LinkedIn can be a tricky platform for many of us to use properly. We separated it from the other platforms covered (The Big 3) as it is a different beast altogether. LinkedIn is the kingpin for generating leads & creating network connections. But, is it working for you? Creating a profile that says more than a listing experience really gives you the edge over the competition. We have found that LinkedIn is probably one of the most underutilised platforms available for use. It offers so much more for growing your business network & professional client base for B2B marketing. In saying that, your personal & business profile can have a bit of personality, for example;adding in your hobbies can be a great way to connect with people on a more personal level. Make sure your photo is professional but in colour. This will draw peoples attention when they are scrolling past. The sections you want people to see the most should be moved to the top of your profile so you are displaying this information at first glance for the viewer. Your header should stand out. What is the first thing you want someone to think about you when they land on your profile? 'Who is this for?' Think of the people you want to read your experience. Do not use short sentences such as; "I did this"......Give more details! What did you do? How many people were involved? What was the outcome? Why did you do it?''

If you make the reader search for information they will not stick around. You also want to able to show some level of understanding of your experience. Listing each task in such a simple manner can appear as if you had no idea what you actually did. In saying that, be careful not to write a short story. This is just as bad. Introduce the role, answer the questions above, then list some additional strengths associated with the position in bullet points below. There is a free trial period of the professional level of LinkedIn's profiles that you can avail of. We would recommend only doing this once you have both personal and/or business profiles set up correctly. This means that the content displayed on both should be up to date & match.

LinkedIn users are more likely to read an editorial content which will make great use of your blog. They have also introduced a video section. If you are a public speaker or work with training professionals then you cannot ignore this new addition. Videos for LinkedIn should open straight to the point & summarise the message you want your audience to get. Viewers are more likely to listen to a video with sound on in LinkedIn but subtitles should be used. Setting a campaign for LinkedIn is similar to any other campaign on a social media platform. The targeting systems allow you to target companies directly by name or simply by industry. Not only this, but you also have access to LinkedIn's network which includes some global media platforms. Investment for ads here are higher than other platforms but it is definitely necessary if you fall into any of the business types mentioned above. With so many users there is competition for your content to be seen. Posting regularly & committing a budget to using the ads section along with utilising the video section will inherently increase the engagement. With anything new, we always recommend starting small running a trial campaign.

This will allow to you to work with tangible results & figure out how you have your targeting system set. You can do this multiple times in order to compare results. This mostly refers to their targeting system that you will use when you are posting on a business page. We understand they want to provide options but their system has not caught up with this yet. For example, within the location section of this, you will be provided with a lot of countries. Too bad that you will have to reload each time you choose a country. May not sound too bad but try doing this more than two times within a day.