Adapted from our June 2017 article. Historical audience figures are identified below; check current platform options when planning a campaign.
When the original article appeared, LinkedIn had passed 500 million registered members worldwide. It reported 6.4 million members in the Netherlands, one of its most engaged national audiences. With 160,000 blogs being published each week at that time, it was already much more than an online CV database.
Beyond those historical figures, the strategic question remains: what can LinkedIn do for your organisation, and how should it fit into your PR strategy?
The advantages of LinkedIn
A professional network offers opportunities to reach business audiences: developers, CIOs, fraud analysts, teachers and many other groups. Targeting based on professional characteristics can help narrow the audience to people for whom a message is relevant. Measurement also helps you understand the results of your activity.
A company page provides another owned channel through which to amplify news, increase awareness and demonstrate expertise. This supports the wider purpose of public relations: developing understanding between an organisation and its audiences.
Start with objectives
What LinkedIn contributes depends on what you want to achieve. Are you building awareness, attracting prospects or presenting your organisation to potential employees? Do you want more website traffic, visibility, followers or meaningful engagement?
Use those objectives and the available budget to define the KPIs you will work towards over a realistic period, such as six or twelve months.
Build a content plan
If your organisation does not have a company page, begin by creating one and adding a clear description and suitable profile and cover images.
Develop a content calendar aligned with your marketing and PR activity. It should help you provide useful content throughout the year, such as blogs, research, whitepapers, product news and event updates.
To build authority around a subject, share relevant industry news as well as your own material. Employees and leaders can contribute under their own names, representing the business through their expertise. Consistent, useful contributions to the right audience help develop thought leadership.
Present content in a visually appealing, recognisable way, using appropriate branding for images and other assets.
Connect awareness with lead generation
You can build awareness organically, but competition for attention means even strong content will not necessarily reach every relevant person. Paid campaigns can help extend your reach to a defined audience.
One approach is to offer useful gated content, such as a whitepaper, case study or e-book, in exchange for contact information. Be clear about how those details will be used and connect the offer with an appropriate follow-up process.
Explore our lead generation services, or contact us to discuss how LinkedIn can support your PR strategy.
Robbert
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