These powerful LinkedIn marketing hacks will help you expand your reach and make the most of the often under-utilized platform.

When someone mentions social media marketing, you probably think of Facebook and

Instagram. But there is another platform to consider - LinkedIn. The world's largest

professional network is often overlooked in marketing strategies. But if you can harness its power, it can be quite a handy tool for promotion. So consider learning some LinkedIn

marketing hacks and include this platform in your strategy for 2022. Most of the users here are professionals in the 25-34 age range, so businesses targeting millennials, generation Z, and other companies will benefit significantly from an investment in a LinkedIn campaign. If you fit the bill, it's time to learn how to make the most of this platform.

Why should you use LinkedIn marketing hacks?

If LinkedIn isn't the first thing you think of when planning your marketing strategy, you aren't the only one. But that just tells you that LinkedIn is a largely untapped resource. You'll have less competition than you would on Instagram and Facebook, with many of the same features. Better yet, LinkedIn will let you reach a new demographic. Because the vast majority of its users are young professionals, this is the perfect platform for those trying to reach millennials and even other businesses. This makes LinkedIn the ideal platform for some of the most challenging industries to promote because these groups often don't respond to typical marketing strategies. You can develop a special strategy just for this platform to convert them.

The best LinkedIn marketing hacks

Like with all other social media marketing, you need to start with a plan. Here are some steps to include in that plan:

#1 - Optimize your profile and keep it up to date

Social media like LinkedIn is a great way to improve your online presence, and it always starts the same - with creating a profile. Once you have a profile, make sure to fill in all the relevant information about your business. This makes it easier for people to find you and learn more about you. Then, start posting to your profile regularly. Having an inactive account is worse than not having one at all. Finally, make changes when necessary; if your address, phone number, or opening hours have changed, make sure your profile reflects that.

#2 - Engage with your employees

Everyone knows that customer reviews are vital for promoting a business. But for some reason, we often forget that employee reviews are just as important. Employees can reveal a lot about a company - how it operates, how it treats them, and whether it's worth any attention. On a platform like LinkedIn, which caters to young professionals specifically, employee opinions may be more important than customer reviews, especially if you're looking to hire new people. So encourage your employees to create LinkedIn accounts if they don't have one already. Then, have them list your business as their place of employment and ask them to interact with your business profile. Happy employees are a great advertisement on LinkedIn.

#3 - Be active in the right groups (or create your own)

LinkedIn groups are a great way to connect with potential customers and other businesses. There's a limit on how many you can be in, so choose wisely - join only the groups that are actually relevant to what you do. There, you can observe how consumers behave, what they talk about, and what they're looking for. You will also be able to share information about your business with an already interested audience. Or you can establish yourself as relevant by answering questions and giving tips. Finally, you can message anyone you share a group with, so you can use this to get directly in touch with prospects or potential business partners. If you can't find a group that caters to your interests, simply create one of your own.

#4 - Post high-quality content

No digital marketing strategy is complete without a plan for content creation and sharing. High-quality content is, and always has been, a great way to promote a business. It can help you generate leads, build a brand, and even convert customers. So post your best content to LinkedIn - posts, images, videos, or links to your blog. Just make sure you're sharing content with real value because LinkedIn users are typically looking for something a step above your average social media post.

#5 - Skip the hard sell

Many people don't respond to hard sale tactics, and LinkedIn just so happens to attract those people best. The generation that uses LinkedIn grew up oversaturated with advertisements and marketing and won't take kindly to being aggressively sold things. So forget about that strategy. Instead, sell by showing your worth - build your brand, rely on social proof, go the extra mile for your customers, offer up high-value content. These strategies will give much better results on LinkedIn.

#6 - Invest in ads and sponsored content

Businesses are always looking for more opportunities to get leads, especially on a large scale. But as it turns out, one of the best lead generation tactics is something we've been doing all along - mass advertising. No matter how hard you try with branding, content marketing, and engagement, social media accounts only have a limited reach. Those who follow you will see your posts, but not those you haven't connected with yet. To reach those users, you need to invest in having ads and sponsored content. Fortunately for many small businesses, social media advertising is not as expensive as traditional advertising. So it's definitely worth investing in because the returns can be huge.

#7 - Establish connections and build relationships

Finally, it's important to remember what social media was created for in the first place: to help us connect with others. You can definitely use LinkedIn for this. The platform is full of business owners you can partner with, professionals who can strengthen your team, and even influencers who can promote your brand. Don't be afraid to reach out with an offer to others in your industry if you think you can benefit from their expertise. After all, that's what we're all there for - to connect with others over business opportunities.

How does LinkedIn fit into your digital marketing strategy?

LinkedIn marketing hacks cannot make up your entire digital marketing strategy. Because LinkedIn is such a specialized platform, most businesses cannot focus on it solely. Instead, you should make LinkedIn a part of your overall social media presence. However, keep in mind that each social media platform has its own quirks. You'll have to adjust your content to the platform. This is true for all platforms - your Instagram videos won't look good in Facebook format, and your long Facebook posts won't work on Twitter. So don't think of adapting your content to LinkedIn as extra work; think of it as making the most of different social media platforms.

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