Yes, it’s another article that goes into my love for LinkedIn—a place where careers are not only found through search tools but also human connection.
LinkedIn is a place where creative business people can leverage their educational mindsets and field experience to connect with others they may not have met through any other social channel. It’s also one of the few places where you can post your B2B memes and have people understand them!
See, for instance, my love letter to the Top 50 Female Content Creators on LinkedIn. The importance of a digital landscape that encourages challenging questions, insightful content from leaders in YOUR field, and a network of decision-makers and mentors that span B2B and beyond make it the place to post your informative content in 2022. With over 730 million active users, how could you afford not to?
Part of LinkedIn’s appeal is that it wears its strength on its sleeve. The users who join and are active on the platform are already interested in primarily business activity. That means, for a B2B company, your content is being presented directly to those who are in a mindset to buy and grow their business—much better than PPC marketing to disinterested Farmville users over on Facebook (which also has its place.)
So, you’ve got winning content and a winning platform. How do you mix the two? Strategy.
By posting at the right time, you’re putting yourself in front of those who are most likely to buy. But when is that, and how can you make your strategy even better? Let’s dive right in to learn how.
The Best Posting Times
The math isn’t exact, but by analyzing activity, Hubspot recommends the following times for various businesses and markets. These formulas aren’t perfect, but then again, what in this world is?
Your Industry – Best Time to Post
- General Advice – Tuesday through Thursday between 8 AM to 2 PM in your target time zone.
- Healthcare and Higher Education – Monday through Thursday between 10 AM to 2 PM in your target time zone.
- Software Companies – Outside of 9-5 working hours, like commute and lunchtimes.
- Media Companies – 8 AM to 10 AM, like a newspaper.
- B2C Companies – Outside of 9-5 working hours, like commute and lunchtimes.
By following this rubric, you are ensuring your content reaches the most amount of eyes and secures higher-than-average engagement. With enough momentum around a post, it could keep going for days or even end up viral in the “Suggested Content” column, pulling in an audience much more extensive than your followers or even the connections lists of your staff and those others who follow you!
Building the Right Content
While a snapshot of your industry (like an infographic) might be appropriate for Instagram, you are given a unique opportunity with LinkedIn to explore longer whitepapers, demo cases, recent successes, or other long-form explanatory content.
LinkedIn suggests following the 5:3:2 rule when posting on LinkedIn. This means for every 10 posts, 5 should be shared from others (curation), 3 should be original content, and 2 should be fun or personal.
This mix of posts emphasizes the humanism of your brand while also demonstrating your knowledgeability in the field.
Other tips:
- Don’t hard-sell your product—try to make connections first.
- Lift the voices of others through shares—it’s not all about you!
- Tag influencers and your employees often—remember, connections first.
- Don’t be afraid to use visuals.
- When in doubt, circle back to your analytics and change your strategy.
I grew my business using LinkedIn, and I’m excited for others to do the same. Adding your voice to a professional discussion can be intimidating. Still, LinkedIn lets you test the water through a highly personal community with the intention of growing their business and skills.
Whether it’s a profile audit, career coaching session, or outreach consultation, I’m happy to walk you through everything it takes to make a tremendous step up in your LinkedIn swagger. Contact me today to explore development packages or to start creating your perfect LinkedIn content through outsourced marketing services.