Tired of shouting into the social media void? Well, LinkedIn, with its alleged “unique ecosystem” of over a billion professionals and 67 million companies, promises to be different. Apparently, actual business-y types congregate here, and get this – they even look at things (1.6 billion monthly visits, no big deal). If you’re chasing the B2B dream of snagging leads and making your brand name sound important, LinkedIn is the ‘indispensable’ key. Get ready for a dose of actionable best practices for both the organic grind and the paid-ad hustle.

LinkedIn is a business social media platform with a vast community of working professionals and businesses. It’s an excellent platform for generating leads, building brand trust, growing partnerships, and getting free exposure to new connections. You can showcase your thought leadership through native articles, highlight content from your business website, and promote your brand within your industry.

The LinkedIn community is focused on B2B networking and building relationships. It brings together entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and executive-level leaders of all kinds.

Here are some recent statistics that showcase who’s active on LinkedIn and how marketers and businesses use the platform.

• LinkedIn has over 1 billion members worldwide, with 56.4% of users identifying as men and 43.6% identifying as women. More than 67 million companies are represented on LinkedIn as well.
• 41% of LinkedIn’s users are between 30 and 49 years old, which isn’t surprising given that it’s a platform for professional development.
• 1.6 billion people visit LinkedIn every month.
• Ads made through LinkedIn Marketing Solutions produce 2x the engagement rate compared to organic.
• LinkedIn pages that post weekly see 5.6x more follower growth than those that don’t.

Convinced LinkedIn might actually be worth the effort? Excellent, the path to (hopefully) more leads and brand recognition lies in the best practices detailed below. Now, if the thought of adding “another thing” to your already overflowing plate makes you want to hide under your desk, Cordelia Labs is ready to jump in. Think of us as the extra brainpower and tireless hands your team wishes it had..

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Best Practices for Organic LinkedIn Posts 

A solid organic LinkedIn strategy can help you achieve your social media marketing goals and reach unique LinkedIn members you won’t find anywhere else. Here are a few of our best practices to ensure your marketing efforts don’t go to waste on this professional network.

• Update your LinkedIn company page and personal LinkedIn page to make them more visually engaging and SEO-friendly. Add a description, company hashtags, and a customized button.
• Share LinkedIn content at least 3 times per week.
• Use high-quality images and attention-grabbing copy in your LinkedIn posts. Post shareable graphics that tease or condense long form content from your website. Share links to blog posts and other relevant content.
• Follow, engage, and, whenever possible, collaborate with other industry thought leaders.
• Encourage engagement with followers by responding to all comments.
• Share videos whenever possible. Studies show that LinkedIn video content drives 3 times more engagement than plain text posts (a fact that’s true across most social platforms).
• Ask partners, staff members, and leaders with personal LinkedIn profiles to follow your page, list it as an employer (if applicable), and engage with at least one piece of content each week, preferably by commenting on the post or sharing it on their account.

Join LinkedIn groups (from your personal account) that apply to your industry. Share your content and thought leadership in those groups, but don’t be spammy or overpromotional.

Best Practices for Paid LinkedIn Ads

For B2B marketers, LinkedIn is an excellent platform for placing paid ads. You can choose from various targeting options for LinkedIn ads, including job title, company name, and company size, which you can’t select for on other social networks.

Here are a few of our best practices for LinkedIn advertising:

• Don’t hyper-target. A good rule of thumb is to keep your target audience more than 50,000 for Sponsored Content and Text Ads and more than 15,000 for Message and InMail Ads.
• Be specific with ad targeting, but not so specific that you narrow your audience. To start, choose the location and two other targeting criteria. Then, keep experimenting!
• An image size of 1200 x 628 pixels is recommended for LinkedIn ads, but 1200 x 1200 pixels and 1080 × 1920 pixels also work well. Content with larger visuals tends to get up to 38% higher click-through rates (CTRs).
• Try out different ad versions to see which resonates best with your audience. After a few weeks, turn off the least-performing ads to allocate your budget to the top performers.
• Feature a clear call-to-action (CTA) so your audience knows exactly how to act on their interest.
• Keep your description concise. Anything over 100 characters could be truncated on a desktop, so keep this in mind and put the hook at the start.

Install the LinkedIn Insight Tag on your website to track conversions and metrics and enable demographic reporting on your website visitors.

Optimize Your LinkedIn Strategy with Cordelia Labs 

A strong organic presence on LinkedIn coupled with a clearly targeted paid strategy is a great way to amplify engagement for your business and accomplish your lead generation goals. At Cordelia Labs, our creative media strategists develop strategies for paid advertising, media buying, PPC, and SEO – all designed and tested to deliver.

Contact Cordelia Labs

 

FAQs 

What Is the 4-1-1 Rule on LinkedIn? 

The 4-1-1 rule is a content strategy guideline designed to keep your audience engaged without overwhelming them with promotional messaging. Here’s how it works:

• Four pieces of content should provide valuable information your audience finds helpful or entertaining. Think industry trends, how-to guides, and educational content.
• One piece should be a soft promotion, sharing news about your company or product in a non-salesy way, such as a client success story.
• One piece should be a direct promotion, like an announcement about your latest product or service.

This method ensures your LinkedIn feed stays fresh, relevant, and engaging instead of looking like a never-ending sales pitch.

If you’re unsure where to start, share content highlighting industry trends or providing expert insights that resonate well with LinkedIn users. The LinkedIn algorithm favors posts that drive engagement, so focus on creating posts that spark conversation.

What Is the Best Time to Post on LinkedIn? 

While there isn’t one universal posting time, data suggests that the best times to post on LinkedIn are during business hours—typically:

• Tuesday to Thursday between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. or from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
• Early mornings and afternoons are effective because professionals often check their feeds before work or during lunch breaks.

What Is the Ideal Length for a LinkedIn Post? 

When it comes to LinkedIn posts, short but insightful ones win the race. Aim for 50-100 words for general updates and 200-300 words for thought leadership pieces.

How Do You Drive Engagement on a LinkedIn Company Page without Relying on a Personal Profile?

• Post Consistently: Dedicate time to a content calendar with various posts, from behind-the-scenes looks to informational blogs.
• Create Valuable Content: Share insights, educational videos, and resources that solve your audience’s pain points. Remember, valuable content gets shared more often, extending your reach organically.
• Encourage Employee Engagement: Ask your employees to interact with your posts—like, comment, and share. Employees can provide endorsements of your company culture that resonate more authentically than direct marketing.
  

How Can I Optimize My LinkedIn Profile to Attract More Connections?

• Complete Every Section: Profiles with complete information (headlines, summaries, skills, etc.) rank higher in LinkedIn’s rankings and search results.
• Craft a Compelling Headline: Instead of just listing your job title, write a headline that conveys your value and personal brand. For example, “Digital Marketing Specialist Helping Startups Scale with Data-Driven Campaigns.”
• Personalize Your Summary: Use your summary to tell your story. Highlight your expertise, achievements, and what you’re passionate about. Speak directly to your audience to make an emotional connection.
• Showcase Projects and Initiatives: Add relevant projects or initiatives to your portfolio to demonstrate your expertise. This is especially useful for creative professionals and freelancers.
• Collect Endorsements and Recommendations: Request endorsements from colleagues and clients to validate your skills. A strong base of recommendations can make a significant difference.