If you're wondering where you can get your articles published, so that it reaches a broader audience, we have great news for you: LinkedIn allows you to create and publish articles natively on their platform. Not only can you leverage the wide user base that LinkedIn has, but you can also use their analytics to see how your posts perform.
Like Facebook did with Instant articles, LinkedIn has switched from being a solely networking-based platform, focused on professionals, to a content-based platform that allows its user to educate themselves while spending time on their platform. That's also what both LinkedIn and Facebook (amongst other platforms) desire – to keep you, me and other users on their platform for as long as they can.
Does this feature represent the potential for you to share your knowledge among other people? You bet it does - if “done well”. Let's jump right into how you can publish articles natively on LinkedIn like a pro.
To get started, click the “Write an article” button. Can’t find it? It's right there, have a look:
Isn't this one of the features that has been in front of your eyes the whole time, but remained undiscovered?
Once you hit the button, magic happens. You are redirected to an interface where you can create your native LinkedIn article. Having said that, you can now configure the content: add a headline, background image, write the article, add engaging or educating infographics or other visuals and finally, publish!
We won't leave you without any tips and tricks to get started (just keep reading), but we recommend you play around with this feature to get a better idea of what all you can do.
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LinkedIn vs. website blog post
You probably run your personal or business website and are wondering what is so different between publishing an article on your website and your LinkedIn page, right? That's a great question to ask and tough to answer. The core point, of course, is whether your target audience uses LinkedIn and is used to consuming content natively there. If so, give LinkedIn articles a go! If not, dig deeper…
Is your website too complex or hard to manage to publish articles there? LinkedIn definitely offers you an easier way of getting your content out to the world. On the other hand, the simpler way can limit you if you're looking for some advanced features.
Most importantly, if you are looking to build your website discoverability on search engines (SEO), it is important to create valuable content directly on your website, as it helps you increase the domain authority and leads your readers (and possibly potential customers) directly to you. In that case, republishing your content on LinkedIn can help you leverage this professional-focused platform while building the authority of your own website.
But don't forget, LinkedIn prefers its own content over yours –any content that leads users away from LinkedIn may not be liked by the algorithms that either help your post get discovered by your audience or make it fade away.
How to effectively write articles on LinkedIn
Now that you know how to get started, let's go through some tips & tricks. Noah Kagan has published great stats from 3,000 blog posts and has highlighted some of the key outcomes:
- Write headlines between 40 and 49 characters long
- Make your articles look visually appealing - add images
- Use “How to” and List-Style headlines
- Add subheadings for better readability
- Write robust articles with around 2,000 words
- Share your article on other platforms, increase engagement and, therefore, reach
These are some of the guidelines that you can follow, but to figure out how to nail it will be your job. One thing will work for my audience, while another thing will work for yours. Try and learn.
Optimize the article for mobile
What is, nonetheless, very important, is to optimize your article for mobile. Almost 60% of LinkedIn users visit this platform using their Smartphones. Your articles should, therefore, be separated into subsections (using subheadings), because otherwise your article will be difficult to read. Judge for yourself. Which one of these articles is easier to read?
There is a percentage of users that do not read the whole article, but instead, scan through and catch the most important (outlined) points. Make it easy for them. Add bullet points and lists so that people can easily recognize what's more important and what requires their attention.
Add visuals to increase user experience
Besides that, some people remember information better when it's visualised. In fact, the human brain is able to process images 60,000 times faster than text. Taking this into consideration, you really should include graphics in your article. Numbers, stats and key information can be represented in an infographic which increases the user experience rapidly.
Set up your profile properly
We've covered some of the tips to write great articles on LinkedIn, but what we shall not forget is your profile itself! You'd be the author of the article and you'd be listed both on the top and the bottom of the article. It is important, when someone clicks through to your profile, to have everything properly set up – profile picture, work experience, skills and endorsements, other articles that you've written (yes, it's not about posting one piece of content and then taking a break) and, of course, the number and quality of your connections. This all will play an important role when you're trying to build your personal image or the image of your business or product. Again, see for yourself:
Stay responsive to comments, likes and shares
Last but not least, stay responsive. There is nothing worse than putting so much energy into creating engagement with your audience and then ignoring their comments, likes or shares. If you write a quality piece of content and spread it effectively around, you will for sure be awarded by high engagement. Make sure to be responsive… What I mean by that is answering comments, creating dialogues, following up with users that shared or liked your article and inviting them to connect, so that next time when you create another great article, they see it right on their feed.
How to spread your content to the world
Done. You've written the article and are ready to hit the “Publish” button. Your profile is optimised and you are ready to lead dialogues with your audience. You are all set up!
Now make sure to leverage all your channels to get your posts in front of as many eyes as possible.
Copy the link of your article and create an engaging Tweet or Facebook post so that your audience discovers your content.
Use platforms like Quora or Reddit where people actively search for answers and solutions to their questions or problems.
Create an email campaign targeting your list that has opted in and is interested in your content. Leverage paid media to reach even more people.
When creating a LinkedIn post, make sure to use hashtags to increase the reach. Besides that, tag people or a company (using @) if you mention them in your post.
Find the best times to post. According to OkDork, Thursdays are the best days to get your articles published (just to give you an idea).
When it comes to data, LinkedIn gives you a reporting tool to see how your posts perform. Visit your article and see the “View stats” section:
What are the stats that relate to your article?
- Number of comments, likes, shares and article views
- Job titles of users who read your article
- Locality that performs best
- Sources that brought readers to your article
Make sure to analyze your posts and build on the things that work for you! Only this way can you increase your reach, engagement and impact on your personal brand or business.
We've gone through a comprehensive guide to write LinkedIn articles natively like a real pro. Now it's your turn! After you hit the first “Publish” button and get your article in front of your audience, let us know how you did! 👋
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5 Tips for Good Community Management
A strong community becomes a place where customers interact not only with the brand, but also with each other. This is a great source of positive and authentic reviews and it is also an opportunity to build a relationship with your audience. The best brands have killer community management strategies and this article explains the top 5 tips to help you better manage your community across all channels.
- Plan, plan, please, plan
People plan their meetings, their gym sessions, their tasks in general, why not just plan the content, then? Planning weeks or even months in advance gives you the ability to readjust your posts if needed. Set up your content calendar and approval flows. If you are doing the content alone, make sure there are no errors. Stay consistent and relevant. Planning your content ahead will help you to see the overall impression. Try it! It’s satisfying.
2. Represent your brand identity
Are you a real estate agent, owner of a flower shop or a barber? Representing your brand or business does not mean you should be boring. Be entertaining, so your audience feels good as part of your e-company. Give them valuable information, call them to action so they engage with you. Be consistent and you will become memorable. If it is not in your brand identity to behave cheeky, as for example, Netflix does, find another way to communicate in a friendly and engaging way. :)
3. Track important metrics
As mentioned above, the realtor, the barber and the flower shop owner have something in common — they should not be boring. But they can have different social media goals. The realtor might be looking for new leads, because they don’t want to be dependent on one channel like e. g. Zillow. The barber needs more customers and the florist needs to be in the minds of all the guys who live near the shop, so once their special lady has a birthday, they know where to buy the best flowers! It can be difficult to determine how your efforts have contributed to sales and leads directly. Instead, it’s better to determine how you define your own success, depending on your goals.
Think about these points below:
Traffic: Is your community on your website? Do you see growth over time? Where is the traffic coming from?
Engagement: How many people are coming to your page versus those actually engaging? Which topics are they engaging in most often? This may determine your future questions, content and discussion starters.
Members or customers: How many new members do you get every week and how many do you lose? Is this consistent? If there was a drop or growth, find what caused it!
4. Use the data you collected
Analyse your posts, interactions and the feedback you get from your audience. Then OPTIMISE! You are the one who knows the data and your customers best. The value of data cannot be understated — you’ll end up with happier, more loyal customers, as well as more easily converted leads. Use the advantage!
5. UGC!
People trust other users experience more than the companies themselves. Did you know that reviewed a product’s chances to be sold are 80% higher than one without any review? Positively reviewed, obviously. Social media is all about interaction, sometimes the best content will come from your audience.
This is User-Generated Content, or UGC. It is amazing because it is authentic, and reflects what your customers think about your brand and… it’s free. It will show your customers’ experiences, and it drives the conversation forward in ways that you won’t be able to do by yourself. It is the gate to engage with people and get closer to them, making your brand feel more personal and approachable. UGC can be anything e.g. posts or tweets mentioning your brand or reviews.
Two examples of UGC campaigns:
- Calvin Klein asked its fans to fill in the campaign line “I_____in #MyCalvins.” Thousands of their followers took photos and posted their briefs, making the campaign go viral. In just a few months, over 500,000 photos were tagged on Instagram. Brand awareness: overloaded. Very clever :)
- TVNZ teamed up with World Vision to increase awareness around the 40 Hour Famine challenge and show support, while raising funds for the people of South Sudan, who were affected by extreme drought. Using the hashtag #40hfnz and sharing photos (with their hands outstretched) on social media, participants voiced solidarity. A nice project, isn’t it?
Remember: Everybody wants the response. And everybody wants the answers quickly or even instantly. Do care about your response rate and response time. It might seem that people take it for granted, but it really makes the user experience unique and enjoyable.
How to Find and Engage Your Target Audience on Instagram?
If you are reading this then you have probably heard of Instagram. It is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. With over 1 billion monthly active users and more than 500 million daily users.Nowadays more and more businesses are using Instagram as a key marketing tool when it comes to online marketing.
But it is important to do your research and learn the ins and outs about marketing on Instagram. So you can enjoy all the benefits it has to offer and create the best possible marketing strategy to ensure great results.
Your main objective is to find your target audience and engage with them in the best way possible. This is achievable by using a number of key tactics and data which are all available to you via Instagram. Studying this information will help you come up with the best marketing strategy for your business. Which will help you reach your targeted audience to ensure you are offering your product or services to the right people.
Sound interesting. Here are the key methods to finding and engaging with your targeted audience on Instagram.
Show Others How Much Your Customers Love You (Leverage User Generated Content)
If you run a social media profile, you've probably thought of what to put on your content calendar. You want to create and publish something that truly brings value to your audience and resonates within them, right? User generated content can help you not just fill your content calendar, but truly bring something that gives a new perspective to your business.
User generated content, as the name suggests, is content that is voluntarily created by your best customers – brand advocates – and shared so that their audience can see it. It is basically the best thing your customers can do for you – refer their friends to you/ share your product(s) or speak about your service(s)!
Imagine you are an owner of a gym that is visited by dozens of customers daily. What if some of them posted a photo to their social profile, exercising in your gym and saying something nice about your place. Wouldn't that be great? Could that bring you new customers? Absolutely.
79% of users say user generated content has a high impact on their purchasing behaviour. That simply underlines what we've stated earlier.
In 2014, Starbucks came up with a White Cup Contest which, guess what, is focused on user generated content… You can read more about the contest here. The only thing we will say is that they collected over 4,000 pieces of content! That just goes to show the true power of brand advocates. Your business can do that too – probably on a smaller scale, but you can. Remember that every one of your best customers can bring you another one. Your brand advocates grow as your business grows…
User-generated content brings in authenticity
If you say your product is the best, some people might believe you straightaway. But isn't that statement much stronger when made by someone who is already a loyal customer and has no other interest in regards to promoting your brand? User generated content brings true authenticity into your content and, thus, gives others another perspective of your business.
Social proof
People love seeing the product they aim to buy has great reviews! It gives them proof that their purchase won't be a mistake. Social proof – proof by someone other than the business itself – is a strong weapon and we encourage you to use it in your content calendar. Look at Amazon. Their products have thousands of reviews, which makes it far more valuable and far more worth it to buy for new customers.
Let us look at some other examples of great user generated content shared mainly on Instagram:
Get your audience on board. Talk to your best customers and motivate them to create a good product review, unboxing video or simply a happy picture while using your product or being at your cosy place (café, gym, etc…). Those who love your product will happily help you get it in front of other customers, trust me.
Micro Influencers
The use of influencers is a trend that has been here for some period of time. Brands work with people who gather an audience that fits their plan. Simple as that. They often collaborate with celebrities who are followed and trusted by millions of people, experts in a given industry, or gamers that record their gaming sessions. If you can find someone who has your target audience, team up!
The fact is that you don't have to work with widely known influencers, pop stars or famous athletes. Find so-called micro influencers who help you reach a smaller audience, but with higher precision. The cooperation won't cost you a fortune and results will follow, as well!
Micro influencers, in most cases, generate higher engagement with their audience and are more passionate about increasing their audience. If you start cooperating with them at the beginning of their journey, your business relationship can grow into something that constantly helps you achieve your business goals and to build a wider (and more relevant) audience.
The best collaborations, nonetheless, are the ones that are natural and not “too obvious”. Give some micro influencers in your surroundings your product, let them play with it and tell you whether they like it or not. Those who do are your best fit. They will happily (and naturally) promote your product within their audience.
In this post we've stressed the strength of your customer base and your audience – motivate them to tell the world about your stuff and let them bring you new business. Find new alliances with micro influencers, let them fall in love with your product and enjoy the fruits of your (hard) work!
How to Define The Optimal Budget for Your Marketing Campaign
All small businesses need a good marketing plan to help it reach its targets and aspirations. With every marketing plan comes a marketing budget. You can say they go hand in hand. Creating the optimal marketing budget will ensure you spend the right amount of money in the right places to achieve your marketing goals. Creating a marketing budget used to involve a lot of trial and error which can lead to unnecessary expenses and ineffectiveness. But nowadays with everything becoming easier thanks to the amount of information available on the internet, so is creating the optimal marketing budget, everyone can do it.
Small business owners are finding new ways and techniques to plan out their strategies and design successful marketing budgets. It all comes down to how much are you willing to spend to acquire new customers and increase your brand awareness.
Best Social Media Scheduling Tools You Want to Use in 2020
Being active on social networks pays off in the long run. Customers expect you to be active. It is a sign that your business is performing well so they can rely on your services and products.
If you think about accurate presence in digital space, it often counts number of social media profiles. I think you would agree that communicating and publishing content on social media can be a bit time consuming…or a lot.
This activity is very important, but can be done automatically. The right tools will help you publish posts in just a few clicks. Moreover, at the right time, because within each social network there are different and more effective times in which to contribute to different target groups.
There are hundreds of tools available on the market that offer different features in different price ranges. This article is a selection of several proven applications to help you.
Buffer
A well-known and easy to use tool for scheduling your social media posts. This should be your starting point for these kinds of apps. Buffer allows you to connect all major accounts and it’s manageable from your smartphone.
Free plan: 3 social accounts, 10 scheduled posts, 1 user.
Pricing: from $15/ month
Kontentino
When it comes to scheduling posts and getting permission to publish, Kontentino is the tool you need.
Free plan: NO
Pricing: from $54/month
Hootsuite
An all-in one marketing platform. It offers auto-scheduling so Hootsuite automatically picks the right time to post. It even supports the import of hundreds of social media posts at once, in CSV format. With an easy-to-use mobile app, you can manage your content and scheduling on the go.
Free plan: 3 social accounts, 30 scheduled posts, 1 user
Pricing: from $19/month
Planoly
If you are focused on Instagram, Planoly should be in your choice. This mobile app will allow you to visually plan your feed, schedule posts and even add stories. You can reply to your comments directly from Planoly and analyze all data.
CoSchedule — Editorial Calendar
With CoSchedule you can organize your blog and social media content in one place. Editorial calendar in CoSchedule has a great UI, where you can plan posts by drag and drop.
Sked Social
The former Schedugram is now Sked and is a tool for scheduling and automated adding Instagram Stories. In addition to scheduling Stories, Sked also offers Visual Planning, so you can view the wall and see what it looks like without having to add individual posts.
Free plan: NO
Pricing: from $25/month
Postify
The biggest advantage of Postify is that it is free. Only when you need to connect 15 accounts or more do you have to pay $9.99 per month. Although, Postify is not the most visually app-friendly application, it does its job and this makes it a very good tool.
Free plan: Yes
Pricing: from $9.99/month
Later
Probably the best Instagram automation tool. It also offers the ability to publish to other platforms, but focuses on Instagram the most. It offers a mobile app that captures all setup and publishing.
Free plan: 1 account per platform, 30 scheduled posts, 1 user.
Pricing: from $9/month
Scheduling for Facebook
Even Facebook itself offers a feature to schedule your posts. Just create a post in Publishing Tools, select Schedule and pick a date. It is that easy. There's only a small problem, because it doesn't allow you to publish a post into multiple social media profiles. But still, scheduling multiple posts, as opposed to one per day, can still be an excellent time-saver.
Free plan: unlimited
TweetDeck
If you are focused on Twitter, TweetDeck could help you with scheduling your posts. It is an app directly from Twitter. It has some basic features, but it is easy to use.
Free plan: unlimited
7 Key Instagram Stats & Demographics
There are more than 7 billion people on earth. And 1 billion of those people are on Instagram. That means every 7th person uses this visual-based social media network. Launched in 2010, and eventually bought in 2012 by Facebook (with more than 30 million users back then), Instagram offers a huge opportunity to connect with your current and potential customers, as well as, your followers and fans. The growth has been tremendous, which makes Instagram one of the most well-known and most widely-used social media platforms of all.
You already know that you can leverage any platform if you have a clear understanding of the audience you can reach there – and whether or not it aligns with your target audience… To find this out, let's jump into the key stats about Instagram and its users!
