In recent years, social media has become an essential form of marketing. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram offer fast, direct ways to connect with customers—but with so many options, it can be hard to know where to focus your time.
LinkedIn often gets overlooked, but it shouldn’t. With over 1.2 billion members worldwide—236 million in the U.S. alone—it’s one of the most trusted platforms for business. If you’re not using LinkedIn to market your business, you’re missing out on a powerful opportunity.
This beginner’s guide to LinkedIn marketing walks you through the benefits, tools, and strategies to help your business grow on LinkedIn.
What Is LinkedIn Marketing?
LinkedIn marketing is all about using the platform’s features to promote your business, connect with professionals, and boost your brand visibility. While it’s especially strong for B2B marketing, LinkedIn can also be incredibly effective for small business owners in industries like HVAC, plumbing, and law.
With LinkedIn marketing, you can:
- Establish brand authority
- Share helpful, relevant content
- Drive traffic to your website or blog
- Attract high-quality leads
LinkedIn Marketing Tools
LinkedIn offers several ad and community-building tools to support your goals:
- Sponsored Content: Promote posts to reach more of your ideal audience.
- Lead Generation Forms: Collect qualified leads with pre-filled forms.
- Text Ads: Use small, targeted ads to reach professionals with high intent.
- Sponsored Messages: Send direct messages that feel more personal.
- LinkedIn Groups: Build a community around your business or industry.
Why LinkedIn Marketing Works
LinkedIn users come to the platform with purpose—they’re looking for solutions, partnerships, and opportunities. That makes LinkedIn a great place to market your services.
Unlike platforms driven by entertainment, LinkedIn attracts a professional audience that’s more open to business content. Four out of five LinkedIn members influence business decisions, and LinkedIn users have twice the buying power of the average web audience. Plus, 80% of B2B leads from social media come through LinkedIn.
With the right strategy, LinkedIn can help you:
- Build authority with valuable content
- Reach decision-makers in your industry
- Drive more traffic to your site
- Earn word-of-mouth referrals through your network
8 Tips for Successful LinkedIn Marketing
If you’re just getting started or looking to improve your efforts, here are eight actionable tips for using LinkedIn to grow your business:
1. Know the Difference Between Profiles and Pages
- Pages are for businesses. People can follow without approval.
- Profiles are for individuals and allow personal networking.
- Use both to extend your reach, and keep your branding consistent.
2. Build a Strong Public Profile
- Customize your LinkedIn URL to look professional and polished.
- Upload a branded background image to reflect your business.
- Use keywords in your headline and summary to improve visibility.
- Link to your website and other platforms to drive traffic.
3. Publish Valuable, Relevant Content
People visit LinkedIn to learn. Share blog posts, tips, updates, and commentary that address your audience’s needs. Strong content builds trust and positions you as an expert.
4. Maintain a Consistent Posting Schedule
Consistency matters. Use a content calendar and review engagement metrics to refine your timing and topics over time.
5. Join or Create LinkedIn Groups
Groups let you:
- Join relevant industry discussions
- Expand your network
- Establish your business as a thought leader
- Connect directly with potential customers
6. Use LinkedIn Analytics
Track what’s working and improve what’s not:
- Identify your top-performing posts
- Monitor follower growth and demographics
- Review click-through and referral traffic to your site
7. Boost Reach With Paid Ads
When your organic growth plateaus, LinkedIn Ads can help. You can target by job title, company, location, and more.
8. Engage Actively
Comment on posts, reply to messages, and engage with others’ content. Meaningful interaction builds relationships—and relationships drive results.
Advanced LinkedIn Marketing Tips
Once you’ve nailed the basics, take your strategy to the next level with these advanced ideas:
- Use hashtags and @mentions to increase reach
- Track who’s viewed your profile to spot potential leads
- Add a LinkedIn follow button to your site
- Encourage employees to complete their profiles to strengthen brand presence
- Avoid pushy sales tactics—focus on educating and helping
- Build your personal brand with consistent, authentic content
Get Help With LinkedIn Marketing
You don’t have to go it alone. Scorpion helps small and midsize businesses grow with expert support in content creation, social strategy, advertising, and SEO. Whether you’re just starting out or want to fine-tune your LinkedIn presence, we’re here to help.
Contact us today and let’s talk about how to make LinkedIn marketing work for your business.
