Tag: Content marketing

Uncategorised

Writing LinkedIn posts: 3 different styles of opening lines

Photo by Nik Shuliahin 💛💙 on Unsplash

The first two lines of your LinkedIn post are critical for stopping the scroll and drawing readers in.

If it’s boring and doesn’t grab attention or intrigue, people will scroll on by.

There are many ways to write an attention-grabbing opening line on a LinkedIn post. Here are three examples using this post I wrote about the dangers of relying too heavily on one social platform.

1. My original opening line

What would you do if you couldn’t post to one or more of your social media platforms?

It happened to me recently.

I started with a question that would (hopefully) give pause for thought and intrigue – ‘What would I do?’ ‘How does my strategy compare?’ etc.

Followed by the start of a personal anecdote to add to the intrigue and make it relatable.

2. Less direct/conversational

I could have gone for something that didn’t involve ‘you’, which I know makes some B2B content creators a bit itchy because it’s more conversational and direct:

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Uncategorised

Adding value to B2B business news updates on LinkedIn

Photo by Greg Bulla on Unsplash

LinkedIn recently changed its algorithm to shift the balance from ‘clickbait’ content to more meaningful posts.

This article gives a good explanation, but to boil it down, it seems the algorithm is looking for relevancy and meaning through knowledge and advice.

Now you should never write purely for the algorithm (that way, madness lies). But this change is a good reminder to ensure your content, whether on LinkedIn or elsewhere, offers value to your target audience.

If you use LinkedIn to post news and business updates, it’s an opportunity to enhance those stories to make them stand out.

Here are some value-add ideas using B2B built environment businesses as the reference point:

Leasing deal announcement

Content value-add ideas:

  • What does the deal say about current market conditions?
  • If it fits or bucks a particular occupier trend
  • Anything you learned working on the deal or any surprises

Development milestones (planning, topping out, completion etc)

Content value-add ideas:

  • Talk about what the particular milestone means
  • How does this development fit into the broader market/what does it represent
  • Any lessons learned from the process so far
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General

How to avoid B2B content creation overwhelm and be strategic

With so many different types of content and so many channels, how do you decide where to put your content marketing time and energy?

This was the topic of a LinkedIn live stream and webinar discussion comms pro Ayo Abbas and I had.

We covered a lot (and answered a lot of audience questions) but here’s are some edited highlights. There’s a link to the replay of the full discussion at the end.

How do you decide what type of content to create?

Ayo Abbas You’ve got to make sure that you move away from perfection. Sometimes getting it done and getting it done to a decent standard is better than nothing at all.

When it comes to what type of content I want to create, I think about what the story is I want to tell and what content works for the story.

Or what have I not done for a while? Sometimes people aren’t posting certain types of content, so maybe doing that makes you stand out from the crowd.

Me I think it’s important to focus on where your audience is. Is your audience watching 15-second videos on TikTok? Then that’s probably what [your content] should be.

But if they’re not, then maybe that isn’t the type of content you should create.

[Caveat] Don’t forget new audiences. It’s very easy to get stuck into doing one type of content, but is there a new audience you want to reach, and are they consuming different types of content rather than the type you’re creating?

AA I interviewed an architect from BVDs. And he talked about finding the channels that you really enjoy. He loves talking, as does his partner, so they do podcasts.

Is it OK to stick to one type of content?

Me Yes and no. Yes, because it’s better to do one thing and do it well rather than trying to do lots of different things and not do anything particularly well.

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General

B2B content marketing: Selling without the sell

Photo by Joe Yates on Unsplash

Do you read adverts? What about advertorials and promoted content? How about an article that helped you solve a problem or from which you learned something?

It is getting increasingly hard to sell to people. Ads are a turn-off, and content that whiffs of marketing can quickly lose the attention of a target audience and potentially damage the author’s credibility.

The problem with content marketing is it’s a long game. Building brand awareness, trust, and respect takes time and patience. It’s a subtle, slow-burn sell by positive association.

And that can be hard for those in the business used to ‘closing the deal’. Is it selling if it hasn’t got a direct sell or direct references to products and services?

The answer is yes, but measuring the results of content marketing can be tricky.

What good content market is

Good content marketing is at the top of the sales funnel. It’s about building a relationship and trust with potential clients, demonstrating your expertise and experience by offering something useful and valuable to them without seeking anything in return.

Put yourself in your potential client’s shoes for a moment:

💻 What can your content give them without you getting anything in return?

💻 Will they learn or discover something

💻 Will it make them think about something afresh?

💻 Will it change their mind on a familiar topic?

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Repurposing, Video

Video: Post-event content strategy – are you making the most?

Watch for examples of a post-event content strategy

I’m no stranger to events having been moderating panels and round tables for more than a decade (and doing event write-ups).

But there is one thing that organisers regularly miscalculate with their post-event content strategy:

How much content the discussion will generate.

Why is a write-up from a panel event or round table valuable?

💡 Bigger audience – content can extend your event’s reach beyond the people there.

💡 Longevity – your event lives on in your content beyond the ‘thanks for coming’.

💡Promotion – A good write-up can help build interest in your next event, maybe a bit of FOMO.

💡 Time-saving – It’s relatively easy content you don’t have to write from scratch.

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