LinkedIn is built for business professionals to connect with their professional colleagues and experts.
Although this social media platform is only a few short years old, it already has millions of business professionals worldwide. In addition, LinkedIn is a reputation-driven social network, meaning that marketers can leverage quality content marketing and strong brand awareness through LinkedIn to drive leads and sales for their businesses.
People using the site have access to other professionals in their field, and search capabilities within the network are powerful enough to pull up any specific information they might need.
This article will highlight, in-depth, the effectiveness of LinkedIn for B2B marketing.
Let’s begin.
How Effective is Linkedin for B2B Marketing?
LinkedIn has been a valuable tool for B2B marketing because it provides the ability to target, reach out and connect with professionals and industry experts worldwide. When using Linkedin effectively, businesses can find new customers and deliver more targeted ad campaigns by creating connections with industry thought leaders. The site’s reputation for creating job opportunities through its extensive network of thousands of business professionals further highlights the platform’s value for B2B marketing.
Let’s review some stats to see how powerful this platform is for B2B marketing.
Statistics about the demographic of LinkedIn
The first statistic to consider is the user base. LinkedIn has more than 750 million users worldwide, with 100 million users in the United States and Canada. In addition, at least 43% of the U.S. and Canadian workforce has a LinkedIn profile. Because of this, LinkedIn is the #1 most-used platform for B2B lead generation in the United States.
The vast majority of LinkedIn users are educated and have a higher income level. 82% of LinkedIn members have a university or college degree, and the platform reports a median job salary of $46,644 in the United States. These stats make LinkedIn the ideal social media for higher-income, professional-oriented businesses.
According to a Content Marketing Institute study, more than 90% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn, and over 70% say the platform is a very effective tool for content marketing. The fact is, B2B marketers don’t just say the platform is good; they use it and find value in its offerings.
When it comes to website and blog traffic, it’s worthy of note that more than half of all social traffic to business websites comes directly from LinkedIn. This percentage is significantly more significant than traffic received from any other social media channel. Therefore, LinkedIn is an excellent place to generate a high-quality stream of qualified leads.
Marketers use LinkedIn not just to network but also to nurture connections with content relevant to their business. By maintaining a consistent stream of quality content on their LinkedIn profiles and posting that content on LinkedIn group pages, companies can keep their existing audience engaged, attract new viewers, and generate more leads.
All these numbers are well and good, but the real crux of the matter is lead generation.
Statistics about lead generation on the professional networking website LinkedIn
Does LinkedIn work well for lead generation? Honestly, the platform works so well that it puts other social media in the back seat. Why? It is a proper fertile ground for the right kind of content and goes a long way towards attracting quality brand prospects.
Take a look at these stats:
- HubSpot says that LinkedIn is over 200% more effective than Facebook and Twitter when it comes to lead generation. This stat is not surprising. Professionals such as salespeople, engineers, and marketing experts in high demand make up the vast LinkedIn user base. As such, it makes sense that LinkedIn would be more effective than a more popular platform like Facebook or Twitter. Also, these users tend to be decision-makers, so their decision to spend their time on LinkedIn makes it a prime marketing opportunity.
- LinkedIn also has the highest conversion rate for leads. Many people pay no attention to LinkedIn ads because they feel they are expensive. However, when lead generation is measured, it pays to think about both the cost of acquiring a lead and the ROI on lead generation. Knowing that LinkedIn leads are 2.5 times more effective than Facebook leads is a big win for marketers.
- According to LinkedIn, more than 90% of business executives have rated the LinkedIn platform #1 and love the site for its relevant and professional content. No wonder B2B marketers spend heavily on the platform.
- Almost half of all B2B companies research vendors by viewing their profiles. And in fact, over 40% of them have found vendors by looking at mutual connections on LinkedIn.
- More than 40% of marketers state having sourced a customer from LinkedIn
- Over 50% of B2B marketers confirm that they have generated leads for their business
LinkedIn is the best platform to generate both traffic and leads. And big brands know it.
However, the platform is only great if you know what you’re doing. Let’s take a look at how to take advantage of LinkedIn’s potential.
Your LinkedIn profile is a lead generation tool.
LinkedIn is a fantastic tool for lead generation. It gives your business the ability to reach out and connect with its target audience. No other social media platform comes close with respect to finding targeted leads. The platform also offers efficient marketing through content marketing, B2B marketing campaigns, and promotion of your business through LinkedIn’s many job-related connections.
With that in mind, you need to treat your profile as a sales tool. Many users treat their profiles as an extension of their sites, and that’s a big mistake. Instead, it would help if you customized your profile to show that you are the best in the business. Be sure to include high-quality content that sets you apart from the competition and speaks to your target audience. Make sure your LinkedIn profile picture and banner image are professional and stand out. Also, remember that the numbers drive the decision to buy, so make that the focus of your LinkedIn content.
When writing your company description, make sure that you paint a clear picture of your business. By doing so, you will attract the right leads and avoid wasting time on people who might not be a fit for your business.
The company description should be short and sweet. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes: would you like to read a novel about a company that you don’t even know? So keep your description on the short side, and focus on making an excellent first impression.
Thought leadership is essential on LinkedIn. Take time to position yourself as an authority and try to bring some value to your connections. Share information that your followers will want to read. Ask questions that allow you to position yourself as an expert.
But you need to tailor your LinkedIn content to fit your customers’ needs, so you should include a call-to-action on each post. This CTA should direct readers to resources or to web forms where they can take action.
All these principles take time and effort, but the results are worth it, as you saw in the stats.
However, due to the amount of time and work involved, you might be tempted to use automation to speed things up a bit. DON’T!
A Warning on Automating Your LinkedIn Marketing
Automating your LinkedIn marketing effort can seem like a very savvy move. However, it would be best to use automation sparingly to create a human persona while focusing on creating meaningful, long-lasting connections.
It is crucial to avoid automating your LinkedIn marketing because automation can lead to a lack of authenticity. Lack of authenticity can negatively impact your credibility as a businessperson and the quality of leads you can generate. By investing in high-quality, relevant content and building personal relationships instead, you will be able to create more authentic connections with potential customers and create long-lasting relationships with those who share your interests.
The bottom line is, LinkedIn is the best social platform for lead generation. It’s an excellent tool for generating quality, professional leads and driving traffic to your website or blog posts through networking and content marketing. Though it takes time and effort to market on the platform, LinkedIn marketing will significantly benefit your business.
And remember: Don’t rely strictly on automation when using LinkedIn! Instead, take the time to position yourself as an authority and connect with customers on a personal level.
