When you think about exciting and innovative social media platforms, what names come to your mind almost immediately?
If we had to guess, we’d say definitely Instagram, maybe Twitter if you’ve been doing social media for a while, and perhaps TikTok, if you’re all about the new trends.
There’s one name, though, that isn’t necessarily perceived as the coolest of platforms, and that’s LinkedIn.
But before you decide that this professional networking website isn’t for your business, let us go through some statistics that might just convince you otherwise:
- 675 million people in the world are on LinkedIn (LinkedIn)
- There are 310 million active users per month in the platform (We Are Social)
- 6 out of 10 LinkedIn users actively look for industry insights (Digital Marketing Institute)
- LinkedIn is the second most popular social media platform among B2B marketers (Hubspot)
- 663.3 million people can be targeted through LinkedIn ads (We Are Social)
When it comes to LinkedIn for businesses, the question isn’t if you should be using it, but rather what you should be posting.
The answer, of course, varies from business to business, and their respective industry, target audience, and goals.
However, there’s one thing you definitely need to consider, and that’s the fact that LinkedIn doesn’t prioritize a particular post or content type – but it prioritizes engagement, instead.
In other words, it’s in your hands to understand what content types generate the most engagement, while still following LinkedIn’s best practices.
This is very much a matter of trial and error, but we do have seven content suggestions that tend to perform well on LinkedIn.
Keep reading for some social media inspiration!
Question-Based Posts
If you want users to comment on your posts (and boost your engagement rate), then simply ask them a question!
When you do, it piques your audience’s interest and encourages them not only to read or hear what you have to say but to give their two cents as well, which, let’s face, is something most of us love to do.
Plus, it can provide you with valuable insights about your audience, which you can then use to perfect your LinkedIn strategy, as well as your general digital marketing plan.
When picking your question, you can follow TikTok’s example and ask something broad, or go for a niche question instead.
It truly depends on who you want to answer and, of course, what you want to find out.
Alternatively, you can use LinkedIn’s poll feature to create this type of content, which is the way to go if you have a specific, multiple-choice-type of question.
Whether you want your audience’s opinion on what type of product you should launch next, which topics you should cover on your blog, or even what type of LinkedIn post they prefer to see on your page: polls will give you much more specific insights than an open question.
Time-Sensitive News
Using breaking news and industry buzz topics is a surefire way of sparking conversations with your audience.
These are topics that are already trending.
People are already talking about them and, if you play your cards well, you can insert your brand’s name into the conversation, and gain from the added exposure.
There are two types of time-sensitive news you can use on your LinkedIn content strategy: general ones and industry-specific ones.
One current example of a general topic that brands all around the world had the chance to use in their digital presence was COVID-19.
Many businesses (including yours, most likely) had to adapt to the new reality of social distancing and working from home, which meant that they had to adjust their social media strategy and, like that, use breaking news to create new posts.
For more specific news, all you need to do is keep an eye on everything that happens in your niche.
Say you have a vegan skincare brand and it’s announced that the sales of vegan skin products tripled in a year – that’s something you can definitely use on your LinkedIn page!
Pro tip: Don’t use this type of content just because. Remember: your time-sensitive posts need to have a purpose and to go with your overall digital presence!
Image-Based Posts
Visual-based content, particularly content that contains quotes and data, helps your posts stand out in your audience’s feed and can, consequently, help you score higher engagement rates.
The reason why this happens is simple.
Human beings are visual creatures by nature, and it’s much easier for us to process an image or video, than a wall full of text.
Just think about it, when you’re scrolling through LinkedIn (or any other platform), how often do you stop to read a text-only post?
As an example, Hubspot could have published their Sales CRM wish-list as only text, but would it have had the same impact?
Probably not.
Employee-Centric Content
LinkedIn is all about employment and recruitment, so it only makes sense that you mention your employees from time to time.
One excellent way of doing so is by following Facebook’s example and creating posts around an employee’s quote.
Not only does this show that Facebook makes an effort to give its entire team a voice, but in a way, that it appreciates every single one of their team members, and not just the top 5.
Alternatively, you can show off your team through employee spotlights, team-building activities, and more.
Doing so will be beneficial for more than just your engagement rates.
Your current team members will feel valued, which will lead to higher satisfaction at work and, consequently, higher productivity levels.
Additionally, this will help create a positive image of your company in the eyes of any potential candidates for future job openings.
Behind-the-Scenes Content
Users love behind-the-scenes posts for the same reason as they love employee-centric content.
It shows them the people behind the brand, adding a human side to it, which helps forge a deeper connection with them.
Plus, since not as many brands bet on this type of content, it becomes a welcome break from all the promotions and links that users see in their feed every single day.
It helps you stand out among the crowd, and greatly improve your chances of getting likes, comments, and shares.
Our suggestion is that you opt for video content when showing your behind-the-scenes.
And before you start worrying: the amazing thing about this type of content is that it is supposed to be realistic and genuine, which in other words, means that you don’t have to film it on a super-advanced (read, expensive) camera or even edit it at all.
Just make sure it is interesting and engaging!
Awards & Accomplishments
When we read positive testimonials about a brand, see a celebrity recommending it, learn that it has millions of followers online, or discover that it has received awards for its products or services, our perception of that brand is positively influenced.
That is what the phenomenon of social proof is all about.
Now, you might already be using social proof on your website, but are you using it on social media?
Your LinkedIn page is the perfect place for you to announce any awards you win or accomplishments you make, simply because it will demonstrate your authority and rack up the likes.
Pro tip: Be careful not to sound overconfident in your award-related posts. You want to announce your wins, but most of all, show potential consumers how they can benefit from your success!
Bite-Sized Advice
Last but not least, LinkedIn is a fantastic platform for you to share bite-sized advice, just like Neil Patel does, with these four slides on how to make content more engaging and shareable.
No matter what your industry is, there are quick tips that your audience would definitely be interested in learning – and if there’s one place where they’ll look for this type of content, it’s LinkedIn.
These posts are also a great opportunity for you to share your long-form content.
So, if you had a blog post about “5 Effective Tips for Starting an Online Business ”, you could create a LinkedIn post including the five headlines, either as a slideshow, single image, or video, and then add a link to the blog post for those who want to learn more.
Nail Your LinkedIn Content Strategy With Our Tips!
LinkedIn is quite different from most other social media platforms, as it focuses on the professional, rather than the personal.
But as you now know, this doesn’t mean your LinkedIn page needs to be boring and monotonous.
There is a lot you can do on this platform, while always keeping things professional – all you need to do is find the approach for your LinkedIn content strategy and get creative with your posts… much like you do on Facebook or Instagram!
So, as a summary, seven types of content that tend to perform well on LinkedIn are:
- Question-Based Posts
- Time-Sensitive News
- Image-Based Posts
- Employee-Centric Content
- “In-the-Wild” Content
- Awards & Accomplishments
- Bit-Sized Advice
Good luck and may your LinkedIn engagement rates be higher than ever before!
