While LinkedIn is a great place for networking, professionals need a Linked content strategy to get the best results possible.

LinkedIn quickly established itself as the top platform for business connections after its launch in 2003. Today, with its 830 million members, there is no place like LinkedIn to reach out to professionals, experts, and decision-makers. Some marketers swear by it and use it as a primary channel to generate leads. Do you wonder if putting time and effort into growing your LinkedIn presence is worth it?

Here’s the truth. Like any other social media platform, LinkedIn will yield the best results if you adopt a strategic approach. Follow these tips to develop and implement a LinkedIn content marketing strategy that makes sense for your goals and audience.

LinkedIn as a publishing platform

LinkedIn has become the go-to site for connecting with other professionals and even advertising available positions. Still, it has also grown as a publishing platform thanks to the feed feature.

With 48% of users being active at least once a month and 16% logging in daily, LinkedIn provides plenty of opportunities to connect with your audience. It’s also one of the most trusted social media channels. As a result, its users are more likely to be receptive to long-form content compared to other social media platforms.

There are different ways of publishing content on LinkedIn. For example, you can create long-form blog posts via the Publisher platform or share content as a LinkedIn status update. The short status updates may generate more engagement, but leveraging long-form LinkedIn content can help you deliver in-depth information to prospects approaching a purchase decision. Plus, you can use status updates to promote your long-form content by sharing a key fact and encouraging your audience to read more.

Your LinkedIn content marketing strategy should include several content formats. For example, your long-form articles can mirror what you discuss in your blog posts. At the same time, you can use the status updates to share links to shorter articles and news stories.

You can also use LinkedIn to share links to webinars, educational videos, podcasts, customer success stories, case studies, tutorials, and more. As long as align your content with your overall marketing goals and your audience’s expectations, don’t hesitate to experiment with new ways of sharing your message.

The importance of posting regularly

Sharing quality content that offers your audience relevant information helps you establish a strong LinkedIn presence and generate audience engagement.

However, it’s also important to publish content regularly. Being active on LinkedIn can turn you into an influential voice in the different conversations shaping your industry. Regular status updates will also increase your brand recognition and awareness.

Ideally, you should post two to three times a week. Still, you should consider posting more often if you have a particularly active audience or if your contacts are likely to have many connections and could easily miss your posts.

Tracking engagement and conversions can help you find a sweet spot for posting frequency and optimize your social media efforts. You can get started with LinkedIn’s post analytics feature to keep track of engagement, discovery, impressions, etc.

Why your LinkedIn connections matter

Beyond writing valuable content, the success of your LinkedIn marketing strategy depends on the size and quality of your network. Understanding the different degrees of connection among LinkedIn users will help you tailor your approach.

First-degree connections

First-degree connections are users who have accepted your invitation to connect or sent you an invitation.

You’ll typically find co-workers or employees in this group. While these connections won’t turn into leads, they can be great advocates for your brand and help generate engagement for your content.

First-degree connections can also include existing clients, prospects you have interacted with on other channels, and other acquaintances.

Second and third-degree connections

Second-degree connections are users who have connected with one of your LinkedIn contacts. LinkedIn will display their profiles through the People You May Know feature. Still, you can also explore second-degree connections by visiting the profiles of your various connections, especially if you have some superusers with thousands of connections in your network.

You will likely come across people you’ve met before, but it’s acceptable to introduce yourself to strangers and offer to connect after mentioning the contact you have in common.

Once you’ve established a second-degree connection, you can explore the profiles of users who have added this person to find third-degree connections.

It’s best to use filters to refine your search when exploring second and third-degree connections. For instance, you can limit results to decision-makers or professionals who work in a specific industry.

Followers and group members

Second- and third-degree connections are an excellent means to grow your LinkedIn audience and reach more people with your content. However, your content itself can also help you forge new connections.

Users can follow each other to keep up with status updates and other activities. If you share quality content on LinkedIn and make it easy to discover with a strong SEO strategy, your content will attract followers. Then you can turn these followers into connections by sending them an invite.

Another way to form connections on LinkedIn is to join groups. You can find a group for about anything on LinkedIn, and joining a group will provide you with additional opportunities to share your content. Adding members of the groups you join as contacts is a common practice. Plus, it can be a great way to find leads outside of your direct network.

Search engine optimization strategies for LinkedIn content

Use search engine optimization (SEO) to make your content easier to discover so you can reach a wider audience. Your LinkedIn profile can also support your overall SEO efforts. For example, you can direct organic traffic to your site or enhance your ranking in search results, especially if you share long-form LinkedIn posts about trending topics. Here are some ways to make SEO work for you:

• Choose keywords carefully. — Just as with every channel you optimize, you’ll need to identify the most relevant keywords for your profile and content. Google’s Keyword Planner is a terrific tool for getting started.
• Include hashtags consistently. — Adding hashtags to your status updates and long-form posts will make them easier to discover. The key is to find the right hashtags for your industry and audience, which you can do by keeping an eye on trending content for your niche.
• Link to your website regularly. — Direct organic traffic to your site and build up your backlink network by adding a link to your site on your LinkedIn profile.
• Update your status frequently. — Don’t forget that Google and other search engines value fresh content. So keeping your profile updated and posting regularly will support your SEO efforts.

Get more from LinkedIn

As a managed content marketing service, Tempesta Media can help you stand out on LinkedIn by delivering exceptional content and implementing a publishing strategy on your behalf.

Contact Tempesta Media to find out more, or take a look at our 100 digital marketing mistakes ebook to learn what not to do when developing your presence on LinkedIn and other platforms.