For many B2B marketers, especially those in the specialty manufacturing sector, social media marketing might still feel unfamiliar and somewhat disconnected from the traditional marketing methods they’ve relied on for years. However, for those ready to make the jump and aware that they are falling behind, where should they begin to explore the social media landscape? Look no further than LinkedIn, a proven leader in B2B lead generation.
Here’s a look at The Top 3 Reasons LinkedIn Was Made for B2B Marketers:
1. LinkedIn Users Are Predominantly Business Professionals
- LinkedIn offers the highest concentration of educated professionals of any social media network and has now exceeded 150 million members in over 200 countries and territories (as of Feb 2012).
- The industries with the highest concentration worldwide on LinkedIn are High Tech (14.3%), Finance (12.4%) and Manufacturing (10.1%)
- More than 2 million companies have created their own company page (as of Feb 2012)
- Users on the network are there to connect with other professionals and are already in a business mindset, compared to Facebook or Twitter which is primarily utilized for personal use
- A survey conducted in summer 2011 found 58% of B2B marketers were using utilizing LinkedIn for their social media marketing, compared to 50% for Facebook and 43% for Twitter (Leadforce1). This is proof that B2B marketers have found a use for this growing professional network and are seeing results
2. LinkedIn Company Pages Keep Your Customers & Prospects Informed
LinkedIn keeps improving its company page features, with the most significant update being the company status update option launched in October 2011. This feature lets companies share links to blog articles, relevant news, and updates on products or services, which then show up in the news feed for their followers. This helps keep your customers and potential clients informed every time they log in to see your updates, potentially reaching them at the perfect moment when they need a solution.
3. LinkedIn Groups Help Attract Leads
LinkedIn is currently the host of more than 1.1 million user groups, which are very specific to users’ interests, industry and needs. A single member can join up to 50 unique LinkedIn groups which is a great way to network with fellow professionals in your industry, but more importantly, groups offer a great way to connect with your ideal prospects. By utilizing these groups to share useful content such as your blog articles, white papers, etc., as well as starting engaging discussions, you’ll gain credibility among prospective customers and some may even begin turning into leads.
These are only a handful of the reasons and features that make LinkedIn the ideal social media marketing tool for B2B marketers. If you’re convinced you need to get more proactive with your current LinkedIn activity and need some more details on how to get started, check out these other articles:
LinkedIn 101: A Critical Part of Your Inbound Marketing Strategy