by Francois Muscat | Sep 13, 2017 | LinkedIn
LinkedIn marketing is becoming more and more popular amongst both B2B and B2C authorities, opening up a new world of opportunity when it comes to interacting with other professionals. However, while it may seem to be a relatively straightforward form of social media marketing, LinkedIn marketing comes with a number of potential pitfalls. Here are 4 mistakes that every marketer needs to avoid making in order to achieve, and maintain, success on this professional platform.
Posting Content without Thinking about Audience
So, you’re dedicating time to creating long form content and posting on a regular basis – great! But have you taken the time to consider who will actually be reading that content? If not, your LinkedIn content marketing efforts are all likely to be in vain.
Not Taking Advantage of Sponsored Updates
While paid advertising is an excellent option for businesses on LinkedIn, there is also the opportunity to embrace the power of sponsored updates. Sponsored content updates will appear in your audience’s feeds as native pieces of content and is said to drive better results than LinkedIn ads (which are limited to 90 characters of text).
Focusing on Promotion
LinkedIn is no different from any other social media marketing platform in terms of the type of content you post. Instead of posting promotional content, ensure that you add value and create something that people are actually going to want to read and, hopefully, share!
Not Dedicating Enough Time to Your Company Profile
An incomplete profile isn’t going to do your brand any favours when it comes to generating leads. Before doing anything else, make sure that you have included an image of your brand name and logo, all relevant contact details and a clear, concise and creative description of what you have to offer.
For assistance with LinkedIn marketing, and digital marketing in general, do not hesitate to get in touch with the team at WSI OMS. We know what it takes to ensure that your business stands out!
by Francois Muscat | Apr 12, 2017 | Content Marketing, LinkedIn
Having a quality presence on LinkedIn is a cornerstone of successful inbound marketing. As the perceived “professional social media network”, LinkedIn has been rather staid. This has started to change. If you have not already seen the new user experience (UX), you soon will. We at WSI are excited about the changes, as it offers a fresher, more user-friendly interface.
The New LinkedIn Home Page
The home page in LinkedIn’s new UX is a lot more streamlined which improves the workflow. Without over complicating the look, you can see the number of views of your profile and all your latest posts in one area; and like, comment and share from within the feed.
An Updated Profile Page
Another big improvement in an area where you spend a fair amount of LinkedIn time is the profile page. The contact information for users is easier to access and is now located to the right of the page.
Notification Centre
Insights are valuable when it comes to social networking. In response, LinkedIn has created an easy-to-navigate dashboard displaying all your important notifications.
Network Hub
As it is a networking platform after all, LinkedIn’s new look has made it easier to view and access information such as connection invitations and suggestions of people you may know.
Advanced Search
In a rushed world, scrolling endlessly is a no-no. Rather, a search function needs to encompass traditional advanced searches as well the ability to search posts.
WSI
To combine maximize the results of your LinkedIn presence as part of your content marketing strategy, the team at WSI are the experts you have been looking for. Contact us today to find out more. To download your copy of our new ebook, Email Marketing: Evolving in a Social World, XXX
by Francois Muscat | Jan 20, 2017 | Blogging, LinkedIn
Just recently, LinkedIn updated its look which may have sparked you to overhaul your own LinkedIn profile.
- How often have you bumped into someone at a networking event, only to hear them say, after introductions have been made, “It is so nice to put a face to the name’. So start with a proper photograph of yourself. Make sure that you look professional in it – wearing appropriate dress, with a distraction-free background, and an approachable facial expression.
- Be thorough when completing your profile. Statistics from LinkedIn reveal that members with 100% complete profiles get 46% more profile page views than those who do not.
- Pay particular attention to your summary section as this is where you truly connect (or not) with others.
- Liberally (but naturally) use relevant keywords throughout your profile to be found by the LinkedIn search algorithm. Include them in your summary, your experience, and your title.
- To boost your credibility as an expert in your industry, publish some content on LinkedIn. Generate interest by uploading PDFs, Slideshare presentations, and videos.
- Join LinkedIn groups to connect with relevant influencers. To avoid being regarded as a stalker, visit and share on a regular basis, and always thank others for their comments.
- Strategise your connections to ensure that they are adding value to your profile and your professional network.
- On the flip side, be wary of sending invites to people that you don’t know well without showing some value as a potential connection.
- Endorsements are quick and easy, but when someone goes to the trouble to write a recommendation, it carries a lot more weight.
- Customise your URL to better identify yourself.
WSIOMS can help you master LinkedIn
If you need to leverage LinkedIn by strutting your stuff with a top notch profile, WSI OMS will write it for you. To find out more, please contact us.
by Francois Muscat | Jan 13, 2017 | Blogging, LinkedIn
If your business is not yet using LinkedIn, why not? Social media marketing has revolutionised the way we do business today. Never before has it been as easy to be a mind-reader when it comes to what your customers are thinking, what they need, what problems they have that your product or service will solve.
What Makes LinkedIn Different from other online platforms?
LinkedIn is perceived as a more conservative, professional platform. This does nothing to detract from its popularity, however. Not only does LinkedIn boast 433 million users, but over 40% of these users check the network every day. A big difference that makes LinkedIn perfect as your primary social media platform is that one in three professionals across the globe has a LinkedIn account; and 49% of key decision makers use LinkedIn for business purposes.
Why should a company have a LinkedIn Business Page
Not only do business people reap the rewards LinkedIn has to offer, but companies themselves too. A business page on LinkedIn increases the benefits on offer – from improved sales to effective recruiting. Having a company presence on LinkedIn is essential.
Promoting Your Business cost effectively with LinkedIn
Probably the most important place to start is to use LinkedIn to share your company’s industry expertise. Grow your audience by regularly posting content such as company updates or useful, thought-provoking articles. Mix it up – from in-house news to thought leadership to helpful expertise – to keep your followers engaged. We do suggest that you also to ask for content suggestions from your readers – it gives you insight into their needs, and nurtures the relationship.
Actively participating in LinkedIn Groups with interests aligned with your business goals allows you to network, exchange ideas, recruit talent, and reinforce your position as an expert in your field. If you have used LinkedIn’s search feature to find groups that area good fit, and come up lacking, consider starting your own group.
WSIOMS can help you master LinkedIn
If you would like to learn more about how to leverage LinkedIn as part of your part of your digital marketing strategy, sign up for the social selling course WSIOMS running on 8 March 2017, in Midrand, Johannesburg. Please contact us for more information.
by Francois Muscat | Nov 30, 2016 | LinkedIn, Social Media Marketing
LinkedIn is one of the platforms available for use for your social media marketing. As the largest professional social networks with over 175 million active users, LinkedIn means business. In 2011, figures showed that 1.8 billion (yes, with a “b”) business leads were generated through LinkedIn.
Put Yourself Out There
One of the best methods of being noticed on LinkedIn is to post original content. This form of content marketing puts you in the hot seat for finding valuable prospects. With the efforts of creating engaging content for LinkedIn Publisher, it makes sense that you expect a good ROI.
Post Overview
To get an overview of the posts you have published, select “Your Updates” from your LinkedIn home Profile menu. Select “Published” and you’ll see a grid of all your published posts. This is also where you can find your draft posts and publish them.
Check You Check Me
For a list of people that find you credible and probably consider you to be a thought leader in your field, select “Followers” from “Your Updates” page. These people receive notifications when you post an article. Send a connection request and a “thanks for reading” message to the profiles of your most followers.
From the “Your Updates” page, you can see the demographics of your readers by industry, job titles, location, and traffic source. These LinkedIn Publisher stats are accessed by selecting “View Stats”.
This gives you a good indication of whether your articles are reaching the right audience.
Longevity
While you want to stay on top of trends and current topics, articles with long-term appeal can be shared over and over again. Evergreen content is an effective way to maximise the ROI of LinkedIn Publisher.
To leverage LinkedIn Publisher with content created for your target market, get in touch with leading global Internet marketing franchise.
by Marelise da Silva | Jul 21, 2016 | LinkedIn, Social Media Marketing
LinkedIn is an easy way to connect with your target audience and growing your network helps to establish yourself as an expert in your field. Having many connections on LinkedIn is important, as the more first-degree connections you have will exponentially increase the chances of you being found in a LinkedIn search.
Increasing your connections is not that difficult – starting by posting status updates daily. Make sure your posts add value and relate to your business, including a call to action. Like other social platforms, posting regularly gives your connections more opportunity to comment, like and share your post. By the same token, you need to engage with your connections’ posts, by commenting and liking their updates. Join a conversation on popular posts in your industry – it will give you more visibility.
Try to connect with two or three people whenever you get LinkedIn suggested connections – and try to personalise your connection request. Think of how you met, or who your common connection is and work that into a friendly line or two that you can re-use.
Think about adding your LinkedIn URL to your email signature and business card – a prospect can find out a lot of professional information through your LinkedIn profile, which is a more suitable social media platform than Facebook. Your profile is a resume, testimonial, portfolio of projects and proof of value, all in one place, so use it!
Commit to joining a few LinkedIn groups each month and engage with the group regularly. Participating in group discussions and being more visible will give you credibility in your field and show group members you know your business. People are more likely to recommend a familiar face or name.
Use keywords in your profile to make it easier for people to find you. You can manipulate your headline, summary and experience sections with keywords, making you more searchable.
Lastly, publish attractive content on Pulse, LinkedIn’s publishing platform. The upside of this, is that your posts are seen by the whole LinkedIn community, not just your connections. Publish a few times a month to keep your content current. It’s easy to track your success, as you can watch your connections steadily increase.
If your LinkedIn or other profiles need help, contact us. We’ll get your social media strategy on track for building quality connections.
