According to Linkedin website, there are million users have joined to grow their network. Generally, they are typically segmented in several categories namely: executives, professionals, business owners, freelancers, entrepreneurs, etc. You can find the number detail in the picture below. Based on this data, I will inform you that we can utilize Linkedin as a marketing media. How to utilize Linkedin as a marketing instrument or marketing channel? If you really want to get the answer, please read further because I will inform you sample functions of Linkedin which can be employed in your marketing strategies.

As I inform earlier in the previous article introducing Linkedin marketing for beginners , Linkedin have their search engine to facilitate people to seek partner ( supplier, distributor ), buyer, or employee. With this search engine you can find perfect partner, targeted buyer, or talented employee. How can you search the exact target? The answer is: You can search the exact target according to your marketing segmentation, and Linkedin provide search engine based on your marketing segmentation. You can search based on demography and psychography, such as based on job title and function, industry and company size, seniority and age, interest ( Linkedin Groups ), experiences, and so forth.

The fact and opportunities of Linkedin marketing

Based on data which is displayed in Linkedin ads, you can find out that there are many opportunities you can grab in this social media. This special market can become the place to reach your audience, the place to target your market, the place to observe your potential partner, examine your employee nominee, and so on.

Below is the picture from the link above:

In this article, I will not show you how to find talented employee or how to obtain great business partner. I will explain about how to employ Linkedin as your marketing channel only, because it is conformable with the title for this article.

Sample function of Linkedin that can be employed in your marketing activities

I inform you the illustrations which have to be well-known by beginners who want to utilize Linkedin as a marketing media or marketing channel.

Below are the samples function

- Advertising in Linkedin.

With budget that you can control, you can drive your new customer to your business. You can control your budget, because you only pay by number of click or number of impressions. You can stop your ads at any time you want.

- Searching your potential partner.

Consider the previous picture, there are numerous user who are divided based on their position, for examples: business decision makers, managers, business owners, executives, professionals, freelancers, and so forth.

If you want to look for your marketing partner or ambassador of your brand or other related marketing goals, you can search using built-in Linkedin search engine, find them and finally connect them.

- Driving traffics to your company website.

How Linkedin media can bring traffic to your website? Let me tell you the simple model.

I will illustrate you with flow action below:

1.You have created excellent content and you put it in your website page.

2. And you have mentioned clear call-to-action in your page that contains “if you like this content, please share it” ( or similar call-to-action which in essence is encourage reader to share the content )

3. Before this, you have to prepare and put Linkedin share button, so that when people want to share they just click that button easily.

4.Suppose you share something via Linkedin, thus people who connect in to your network will see your update. See example below:

5. If your content's headline is great, it will stimulate people to click and then they come to your website.

I note one more example, assume your content marketer then create a new great blog post and your sales staff want to share it out on LinkedIn in the groups you are a member ( groups is more targeted audience because of having similar interest ), your staf can share it with Linkedin share button too.

See the picture below:

How to advertise in Linkedin media

If you have advertising budget, try to advertise in Linkedin.

1. You must have linkedin account and company page in linkedin.

2. Go to https://www.linkedin.com/ads/

3. Login with your account.

4. You can follow the step, it is easy. See picture below.

Let me recap the explanation above:

Login to your account, create ads (create new campaign or sponsor your existing update), select target user, and set your bid ( budget ), finally do a monitoring and feedback.

Where is the ads location?

I will show you the sample, look at picture below:

Text ads on the top of Linkedin page

Text Ads with picture in the right sidebar 

So, your ads will be displayed on the top of Linkedin homepage or in the right sidebar like the picture above. Thus, if you choose sponsored update, your update will be displayed in your targeted audience feed.

Before I finish this article, let me recap sample action how to utilize Linkedin as your marketing media.

1.Create your business account in Linkedin.

2.Create great profile in your account.

3.Create your business page.

4.Grow your connection.

5.Add new connection which is in accordance to your marketing segmentation.

6.Engage with them to build your influence, trust, and loyalty.

7.Posting an update regularly.

8.Join to targeted group ( group that is accordance to your marketing segmentation )

9.Participate actively in that group, give a sharing and provide solution in that group.

10. Send them ( targeted audience in your network or in groups ) your offer.

11. Do a monitoring and perform a feedback.

If you have budget and want to grow your audience, consider to advertise in Linkedin.

12.Monitor your paid campaign performance indicator

What things which have to be monitored?

They are:

a. Reach (number of audience who see your updates)

b. Engagement (number of audience who click your post, like, comment, share, etc)

c. CTR: number of click ratio (divided by number of impressions)

d. Result: can be a follower obtained, closing sales, traffic to your website, etc)

And so on, and you can evaluate according to the those data then perform further action after anayzing the data.

I hope you get an insight how to employ Linkedin as a social media marketing activities.

The conclusion is If you invest some time and money in LinkedIn, then you perform appropriate action in it, it can be very beneficial to your business.

If you like this article, please share it and click the share button in sidebar, and I am happy if you share additional information about Linkedin marketing in comment below.