As content marketing takes off, it’s important to tailor your messaging for different social platforms. Today, we’re going to focus on how B2B companies can best leverage LinkedIn to connect with industry professionals and potential customers.
Despite what many may think, B2B writing doesn’t need to be all prim and polished with tons of industry jargon – in fact, good B2B messaging is the opposite. Although the target audience is other businesses rather than individual consumers, we still need to make that human connection because businesses are ultimately formed by people. We should seek to create content that is engaging, relatable, yet informative of the value we bring as industry experts. Below are five best practices on how B2B marketers can create successful LinkedIn content:
- Be approachable, not “smart.” The people who work at your target customers’ organizations, including key decision-makers, aren’t all technicians who understand every industry term. Even if you’re trying to connect with fellow tech specialists, make your writing readable and to the point so they don’t get lost trying to comprehend your content instead of engaging with it. That means writing like how humans talk. Be factual in the points you make and personable in your tone, and you’ll land far more engagements than if you tried to publish a mini-academic paper in a short post.
- Have a stance and stick to it. Every company has its values and mission, and so does yours. Find out your organization’s stance on certain topics and write your content accordingly. Don’t worry about how others may react because there will never be a one-size fits all answer for every topic. In fact, if you always try to play it safe with your approach, people may find you less credible than someone else who knows what they believe in and vouches for their beliefs. In a sea of expert opinions that is LinkedIn, stand out by offering your organization’s unique perspective on topics to find your true audience that shares the same views.
- Maintain consistency in your themes. If your organization is known for a particular niche area, try to dive deeper into that area and create most of your content around it. For example, if your organization specializes in manufacturing car parts, aim to write about different aspects of the manufacturing process rather than coming up with generalized content on all things car-related. By honing in on your focus area(s) of expertise, future customers will connect with you for your specialized knowledge of car parts manufacturing rather than for irrelevant services such as car washing or vehicle design.
- Aim for thought leadership over self-promotion. While it’s great to share your company’s accomplishments on your LinkedIn page, most of your content should be centered around industry insights and expertise. Any other company in the same field can boast about their latest product launch or award win for a boost in likes, but your company’s views and expertise help draw people into your brand. Today’s customers are all about connecting with brands that align with their values and interests. Be that brand for your target customers by offering helpful advice and answering their questions.
- Use visual media to accompany your content. Although LinkedIn is perfect for long-form content, people are more likely to interact with posts that feature visual components. If you’re trying to emphasize a few key points in your messaging, list the bullets in a visually appealing document post that reads like an infographic. If you’re telling the story of one individual, post a photograph that captures a crucial moment in that story. Most people won’t read an entire post if it’s longer than a paragraph or more, so conveying your main takeaways in a visual medium allows you to still get your message across effectively.
If you would like to learn more about how to produce great B2B LinkedIn content, Crackle can help!