If you’re just getting started with telecom social media marketing, you should seriously consider focusing your efforts on LinkedIn as a first step.
If you know you ‘should’ be on LinkedIn but aren’t sure why, check out these stats:
- Compared to the other social media platforms, 80% of B2B leads come from LinkedIn. (Oktopost/LinkedIn)
- Salespeople who regularly share quality content on LinkedIn are 45% more likely to exceed quota. (LinkedIn)
If those stats alone weren’t enough to convince you, we’ve put together 5 reasons to start with LinkedIn for telecom social media marketing. Using a company page and personal page in conjunction can help spread your message and add a personal touch to your marketing.
1. LinkedIn is for B2B.
LinkedIn was designed for companies to share information and ideas with each other. Other social networks were designed for individuals to share their personal life or news with each other. Some businesses can find their niche on other social networks, but LinkedIn is a natural environment for B2B and, especially, telecom social media marketing.
Generally, discussions on LinkedIn stay professional and do not stray into political or pop culture discussions. Unlike Twitter and Facebook where you have to compete with a huge quantity of content, LinkedIn’s content is much more business-focused.
On LinkedIn, we regularly see our clients connecting with potential leads, referring new business to each other, and engaging in discussions about technology with others in the industry.
2. The telecom industry is active on LinkedIn.
B2B companies often have a difficult time starting out on social media because it can be hard to find your target audience. We manage numerous clients’ LinkedIn accounts, and we’ve found the telecom and IT industries are relatively active on LinkedIn compared to other social media channels.
There’s a lot of real work that can be done on LinkedIn, including networking, sharing company and partnership updates, and discussing industry trends. The telecom industry seems to have embraced all of it.
It’s also a great place to build enthusiasm among partners and employees. Everything from event photos to educational blogs can be shared with partners and employees who have a chance to ‘like’ or add supportive comments.
3. It is easy to build your network.
Compared to other social networks, it is relatively easy to grow your network on LinkedIn. Instead of paying for ads on Facebook or aggressively searching for your target audience on Twitter, LinkedIn lets you use your personal profile as a means to connect with new people in the telecom industry.
CXOs or leaders at your company should regularly invite new people to connect from their personal LinkedIn accounts. LinkedIn recommends people with connections in common with you to invite to connect. The more connections in common you have, the more likely people are to connect.
In addition, CXOs should share any new company content that you create, from blogs, to whitepapers, to announcements, and photos from work events.
It’s easier to grow your audience via a personal LinkedIn profile than to grow the audience of a business page on LinkedIn or any other social network. Take advantage of this power and expand your company content to a broader audience.
4. Your marketing efforts can amplify sales efforts.
As mentioned above, LinkedIn has found that “salespeople who regularly share quality content on LinkedIn are 45% more likely to exceed quota.” Sending InMail or LinkedIn Messages to prospects are common sales practices, and having a company presence on LinkedIn will only help these efforts.
With CXOs leading the way, salespeople can share company content on LinkedIn. This makes the salesperson look like more of an expert, and can help them build their network. Your company content on LinkedIn is essentially a sales tool for your employees. Putting effort into developing your LinkedIn social media presence will directly benefit your sales team.
5. LinkedIn is continually adding new features for B2B marketing and sales.
The most recent feature that LinkedIn has added is video posts for company pages. Previously, only individuals could post video from personal pages. Now, companies have the ability as well. Videos make company pages more lively and interactive, and are an opportunity to stand out if done well.
LinkedIn also has a plethora of paid tools to use for marketing and sales, in addition to paid ad and email campaign options. Because most users on the network have a title listed, the ad targeting can get very specific. This narrow targeting is both a blessing and a curse — paid ads are very expensive compared to Facebook and Twitter, but the hyper-targeting may make the cost worth it to you.
Focus to see results
Making real progress with telecom social media marketing can be a daunting task, especially when just starting out. Focusing your efforts on LinkedIn as a first step can be a great way to get results on a limited budget.
Ideally you would have a presence across Facebook and Twitter as well, but that is a big ask when just starting out. Don’t try to do everything at once — focus your efforts on one platform if you are limited by time or budget.
If you need help determining your strategy, or support running your other social media platforms while you concentrate on LinkedIn, we’re here to help.
