stop shop to the vast is a vital component of the success opportunities that await—increase of many marketing campaigns. With awareness, influence perception, content fueling your social marketing, generate high quality leads, and we have arrived at the age of truly ultimately drive revenue with LinkedIn. integrated marketing strategy, and it’s being led by a new breed of Let’s get started, shall we? sophisticated marketers. Jason Miller The sophisticated marketer is Senior Content Marketing Manager, someone who takes marketing LinkedIn Marketing Solutions techniques, both old and new, and

3 Why should I be READING THIS GUIDE? LinkedIn has products that impact every stage of your funnel. The goal of this guide is to provide the absolute best, most up-to-date, definitive guide for marketers to successfully use LinkedIn as part of their integrated approach to marketing.

This guide is a labor of love for us a nice-to-have. It’s a necessary here at LinkedIn. We created it to part of a successful integrated be a one-stop shop for everything marketing approach for a marketer needs to know about driving awareness, leads, getting the most value out of LinkedIn and ultimately revenue. for themselves and their company. It’s not just an instruction manual, but a We call this the guide for strategic guide with lots of input from sophisticated marketers because we top thought leaders and LinkedIn feel it’s time to take social media marketing experts combined with the marketing to the next level, moving expertise of the LinkedIn Marketing beyond theory to enlightened Solutions team. practice. It’s time to get real results with your social marketing, and this is And it’s all about how to truly tap the guide that will help you. into the potential and power of social media marketing. That’s because social media marketing is no longer

4 PART 1 Why does my business Work is no longer a 9–5 activity LinkedIn members are on our platform at all hours and days throughout the week. But depending on NEED LINKEDIN? where they are and what they’re doing, they may be accessing the platform from their desktops, tablets, These days in the business world, relationships matter more than or mobile devices. In fact, we see desktop usage ever. That’s because people tune out irrelevant or promotional spike during the day, tablet usage spike in the messages. But they do want to engage with companies that focus morning and evening, and mobile devices being on sharing useful and relevant information and content. And the used at all hours. companies that inform and engage aren’t just selling—they’re building relationships.

LinkedIn members comprise the world’s largest professional community— and they work in every size company. Consider that:

There were 182 million unique visitors worldwide in Q4’ 2014. THE WORLD’S LARGEST PROFESSIONAL NETWORK

Professionals are signing up to join LinkedIn at a rate of more than two new members per second.

There are more than 2 million unique publishers actively using the LinkedIn Share 347,000,000+ button on their sites to send content into the LinkedIn platform. 332 313 296 Plus, all these professionals are highly Our members’ investment is born out 277 receptive to relationship building. of their professional mindset. The 259 238 They demonstrate this in what they professional mindset is aspirational. 218 do while on the network. Time on In other words, members are thinking 187 202 174 LinkedIn isn’t simply spent. Time on about how to achieve their ambitions 161 LinkedIn is invested in professional and further their careers. As a result, development. And it’s reflected in the our members are highly receptive to growing number of visits to and time advertising, content, and experiences spent on LinkedIn. that can help make them more knowledgeable and, ultimately, Q1’12 Q2’12 Q3’12 Q4’12 Q1’13 Q2’13 Q3’13 Q4’13 Q1’14 Q2’14 Q3’14 Q4’14 more successful.

Source: LinkedIn Press Release PART 1: Why does my business need LinkedIn? 5 PART 1 LinkedIn is a platform enabling sophisticated marketers to forge LINKEDIN BY THE NUMBERS: relationships with these professionals. It’s no wonder LinkedIn LINKEDIN IS THE #1 CHANNEL TO LINKEDIN DRIVES MORE TRAFFIC has quickly become the go-to content publishing platform for DISTRIBUTE CONTENT TO B2B BLOGS & SITES marketers. In fact, a survey of LinkedIn members found that LinkedIn Percentage of B2B marketers who 90% of the social traffic was driven by is considered the most effective social network for delivering B2B use various social media sites to the big three networks, with half of it distribute content coming from LinkedIn content1. And research conducted by Investis IQ2 found that

LinkedIn is the number-one social network for driving traffic to 94% others corporate websites. 89% 77%

As a growing number of professionals professional decision-making. All 77% spend more time reading news it takes is a sophisticated marketer 61% and keeping in touch with their who seizes the opportunity to network through LinkedIn, you have engage them. LINKEDIN CONSIDERED MOST EFFECTIVE FOR B2B LEAD GEN an unprecedented opportunity to 80% of social media B2B leads come from LinkedIn build and cultivate relationships with What do we mean by a sophisticated professionals the world over. And marketer? The idea of being a 80.33% these relationships can translate sophisticated marketer comes from 12.73% into revenues. Since 2010, the the transition of social media number of B2B and B2C marketers marketing from pure theory to 6.73% generating sales via LinkedIn has effective use. But marketers can’t 0.21% grown consistently. U.S.-based just “do” social. Now they need agencies rate LinkedIn as the most to produce results and actionable important social media platform for insights in order to prove the value of LINKEDIN CONTINUES TO B2C MARKETERS ARE RAPIDLY new business. their efforts. Fortunately we no longer CONSISTENTLY GENERATE SALES DISCOVERING LINKEDIN are forced to take a spray-and-pray FOR B2B MARKETERS Percentage of companies who In fact, 50% of our members report approach to getting our message Percentage of companies who acquired acquired a B2C customer through they are more likely to buy from heard in the noisy world of social. a B2B customer through that channel that channel a company they engage with on The technology is in place that allows 1.5x 2.0x 65% LinkedIn. And a whopping 80 percent us to adopt a much more refined— 51% of LinkedIn members want to connect sophisticated—approach, if you will, 61% 45% 39% with companies—because those to social media marketing, using the 26% connections provide them world’s largest professional network. opportunities to enhance their 2010 2011 2013 2010 2011 2013

1 Source: B2B Content Marketing report, Holger Schulze, 2013 Sources: 2015 B2B Content Marketing Trends/ North America, Content Marketing Institute/ Marketing Profs. 2 Source: Dazeinfo Webbiquity, Aug 27,2013. LinkedIn for B2B Lead generation’ infographic by Oktopost as shared by 6 business2community.com , Mar’2014. HubSpot, State of inbound Marketing 2010,2011,2012.

PART 2 In fact... Accurate targeting, based on authentic data, is the Laying the Foundation: foundation of the LinkedIn platform. LinkedIn’s targeting is highly accurate because it draws from actual profile data provided by and continually updated TAP INTO THE ONLY FULL FUNNEL by our members. You can also target the 1st degree connections of specific members. And you can use PROFESSIONAL PLATFORM their behavior on LinkedIn—like what Groups they join, and how much they share and comment—to inform As a sophisticated marketer, grasp the reality of today’s purchase targeting. You can use our targeting data to tailor your process: buyers are up to 90% through the purchase process before messages and content. they make direct contact with your sales team. That means the onus is on you to attract and engage these buyers by delivering content that Plus, we have one of the most powerful ad networks helps them narrow down their options. available, featuring advertising for both ends of the funnel. That means you can use highly targeted, off- But to succeed, you must first drive site display ads for direct response purposes and in- the right people to your site. Even stream, native ads for branding. The combination of then, on average, only 5% will provide our quality audience and content marketing solutions you their contact information. And on a great day, only 20% of those who do paired with our unique targeting and nurturing will open your email messages. In the solutions empowers marketers to reach the right end, you’re likely only capturing 1% of audience with relevant content and realize all relevant opportunities–while the better results. other 99% leak out the funnel.

PART 2: Laying the Foundation: Tap into Powerful Marketing Solutions 7 PART 2 Your job is to plug this extremely • Measure the effectiveness leaky funnel. LinkedIn can help you do of multi-channel marketing just that. Our solutions allow you to: programs—and improve your performance over time Our innovative products help marketers navigate • Reach only the right people and the complex B2B buying process where multiple generate enough interest to The result? You can more effectively Quote drive them to your site market throughout the buying cycle touchpoints influence every sale. to eliminate all those leaks, generate • Establish an ongoing connection significantly more opportunities and and provide the desired content accelerate sales. at the exact right times—even when they are still anonymous prospects—to help buyers make their purchase decision “We’re pretty experienced when it comes to email nurturing,” Eisenberg shared. “When we started having the conversation about what could be done if you applied the same concepts from email marketing automation to other marketing channels, the vision and potential impact were quite exciting.”

Meagen Eisenberg, VP of Customer Marketing, DocuSign

PART 2: Laying the Foundation: Tap into Powerful Marketing Solutions 8 PART 2 Perform branding and lead generation in tandem for ultimate effectiveness. “LinkedIn is the only platform that the majority of B2B According to a survey of B2B In fact, the most successful marketers marketers consider to be effective.” marketers worldwide, branding take steps to ensure their branding, and lead generation are top lead generation and nurturing Content Marketing Institute, 2014 Content Marketing priorities. Some marketers approach strategies are working in lockstep. Research Report branding, lead generation and LinkedIn Marketing Solutions can nurturing as stand-alone activities. help you address address all three But when it comes to striking the in an integrated way. Moreover, right marketing mix, it’s critical to our solutions can help you improve balance all three. That’s because effectiveness in all three areas. That’s Full-funnel analytics & reporting strong branding paves the way for because we make it possible to reach successful lead generation. After all, and nurture all those anonymous brand awareness is all about making prospects that have been slipping Onsite Display prospective customers familiar with out of the funnel. Network Display and knowledgeable of your brand. The goal is that they associate your brand with certain characteristics Sponsored Updates and qualities and recognize—and REACH trust—your brand. Ideally, you want your brand to be seen as a trusted and credible authority on a chosen Sponsored InMail category, topic or issue. With that foundation in place, prospects are more open to responding to your ads, content and offers when you Lead Accelerator are trying to generate leads. NURTURE

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PART 2: Laying the Foundation: Tap into Powerful Marketing Solutions 9 PART 2: 6 WAYS TO TAP INTO THE POWER OF LINKEDIN Now that you understand the power of marketing on LinkedIn, let us highlight six strategic marketing opportunities to better reach and nurture prospective buyers. We’ll explore these in greater detail in Part 6 and 7:

1. ONSITE DISPLAY 2. NETWORK DISPLAY You’re essentially capturing people’s Sponsored InMail allows for With LinkedIn Onsite Display, you To complement the contextual attention when they’re most professional, credible outreach can accurately target and put your targeting enabled by LinkedIn Onsite engaged reviewing information in and the ability to deliver targeted brand in front of more than 347 Display, take advantage of LinkedIn their daily feed. This product makes messages directly into prospective million members on the LinkedIn Network Display Advertising to it possible to achieve both upper buyer inboxes, whether they are on network, choosing from a variety reach a high-quality professional funnel branding and awareness their desktops or mobile devices— of display formats. That includes audience seeking insights and objectives, along with lower funnel, with your LinkedIn profile attached. everything from IAB standard formats information. Designed to help you direct-response lead-related goals. Because your messages are only sent to highly engaging native ones such get in front of the right audiences You choose from a range of business when members are active on LinkedIn, as Spotlight Ads and Follow Company on a frequent basis, this display demographic targeting options you break through the limits of Ads. In fact, you can display ads on advertising option allows you to and set your own budget, with the traditional email marketing to realize various LinkedIn pages, including reach prospects with accuracy and flexibility to invest on a CPC or CPM 100% deliverability. By delivering profile pages, home pages, inbox, at scale as they consume information basis. Through our Direct Sponsored the right content and personalized search results pages, and groups on LinkedIn and across the Web. Updates option, you can reach your messages, you can get the attention pages. By using extremely targeted This includes extending your reach target audience directly in LinkedIn’s of the highest-value audiences and and contextual ads in a quality across LinkedIn’s network of 2500+ feed without publishing on your drive more conversions and leads. professional context, you can reach business publisher sites and beyond, Company Page. That means you and engage more possible buyers targeting your audience through the can personalize and A/B test your 5. LEAD ACCELERATOR than ever before. Ad Exchanges, but always in a brand- content ads to improve performance. Once all your other programs have safe environment. By frequently And, you’ll have access to campaign done their jobs in the upper funnel, You can also take advantage of connecting with your target performance analytics to nimbly LinkedIn Lead Accelerator helps LinkedIn Text Ads. Paid for on a audience, you increase awareness optimize and hit your goals. you get to the ultimate goal: lead cost-per-click or cost-per-impression and engagement. conversions, pipeline contribution, basis, these self-service ads allow you 4. SPONSORED INMAIL and customer acquisition. Lead to display a text ad and small image. 3. SPONSORED UPDATES: As you venture into the lower Accelerator gives you an entirely new Just as with LinkedIn Onsite Display, LinkedIn Sponsored Updates let you half of the funnel where direct way to nurture your prospects beyond you can get these ads in front of build brand credibility and educate response goals reign supreme, the inbox. LinkedIn members of your choosing in more than 300 million of the world’s Sponsored InMail provides the prominent spots across our platform, professionals as they’re consuming most direct way to engage your for higher reach and engagement. content in the LinkedIn feed on their prospects on LinkedIn. desktops, tablets, and smartphones.

PART 2: Laying the Foundation: Tap into Powerful Marketing Solutions 10 PART 2: 6 WAYS TO TAP INTO THE POWER OF LINKEDIN

This includes the 80% of known OTHER ORGANIC OPPORTUNITIES: LINKEDIN APIs: prospects who don’t open your emails You can use LinkedIn’s API to create and the anonymous website visitors COMPANY PAGES: custom branded experiences that who haven’t yet raised their hands, The best relationships are rooted in allow members to engage using their so to speak. Specifically, you can now great conversations—and your tool LinkedIn login. This simplifies the reach your website visitors anywhere for starting those conversations is the need for them to enter additional online, using a sequence of relevant Company Update on your Company data. Even more importantly, by using ads and content based on site visitor Page. It’s no wonder Company Pages the API to access LinkedIn’s rich data, profiles and online behaviors. This lets have evolved from a nice-to-have to you can tailor the user experience Extend the quality traffic of you nurture with purpose, connecting a need-to-have. Through a Company based on profile data and encourage LinkedIn professionals to your own with your highest value audiences by Page, you can market your business to virality by triggering your app to branded sites. Embedding calls-to- offering relevant, helpful content long the LinkedIn community, telling your publish updates about a user’s action in your creative on LinkedIn after they’ve left your website. When company’s story and giving customers activity on site. someone chooses to fill out your and prospects a place to learn about ensures the flow of influential, landing page form, they can do so in your business, your employees, and affluent and educated professionals just two clicks using LinkedIn Lead your brand. to your own online properties. Accelerator’s Autofill capability. The result? You increase conversion rates COMPANY UPDATES: and grow your funnel by leaps and What resonates most with followers bounds with a greater number and drives engagement? When INTEGRATION OF DISPLAY ADS WITH of high-quality leads. you communicate with them in a SOCIAL MEDIA IS STARTING TO PICK UP relevant and personal way. And 6. FULL FUNNEL ANALYTICS through Company Updates, sent With LinkedIn Full Funnel Analytics, from your Company Page, you can 28% 44% 28% you can measure—and improve— drive engagement by tailoring your the impact of your programs. You company status update to your Integrating Planning to No can nimbly test and optimize the ad followers’ professional interests. Now Integrate Integration creative and nurture streams you’ve Specifically, you can deliver highly set up. Moreover, you gain clear targeted content into the feed of visibility into a range reports and LinkedIn members, increasing their metrics to track the impact of your engagement with and loyalty to nurture programs. your brand.

Sources: Responses, Cross-Channel Marketing Report, 2012

PART 2: Laying the Foundation: Tap into Powerful Marketing Solutions 11 PART 2 Ask the Expert: BRIAN CLARK

LI: What’s your best advice for writing then a call to action that takes the a compelling company page update? relationship to the next level. For those who have been doing content BC: Tell a story. And more marketing from their own sites for importantly, relate that story back years, LinkedIn becomes an essential to your ideal prospect’s problems or outpost for that content, mixed with desires. Even if the story focuses on in-person engagement. the founding, evolution, or growth of your company, make sure people LI: Where do you see LinkedIn in understand that all of those great 5 years? things happened because of the value you provide your audience, BC: LinkedIn appears to be all in on Founder and CEO of customers, and clients. becoming a true media company. I’ve Copyblogger Media heard some grumblings from early LI: How can a business best LinkedIn fans that the company and LI: Do you regulary check your Pulse take advantage of LinkedIn for site are losing the singular focus it feed? If so, how do you use it? lead generation? started with, but I see it differently. A business education hub of the sort BC: I’ve just started following the BC: LinkedIn, unlike Facebook and LinkedIn is building can only increase Marketing Strategies category on Twitter, is all about business. The the value of the ecosystem. Pulse, and it’s a treasure-trove of mindset and intent are naturally content all in one place. This has more receptive to solving business LI: What’s something that’s not in your become a great resource not only problems than the kind of socializing LinkedIn profile? for staying up to date on the latest and sharing that happens elsewhere. ideas from others, but also fuels our BC: I’ve made no mention of the own content sharing on other That said, you still have to lead with fact that I used to practice law in my social networks. value to generate qualified leads. LinkedIn profile. Some people may LinkedIn’s focus on content marketing still hold that against me. ;-) has primed the audience to expect information and insight first, and

PART 2: Laying the Foundation: Tap into Powerful Marketing Solutions 12 PART 3 This infographic highlights all the opportunities for getting the most Optimizing from your profile. YOUR PROFILE Every day we see millions of professionals find others and get found through LinkedIn search.

Whether someone is searching for such as SlideShare presentaions, videos, people, jobs, companies or groups, and infographics to your profile is a we provide the most relevant results fantastic way to showcase visual assets based on your professional identity, your to profile visitors. network, and how the people in your network engage with LinkedIn. Plus, one How Your Company Can Benefit from of the first steps many members take an Optimized Profile when receiving content from a company It goes without saying that your company or another member is click through to and all of its employees should optimize the personal profile or Company Page their LinkedIn profiles. After all, an to learn about the sender. That’s why optimized profile can boost the visibility it’s critical for you and your company to of your company and its content in the maintain complete and optimized profiles. search results—both on and off the network. That’s because search engines How You Can Benefit from an like Google scour pages and URLs for Optimized Profile keywords, and LinkedIn profiles offer As a marketer, you can use LinkedIn many opportunities to embed keywords, for networking and to further your such as within the LinkedIn URL, other profession. After all, these days very URLs you list within your profile, job few people end up working for a single titles and descriptions, and content links company their entire career. So whether you include. So if your company and its you’re actively seeking a new position or employees have optimized their profiles, maximizing the job you are already in, it’s you could very well gain an advantage wise to make sure your profile is set up when prospective customers are for maximum exposure and engagement. searching for companies, products and In addition, adding rich media content services like yours.

PART 3: Optimizing your Profile 13 PART 3 Here are five things you need to know about LinkedIn Search, as summarized by Stacy Donovan Zapar, the Most Connected Woman on LinkedIn: Reap the Rewards of Networking

1. When people search LinkedIn, 2. Keywords in your name, headline, Did you know… the size of your LinkedIn network and the results are sorted by relevance, company name, job title and skills participation in LinkedIn Groups can significantly increase which takes into account rank higher in the search results your visibility on the LinkedIn network? the following: than keywords in other sections.

• 1st level connections with 3. Using all fields and options profiles that are 100% complete available to you—like joining (or close to it) and have the 50 LinkedIn groups—boosts most in-common connections/ your ranking. shared groups, ranked in 4. Use a variety of keywords and descending order terms in describing what you do • 1st level connections with the and offer to show up in a variety fewest in-common connections/ of search results. shared groups, ranked 5. View LinkedIn search trends to see in descending order by how many times you’ve shown up profile completeness in search results and how many • 2nd level connections ranked people have viewed your profile in descending order by over the past three months—and profile completeness then adjust your profile as needed. • 3rd level connections ranked in descending order by profile completeness • Shared group members (outside of your network), ranked in descending order by profile completeness • Everyone else (those outside your network), ranked in descending order by profile completeness

14 PART 3 Ask the Expert: SHANE ATCHISON

LI: What types of clients should be LI: How are your clients’ marketing to date—something they rarely do on leveraging LinkedIn more than they objectives different on LinkedIn other networks. Authenticity means currently are? compared to other social networks? that they are who they say they are. How does that impact your clients’ You can’t put a fake job title up on SA: I think that clients with investments content strategy? LinkedIn. And the standardization of in content are missing a massive user generated data makes it easier to opportunity to leverage their LinkedIn SA: Most social networks only serve analyze and integrate the platform into presence. They could use LinkedIn opportunities at the top of the funnel your content strategy. in combination with their owned and provide limited ways to engage. properties to precisely target, share, You can tailor the LinkedIn platform LI: How are marketers getting it wrong and then realize return on their content to each client’s marketing objectives with LinkedIn? investments. But for this, they need a and use it as part of a larger content CEO of POSSIBLE comprehensive strategy that integrates strategy. The platform makes it easier SA: They think of it simply as a hiring, the LinkedIn platform, their content, for brands to serve audiences with prospecting, or one-dimensional LI: What factors are most important and their CRM efforts. content tailored to the individual— advertising platform. It’s actually a to you when considering advertising both in terms of depth and timing. versatile content platform with precise channels for your clients? LI: What is the risk of a client not having This makes content smarter and data that can be integrated into a a company presence on LinkedIn? relevant at scale. As a result, it can variety of programs on and off the SA: Our top ones include audience drive engagement lifecycles rather site. For example, B2C brands often concentration and relevance, SA: The biggest risk, especially for B2B, than one-off opportunities. miss the opportunity LinkedIn provides segmentation and targeting is a loss of discoverability. LinkedIn to enhance or expand distribution functionality, and the ability to extend is becoming the de facto starting LI: How do you compare the audience networks or channel partner or amplify channel content across point when searching for partners targeting capability of LinkedIn with communication plans. They also miss other owned and earned properties. and evaluating solutions. A thoughtful other social networks? the opportunity to build programs We also leverage our social listening LinkedIn presence is not only a great around LinkedIn that leverage content and marketing sciences technologies opportunity to increase your visibility SA: There are three major ways LinkedIn to drive engagement lifecycles and to identify opportunities for the brand as an individual. Corporations can also data is better for targeting: Recency, stimulate organic community building. within each channel and with use it to turn both their workforce and authenticity, and standardization of The platform’s capabilities in this area each audience. followers into brand ambassadors. data. Recency means that people tend are unmatched and underutilized. to keep their LinkedIn in profiles up

PART 3: Optimizing your Profile 15 PART 4

Expand your Network “It thrills me to see LinkedIn gaining ground as an interesting place to hang out. I’ve long held that LinkedIn OF INFLUENCERS is the dark horse of the social media platforms—or, at least, it’s the workhorse of the bunch. In late 2012, we made it possible The Influencer program numbers for any LinkedIn member to follow (as of Q1 2014) 500 of the most If Twitter is where you go to meet people you don’t an exclusive group of Influencers on influential thought leaders, Posts know and Facebook is where you go to talk with LinkedIn. From C-level executives that our Influencers write on LinkedIn and entrepreneurs to world leaders garner on average more than 25k people you already know, then LinkedIn is where all of and philanthropists, these Influencers page views, more than 300 likes you can meet up to get stuff done together.” contribute unique business insights and 100 comments. And you can and spark thought-provoking directly engage with any of these Ann Handley, Author of Content Rules, Chief Content discussions on a range of issues. Influencers, either by “Liking” a post Officer at Marketing Profs Displayed via Pulse, the Influencers or jumping into a conversation about program is a source of truly original a post. Moreover, through threaded content. But more importantly, it’s comments, you can reply to a post by meant to inspire, inform and make an Influencer to start conversations you a better marketer. and debates with others who are reading that post. You can mention other people to draw them into a discussion, and get notified when your comment has received a response.

PART 4: Expand your Network of Influencers 16 PART 4 You can follow an Influencer without being connected to them. CONSIDER THESE EXAMPLES:

In addition to joining in rich what the people in your network are conversations, you will see which reading and reacting to, helping you Influencers and topics are driving the unearth new ideas. Want to broaden 3,308,285 most interest—perhaps sparking an your horizons? Take advantage of idea of your own for a post or content discovery modules within LinkedIn to LinkedIn FOLLOWERS asset. Plus the ability for LinkedIn help you find more relevant content Bill Gates is an Influencer with over members to like and share Influencer based on the people you’re following 3,308,285 followers. One of his posts content lets you quickly find out and the posts you’re reading. garnered over 1.9M (1,938,420) views, more than 11K (11,773) thumbs up, and over 4000 (4343) comments.

48,594 LinkedIn FOLLOWERS Joe Pulizzi, a speaker, entrepreneur, author, and founder of Content Marketing Institute has over 48,594 LinkedIn followers. One of his posts pulled in nearly 130K (138,825) views, 800 (804) thumbs up and over 200 (211) comments. It’s easy to be part of such a rich discussion!

THE NUMBERS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES: The average Influencer post garners nearly

30,000 VIEWS 49% of Influencer 22% are entry-level followers are director- professionals level and above

PART 4: Expand your Network of Influencers 17 PART 4 Ask the Expert: VIVEKA VON ROSEN

LinkedIn Influencers and Pulse: First Facebook page or Twitter-stream, Group Content of all, LinkedIn truly understands the I can often find something relevant For (soft) market research, consider importance of good content. Right on Pulse—quickly and easily. So LinkedIn Groups. Groups are full of now it’s the only social media site Pulse gets more of my attention like-minded targeted audiences. Ask to have its own blogging platform than any other RSS feed or news questions. Ask for help. Occasionally fueled by the world’s thought leaders aggregator I use. share an article you like. I love the (LinkedIn Influencers.) These people, content and interaction on some of most of them household names LinkedIn Update Mentions: As long my Groups and I know I can always (best-selling authors, Fortune 500 as you are connected to a person, go there to get quick answers to my CEO’s, Heads of State) create content or follow a company, you can share questions and find out the latest and specifically for LinkedIn. You can their content and mention them in greatest in the sales world. It just follow not only these Influencers, an update. takes some time to find these good LinkedIn Expert & Author: but also channels of content (thanks groups. I recommend asking your LinkedIn Marketing: An Hour a Day, to the Pulse interface that LinkedIn I wish I had the time to check on my network what groups they like and International Keynote Speaker, purchased in 2013.) In fact, LinkedIn homepage every hour and read all the why. (For instance, I am a raving fan Forbes Top 20 Most Influential recently updated the Pulse app to updates from every one of my 29K+ of Jill Konrath’s Group: Fresh Sales interact more freely through the connections, but I don’t. (OK—and to Strategies because it always offers LI: What type of content best LinkedIn interface, so that your be honest, I really wouldn’t want to!) fabulous ingestible content). connects with audiences on LinkedIn? Pulse App on your iPad or iPhone Chances are, you don’t either. So I rely Is there a specific type of content you will actually monitor what you do on on LinkedIn Status Update mentions LI: How do you make sure personal prefer to consume on LinkedIn? LinkedIn and make suggestions for and LinkedIn’s new(ish) Notifications time spent on LinkedIn is productive? you. You can also very easily share this tab to see what people are saying How does this differ from other VR: That’s kind of an apples or content through Pulse. about me, what content of mine they social networks? oranges type question when it are sharing and their comments on my comes to LinkedIn. I’m a fruit I think Pulse is a great place to find updates. So while I don’t listen to VR: LinkedIn is probably less likely salad gal myself! relevant business content to share ALL updates, I listen to the ones than some of the other social sites not only on LinkedIn, but other social that involve me in some way. to suck you into the rabbit hole of sites as well. When a client needs a singing cats and surfing dog videos. good business article to post to their But messages, updates, Groups and

PART 4: Expand your Network of Influencers 18 PART 4 Ask the Expert: VIVEKA VON ROSEN

Pulse, can certainly suck you in. It’s it is unlikely. LinkedIn is about creating click on the ‘share on LinkedIn’ link and is a completely under-utilized tool usually all good stuff and relevant to relationships with people. Once you you can easily share that page. from Groups to Company Pages and your business which means you might have established a connection and are beyond. But I guess that’s why I have even spend more time there since it’s moving from the “know” each other to Not all websites are LinkedIn-centric. a job! If you have questions about how “allowed.” I recommend scheduling the “like and trust” each other level of so if you find a website, blog post or it can help with prospecting, lead gen, your LinkedIn (and other “social”) time engagement—only then do you have a article that doesn’t have the LinkedIn relationship building and top of mind to make sure you have a start and good chance of sharing your products share button, you can still share it by awareness, please feel free to reach stop time. I also suggest you create and services with someone likely to clicking on the “Share on LinkedIn” out to me! http://www.LinkedIn.com/ a checklist that covers everything purchase them. But these relationships button. You can post the page as an in/LinkedInexpert you need to do on LinkedIn (monthly, take effort and nurturing. Establishing update or as a tweet. You can post it weekly and daily). that sense of “like and trust” might to your Groups, by clicking the Group seem like a lot of work, but the payoff option and typing in the name of the LI: How are marketers getting it wrong can be monumental. Getting people LinkedIn Groups you wish to share the with LinkedIn? to buy from you on LinkedIn means a post with. You can even send it to time investment, but to me it is well an individual. VR: Basically marketers do these three worth it. things wrong: This is a very quick and easy way to Tools: post helpful, useful, and interesting • Selling too much LinkedIn has so many cool little content with your network. These • Not making use of the tools tools. My favorite is their “Sharing updates will show up on your Bookmarklet”. To find the Sharing connection’s homepage as well as • Not realizing its potential Bookmarklet, you just come down in your profile under “activity.” Selling: to the “Tools” link and then on the I always tell people you will never right hand side click on the tab that Potential: sell your—um—stuff on LinkedIn. says “Sharing Bookmarklet.” Drag Hopefully some of the things I have The likelihood of someone seeing an the Bookmarklet button up to your mentioned will open a few eyes to update you have posted on how you browser bar. Then no matter what web the potential of LinkedIn. There is sell the best gadget and then buying page you’re on, all you have to do is just so much you can do with it. It

PART 4: Expand your Network of Influencers 19 PART 5 Easily discover new Easily Keep your Finger professional content ON THE PULSE We’ve not only improved the overall search functionality with faster auto-complete suggestions, but we’ve also With all the news websites, blogs, and newsletters out there, staying made it easier for you to find “What’s New” across in-the-know can be time consuming. timely world events and what’s trending among professionals like you worldwide. In fact, like most marketers, you our partnerships with more than probably find it’s increasingly difficult 750 publishers, such as Harvard to figure out what matters most when Business Review, TechCrunch, reading news across multiple sources. and Fast Company. Millions of professionals invest their time on LinkedIn, staying on top of Pulse makes it possible to access industry news through Pulse, the news tailored news based on your interests. app and content brand for LinkedIn. Specifically, you as a marketer can easily leverage all the great business Pulse offers a more relevant news knowledge flowing through LinkedIn experience with content tailored to in the form of news, Influencer your professional interests throughout posts, industry updates, discussions, LinkedIn. It’s the main vehicle for our comments and more. And because social news experience across web you can customize content based on and mobile. And it’s a key way for your preferences, you can zero in on marketers to stay current on all the what matters most to you. Think of latest insights and trends. Pulse as your daily “newspaper”— one that let’s you stay up to speed Access more relevant content whether you’re on your desktop, With the LinkedIn Pulse app, you can mobile phone (Android or iOS), access full articles and rich graphics or tablet! from a wealth of resources, through

PART 5: Easily Keep your Finger on the Pulse 20 PART 5 Organize your daily reads Influencers and top sources such as Lists in the Pulse app allow you to The Wall Street Journal, Ad Week, organize your channels into topics Mashable, and more: the Marketing Jumpstart your of your choice, such as Technology, Strategies channel https://www. Sports, Favorites, or Must Reads. LinkedIn.com/channels/marketing_ Any Channels or Influencer content strategies Pulse experience that you follow on LinkedIn.com will automatically sync with the Pulse Share with your network When you download the new Pulse app on iOS or Android, app, and you can also add any We’ve made it even easier for you to you will be prompted to sign in using your LinkedIn profile. blog or news feed via the robust share news and insights from your Once you’ve done this, we will automatically bring in the search functionality on Pulse. As a Pulse app. With the new, enhanced channels, Influencers and LinkedIn content you follow result, you gain instant access to social features—easily accessible the most relevant and personalized within every piece of content at the into your Pulse experience. Additionally, Pulse will offer news content that maps to your top of the screen—you can see what personalized content recommendations that are customized professional interests. other professionals are talking about to your LinkedIn preferences and professional interests. and instantly like, comment or share And here’s a suggestion for a an article with your professional Channel to follow right away for fresh network on LinkedIn. insights on marketing from LinkedIn

Delivering Smart Recommendations

We display stories based on a proprietary algorithm that weighs your interests and the stories trending among professionals worldwide.

PART 5: Easily Keep your Finger on the Pulse 21 PART 5 Ask the Expert: LEE ODDEN

LI: What’s your best advice for writing LI: How can a business take advantage 3. Curate useful news as status a compelling company page update? of LinkedIn as part of a content updates and on the Company Page marketing strategy? 4. Use LinkedIn as a follow up LO: This might seem like a cart and after meeting people online and horse situation, but it’s important LO: Content participation on any social especially at offline events where to have an audience. Updating a network or web platform should be business cards are exchanged company page to 2 followers vs. 200 informed by a company’s business just isn’t the same. As with any other and content marketing strategies. Beyond that, LinkedIn’s social network publishing platform, think of who your Are customers there and what are platform provides many opportunities network is and what they’re interested they doing? What are they interested to engage with prospects, support in. What do they expect? Giving in? What opportunities are there for individual and brand thought people what they want in the form of the brand to be valuable to those leadership and connect with other CEO @TopRank Online Marketing, useful content, tips and information prospective customers? groups like industry media and Author: Optimize, Public Speaker: about changes at your company is a prospective employees. Whether it’s Integrated Search, Social, great way to attract more followers For most companies that sell into targeted advertising or curating a mix & Content Marketing and better engage those that you the business market, participating on of industry and company news on the already have. LinkedIn should be a no-brainer. The brand page, companies that want to LI: Do you regulary check your Pulse specific way LinkedIn is used depends attract and engage other businesses feed? If so, how do you use it? From a writing standpoint, write on the company, industry and product need to be on LinkedIn. snappy, compelling titles. Check mix. It also depends on what kinds LO: I check LinkedIn daily including ubersuggest.org for popular keywords of opportunities there are to be the Pulse feed. I follow a number of and consider using specific phrases “the best answer” on LinkedIn for the the thought leaders and also look in the title and description, but only things customers are interested in. for the news stories my network is if they make sense and add value to engaging with. The feed offers content the message. You can attract more At a minimum: that I can interact with through liking, followers to your company LinkedIn 1. Ensure executive LinkedIn profiles commenting, sharing on LinkedIn or page through search on LinkedIn as are filled out and optimized curating to our broader community. well as organic search. 2. Make sure the Company Page is robust.

PART 5: Easily Keep your Finger on the Pulse 22 PART 6 Expand your Targeted Reach: ADVERTISING ON LINKEDIN

By combining mass reach with LinkedIn Display Ads accurate targeting, LinkedIn Through LinkedIn Display Ads, you advertising solutions allow you to: can reach a professional audience in a context where they actively seek • Engage your target from among advice and recommendations from the most affluent, influential, brands and companies. All LinkedIn and educated audience on Display Ad formats leverage the social media unique depth of our member profile • Increase awareness, credibility information, offering targeting by and impact through the power of sector, job function, seniority, location social proof and more: a targeted approach that drives engagement, relevance • Drive traffic and leads to your site and response.

Here are the LinkedIn advertising solutions at your disposal to help you achieve those results:

• Display Ads • Sponsored InMail

PART 6: Expand your targeted reach: Advertising on LinkedIn 23 PART 6 Onsite Display for Awareness and Consideration at Scale With LinkedIn Premium Display Ads, Asia. It then targeted those members you can target the exact audience with Display Ads and Sponsored Polls. you want in a premium uncluttered LinkedIn’s accurate targeting resulted environment. That makes it easier to in 1,324 poll responses from business use existing ad creative to drive brand travelers and a total of 97 product awareness and consideration at scale recommendations. According to the among LinkedIn’s audience. international airline’s Vice President Marketing Americas, the campaign Engage Professionals Often, Display Ads give you a fantastic was successful in spreading brand share of voice. That’s because, unlike awareness and connecting other digital publishers, LinkedIn only with customers. Wherever They Travel Online serves two visual ads on a page at Keep the right professionals engaged across the entire Web any one time. Combine this with our powerful targeting capabilities and through LinkedIn Network Display. Reach them with accuracy it’s a no-brainer. and scale on LinkedIn, business publisher sites, and beyond.

Here’s an example of how Cathay Pacific realized these benefits. The renowned airline wanted to increase brand awareness within its target market, so it identified LinkedIn members who belong to LinkedIn “From a marketing standpoint, the targeting is unprecedented. groups related to business travel in For marketing campaigns, LinkedIn can identify who to send it to and when to send it but with precision we have never seen before. The success stories are still building, but we will see more B2B marketers drive success via LinkedIn over the next couple years.”

Craig Rosenberg, The Funnelholic www.funnelholic.com

PART 6: Expand your targeted reach: Advertising on LinkedIn 24 PART 6 Ask the Expert: NEAL SCHAFFER

there is other great content to be seeking out information that can help • Promote your LinkedIn Company found in Network Updates as well as them do their jobs better. The best Page, build up a follower base, relevant Groups. It all comes down approach that I would recommend and engage with them. to content that is both relevant and for marketers to connect with their • Utilize the potential that Text Ads timely—but deep as well. target audience would look like a has to help precisely connect you combination of the following: with your target audience. LI: How do you make sure personal time spent on LinkedIn is productive? • Establish robust profiles that make How does this differ from other them discoverable in LinkedIn social networks? profile search. • Share relevant content NS: I spend my personal time on consistently from their personal Author, Maximize Your Social, LinkedIn 2 ways: 1) Keeping up-to- profile. Trilingual Social Media Strategy & date and engaging with my network, • Reach out and connect with those Social Business Coach, Consultant, and 2) Business intelligence looking from their target audience that Trainer & Speaker for information on people, companies, they know but have yet to connect or news in my industry. I limit my time with. LI: What type of content best and remain clear on my objectives. connects with audiences on LinkedIn? • Proactively utilize their LinkedIn Is there a specific type of content you LI: What recommendations do you network for introductions to key prefer to consume on LinkedIn? have for marketers looking to connect people in their target audience, with target audiences on LinkedIn? using LinkedIn Inmails when an NS: The content that best connects introduction is not possible. with audiences on LinkedIn is NS: LinkedIn, like any other social • Engage in relevant groups. undoubtedly the type that makes us network, is about people that are • Create a group to represent do our job better as well as invest using social media for communication your company. in our professional brand. Without a with others as well as information doubt the recently added Influencer gathering. Professionals are not content is of the highest quality, but looking to be sold to, but they are

PART 6: Expand your targeted reach: Advertising on LinkedIn 25 PART 6 Text Ads for Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Performance

Text Ads is a self-service advertising on characteristics like job title, job solution that allows you to place function, industry, geography, text ads on prominent pages company size, company name, across LinkedIn to reach LinkedIn’s LinkedIn Group, and more. You can professional audience. Your text- also control your advertising costs based ad includes a headline, by setting a budget as low as $10 per description, and can even feature day and can choose to pay on a a 50x50 image. You specify which cost-per-click or impression basis— LinkedIn members view your ads by all without any contracts selecting a target audience based or commitments.

HUBSPOT GENERATES QUALITY LEADS WITH ACCURATE TARGETING USING TEXT ADS

HubSpot creates marketing software their businesses, or networking that helps businesses grow web traffic, with other professionals.” HubSpot generate inbound leads, and convert also needed to accurately target its leads into paying customers. The campaigns beyond simply just location, challenge for HubSpot was finding keywords, and interests, drilling down advertising venues with the right mix of into specific professional attributes of “With Text Ads, we’ve been able to generate marketing professionals who respond its potential customers—a capability well to HubSpot’s offers of free that other social networks do a clickthrough rate that is 60% higher than our marketing materials. not provide. average across other social networks—and at the same time, the quality of leads coming HubSpot first experimented with ad Using LinkedIn Ads, HubSpot has been through LinkedIn is greater than through other campaigns on social networks other able to achieve clickthrough rates social media channels.” than LinkedIn, but the campaigns did ranging from 0.1% to 0.3% not yield satisfactory results. “There’s with an average CPC of about $3, a lot of distraction on other social “which is actually a fraction of the Dan Slagen, Co-Founder & CEO at SpeechBooth networks,” Dan Slagen, the company’s cost of paid search advertising,” Head of Paid Marketing, says. “People Slagen explains. are there for reasons besides improving

PART 6: Expand your targeted reach: Advertising on LinkedIn 26 PART 6 Sponsored InMail: Deliver Directly to Members’ Inboxes Send a personalized message directly to a member’s inbox Using Sponsored InMail, you can Sponsored InMail is ideal for: reach high-value, targeted prospects on LinkedIn with attention-grabbing • Boosting conversions with Engage your key target audiences across desktop and mobile messages that speak directly to targeted product and their interests. You can designate service promotions Drive conversations by delivering personalized messages within the recipients by geography, job role, • Promoting Content your audience uncluttered LinkedIn inbox environment group membership, company size and wants to see, like infographics, other criteria. white papers, and reports

These notifications are prominently • Personalizing invitations to displayed on the LinkedIn homepage events and conferences and in members’ inboxes for high The flexible format makes it visibility that cuts through the clutter. simple to integrate content and “With so many competitors going after the same customers, Discover a new way to increase the messaging from across your VistaVu knew it was time to rethink its strategy. Our goal was to effectiveness of your email marketing LinkedIn ecosystem. Accurate effort and drive leads from LinkedIn. targeting ensures you reach the break away from the crowd by really demonstrating our industry Reach members only when they members that matter most, from focus and unique value proposition. For us, it was about getting are active on the LinkedIn site to across our network of over 347 our message and differentiated product offerings to the right boost engagement. million professionals. audience, Not only did we receive more leads, but the quality and the promise of the leads was unmatched.” Sponsored InMail leverages the credibility of the LinkedIn platform so that, unlike conventional email campaigns, they are more likely to be opened, Nicole Baron, Marketing Manager, VistaVu Solutions. read and acted on.

PART 6: Expand your targeted reach: Advertising on LinkedIn 27 PART 6 CEB reaches executives in transition with LinkedIn Sponsored InMails

CEB (www.executiveboard.com), the The title of CEB’s InMail specifically leading member-based advisory addressed executive challenges: company, markets its research “How will you ensure long-term “Using LinkedIn’s targeting to reach executives at the moment in human resources, information success in your new role?” The InMail when the CEB pitch would be most relevant is the key to this technology, and corporate innovation went on to congratulate the LinkedIn campaign’s success.” to a rarified group of highly senior member on his or her professional executives. It was challenging to shift, invited them to try out CEB’s Rory Channer, Managing Director of Marketing, CEB convince highly influential executives Leadership Transition Service, and to take the time to check out some offered a free whitepaper on the of the compelling thought-leadership hallmarks of successful leadership materials that CEB offers. transitions.

Rory Channer, Managing Director The InMail campaign generated open of Marketing for CEB, and his rates that were four times the rate marketing colleagues knew that a of CEB’s typical online marketing defining moment for connecting with campaigns, and twice the typical an executive about CEB services is clickthrough rate. during a period of transition. Using LinkedIn targeting capabilities, they chose to focus on executives in human resources and sales that had been promoted or added significant new responsibilities.

PART 6: Expand your targeted reach: Advertising on LinkedIn 28 PART 6 Ask the Expert: NATE STRICKER

LI: How do you compare the audience the obvious ones. It’s not just an to get across versus the passions that targeting capability of LinkedIn with environment for the Wells Fargos ignite the interest of the consumer. other social networks? and the Bank of Americas and the University of Phoenixes of the world, The second part is having compelling NS: With LinkedIn, with content but has huge value for the GEs and content that leverages things like sight, generation, there’s an opportunity the Geicos and the Chryslers, etc. I sound and motion that uses the with native content to be a bit more think that’s a story that can be better listening platform to find topics that surgical with the data you have, and flavored in the marketplace. have a currency to them, and then the kind of content you deliver— finally making it easy to share so the holy grail of the audience and LI: How would you advise a marketer a user can choose to share in the content equation together. I think looking to create more “shareable” whichever platform they are most that’s definitely an area where there is content? Are there specific strategies comfortable with. Agency Lead, The Independents opportunity because no one network or specific tools that you would at AOL is especially nailing it right now. recommend?

LI: What types of clients should be LI: How are marketers getting it NS: From a tool standpoint, a really leveraging LinkedIn more than they wrong with LinkedIn? good social listening service can currently are? cover a wide swath of sources. It can NS: There’s still some education also provide access to other media, NS: Because of the association of the required. LinkedIn is viewed as, even search trends and search behaviors content on LinkedIn, as well as with before being thought of as a media so you have a rich tapestry to draw the audience that goes to the site, opportunity for advertisers, as a from in terms of what is relevant for any category where a client is aiming marketer’s in-house PR firm—the PR consumers, particularly your target to make headway from a leadership mechanism, if you will. I think the first audience. Good listening is the first perspective. If you’re looking to make step is recognizing that it has quite step. You’re not going to create a leadership statement and/or be a bit to offer from an advertising shareable content if what you’re seen curating a point of view with perspective. The second thing is building is not relevant and intriguing content, there is a lot of upside to that there are a lot of categories that to consumers. Sometimes it’s a the LinkedIn proposition. could benefit from LinkedIn beyond balance of what the advertiser wants

PART 6: Expand your targeted reach: Advertising on LinkedIn 29 PART 7 Nurture Leads Beyond the Inbox: LINKEDIN LEAD ACCELERATOR The average email open rate for most B2B When you successfully drive qualified prospects into the funnel, you’re Quotemarketers does not exceed 20 percent. succeeding as a sophisticated marketer. But your job doesn’t end there. You need to nurture those prospects until they’re ready to talk to your sales reps. Nurturing is critical considering that buyers largely hold sales reps at bay until they’re far down the path to purchase.

The sooner you can move those leads First off, you can only interact with Why limit your potential and results by into sales’ hands, the better. That prospects via email once you’ve relying on a single channel to engage means the pressure is on you to keep captured their contact details. What and nurture prospective buyers? your target audience engaged and about all those prospects who haven’t moving through the funnel. You do shared that information with you? that by sharing relevant offers and Research finds that as many as 95% content at the right time in the buying of the people who visit a B2B website process. never fill out a web form.

Relying Solely on Email to Nurture Plus, let’s not forget that on a great is Like Driving in First Gear day, only 20% of your database But if you’re only using email to that contacts will open your email end, you’re essentially limiting your messages. In the end, you only stand full reach and potential as a marketer. to engage with 1% of your website Email is certainly a proven channel visitors at best since only 5% provide for nurturing prospects that you’ve their contact information and only already engaged. But, as a nurturing 20% of that 5% will open emails channel, it’s limited. Here’s why. from you.

PART 7: LinkedIn Lead Accelerator 30 PART 7

Drive More High-Quality offers via display and social ads What LinkedIn Lead Accelerator Empowers You to Do Leads Faster anywhere they go online, until they With the majority of your prospects become known prospects. At the Convert the 95% of anonymous web visitors who don’t provide beyond your nurturing reach, you same time, you can nurture all known email addresses need to go beyond the inbox and prospects wherever they go online, take a multi-channel approach to without being dependent on email. reach them wherever they consume The result? You deliver a greater Engage the 80% of known prospects who don’t open your email information online. That’s where number of high-quality leads to your LinkedIn Lead Accelerator comes sales team faster than ever. Evaluate the impact of your nurture programs into play. Lead Accelerator makes it possible for you to seamlessly fold display and social advertising along with content marketing into your nurture programs. In other words, you can engage and nurture prospects anywhere online with relevant ads and content. But that’s not all—we give you the data and insights that make it possible to improve your results over time.

A major advantage of Lead Accelerator over email-only nurture is the ability to nurture your anonymous prospects—all the website visitors who don’t share their email addresses with you. Lead Accelerator enables you to nurture them with sequences of relevant content and

PART 7: LinkedIn Lead Accelerator 31 PART 7 LinkedIn Lead Accelerator in Action: Here’s how it works.

1. Identify and target your highest- 3. Increase conversion rates with You can sequence your messaging to deliver the relevant information based value audiences, both anonymous LinkedIn’s Autofill capability, which on your target prospect’s profile and online behavior. and known. Segment your prospects allows site visitors to fill out forms with according to: two simple clicks. This cuts down on • Interests—What pages are they the time needed to fill out your landing visiting on your website? page forms. Plus, the quality of the data you capture is much higher since • Engagement level—How deep it’s based on the visitor’s own LinkedIn are they exploring your site, and profile data. where on your site have they already converted? • Demographic profile—Are they 4. Optimize your ad creative, marketers or IT professionals? Do targeting approach and nurture they work for an SMB or Fortune stream design through platform- 500 company? Are they managers supported A/B testing. or executives? LinkedIn provides comprehensive data for over 330 5. Measure program impact at every million professionals globally so stage of the buying process through you can pinpoint your audience. built-in reporting. Track and trend Don’t forget to create segments key performance indicators including of both known and anonymous actions and conversions, page views Quote prospects. and visits per visitor, and more. Amp Up Your Nurturing You can even drill down to analyze By complementing LinkedIn Lead Accelerator with personalized Sponsored performance of specific display Updates and Sponsored InMail, you take your nurturing to even higher 2. Sequence relevant messaging based and social ad creative and calls to levels. With Sponsored Updates, you can engage your target audience on the profile and onsite behavior of action, and track which content and directly within LinkedIn’s feed. And with Sponsored InMail, you can send your prospects via display and social messaging resonates with different targeted messages to the inboxes of your target audience while they are ads, including LinkedIn Sponsored audience segments. Updates. You can even integrate active on LinkedIn. That means you increase the likelihood of catching your LinkedIn Lead Accelerator with the prospects’ attention—and triggering action. tools you use for your existing email nurture programs, such as Oracle Eloqua Marketing Automation.

PART 7: LinkedIn Lead Accelerator 32 PART 7 LinkedIn Lead Accelerator: Case Studies

Cetera Financial Group Drives Cetera also used LinkedIn Lead Workfront Generates Over 640 Using LinkedIn Lead Accelerator, Nearly $1 Million in New Business Accelerator to nurture its anonymous Leads in Three Months at a Cost Workfront nurtured prospects with Linkedin Lead Accelerator website visitors—those who hadn’t Well Below Target with waves of LinkedIn Sponsored Cetera Financial Group, one of yet submitted their email address Workfront, a provider of a cloud- Updates, Facebook Newsfeed, and the nation’s largest families of to Cetera via a form completion. based Enterprise Work Management Display Ads tied to nurture streams independently managed firms, LinkedIn’s Full Funnel Analytics Solution, finds on average that more that were customized for different wanted new and innovative ways to showed Cetera the impact of its than 96 percent of its website visitors audience segments. Using LinkedIn’s reach more of its target audience targeted display advertising efforts. leave without converting. Full Funnel Analytics, Workfront saw and drive engagement beyond In just three months, LinkedIn drove that in just three months, it generated email alone. Using LinkedIn Lead more than 900 new visitors in finance more than 640 leads via Lead Accelerator, Cetera added display and to the Cetera website and more than Accelerator at a cost well below social advertising to its existing email $960,000 in new business. its cost-per-lead targets. nurture campaign. Through LinkedIn Network Display alone, Cetera reached hundreds of thousands of finance professionals with display ads everywhere online.

PART 7: LinkedIn Lead Accelerator 33 PART 8 Mobilize your Employees to Publish with a Purpose: Amplify your Message CONTENT MARKETING Best-in-class companies encourage their own employees to share content on LinkedIn with their networks, ON LINKEDIN significantly increasing content reach. This is especially powerful for companies whose sales reps are connected Earlier we underscored the importance There are more than 2 million unique to the right decision makers. of delivering relevant content in order publishers actively using the LinkedIn to build relationships with your targets. Share button on their sites to send LinkedIn provides the following content into the LinkedIn platform. solutions for delivering relevant Company Pages are where you content to our members: can catch the eye of prospective • Company Pages, Showcase customers by featuring thought Pages, Follow Company Ads leadership content or anything else and Company Updates that would be relevant to your target LINKEDIN: A KEY PLATFORM FOR B2B CONTENT DELIVERY audience, including links to your latest LinkedIn continues to be the #1 channel to distribute content • Sponsored Updates and greatest whitepapers, eBooks, • SlideShare case studies, and how-to content. By delivering useful and engaging • Content Ads content, you’ll foster engagement and • LinkedIn Groups help your message spread faster. In • Publishing on LinkedIn fact, our research shows that Company Updates containing links can have up • Content Marketing Score to 45% higher follower engagement • Trending Content than updates without links. % 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Company Pages, Showcase Pages, And remember—integration with Follow Company Ads and Company common Social Media Management Updates: Be Found and Connect vendors including Adobe, Hootsuite™, with Those that Matter Most Percolate, Salesforce, Shoutlet, Spredfast and Sprinklr make it easier for you to manage your Page and Source: 2015 B2B Content Marketing Trends/ North America, Content Marketing Institute/ Marketing Profs Company Updates.

PART 8: Publish with a Purpose: Content Marketing on LinkedIn 34 PART 8 Showcase Pages: Reach and Build a Relationship with 5 steps to engaging followers on LinkedIn Specific Audiences 1. Establish your presence Like many companies, yours likely In other words, you can create a considers many parts of its business to distinct platform for each aspect be important. And to give each its due of your business that has its own 2. Attract followers attention, you likely have more than message to share with its own target one “voice.” With Showcase Pages, audience. It’s a unique way to directly you can build a presence and present engage the right people in the right 3. Engage followers a unique voice for every important context. And just as with Company part of your business. By creating Pages, your administrators will be able 4. Amplify through the network dedicated pages for your more to monitor performance through prominent brands, businesses, and dedicated analytics tools within the initiatives using Showcase Pages, you Showcase Page experience. 5. Analyze and refine can extend your LinkedIn presence.

“When I ran marketing at a mobile startup, we routinely compared the impact of each channel at each funnel stage. We plotted channels along two dimensions: volume of names and cost per lead. LinkedIn topped all other lead sources—across both dimensions and at every stage of the funnel. When it came to content distribution and lead generation, LinkedIn quickly became the first dollar budgeted each quarter.”

Joe Chernov – Former VP of Marketing at Kinvey, now VP of Content at Hubspot

PART 8: Publish with a Purpose: Content Marketing on LinkedIn 35 PART 8 Attract More Followers Did You Know:

The more the merrier on the social • Cultivate a larger following There are more than 2 million unique publishers actively using the LinkedIn merry-go-round. Here are some with a multi-channel approach. Share button on their sites to send content into the LinkedIn platform simple, effective strategies for Encourage your teammates to add (Oct, 2014) attracting more followers with your a link to your company page in company updates: their email signatures. If needed, • Engage your colleagues. A study ask your designer for help creating by BrightEdge found that 9 out of a customized banner or button. the top 10 brands with the most • Add a Follow button to your “Content Marketing is the planning, creation, promotion, followers on LinkedIn have at website. Your web team can pull least 60% of their employees code for a Follow button from and measurement of content to a target audience with on LinkedIn. developer.linkedin.com to add the goal of satisfying customers and affecting a business to your blog or website. This lets outcome. LinkedIn offers an incredibly useful platform LinkedIn members follow your for research, ideation and the amplification of content company with a single click. to specific interest groups from your target customers

to the Influencers that inspire them to take action. LinkedIn is essential for achieving content marketing results.”

Lee Odden, CEO @TopRank Online Marketing, Author: Optimize, Public Speaker: Integrated Search, Social, and Content Marketing

PART 8: Publish with a Purpose: Content Marketing on LinkedIn 36 PART 8 Company Updates: Engage Your Followers LINKEDIN BY THE NUMBERS:

LinkedIn Company Updates are a 4. Keep your audience’s attention EXECUTIVES RATE LINKEDIN HIGH ON VALUE THEY GAIN powerful way to reach and engage by producing content consistently, FROM THEIR SOCIAL MARKETING INITIATIVES professionals with relevant content responding to timely events, LinkedIn is the number one choice for professionally relevant content across multiple devices. They are sent engaging members through from your Company Page and deliver comments, and continually LinkedIn 91% targeted content into our members’ refining your content strategy. Online News Site 64% feeds, increasing their engagement 5. Extend your targeted reach beyond with your brand. But are your updates your Company Page followers Twitter 29% optimized? Keep the following best by using Sponsored Updates to Facebook 27% practices in mind when creating and promote your best content. posting your company page updates Google+ 16% to dramatically increase engagement and overall reach. 1. Optimize introductions and 1 IN EVERY 3 INTERNET USER VISITS A BRAND’S SOCIAL MEDIA PAGE headlines by thinking like a Paid Social Media advertising objectives journalist, adding your point of view, asking thoughtful questions Primarily branding related, 45% e.g. raising awareness, to involve your audience, and 31% including a clear call to action. influencing brand opinions

2. Stand out in the feed by including Primarily direct-response 16% a compelling image or some type of related e.g. driving product 15% rich media. trails or site visits 3. Attract an audience by aligning your A mix of both—more than 25% content to members’ needs and half is branding interests by making it “snackable” 29% and valuable. A mix of both—more than 14% half is direct-response 25%

ADVERTISERS AGENCIES

Sources: “Content Marketing gets Social,” Unisphere research, 2013, N= 217 Nielsen, Paid Social Media Advertising Report, 2013. N = 500 U.S. digital marketing and media professionals

The 2014 Professional Content Consumption Report, LinkedIn Report, Q214

PART 8: Publish with a Purpose: Content Marketing on LinkedIn 37 PART 8 Follow the 4-1-1 Rule Consistent posting: Create an editorial calendar of updates within your The 4-1-1 Rule was coined by company, and highlight relevant third- “Sell something, get a customer for a day. Help someone, get a Tippingpoint Labs and Joe Pulizzi of party material. Then share it with customer for life.” the Content Marketing Institute. While company followers. Building a cadence it was originally created with Twitter around the 4-1-1 rule will continually add Jay Baer, Digital Marketing Strategist, Speaker, Author and President in mind, it can successfully be applied value for your followers. of Convince & Convert to your company’s content marketing strategy using LinkedIn. Sources: Tippingpoint Labs. www.tippingpointlabs.com

The rule states: “For every one self-serving tweet, you should retweet one relevant tweet and most importantly share four pieces of relevant content written by others.”

It’s basically saying to share the love. Instead of constantly bombarding your followers with demos, webinars, 1 Retweet and whitepaper downloads, create a cadence of helpful insights relevant to your audience. Mix in a bit of industry thought leader content; news and trends are a great way to build relationships with prospects while keeping current customers in the know.

You’ll authentically engage in conversations, build awareness, and interact with LinkedIn members without giving the impression that you’re a self-centered know-it-all. It’s all part of moving to the new marketing mindset of “always be helping” instead of the outdated “always be selling.” 4 New Tweets 1 Self-serving Tweet

PART 8: Publish with a Purpose: Content Marketing on LinkedIn 38 PART 8 Sponsored Updates: Content Marketing in the Professional Feed

Our members are already engaging • Build relationships with the world’s with high-quality content from professionals. Publish your content news sites, thought leaders, their with Sponsored Updates to create connections, and brands. With value and establish trust that Sponsored Updates, you can join sparks ongoing conversations and the conversation and appear along deeper customer relationships. with that content. You can publish Sponsored Updates with rich media Targeting options and ensure relevance with robust Sponsored Updates allow you to targeting functionality. And that reach a targeted audience beyond means you can reach the right your Company Page followers. You people at the right time with your can define your audience using Think of Targeted and Sponsored best articles, images, infographics, criteria such as location, company PDFs, presentations, and videos. Plus, size, industry, job function, and Updates as native advertising Sponsored Updates are the only way seniority. Remember, there’s always to reach LinkedIn’s mobile users at a tradeoff between targeting and Sponsored updates are native to the browsing experience, scale, since they appear in the feed on audience size. If you target too incorporated directly into the member’s feed so as not desktop, tablet, and smartphone. specifically, your update may reach to interrupt the stream of content. a very small audience. Sponsored Updates are a powerful tool to: Performance tracking • Raise awareness and shape You can promote updates in 20 perception. Send Sponsored languages across the 200 countries Updates to your target audience and territories where we have to rapidly increase awareness members. And within a minute or two and shape the perception of your of publishing your update, you’ll see brand, products, and services. impression and engagement metrics. And reporting on your post will be Bislr, now Autopilot, a provider of marketing automation solutions, • Drive quality leads. Generate updated in near real time. That means used Sponsored Updates to generate high-quality leads with quality leads by sharing insights you can track how well your posts that professionals seek. Watch hit the mark and fine-tune your a high conversion rate and at a lower cost. Plus, it generated that content spread via the peer strategy instantly. additional brand awareness as a benefit of organic sharing. sharing that occurs naturally

on LinkedIn. Read Case Study

PART 8: Publish with a Purpose: Content Marketing on LinkedIn 39 PART 8 How Sponsored Updates work

Getting a LinkedIn Company Page Sponsored Updates are purchased is the first step to using Sponsored through a second-price auction. Updates. All Sponsored Updates Here’s how it works. Here’s how must first be created as organic it works: Each time there is an Company Updates. opportunity for a Sponsored Update to be shown, LinkedIn runs an auction Similar to an ad unit, a Sponsored to determine which update to show. Update is sent to a member when For any given auction, there can be they visit LinkedIn. Sponsored many bids from competing advertisers Updates are clearly distinguished looking to reach that member. That from organic content to make sure our means when you sponsor an update, members can differentiate between your campaign enters an auction to organic and paid content. Currently, determine whether it’s shown to your they are labeled as “Sponsored.” target audience. Sponsored Update Links in Sponsored Updates can drive inventory is non-guaranteed, but you traffic wherever you’d like, including may adjust your bid and content to your content portals, relevant news perform better in the auction. or articles, YouTube or SlideShare channels, whitepapers, and event registration forms.

PART 8: Publish with a Purpose: Content Marketing on LinkedIn 40 PART 8 Ask the Expert: CHRIS D’ALESSANDRO

a brand for them.’ Question number actually getting the person you’re makes it harder for them to buy. one is always, ‘can we build the brand targeting, and my personal version They can simply put an ad on the on this platform?’ of why I prefer LinkedIn over other page instead of engaging the creative social networks is because I know agency and building a plan that will LI: What types of clients should be who I’m getting. I trust LinkedIn data be better in the long run. leveraging LinkedIn more than they not because other social networks currently are? are lying about their data, but rather because consumers are more apt to CD: Any organization that needs to elaborate on other social networks. do a better job of getting the brand in front of affluent people or just the LI: How are marketers getting it right professional people. LinkedIn wrong with LinkedIn? Chief Digital Officer at is a great platform for targeting this LegalShield Official type of audience. The other type of CD: They are seeing it as an client that needs to be on LinkedIn is advertising platform and they LI: What factors are most important any organization that needs to recruit are not leveraging it as a content to you when considering advertising top talent. platform. Advertisers are trying to channels for your clients? drive lower funnel activities instead LI: How do you compare the audience of participating in the conversation. CD: It all depends on the goals of the targeting capability of LinkedIn with I see LinkedIn as a way to continue campaign or what we are trying to other social networks? the dialogue in a way that naturally accomplish. My focus is on a global promotes the value proposition of the campaign that transcends the US and CD: The biggest thing that’s come to brand and I think many brands are still Europe so a lot of what we are doing our attention is we can trust the using it as an ad platform because is branding. We look at platforms as results from LinkedIn. People are most media buying agencies follow ‘how can we best utilize our money to less apt to elaborate on LinkedIn than the path of least resistance and buy get in front of as many people as we they are on other social networks. what is easy. Getting the creative and can to convince them the Nissan is a Sometimes you don’t know if you’re content development teams involved

PART 8: Publish with a Purpose: Content Marketing on LinkedIn 41 PART 8 SlideShare: Tap into Visual Tendencies How to Use LinkedIn to Amplify SlideShare Content

We are all visual thinkers. In fact, Through SlideShare, you can: 1. Send Company Updates – SlideShare content displays directly within the 75% of the sensory neurons in our • Share presentations, videos, LinkedIn feed brains process visual information. infographics and other documents Visual content can help set you apart with your LinkedIn network from text-heavy competition, and 2. Sponsor your best content to extend its reach SlideShare is the perfect channel for • Upload portfolios, conference your visual content. talks, PDFs, marketing/sales presentations and more 3. Use SlideShare Content Ads to pull SlideShare content into 300x250 ad SlideShare is not just a repository for • Embed videos in presentations placements on LinkedIn your slide presentations. It’s a social and add audio to make a webinar channel where you can establish your brand as a thought leader With more than 60 million monthly and authority around topics unique visitors and on an average day, and keywords. nearly 4 million people visit SlideShare (just on desktop!) with 13,000 new pieces of content added. SlideShare “It’s almost not fair to ask for my take on SlideShare. I consider it one of is the world’s largest professional the top three ‘plays’ in my own content marketing efforts. I contribute content-sharing community. And to the SlideShare blog. I recommend it to every one of my clients and that’s something you can’t afford am hired often to write and design the presentations. to overlook. However, I’m biased for many reasons. Atop the list: SlideShare— and its integration with LinkedIn—accounts for a massive chunk of my website’s traffic, has a lot to do with the authority I’ve gained in content marketing and copywriting for the web, and is helping to bring me all kinds of opportunities including new business, partnerships, and speaking engagements.

If you’re not using SlideSlide to distribute your content, you’re missing out on, what, 60 million eyeball opportunities a month? And if you are, you know exactly how the service can align with your marketing goals.”

Barry Feldman, Feldman Creative

PART 8: Publish with a Purpose: Content Marketing on LinkedIn 42 PART 8 Here Are Nine Tips to Help Ensure Content Domination on SlideShare:

1. Keep your presentations short 7. Integrate your presentations into SlideShare Did You Know: and sweet: Between 10–30 slides multiple channels: SlideShare easily is optimal embeds into landing pages and More than 15 million pieces of content uploaded to SlideShare 2. Be visual: Shoot for an average of blogs and renders beautifully (December 5, 2013) 19 images in your 10–30 slides in Twitter 3. Get to the point: Aim for an 8. Repurpose your presentations: average of 24 words per slide Slice and dice them into blog posts, infographics, webinars 4. Be the authority on your topic: and videos Choose a topic and own it 9. Make SlideShare part of every 5. Focus on design and tell a story: campaign: Add a SlideShare Design your deck to pull the reader checkbox to your campaign from one slide to the next checklist 6. Rev up the SEO for each presentation: Include keyword- If you don’t have a SlideShare rich titles, descriptions and tags in account, sign up from LinkedIn to order to give your presentations share your presentations worldwide “In a recent conference, I was asked my opinion on what is a fighting chance in the world of and drive more views and traffic. search engines as well as inside the the biggest opportunity in B2B Content Marketing? Without SlideShare search results hesitation, I answered “SlideShare.”

Michael Brenner, Vice President of Marketing and Content Strategy HAVE I GOT A STORY FOR YOU! at SAP, Speaker, Blogger and Social Business Marketing Leader, Head of Strategy, NewsCred A good story captivates an audience. Think about your favorite book, TV show or movie—the plot and way it is told hooks you in. Now what if every presentation you sat through—or gave—was that spell-binding?

PART 8: Publish with a Purpose: Content Marketing on LinkedIn 43 PART 8 Content Ads: Enhance the Member Experience Without STANDARD CONTENT AD Interrupting It On LinkedIn, our members are actively Our Content Ad unit delivers up to consuming and sharing information five different items of content via and insights. And you have an different tabs, including blog posts, opportunity to share content with case studies, whitepapers and video. LinkedIn’s professional audience Because the ads are RSS enabled, they using Content Ads. update automatically whenever live content featured within them changes. Content Ads use images and video content that stand out above the fold Content ads are extremely simple on our uncluttered, clean LinkedIn to create: you supply us with assets page design. Use them to position and content and we’ll create your ad, your company as a thought leader including a preview for you to sign off and engage your audience with on, within ten working days. You’ll be whitepapers, videos, brochures and able to leverage the depth of LinkedIn other high-value content—without member profiles for accurate targeting interrupting the user flow and by of your ad, and get access to detailed enhancing their member experience. analytics showing how members interact with each content tab. STANDARD CONTENT AD ENLARGED

For ad specifications, visit http://adspecs.liasset.com/category.php?category=Content+Ads.

PART 8: Publish with a Purpose: Content Marketing on LinkedIn 44 PART 8 SlideShare Content Ads: Enable Seamless Engagement SLIDESHARE CONTENT AD

SlideShare Content Ads are the latest Your audience can interact with the addition to LinkedIn’s expanding presentations in these ads just as they Content Ads portfolio. Through the would on SlideShare itself, scrolling SlideShare Content Ad format, you can: forwards and back, and choosing • Extend reach and discoverability of whether to expand the presentation your SlideShare content or view it within the ad unit. Plus, you can embed a lead capture form in your • Drive engagement by offering presentation, which LinkedIn members user value can fill in and submit directly from the • Demonstrate thought leadership presentation.More importantly, the and industry expertise can do this without interrupting their LinkedIn session. With SlideShare Content Ads, we combine SlideShare’s rich, Furthermore, by combining detailed professionally relevant content with LinkedIn Analytics with SlideShare’s LinkedIn Marketing Solutions’ unique content viewing metrics and lead- targeting capabilities. SlideShare generation forms, we provide a Content Ads give your content the uniquely in-depth view of engagement reach it deserves, delivering in-depth with your content marketing. presentations through a 300 x 250 ad unit that enables broad, “SlideShare makes it easy to take what you’ve already got to a flexible distribution. much wider audience. And—in stark contrast to most business’ experiences with social media today—it delivers measurement based on real business activity, like leads.”

Todd Wheatland, Author of The Marketer’s Guide to SlideShare, Head of Strategy, King Content

PART 8: Publish with a Purpose: Content Marketing on LinkedIn 45 PART 8 LinkedIn APIs: Deepen Engagement, Share Content Network-Wide

Leverage LinkedIn’s professional Here are just a few ways you can take audience and platform across your advantage of our APIs: other digital channels with a range • Invite members to sign up to of full-fledged APIs and plug-ins that your site using their LinkedIn help deepen engagement with your login credentials audience and share content across our network. You can use LinkedIn’s APIs • Leverage select areas of the to create custom branded experiences LinkedIn identity to deliver that allow members to sign in using relevant content their LinkedIn login. This eliminates • Plug LinkedIn feeds into your site the need for them to enter additional • Invite your users to share updates data. Even more importantly, by using across the LinkedIn platform the API to access LinkedIn’s rich data, you can tailor the member experience To add a LinkedIn plugin to your site based on profile data. You can also or app, visit developer.LinkedIn.com Statoil Taps into LinkedIn encourage your experience to go viral to generate the required code and by triggering it to publish updates add it to the source code of your about a user’s activities. site or app. The LinkedIn Certified API to Create a Content Hub Developer Program (CDP) makes it Statoil wanted to shift its image from a big oil company to a We offer developers powerful easy to engage developers certified forward-thinking energy organization. Using a LinkedIn API, options to leverage our content and to work with LinkedIn data, who are it created a content hub called Energy Realities that helped connections while keeping users trained and supported by LinkedIn. We on our site. also offer options for working with a it reach the right audience and amplify its content and broader range of developers as well. social actions.

Read Case Study

PART 8: Publish with a Purpose: Content Marketing on LinkedIn 46 PART 8 LinkedIn Groups: Join the Conversation

Companies often talk about ‘joining Plan to participate the conversation’ and ‘establishing You can join up to 50 groups but thought leadership.’ By participating in let’s face it—you and your colleagues discussions taking place in established may not have the time to invest in LinkedIn Groups, you can join the cultivating conversations, connections, conversation. By participating in and relationships at that volume. Once discussions taking place in established you pinpoint the groups that will prove LinkedIn Groups, you can join the the best investment of your time, it’s conversation and establish thought critical to put in the time to participate. leadership for your company.. Either Weigh in on active discussions, way, you’re establishing thought and point fellow group members leadership for your company. to additional information of value, whether that’s content published by Participate in Group Discussions your company or another organization. LinkedIn Groups for Business As a sophisticated marketer, you know The key is to position yourself as a that true and meaningful engagement trusted and helpful peer rather than as HubSpot’s Inbound Marketer’s LinkedIn Group is another stellar with prospects and customers is a marketer focused on reeling in the example of how a marketer can best utilize a group within LinkedIn. sparked and maintained through next customer. interactions. The trick is finding the HubSpot now has more than 50,000 followers for its Company right forum for this engagement, Page, and more than 96,000 members within the Inbound and LinkedIn Groups is a terrific way Marketers group—significant audiences for its messages about to become part of a community best practices for inbound marketing. comprising your target audience.

PART 8: Publish with a Purpose: Content Marketing on LinkedIn 47 PART 8 Take advantage of Publishing in LinkedIn

Publishing on LinkedIn gives every The real power of publishing on professional the ability to share their LinkedIn can be unleashed when you expertise with the world. Once for combine subject matter expertise, the sole use of an exclusive group Company and Showcase Pages, Three Reasons to Publish of Influencers, now all members are employee amplification, and finally invited to publish longform content Sponsored Updates for an always- on LinkedIn. on thought leadership engine. For Long-Form Content on LinkedIn: example, your CMO/ CEO publishes a Using an intuitive blogging tool that thought leadership piece on LinkedIn. 1. The content you publish is attached to and becomes a part of seamlessly integrates with your profile You then publish it on your Company your LinkedIn profile and positions you as an expert and on LinkedIn, you can publish new Page or Showcase Page, or both, and thought leader. and previously published content on ask your employees to share with LinkedIn to quickly grow your audience their networks, and finally extend and network. Articles posted with the reach of the post using targeted 2. You can create an always-on strategy with your the tool are searchable by keyword in Sponsored Updates and Direct C-level team, subject matter experts and employees by LinkedIn’s post search box and if your Sponsored Content. post is viewed enough times, it can get delivering your message with credibility and authenticity. picked up by Pulse, the news app and content brand for LinkedIn. That means 3. Your posts have the potential to be featured on LinkedIn Pulse you can grow views, comments and and recommended to a much broader group of members. shares by leaps and bounds.

PART 8: Publish with a Purpose: Content Marketing on LinkedIn 48 PART 8 Two New Power Resources for Your Content Marketing Toolbox CLOSING THE CONTENT MARKETING GAP

We believe in the power of content GLOBAL MARKETERS ARE USING CONTENT MARKETING TO ACHIEVE THEIR marketing. That’s why we’re continually GOALS, BUT DON’T FEEL THEY’RE BEING EFFECTIVE AS THEY COULD BE. developing new resources that help using content marketing you achieve even more from your feel they’re being effective content marketing strategies and initiatives. And we are certain you’re going to get tons of value from these Australian 89% 29% two new resources: US 86% 38% UK 85% 42% • Content Marketing Score • Trending Content Sources: Content Marketing in the UK: 2015 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute/DMA UK, Content Marketing in Australia: 2013 Trends – Content Marketing Institute/The Association for data-driven marketing & advertising (ADMA), 2014 B2B Content Marketing Trends— North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs Content Marketing Score

Quantify Your Content Marketing Efforts On LinkedIn As a sophisticated marketer, you know Like the most effective content you need to prove the impact of your marketers, we bet you reach your content marketing initiatives. Ideally audience in multiple ways across you want to: LinkedIn, via Groups, company • Understand the content and topics updates, employee posts, Sponsored that resonate with your audience Updates, and influencer posts. The Content Marketing Score from • Measure the effectiveness of your LinkedIn ties all of this outreach content-based campaigns together so you get an integrated view • Benchmark the success of of how your efforts are paying off. your program • See how you stack up against your competition • Rank your brand with a comprehensive score

PART 8: Publish with a Purpose: Content Marketing on LinkedIn 49 PART 8 Benchmark Your Content Performance Turn Insights Into Content Gold Think of the Content Marketing All that information is valuable, Score as a barometer that helps but we know insights are useless your company, product and brand unless you act upon them. And the understand the impact of its content Content Marketing Score makes A Dynamic Duo marketing efforts on LinkedIn. By that possible by providing specific attributing a score to your content, recommendations on defining and While Trending Content gives you insight into the hottest the Content Marketing Score adjusting your content strategy to topics across LinkedIn, the Content Marketing Score is quantifies the influence of your achieve the best results possible. specific to your company, product and brand. company, product and brand These may include suggestions to on LinkedIn. experiment with new ways to increase your follower base by utilizing Sponsored Updates, The Content Marketing Score encouraging employees to publish provides this insight by: more posts, or focusing on your content relevance. • Highlighting the audience(s) consuming your content In a nutshell, the Content Marketing on LinkedIn Score from LinkedIn: • Quantifying your company’s content presence and • Analyzes who engages engagement on LinkedIn with your content Your Overall Content Marketing Score • Compares you to your peers By Target Audience and Topic In other words, it tells you if members • Suggests how to improve WHO: Audience = Decision Makers WHAT: Topic = Leadership within your target audience are 1,400 engaging with your content. And your score 1,200 7 of 10 it can show you how you stack up 1,000 Peers: against your competitors. You can To receive your custom Content 800 Blackrock even see a breakdown of how you’re Marketing Score, please contact Microsoft 600 Dell CMS Score Capgemini performing across the different areas your LinkedIn account executive 400 250 Oracle of LinkedIn – whether by Groups, or account manager. 200 Citi Amex updates, or posts. 0 CLIENT Accenture Best in class Weaker content Salesforce influence influence

50 Next-Level Marketers face a challenge in knowing exactly who's consuming their content and whether it's reaching their desired audiences. For more engagement, reach and virality Content marketers need to tune their content strategies to the types of PART 8 content trending for their target audiences. Your Target Audience is on LinkedIn Trending Content THE TOPICS THAT MATTER The Topics That Matter Be Trendy (With Your Content) You’ll see which topics matter, and WHAT’S TRENDING What’s Trending Your target audience is on LinkedIn. which members are sharing the most *Top trending topics on LinkedIn, Nov, 2014 - Jan. 2015 *Top trending topics on LinkedIn, Nov ’14-Jan ’15 Now it’s just a matter of delivering content on any given subject. You’ll the content that attracts and engages even be able to pinpoint which topics them. But how do you know just are going viral. which topics will catch—and keep —their attention? And how do you How do we deliver this invaluable 1 Recruiting 2 Social Media 3 Employee 4 Self-Esteem 5 Marketing know which members will be most data? We evaluate influencer articles, Marketing Engagement interested in your content? network updates and Sponsored Whether you’re new to content Updates to understand what content marketing or looking to drive even members are sharing. Using a complex more engagement with your existing algorithm built by our data science 10 Cloud 9 ipad 8 Lean 7 Integrated 6 Reputation content, Trending Content from team, we put each piece of content Computing Manufacturing Marketing

LinkedIn can help you focus on into one or more of over 17,000 topic Source: LinkedIn Internal Data the topics that matter. categories. We then layer on member Who Shares the Most profile attributes to understand who is *Audiences sharing the top 15 most shared articles on LinkedIn, Dec. 2013–Jan. 2014 On a daily basis, LinkedIn members sharing the content. TOP TRENDING TOPICS Top Trending Topics Small Business Owners actively engage with content from (January(January 2014) 2014) four primary sources of inspiration, With all that insight, you can fine- insights, and information on tune your strategy to align with the leadership Young Upwardly Mobile Women our network: latest trends. That means you can increase the likelihood of your own Financial Advisors Venture Capitalists entrepreneurship • News from publishers content going viral, and reach and Retirement Entrepreneurs • Peers on LinkedIn groups engage more LinkedIn members. To receive your custom Trending Content online advertising Career Changers • Thought leaders analysis, please contact your LinkedIn • Brands account executive or account manager. mobile devices

Align Your Content Calendar With These tools are currently available healthcare Your Audience forLMS Customers, who can get their With LinkedIn, you can see trending score by contacting their LinkedIn topics across all those sources: Account Executive. Source: LinkedIn Internal Data LinkedIn Groups, news posts, thought leadership posts and discussions, and Company Pages.

PART 8: Publish with a Purpose: Content Marketing on LinkedIn 51 PART 8 Ask the Expert: LISA WEINSTEIN

consumer behaviors on a platform like media, marketers get hung up on a lot of time in the space looking at LinkedIn and then, as the consumer is chasing the social networks’ specific trends of topics and keywords which engaged, he or she creates new data metrics and at the end of the day, are another indicator of things being to help you optimize that experience. what has to matter is that a marketer’s shared. We partner with companies It starts with behavior which is investments are moving the needle like Visible Measures on the video informed by data, which we use against the core macro objective. side. It can be different with video, to inform content. LinkedIn has proven effective for and they have years worth of data clients leveraging it across the on the types of video content that LI: How are your clients’ marketing spectrum of objectives ranging from will most likely drive certain earned objectives different on LinkedIn brand lift and consideration, to ROI responses. We also share that part compared to other social networks? and direct response. LinkedIn works to plan how our video content can How does that impact your clients’ against key measures whether they drive greater shares because we President, Global Digital, content strategy? are top or bottom of the funnel. think it’s a strategic question. It’s vital Data and Analytics at Starcom to our strategy to think about the MediaVest Group LW: I would argue that the objectives LI: How would you advise a marketer intersection of paid, owned, of a platform like LinkedIn should looking to create more “shareable” and earned. LI: What factors are most important not be different from other social content? Are there specific strategies to you when considering advertising networks and that all networks should or tools you recommend? channels for your clients? add up to the overall marketing objectives of clients. As you drill down LW: We believe sharing is an indicator LW: One of the things we say is that into the use case for LinkedIn, there of valuable consumer behavior. it’s about behavior, not channels. are absolutely some more tactical We’ve spent a lot of time on tools From our perspective, when you start and specific initiatives it could be provided by a company like ShareThis, with consumer behavior you usually leveraged for. But if you’re talking which provide powerful indicators of start with data. We really believe about marketing objectives broadly, the types of content that are most that data helps to create experiences I’d like to think that everything we do sharable. We’ve built a planning tool and we use the phrase ‘created by and all these things we create ladders that allows our planners to buy ads data’ and ‘creating its own data.’ up to bigger objectives like sales, top against content that is more likely to You can use data to understand of funnel, etc. Too often in social be shared. We’ve actually spent

PART 8: Publish with a Purpose: Content Marketing on LinkedIn 52 PART 9 Unlock the Power OF LINKEDIN’S PARTNER PROGRAMS

LinkedIn’s Partner Programs are designed to work with companies that share our goal of serving our members’ needs. From entertaining “Partnering with LinkedIn has enabled us to deliver robust promotions to targeted multi-channel messages, LinkedIn’s platform audience demographics, content analytics, and publishing can significantly increase your consumer engagement beyond capabilities to today’s biggest brands across every industry. LinkedIn.com. The three partner programs of greatest interest to Brands are using this context and capability to deliver great marketers are: experiences that make professionals more productive and successful, and as a result, are building valuable and • Certified Developer Program LinkedIn Certified Developer Program lasting relationships. ” (CDP) (CDP): This program allows marketers • Social Media Management like you to grow engagement with Jim Rudden, CMO Spredfast Inc. program your brand through custom marketing campaigns and solutions that leverage • Ads API the LinkedIn platform. The program is intended to help you develop custom applications, micro-sites, marketing promotions, social monitoring tools or any other execution that uses LinkedIn’s APIs.

PART 9: Unlock the Power of LinkedIn’s Partner Programs 53 PART 9 Collaborate with Certified Developer Partners Social Media Management program: Ads API Program Best-in-Class Partners As certified partners, they receive This program enables you to manage The Ads API program allows The CDP charter partners were attention and communications from your company’s engagement on marketers to run and manage self- selected and certified based on their LinkedIn to help them effectively use LinkedIn, including the administration serve Text Ads campaigns effectively ability to deliver unique value to LinkedIn’s platform products to build of Company Pages, Showcase Pages at scale. marketers using our APIs and platform custom marketing programs. and Groups, using the platforms of products. They also have a proven our SMM partners. track record of delighting customers with successful application launches. API PARTNERS This includes exclusive access to LinkedIn technical specialists, enabling them to deliver innovative ADS API PARTNERS and impactful marketing solutions in the following categories: • Custom applications • Social media promotions • Social media management • Social media analytics

PART 9: Unlock the Power of LinkedIn’s Partner Programs 54 PART 9 Ask the Expert: KRISTINA JARAMILLO

decision makers (my prospects), key Here are some other forms of content social networks? professionals that influence business that have worked well for me and for marketing decisions, and potential my Get LinkedIn Help clients: KJ: You create a LinkedIn strategy that referral sources/white label partners. includes identifying your goals, (lead Radio show interviews—I host generation, brand awareness, thought LI: What type of content best connects a B2B marketing radio show at leadership, strengthening strategic with audiences on LinkedIn? Is there a http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ alliances, community building, getting specific type of content you prefer to b2bmarketingradioshow where guest more VAR, etc.) defining your target consume on LinkedIn? experts, including LinkedIn’s Senior audience, locating the Groups your Content Marketing Manager Jason targeted audiences belong to and KJ: The best type of content that Miller, share their insights. identifying the type of content that I found is case studies and real life your audience will relate to. Within LinkedIn Marketing Expert, examples—this demonstrates your SlideShare presentations and videos your strategy, you have to also map GetLinkedInHelp.com relevance. Most business leaders and which support your case study and out the actions needed to take B2B marketers’ LinkedIn profiles do result-based LinkedIn profile. Some on LinkedIn (webinars, webcasts, LI: How are your marketing objectives not have case studies. They talk about of our clients most read discussions whitepapers, email marketing). different on LinkedIn compared to their skills and expertise but there is no were based on their SlideShare other social networks? content for their targeted prospects presentation content. LI: How are marketers getting it wrong to see why they should connect. with LinkedIn? KJ: I do not do anything on Facebook Within the different LinkedIn Groups, Blog posts and articles that change the as my complete focus is on CEOs, you should also create discussions on way people think and act—I personally KJ: Marketers are getting it wrong C-level marketing and sales executives real life case studies. This gives B2B love content that is meant to start a with LinkedIn in a number of and small business owners in B2B organizations a chance to showcase debate. The goal is to change how ways including: They’re basically organizations. Twitter, I use as a tool to their expertise and at the same time people present themselves on LinkedIn completing brand maintenance broadcast my different messages. educate prospects on the challenges and how they market on LinkedIn. activities instead of a tool for lead companies are having and the steps generation. They may do some I use LinkedIn to directly connect with they need to take to overcome LI: How do you make sure personal updates and some commenting on and build relationships with key the challenge. time spent on LinkedIn is productive? discussions but there is no strategy How does this differ from other behind their efforts. They are

PART 9: Unlock the Power of LinkedIn’s Partner Programs 55 25 Social Media Experts YOU NEED TO KNOW Stay in the know with tips 1. Jay Baer 5. Brian Carter 10.  Ann Handley and advice from the leading Speaker, Author, Consultant VP of Marketing at Infinigraph, Head of Content at Marketing Blogs: jaybaer.com, Author, Speaker Profs, Author social media experts. Here’s convinceandconvert.com Blog: briancarteryeah.com/blog/ Blog: marketingprofs.com a list of some of our favorites Twitter: @jaybaer Twitter: @briancarter Twitter: @annhandley representing the best of the LinkedIn: in/jasonbaer LinkedIn: in/briancarterms LinkedIn: /in/annhandley best when it comes to social 2. Michael Brenner 6. Brian Clark 11. Matt Heinz media marketing. Senior Director, Global Marketing Founder and CEO of Copyblogger President at Heinz Marketing Inc at SAP, President and Co-Founder Blog: copyblogger.com/blog/ Blog: heinzmarketing.com of Business2Community Twitter: @copyblogger Twitter: @HeinzMarketing Blog: b2bmarketinginsider.com LinkedIn: pub/brian-clark/8/606/b5a Linkedin: in/mattheinz Twitter: @BrennerMichael LinkedIn: in/michaelbrenner 7. Heidi Cohen 12. Doug Karr Columnist Chief Marketing Officer at 3. Michael Brito Blog: heidicohen.com/tag/blog/ CircuPress, Author Group Director Media and Twitter: @heidicohen Blog: marketingtechblog.com/ Engagement at WCG, Linkedin: in/heidicohen author/douglaskarr/ a W2O Company Twitter: @douglaskarr Blog: britopian.com 8. Steven Farnsworth Linkedin: in/douglaskarr Twitter: @Britopian Chief Digital Strategist at Jolt LinkedIn: in/michaelbrito Digital Marketing, Author, Speaker 13. Jason Keath Blog: stevefarnsworth.wordpress.com CEO of Social Fresh 4. Jeff Bullas Twitter: @steveology Blog: socialfresh.com Consultant, Speaker, Blogger Linkedin: in/stevefarnsworth Twitter: @jasonkeath Blog: jeffbullas.com LinkedIn: in/jasonkeath Twitter: @jeffbullas 9. Barry Feldman LinkedIn: in/jeffbullas Owner at Feldman Creative, Speaker Blog: feldmancreative.com/blog Twitter: @FeldmanCreative Linkedin: in/feldmancreative

56 25 Social Media Experts YOU NEED TO KNOW 14. Nichole Kelly 18. Jason Miller 22. Neal Schaffer CEO at Social Media Explorer, Sr. Manager, Content Marketing, Author, Speaker SME Digital LinkedIn Marketing Solutions Linkedin: in/nealschaffer Author, Speaker Blog: rocknrollcocktail.com/ Blog: maximizeyoursocial.com/ Blog: socialmediaexplorer.com Twitter: @JasonMillerCA Twitter: @NealSchaffer Twitter: @Nichole_Kelly Linkedin: in/jsnmiller Linkedin: in/nealschaffer Linkedin: in/nicholekelly 19. Lee Odden 23. Koka Sexton 15. Dave Kerpen CEO at TopRank Online Marketing Global Sr. Marketing Manager CEO Likeable Local Author, Speaker at LinkedIn Author, Speaker Blog: toprankblog.com Blog: kokasexton.com/word/ Blog: davekerpen.com/blog Twitter: @leeodden Twitter: @kokasexton Twitter: @DaveKerpen Linkedin: in/leeodden Linkedin: in/kokasexton Linkedin: in/davekerpen 20. Joe Pulizzi 24. Mike Stelzner 16. Stephanie Sammons Founder at Content Marketing Founder of Social Media Founder of Wired Advisor™ Institute Examiner, Author Speaker Author, Speaker Blog: socialmediaexaminer.com Blog: blog.wiredadvisor.com Linkedin: in/joepulizzi Twitter: @Mike_Stelzner Twitter: @StephSammons Twitter: @JoePulizzi LinkedIn: in/stelzner Linkedin: in/stephaniesammons Blog: contentmarketinginstitute.com 25. Todd Wheatland 17. David Meerman Scott 21. Viveka Von Rosen VP of Marketing at Kelly Services Marketing Strategist, LinkedIn Expert, Author Author, Speaker Speaker, Author Blog: linkedintobusiness.com/ Blog: slide-guidebook.com/ Blog: webinknow.com Twitter: @LinkedInExpert Twitter: @ToddWheatland Twitter: @dmscott LinkedIn: in/linkedinexpert Linkedin: in/wheatland LinkedIn: in/davidmeermanscott

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