ANALYSIS Prepared exclusively for RicohBusinessBooster.com

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1 ANALYSIS 2018 Using LinkedIn to Promote Your Business Prepared exclusively for RicohBusinessBooster.com

2 Table of Contents Introduction... 3 Buyers Are Performing Digital Due Diligence!... 3 A Lead Generation Tool... 4 Demonstrating Thought Leadership... 4 Expanding Your Online Footprint... 5 InfoTrends Opinion... 5 About the Author... 6 This material is prepared specifically for clients of InfoTrends, Inc. The opinions expressed represent our interpretation and analysis of information generally available to the public or released by responsible individuals in the subject companies. We believe that the sources of information on which our material is based are reliable and we have applied our best professional judgment to the data obtained. InfoTrends 2018 page 2

3 Introduction Many firms overlook the use of a LinkedIn Company Page as way to market their businesses and stand out from the competition. A LinkedIn Company Page is a great way for a print provider to tell their company s story, share how they make a difference in their clients communication needs, and describe the value they deliver. This article reviews how print service providers of all sizes can tap into LinkedIn s value and become thought leaders. Buyers Are Performing Digital Due Diligence! According to recent research from the Corporate Executive Board, today s buyers complete 57% of the decision-making and purchasing process before they reach out to suppliers. Although there is no substitute for well-planned in-person sales interactions, the challenge is getting buyers to agree to a sales call. What buyers find and learn about a company during their research phase is a key decision influencer. Because communication decision-makers have access to more knowledge and information than ever before, it s critical to manage and shape a buyer s first impression as they make their way through the first half of the sales process. With a LinkedIn Company Page, a print service provider can create brand awareness, maintain corporate image, and build trust before a sales call. Professionals engage with LinkedIn specifically to connect with people and brands. Properly showcasing your business, people, and community improves your brand s visibility and enables you to tell a story that resonates with your targeted audience. According to research from Keypoint Intelligence InfoTrends on industry sales practices, print sales organizations top priorities are finding new customers, selling more to existing clients, and increasing the sales of value-added services (Figure 1). InfoTrends 2018 page 3

4 The sign on your door or your company name can t always describe the variety of ways you meet your customers needs or the services you offer. Discouraging your clients from turning to the competition may be as simple as improving your brand awareness. To address client retention, you must keep your best clients happy and demonstrate that you care about them. It is important to share content that resonates and connects with customer needs, while communicating you are a reliable source that keeps their business needs top of mind. Research conducted by Frederick Reichheld of Bain & Company indicates that a 5% increase in customer retention rates can increase profits by 25% to 95%. A Lead Generation Tool Many view LinkedIn as solely a tool for job searching and job sourcing, but its Company Pages are an excellent way to generate sales leads. With over 500 million professionals on LinkedIn, the social media platform offers a big opportunity to filter, reach, and connect with the right audience and generate customer leads. Optimizing your company s LinkedIn page with images, videos, and keywords can help attract followers, prospects, and buyers. Current and potential customers are willing to pay more attention to people and organizations that help them to think differently, bring new ideas, and foster creativity. Leading-edge content along with the sharing of other intriguing information increases your reach and builds a stronger network. To measure what s working, use the Company Page analytics to see what your followers are most interested in and learn more about their demographics. Considering the value that targeted messaging delivers, LinkedIn provides an opportunity to create Showcase Pages, which are extensions of your Company Page. Showcase Pages are designed to address a specific audience. For example, you might decide to have a dedicated Showcase Page for a specific vertical industry, or for a unique line of business. Your followers benefit from having access to content that s meaningful to them without having to sift through irrelevant content. Demonstrating Thought Leadership One of the fastest ways to become a thought leader is to say something that disrupts your audience s thinking. Even if your audience doesn t agree with you, the sheer act of getting them to think differently demonstrates that your ideas are interesting and worth listening to. Much like marketing strategy, your content should reinforce your business objectives. A great metric to consider for LinkedIn is engagement are your followers commenting on your posts, sharing, and liking them? Updates to your Company Page should include a good mix of information about yourself along with interesting content from other individuals and organizations. Also, don t forget to cite the source of any repurposed content. This creates a line of sight between your company and the source s followers while also acknowledging proper credit. Updates can include: InfoTrends 2018 page 4

5 Videos of recent projects Highlights from your community involvement Opinions on industry trends Research results with a few of your own throughts How-to content Links to white papers and e-books Not to be overlooked is the value that each of your employees Personal Profiles can add to your company brand. According to the LinkedIn Playbook, employees have ten times the connections as their company has followers. Their reach and level of influence organically improves the visibility of your Company Page. Expanding Your Online Footprint There are multiple ways to drive traffic to your website. One well-practiced yet very effective strategy is to use links from outside sources. According to an Econsultancy study of all the social media channels, LinkedIn accounts for 64% of referrals to corporate websites. Your LinkedIn Company Page likely has a viewing audience that is different from your website visitors. From your Company Page, provide links to register for a webinar, download a white paper, take part in a survey, or sign up for an event to increase engagement and potential leads. InfoTrends Opinion LinkedIn is one of the easiest and most effective ways to promote your brand to generate new business. To ensure the best return on your time and efforts, consider creating a content library and calendar so your updates occur on a regular cadence. Establishing regular content updates demonstrates that you are active in the industry and serious about helping customers and prospects achieve better results. If your Company Page has been static for months or even years, start refreshing its look today! Use great visuals, participate in conversations, and get your employees on board. If you don t have a Company Page on LinkedIn, what are you waiting for? InfoTrends 2018 page 5

6 About the Author Karen Kimerer Associate Director Karen Kimerer, Associate Director of InfoTrends Business Development Strategies service, has experienced the many challenges of expanding current market opportunities and securing new business. She has developed a systematic approach to these opportunities, addressing the unique requirements of becoming a leader in our changing industry. She is well-versed in 1:1 marketing, webto-print, direct mail, book publishing, supply chain management, data segmentation, channel integration, and photo products. InfoTrends 2018 page 6