How to Use LinkedIn Sponsored Updates to Jumpstart Content Promotion in 2016

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

How to Use LinkedIn Sponsored Updates to Jumpstart Content Promotion in 2016

2015 was the year that content marketing exploded. Brands have become publishers and are all competing in the same arena to provide a quantity of quality content for their audience. In the coming year, content capabilities and demands will only increase.

It’s time that marketers think beyond creation, and take advantage of the tools available for content amplification, promotion and measurement. With over 4million business pages housed on their platform, there is no denying that LinkedIn is a powerhouse for amplifying and boosting great content.

Today, LinkedIn released their newest guide to LinkedIn Sponsored Posts. This guide was composed by scouring LinkedIn to find the best examples of business sponsored content. In order to take the leap into investing in sponsoring content, you first have to make sure that you have something worth promoting. Below are a handful of examples of businesses using great content on LinkedIn to capture the attention of their audience.

Use Crowd-Sourcing to Involve Your Audience

There is no denying that content involving your audience can quickly become very powerful and sharable.

Earlier this year, Holiday Inn Express created an entire video campaign, website and social amplification plan around based on an initiative that involved their audience. They created a series of videos about the importance of breakfast and hired actor Rob Riggle to act as their new “Creative Director” in these video shorts on YouTube.

Not only were these videos entertaining, but Holiday actually held a contest using the hashtag #pancakemachine to have followers submit entries to name their fancy new pancake machines.

Consumer Brands Tackle a LinkedIn Content Strategy

LinkedIn is the largest professional networking platform and has more traditionally been thought of as a solution for B2B companies. However, the individuals that use LinkedIn are also consumers. That means, there is a ripe opportunity for B2C companies to begin dominating with clever, visual and interesting content for their audience.

Consumer brands like Amazon and Starbucks have taken advantage of this opportunity and utilize LinkedIn to consistently provide great (and sometimes heartwarming) information for their LinkedIn followers.

Never Underestimate the Power of Video

A whopping 78% of people watch videos online every week, and 50% of all mobile traffic is from video views. Numbers like that make you wonder why everyone isn’t creating videos to better target online audiences. Truth of the matter is, videos are an investment of time, learning and often monetary funds. If you are setup to create quality video, consider using LinkedIn as a platform to distribute and amplify that content.

Take for example, Air Canada. This year, the airline company published a series of videos on their LinkedIn page that included travel tips from a tech entrepreneur as well as an upgrade to the dining experience fliers will experience when travelling with Air Canada. These short videos serve a couple purposes. First, they’re providing general helpful tips. Secondly, they are creating content that showcases how flying with them a pleasurable experience instead of a dreaded chore.

Compelling Visuals Help Great Content Shine

Content that contains compelling visuals has the power to entice and connect readers with brand content. With the overwhelming amount of content that exists today, it takes more than a clever headline or quality content to stand out in the sea of noise. In fact, there an average increase of comments by 98% if an update contains a visual element.

Dell recently released an interactive guide to help companies determine which technology fit would be best for their organization. On LinkedIn, the company shared a snappy and compelling update as well as a great image that displays a preview of a few of the different types of companies that are covered in the guide. The visual was entertaining (even funny) and informational for followers.

LinkedIn Sponsored Update Trends in 2015

For even more insights into how to use LinkedIn to capture the attention of your audience, check out LinkedIn’s handy new trends update below:

Also, if you’re ready to jump headfirst into sponsoring your awesome content on LinkedIn, be sure to download the Sophisticated Marketer’s Ultimate Guide to Sponsored Updates.

Disclosure: LinkedIn and Dell are TopRank Marketing clients.

Header image via Shutterstock

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