Introduction
It goes without saying that social media is an essential tool in your content marketing efforts. But while Instagram, Twitter and Facebook are big business when it comes to content marketing, professional social network LinkedIn often gets overlooked. The secret here, though, is that no stone should be left unturned when it comes to using social media for successful content marketing practices, and that includes LinkedIn. According to digital marketing agency Omnicore, a whopping 45% of all social media traffic to a company’s homepage comes from LinkedIn. Additionally, it’s growing. Comments, likes, and shares on the platform are up more than 60% year-on-year.
It’s clear that LinkedIn shouldn’t be underestimated. So here are six tips to ensure best practice in using the network to your advantage for content marketing purposes…
1. Know the difference between articles and posts
The first thing you should know about using LinkedIn for your content marketing purposes is that there are two main ways to share content on the platform. One is via “articles” and the other way is through “posts”. While “articles” are much longer in form and are equivalent to blogs, “posts” are more like status updates – like those you’d publish on Twitter – with a limit of 1,300 characters.
You can also learn more on how to make persuasive content with tips from Apple, read it here.
2. Keep article titles between 40-49 characters
Whatever articles you publish on LinkedIn, keep their titles short and snappy, preferably between 40 to 49 characters. Research has shown that articles with headlines of this length garner the greatest number of post views overall. It’s also understood that a headline that’s too long can appear boring at first glance for readers as it struggles to grab their attention. A title that is too short, on the other hand, will probably fail to give enough away and entice the reader to want to know more.
3. Long-form articles get the best engagement
While posts are a super quick and snappy way to publish content on your LinkedIn channel, longer-form articles have a much better chance of gaining traction on the network and thus reaching your target audience.
Due to the changing attitudes of consumers – who now want more in-depth information to make informed decisions – long-form articles between 1,900-2,000 words perform the best and gain the greatest number of post views, likes, comments and shares.
4. Don’t forget your call-to-action
To maximise engagement and generate potential leads, always remember to include a call-to-action within your piece of content. This is usually some sort of link that puts your post into context or adds additional value.
It could also be something as simple as a question or asking readers to like or comment on your post. It’s quick and easy to do and will increase the performance and visibility of the content you publish on LinkedIn.
5. It’s all about the ‘how-tos’
Many businesses use LinkedIn as a tool to ask their audience questions. However, it’s firmly established that ‘how-to’ and ‘listicle’-style articles are the best-performing types of content on the professional social network.
How-to articles are much more effective at grabbing attention because they offer to educate readers and give help and advice on how to accomplish something. Listicles have a similar effect as they not only provide insight but they’re super quick and easy to read, and it’s this accessibility that makes them more shareable.
And so, to summarise, the best types of articles to create if you’re using LinkedIn for content marketing are how-to guides, listicles or in-depth thought leadership-style pieces.
6. Incorporate LinkedIn into your daily posting habits
Lastly, you should know that posting regularly is the best way to reach your intended audience on LinkedIn. Publishing multiple posts each day while ensuring they’re well spread out will help you better engage with your audience. Consistency is key.
Remembering to do this every day, however, isn’t always easy, especially if you’re busy with a million other work-related tasks. Try setting yourself a reminder and work it into your daily routine. It won’t be long before it becomes a habit and feels like no effort at all.
To learn more tips on content marketing, read our blog with 7 tips on how to scale your content.
