There are more than 65 million decision-makers on LinkedIn. That’s about 8% of profiles! If you’re a B2B marketer, you need to make LinkedIn posts a part of your content marketing strategy.
Learning how to post on LinkedIn is straightforward if you break it down into a few steps.
This article will:
Teach you how to set up your LinkedIn profiles
Discuss the psychology of LinkedIn users
Show you the different types of posts you can publish on the platform
Provide you with a comprehensive checklist to ensure your LinkedIn posts are perfect every time
By the end of the post, you’ll be able to post on LinkedIn like a pro and generate awareness, leads, and sales for your B2B product or service.
Benefits of B2B Marketing on LinkedIn
Before we get into how to post on LinkedIn, let’s answer the question of why you should post on LinkedIn.
80% of social media B2B leads come from LinkedIn
While everyone is focused on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, LinkedIn is quietly beating them all at lead generation. Statistics suggest that 80% of social media B2B leads come from the platform.
Target specific stages of the marketing lifecycle or sales funnel
Different channels are more effective at certain stages of the sales funnel or marketing life cycle.
LinkedIn is great for reaching users at three stages:
Awareness: LinkedIn boosts your reach and gets your product or service in front of many users. It’s perfect for brand awareness.
Retention: Posting regular articles can keep your existing customers updated about what you are doing and act as a general reminder of your business.
Advocacy: If your existing customers engage with your content, it can serve as word of mouth for their connections and a testament to your brand’s good work.
Of course, you can use LinkedIn for the consideration or purchase stage. However, the platform is very business and learning-focused, and the hard sell is often discouraged.
To get the most from LinkedIn, use the platform with your other marketing channels and content.
Augment your marketing campaigns
Experts say that the B2B buying process has changed. These days, there are about six to ten people involved in a deal. When you post an article on LinkedIn, you have a better chance of speaking to the different people involved in a deal — even the influential employees that fly under the radar.
Boost web traffic and leads
Any article that you post on LinkedIn can include external links. While LinkedIn would rather keep its users engaged on the platform, when done delicately, you can redirect users to your website or landing page and generate extra traffic and leads.
How to setup your profiles
To get the most from your Linkedin posts, you need to have a minimum of two accounts: A LinkedIn company page and a personal profile.
Personal profiles typically get much more action than content posted on your company page. However, that’s not to say you should neglect your company page. A company page adds legitimacy to your business, and it’s a place for your audience to go when they’re interested in your product or service.
It’s worth noting that you need a personal Linkedin account before you set up your Linkedin company page.
Personal profile
LinkedIn is very user-friendly. Setting up your profile is very straightforward, and you can do it in a few simple steps.
#1. Click Join Now. LinkedIn will prompt you to enter some basic details like:
Your name
Phone number
Email address
It’s vital to include the email address you use regularly. You want to be notified of connections and private messages you receive on the platform.
Additionally, LinkedIn will also import your contacts so you can grow your connections.
#2. Upload a profile pic
Pick a simple, professional photo. Your target audience is B2B professionals, so make sure your picture is appropriate.
#3. Create a headline
Your headline will act as a summary of who you are as a professional. You only have 120 characters, so make them count. Remember, if someone sees your comment on a post and clicks through to your profile, this headline will likely be the first piece of information they see.
#4. Fill out your summary
Your personal profile summary is a chance to go a bit deeper. You can include your interests, passions, skills, and other relevant details.
#5. Add work experience, education, and skills
You can beef up your personal profile by including work experience, education, and skills. Adding these details can help you get more connections because you’ll be recommended by ex-colleagues, ex-college friends, and people with similar skills — which will grow the potential audience for your posts.
Company Profile
Setting up a LinkedIn company page is pretty straightforward. Follow these steps, and you’ll be ready to post content, share news, or add a status update from your company page.
#1. Login to your personal profile, go to the top right, and press the Work icon.
On the panel on the right-hand side, select “Create a Company Page.”
#2. Enter your business details
The next step is filling out your business profile details.
You’ll need to enter the following:
Your company name
Website
Industry
Company size
Company Type
Other things that you can add at this stage are your:
Company logo
Company tagline
Then you’ll be asked to check the box that confirms that you have the authorization to set up your company’s LinkedIn page, and you’re ready to go.
#3. Customize your page
While it’s not strictly necessary, it’s worth customizing your company page to make it look just as slick and professional as your website. Some things that you can do are:
Use pictures of your team
Post images of your products
Create a slick company banner
Share information about your company culture
It’s good to add these details to differentiate your page. When prospects click on your page, you want it to stand out and be memorable.
Psychology of LinkedIn Users
You can’t formulate an effective marketing strategy if you don’t understand who you are speaking to. Learning how to post on LinkedIn requires understanding the psychology of the platform’s audience and what types of posts they respond to. Once you have a grasp of this, you can start creating engagement.
Here is a breakdown of the LinkedIn audience demographics.
Age
LinkedIn’s user base is pretty diverse. Here’s a quick breakdown.
18-24 = 20%
25 -34 = 59%
34 – 54 = 18%
55+ = 3%
Gender
According to research, Around 57% of LinkedIn’s user base is male, and the remaining 43% are female.
Income
Almost half of all LinkedIn users make $75,000 or more per year. LinkedIn users are, on average, among the wealthiest social media users. This statistic makes a lot of sense when you consider the platform is very focused on business.
Business roles
As mentioned earlier, over 65m LinkedIn users are key decision-makers. However, as most B2B marketing teams know, it’s not just the people who sign the check that decides what products or services a company needs.
Around 4 out of 5 LinkedIn users drive business decisions in some capacity. This statistic is part of why LinkedIn is essential for B2B.
What do people use LinkedIn for?
LinkedIn is a flexible platform that is used in many different ways. It started as a business networking site but soon became a place to advertise jobs. However, as the platform has improved its functionality, it has become a venue where people learn about products, services, their industry, and general business knowledge.
In short, LinkedIn users are not there for laughs, cat memes, or to share their thoughts on TV shows. While there is some of that happening on the platform, the focus is business.
What can you post on LinkedIn? (Post Types)
LinkedIn allows you to post a few different types of posts.
They are:
- LinkedIn article: This format is criminally underused. They are like blog posts posted to LinkedIn that are best used for things like thought leadership.
- Native video: Native video posts are videos that are embedded in the news feed. They’re a great way to boost awareness and explain complicated subjects.
- Text posts: Plain text posts are text-only, with a 1300-character limit. They’re a great way to get out snappy content.
- Image post: You can use the camera icon to share photos, which can be very effective. Additionally, you can share multi-image posts too.
- Document post: A document post is an excellent option if you’re sharing a PDF, spreadsheet, Word document, etc.
Stuck not knowing what to post? Try repurposing your existing content aka content upcycling.
LinkedIn Post Checklist
If you want to learn how to post on LinkedIn, you need to follow this checklist.
One of the most important things you do is to ensure your Linkedin articles focus on adding value to the news feed. Remember, lots of people are posting on the platform, so if you want to cut through the noise, your posts need to add value that your audience can appreciate.
Let’s break down the factors you need to consider when designing your LinkedIn posts.
Post
The basics
Your Linkedin posts should be grammatically correct, error-free, and communicate a simple and clear message. Use short sentences and get to the point.
Hook
Open with a strong hook to grab and hold your user’s attention. Provide value within the first or second sentence. Some marketers think they should hide the good stuff deeper in the article. However, if you provide value within the first sentence, your users are far more likely to read on.
Don’t use cheap tactics to trick users into views. It will give you and your company a bad reputation. You don’t need to be overly clever here. An interesting or bold statement can be enough to grab readers’ attention.
Format
Use a proven copywriting formula to make more engaging posts. Choose one of the following:
- AIDA: Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action.
- PAS: Problem, Agitate, Solution.
- PSP: Problem, Solution, Proof.
In essence, you’re grabbing your target audience by the lapels and telling them you understand their problem. Then, you’re delving deeper and offering them a way to solve their problem. Each pattern is simple yet effective, which is why they form the cornerstone of copywriting and marketing content.
Copy
The copy on your Linkedin post should be simple and easy to read. Use short, punchy sentences and basic language. Remember, the majority of users will be reading on the LinkedIn app. Make it easy for them to absorb the information with readable articles that use plenty of inviting whitespace.
Emojis
LinkedIn is best for professional posts. However, that’s not to say that you can’t use emojis to bring a little color and life to your blog post. Emojis are particularly effective when you use them in place of plain old boring bullet points.
Hashtags
Hashtags are a great way to join a conversation and expand your reach. I recommend you use about 3-5 hashtags per post to help it get in front of the right people. However, you should always research each hashtag to ensure it has an impact.
As for the layout, you can hashtag the words in your post or add them at the end. Whatever feels natural.
Mentions
You can mention people or organizations in your Linkedin post. However, it’s best to keep that functionality for times when it will add to your post. Stuffing them in at the end just for the sake of it isn’t a good strategy.
When you tag people in a LinkedIn post, it will make your content visible to their connections. However, you need to be very cautious when using this technique because it can look very transparent and even feel a bit like spam.
Media
If you post articles on LinkedIn, the idea is to grab people’s attention by standing out on their news feeds. Visual media is a great way to make an impact. When your target audience is scrolling through the posts the LinkedIn algorithm serves, you want to disrupt them by using whatever techniques you can. You should take up as much screen space as possible to achieve maximum impact.
Image Sizes
Square 1:1 = 1200 x 1200
Portrait 4:5 = 1080 x 1350
Documents (PDF)
Any. But 1:1 works best
Use BIG text
Video
Square 1:1 = 1080 x 1080
Portrait 9:16 = 1080 x 1920
Comments
The LinkedIn algorithm rewards posts that get more comments and engagement. You can encourage interactions by:
Posting provocative, thought leadership content
Publishing an article that inspires discussion
Encouraging readers’ input on your subject
Comments offer some other ways to boost your brand online. Here are three golden steps that you should always follow.
Add relevant external links in the comment section (landing page, website, product pages, etc.)
Always reply to every comment. It will make you and your brand seem approachable, and it’s great for building relationships.
Like people’s comments below your post. It’s a great way to show people you care, and it requires minimal effort on your part.
Engagement (Likes/Reactions)
In an ideal world, you’ll put up a new post, and it will get lots of organic likes and engagement. However, sometimes you need to give it a quick nudge.
Follow these three steps to help your LinkedIn content get the love it deserves.
It’s totally OK to like your own Linkedin posts. So make sure you do it.
Make sure your company profile both likes and shares your post.
Get your colleagues to like and share the content you post on Linkedin.
These initial likes and shares can help bring your post to a bigger audience and get the engagement necessary to push it along.
Of course, that’s not all you can do to help promote your post.
Promoting your post
While most businesses aren’t using LinkedIn to full effect, that doesn’t mean you don’t face any competition. Many people post on LinkedIn frequently, so you need to promote your posts to cut through the noise.
A big part of learning how to post on LinkedIn involves knowing how to promote your posts.
Here are six proven ways that you can help your content generate more engagement.
Tell your colleagues what to add in the comment section. This additional information could be complimentary articles, external links, or even extra pieces of information.
Email people you know about your article and ask them to give your post some engagement.
Share the link to your LinkedIn article on any relevant Slack channels.
LinkedIn groups are a great way to connect with like-minded professionals. Share industry-specific news and articles inside the group, and you’ll get some interest.
Share your content on other social media platforms like WhatsApp, Messenger, etc., and ask people to engage with the post.
Keep the link handy so you can DM anyone who might be interested that you encounter in your day-to-day activities.
Frequency
Article frequency is one of the most important things to consider when you’re learning how to post on LinkedIn. Finding the right cadence is crucial. Post too much, and you’ll dilute your impact and potentially annoy people; post too little, and you’ll never build momentum and followers.
How often should you post on LinkedIn?
My recommendation is that you should post between two and three times per week.
Can you repost content?
While content like breaking news or comments on current events has limited re-post value, you can repost other content. However, it’s best to wait about three months between each post so you can share it with new connections.
How can you diversify your content?
Diversify your content where possible. Depending on your niche, some subjects will be impossible to ignore. But you can mix it up by trying different types of content. Blogs, video essays, infographics, surveys, thought leadership content, and more are all good ways to put a spin on repetitive information.
How often should you engage with other people’s content?
Schedule time for daily “newsfeed activity.” That can involve liking and commenting on other people’s comments, sharing relevant links to your content, or just providing overall value.
Should you schedule your posts for maximum impact?
A lot of people swear by the idea of posting content at a specific time. I don’t think it makes a huge amount of difference. However, here is what the experts say.
HubSpot: Wednesdays between 10 am–12 pm
Sprout Social: Wednesdays from 8 am–10 am and at 12 pm; Thursdays at 9 am and between 1 pm–2 pm; Fridays at 9 am
Buffer: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays between 7 am–8:30 am and 5 pm–6 pm
Oberlo: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays between 10 am–11 am
Quintly: 7 am–8 am, 12 pm, and 5 pm–6 pm
The Balance SMB: 7 am–8 am and 5 pm–6 pm
LinkedIn company profile vs. personal profile
You should have a company page and a personal profile for posting content. However, there are two things that you need to know.
Firstly, content posted on your personal profile will get more reach.
Secondly, it’s OK to schedule content from your company page and then share it manually from your personal profile.
Hashtag research
As mentioned earlier, hashtags can be a powerful way to get your content seen. Plenty of people use hashtags to find the content they’re interested in.
It’s a delicate balance. If you use overly subscribed hashtags, it can be challenging to stand out among the other articles. However, if you link to hashtags that are too obscure, no one will see them.
Here is a neat trick to see if you’re using hashtags that will help your content.
#1. Pick some hashtags you want to research. For example, MarTech, aka marketing technology.
#2. Append it to the following link: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=
In our example, it should read https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=MarTech
#3. Click on the link and note the number of followers. If too few people are following the hashtag, find something more popular.
I hear you ask, “what’s too few?” Well, it should be relative to your audience on LinkedIn.
Frequency vs. Perfection
It’s better to regularly post and gradually improve the quality of your content than try to create a magnum opus that will be a game changer.
How to Measure Success
You need to be able to measure any kind of marketing you do, and a Linkedin article is no different. So, how do you know you have a successful LinkedIn post?
Thankfully, the LinkedIn website gives you access to some great ways that you can measure your performance.
LinkedIn Analytics Dashboard
One of the best features of LinkedIn is its native analytics dashboard.
To access your analytics dashboard, open your LinkedIn profile and scroll right below your About section. Then, go to the Updates section, where you can see a bunch of metrics related to your LinkedIn posts.
Some of the metrics you can access are:
Impressions
Video views
Clicks
Click-through rate (CTR)
Reactions
Comments
Shares
Follows
Engagement rate
Now, that’s a lot of different metrics to track. Each of them is useful to measure how effective each post is. While all these metrics can tell you something, there are a few that are most valuable when deciding if you have a winning Linkedin post or not.
Engagement rate
Engagement rate is an excellent metric. While some metrics, for example, Impressions, are a good measure of how your post is doing, they can be pretty misleading. Some posts get a lot of views but fail to make much of an impact. Measuring engagement rate lets you know if your target audience has liked, shared, commented, or followed you after reading your post.
Click-through rate (CTR)
Click-through rates are another great way to measure the impact of your LinkedIn content. Measuring content against each other by comparing clicks leaves a lot of context on the table. A post with a high amount of impressions but a low click-through rate can actually be a sign that something is wrong.
So look for posts with a high CTR and consider giving them more promotion. Additionally, a high CTR indicates that your audience is ready for more of this type of content.
Comparative metrics
Finally, Linkedin’s dashboard is also a great source of comparative metrics. If you go to the Followers page on the analytics dashboard, you can see how your content measures up against your competitors. Scroll to the bottom of Followers and select Companies to Track.
Secondly, you can select the Visitors page to get an idea of the traffic your LinkedIn profile is generating.
Examples of B2Bs on LinkedIn
If you want some inspiration for how to post on LinkedIn, there are a few B2B brands that are doing it the right way.
Salesforce
Salesforce is killing it on LinkedIn. They post a wide array of content, such as strategy videos, thought leadership, podcasts, employee spotlights, and a whole load of tips and tricks for running a business. It’s perfect content that is laser-focused on Salesforce’s target audience.
Adobe
Adobe creates excellent content with a big focus on creativity. These articles are a great way to interest the type of people that use Adobe’s products. Some of their best content focuses on creative people and Adobe employees from all over the world.
They also post about social issues and mental health, which is more geared toward serving their employee acquisition.
HubSpot
HubSpot has been making awesome content for years, and their LinkedIn is a treasure trove of great articles on relevant subjects like leadership, marketing strategies, work culture, and more.
Summary
Learning how to post on LinkedIn is an essential skill for any B2B marketer. But if you follow these simple steps, you can quickly spread the word about your product and generate leads and traffic.
The best thing you can do is to start writing and get your posts out there. Follow our checklist but don’t wait for perfection. The more you post, the more you’ll learn and find your groove.
Continue your learning journey, check out our articles What is Dark Social? Everything B2Bs Need To Know and 8 Best B2B Digital Marketing Campaigns for SaaS for more tips and tricks that you can use to get your product or service in front of your target audience.
