Can LinkedIn be a low-cost marketing tool for B2B businesses?
Ayo Abbas, who hosts the Built Environment Marketing Show podcast recently invited me as a guest to talk about how to get your LinkedIn activity firing on all cylinders.
Ayo Abbas and Stacey Meadwell about to go live on LinkedIn to talk about…LinkedIn
Among the points we discussed were whether LinkedIn can help you grow your business, the best approach to get traction and what to post about.
It was recorded as a Livestream on LinkedIn, and you can watch the video replay below, or it will be available as a podcast on 21 October 2022.
Anyone involved in comms and marketing will be spending a chunk of time on social media but, with mysterious algorithms to contend with, it can be a frustrating and unpredictable strategy.
Ayo Abbas, Emma Drake and I discussed whether social media is a waste of time for B2B businesses in a LinkedIn live stream
So is it worth the time spent? This is what Ayo Abbas, Emma Drake and I discussed on a LinkedIn Live stream recently, and these are some highlights from that conversation.
If you want to watch the video of the full discussion, including audience questions, scroll to the bottom of the post.
Is social media all it’s cracked up to be?
Emma: I think people don’t often get a lot from it because they’re perhaps not using it well or effectively.
And the algorithm makes no sense, it’s not one thing you can solve. It is continually changing and morphing, and that is a huge challenge.
So anyone who tells you that they understand the algorithm on a social media platform is lying.
I had a post on LinkedIn that had multiple likes and shares, but it got under 300 impressions. I’ve had a post that had two likes and got over 2000. Go figure.
Social media can be really useful, but you need to have a plan.
Me: Yes, you are at the whim of the algorithm. Some platforms are ‘pay to play’, and they’re promoting content that has been paid for.
So you have to go in with your eyes open and realise there’s no silver bullet with social media.
In the latest, It’s a B2B Comms Thing LinkedIn Live stream, Ayo Abbas, Emma Drake and I spotlight industry awards and the value of entering.
It takes a lot of time to pull together a good awards entry, and there may be entry fees or the cost of a table at the ceremony on top, which can make it pricey.
It’s A B2B Comms Thing LinkedIn Live stream on getting value from awards
So we talked about how worthwhile it is to enter an award, whether you can make the most even if your name, company or project doesn’t get called out on the night.
Why and when should you enter an industry award?
Emma:The first thing is timing; make sure you’ve got something really compelling, and it fits with your timing as a business.
Have a broad range of things that you’re looking at, whether it’s your product, your service, your campaign or your business. But it has to be really special, it has to really stand out.
You have to do research and have a lot of facts. There’s quite a lot of work that goes into writing that award, so make sure that time spent is worthwhile.
Ayo: Does it fit into your overall campaign objectives? You have to ask: Is this project going to help propel us where we want to go? So there has to be a reason why you’re entering.
But also, I have used award entries as a way to get our story straight. It’s a test bed, it forces you to answer those questions and get the basics. And that can be a good hook, even if you don’t win.
