Should Your B2B Social Media Strategy Include Publishing on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is already an important marketing partner for B2B social media programs. Earlier this year, LinkedIn opened up their Pulse news pages to the public and now everyone can publish their own content there alongside other influencers like Arianna Huffington, Bill Gates, and Tony Robbins. It’s the perfect platform to start publishing your own B2B content and developing your thought leadership.

One thing that will hold B2B companies back is that LinkedIn is currently tied to your personal account. The Pulse news page interface is accessed through your personal account, rather than the company one. For the most part that’s okay, however it presents a problem when you leave a company and start to write for future employers (or if you also publish personal interest articles on LinkedIn).

Aside from that, the next hurdle to overcome is figuring out how to build an audience through your content on LinkedIn. Luckily, since LinkedIn is perfect to use for B2B social media strategies, your job is halfway done. If you’ve decided to publish on LinkedIn as part of your strategy, here are three main ways you can begin.

1. Use a single spokesperson.

Ideal for the small- and medium- sized B2B companies, this approach uses an individual from the organization as the external face on LinkedIn. For example, the CEO or Founder of your company could start publishing content and be immediately associated with the company.

2. Use a team of spokespeople.

Much like the B2B social media teams that handle an organization’s Twitter account, you can use the same approach on LinkedIn. Each member can write on specific topics, slowly building the audience for your organization’s content. Implement an editorial calendar to ensure you’re writing on a wide range of topics and publication schedule.

3. Engaging your company’s following.

This approach works if you’ve already set up a Company Page on LinkedIn and have been encouraging a following on there. Adding in a steady stream of articles will increase your following. New writers/contributors benefit from the already-developed audience, and there’s no risk of losing the audience if your contributors leave.

Have you published anything on LinkedIn yet? What method have you been using for your B2B organization?

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