We have always thought of LinkedIn as a means of connecting professionals. Imagine a platform where several businesses and professionals meet, can there be a scope to perform B2B marketing? Author Neil Patel, the Chief Evangelist of KISSmetrics, suggests seven ways in his blog to do so.
For image source please click here
- Turning company page into lead generation: Neil states that no one really pays attention to boring company details which we generally see, therefore, a business should create a page with attractive image, clear pitch (about the company) and recent updates option (this should allow to views to start and interact in conversations).
- Showcase page: Companies should take advantage of showcase page option on LinkedIn, which will give views further information about the company.
- Advances searches: Companies should connect and reach out to prospects found through advanced searches. This helps narrow down the target prospects and is more efficient.
- Save searches: After target prospects have been identified, companies should save them for future.
- Search groups: Companies should look into joining groups which are relevant to the line of work and be an active participant.
- Start groups: Once a company becomes a leader in a group, the company should open its own group to facilitate conversations.
- Publish content: Companies should publish content which they feel is relevant and adds value to the readers of the company followers.
In my opinion, using LinkedIn to perform B2B marketing can be very effective as a business can filter its prospects through advanced search. It is easier to find like-minded and common interest individuals; therefore, promoting a company value proposition using LinkedIn can be useful to the target market. This can lead to business to business connection and the relationship can end up in a future business prospect.
Lastly, a social platform like LinkedIn can also be used to build effective personal connections following the same steps as above (mentioned by Juilo, Comm 464 professor).
Source: https://blog.kissmetrics.com/linkedin-strategies-b2b-marketing/