Linkedin is one of the most popular social media platforms globally, with over 500 million users worldwide. It’s also a great place to connect with people who are already your customers or potential clients. This article will discuss creating a Linkedin content strategy that will help increase traffic to your website.
Why Should You Use Linkedin For Your Website Traffic?
LinkedIn has been around since 2003. It was originally designed as an online business network. However, today it’s more than just a simple business networking tool.
According to Linkedin, 50% of B2B buyers use this network when making purchase decisions. Hence, not using Linkedin to promote products and services might mean missing out on a huge opportunity to spread the message about your brand.
What Is a Linkedin Content Strategy?
A LinkedIn content strategy is a plan that outlines what type of content you should be creating on Linkedin. The goal is to attract visitors to your site and learn about the company or products.
There are many different types of content that you could post on Linkedin: articles, videos, images, etc. But before posting any content, you need to develop a sound Linkedin content strategy that resonates with your potential clients and reflects your business goals.
The following are some examples of content types:
- Posts: as with other social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, the standard way of communicating with your audience is by creating a ‘post’. A post is a short, engaging piece of content that is constructed by written text combined with emojis and hashtags. The typical length of a post is less than 300 words.
- Articles: These are long-form pieces of text that usually include at least one image and two links. They tend to be longer than other types of posts and require more time to write. Articles on Linkedin are similar to blogposts on platforms such as Medium or your own website and get indexed in Google. The typical length of a post is 500 words or slightly more.
- Videos: These are short clips (usually under 15 minutes) where you talk about something related to your industry.
- Images: You might want to post pictures or photos that show your products, team or you engaging in some interesting activity.
- Quotes: You can also use short quotes from famous people in your niche and make a short post. People love reading quotes!
As you can see, there are many different ways to create content on Linkedin. However, before you decide which one(s) to use, you’ll first need to figure out what kind of content would showcase your business the best.
Linkedin Marketing Tips To Increase Website Traffic
Once you’ve decided on the right Linkedin content strategy, it is essential to execute it right.
Here are some basic steps to getting started:
1. Find relevant groups and communities on Linkedin to share your content
There are two main parts of Linkedin: Groups and Communities. Groups are like Facebook groups. Users ask to join. Once you’re in, you can invite others to join and interact with each other.
Communities are similar to Twitter hashtags. You join them by searching for keywords associated with your industry. Then, when someone mentions those keywords, you can receive a notification.
2. Join relevant groups and communities on LinkedIn to engage
If you don’t already belong to any groups, you can search for relevant groups on Linkedin and join them. You will usually need to be approved with relevant industry experience before a moderator approves your membership.
3. Post useful and engaging content on Linkedin
Now that you’re part of a community, it’s time to start sharing content.
You can upload new blog posts directly to your Linkedin account or find blogs relevant to your business and then copy/paste their URL into the body of your message. Just make sure that you give credit to the author of the article. If you don’t, you risk being reported by Linkedin users who think you copied their work without giving them proper credit.
You can also use Linkedin to promote blog posts from your own website.
4. Comment on other member’s posts
When commenting on another user’s post, you’re saying something positive about that person’s content. It’s a great way to build relationships with other community members.
5. Follow other members’ updates
When you follow a member, you can get notified whenever they update their status. This is an excellent way to stay up-to-date with what’s happening in the community.
Importance of Having a Linkedin Content Strategy
Why is it important to be active on LinkedIn? If you have a business website, the chances are that you have an online presence on LinkedIn. This means when potential customers visit your site, they might click through to your profile page on LinkedIn. And once they do, they’ll be able to learn more about you and your company.
But here’s the thing…
LinkedIn isn’t just a social network. It’s a professional networking platform. This is why it is important to act professionally and share valuable information.
Aggressive sales tactics and spamming are completely off-limits on Linkedin.
Generally, long-form posts are great for sharing information about yourself, your company, or your industry. However, you can also use them as an opportunity to share links to other articles or resources that may be helpful to readers.
Here are three main types of long-form posts you might want to consider:
Linkedin Articles vs. Sharing Blog Content
Linking out to your website’s blog posts is a great way to educate followers and share your business’ takeaways. You can also include far more information in an article than you could fit into a standard LinkedIn post. However, companies can also post articles directly to Linkedin.
LinkedIn articles can contain up to 110,00 characters (over 14,000 words). This means that they’re ideal for promoting Thought Leadership on the platform. The main difference between writing and Linkedin Article or sharing an article from your own blog is about intellectual property rights.
While it is not clear as to what rights social media platforms such as Linkedin are allowed to capture, linking to your website’s blog posts works as well and helps you protect your copyright to the fullest extent.
LinkedIn Document Posts
LinkedIn documents allow you to attach files such as presentations, videos, images, etc. These posts are perfect for sharing case studies, white papers, or any other type of document that would benefit from additional context.
Linkedin Newsletters
If you’d like to create a newsletter for your business, Linkedin has a ” Newsletters ” feature. With this tool, you can send out a monthly or weekly email containing a collection of interesting articles and news stories.
The key to success with Linkedin newsletters is to keep them short and sweet. People typically read between 10 and 20 emails per day. So you don’t want to overwhelm users with too many messages. Instead, focus on sending one or two high-quality pieces every month.
In addition to these options, you can also create a link to your website in the profile to promote your own content.
Linkedin ‘Thought Leadership’
What is Thought Leadership? In general, Thought Leadership refers to being recognised as an expert within your field. When you’re a thought leader, others seek you for advice. They’ll ask you questions and look to you for answers.
Thought Leadership is an excellent method of developing a successful Linkedin content strategy. Through Thought Leadership, businesses can build credibility. Likewise, individuals can increase their personal brands. Once having researched a particular topic, you can share that knowledge by writing an article, creating a video, or speaking at a conference.
You can also start conversations with influencers in your niche. Find influential people who work in your space and reach out to them privately. Ask if they have any thoughts on a specific subject. Then, when they respond positively, share their insights publicly.
Nevertheless, when you have time to write, share quality content. Don’t just throw together some generic text. Be original!
It takes time to research and prepare a winning Linkedin content strategy. It is important to find relevant keywords when creating your content. Make sure the headline and first paragraph grab attention. Also, add a call to action at the end. This will encourage people to click through to your site.
In addition, you’ll want to check your analytics to evaluate your efforts regularly. For example, if you’re not seeing much traffic coming from Linkedin, you may need to adjust your strategy.
Interact
Thought leadership isn’t just about publishing content but how you interact with your audience. Therefore, engage and respond to comments and questions.
And finally, make sure to follow the rules. If someone complains about your content, respond politely but firmly. Don’t get defensive or angry. Instead, explain why you think your content is valuable and move on.
Remember, your reputation matters online. So be careful about what you say and do.
Conclusion
As mentioned earlier, Linkedin is a place where you should be thinking long term in terms of your content strategy. Aside from your business profile, you can also use your personal brand to get noticed and increase your business’s presence.
You’ll need to think about what makes you unique to do this. What skills do you possess that set you apart from everyone else?
What kind of personality traits do you share with your ideal clients? How do you come across online?
Think about what you’re good at and what sets you apart from others.
Then, use this information to your advantage. Focus your Linkedin content strategy to highlight your unique traits. Use content to educate Linkedin users about the specifics of the industry you excel in.
Need Help With Your Linkedin Content Strategy?
We create posts and Linkedin articles for clients from finance and consulting backgrounds.
Contact us today to find out how we can help you!