Social media recently delivered one heckuva scare when Facebook and its various subsidies (such as Instagram and WhatsApp) went dark for a good portion of a day. As Zuckerberg rallied his troops — sending platoons of tech gurus to data centers around the U.S. in an attempt to find and fix the problem — the world lost their collective minds.
“The Day That Facebook Died” is a huge indicator of exactly how popular social media has become and why you need to leverage it for marketing your small business. But it’s also another reminder that it makes sense to spread around the marketing wealth.
We’ve already talked about the pros and cons of social giants Facebook and Twitter, but we have one last platform to cover: LinkedIn.
Why LinkedIn?
With “only” 740 million members, LinkedIn doesn’t have the numbers Facebook and Twitter do. What it does have is credibility. It’s frequently referred to as the most trusted social media network, and was rated as such in last year’s Insider Intelligence U.S. Digital Trust Survey.
Also, the majority of LinkedIn users make more than $50,000 a year, and 45% make more than $75,000, meaning the buying power is there. And while the platform tends to be better suited for B2B companies, that doesn’t mean the B2C market isn’t there.
Here are some pros and cons to using LinkedIn as part of your marketing strategy.
LinkedIn Marketing Pros
Among the benefits of marketing on the professional social network:
- LinkedIn loves content. Every marketer knows that content is king, and the LinkedIn crowd loves good content. In fact, content impressions surpass job postings 15-to-1 – not bad for a platform that started as a recruiting site.
- Incredible targeting characteristics. With more than 200 options for targeting, you’re able to set your sights as broadly or as narrowly as you’d like. Want to find a 42-year-old woman living in Sioux Falls who has a master’s degree in engineering and loves to travel? A few simple steps and it’s done!
- It’s easy. Both Facebook and Twitter require some heavy lifting when it comes to setting up a campaign. LinkedIn has a much lower entrance barrier. You can launch your campaign in as short as five minutes.
- You’ll connect directly with business influencers. Four out of five people on LinkedIn are at least partially responsible for making decisions for their company. For B2B marketers, this means that you’re not wasting time walking yourself up the corporate ladder — you’re knocking on the door of someone with the authority to purchase your product or service immediately.
LinkedIn Marketing Cons
Despite all the pros, there are a few flies in LinkedIn’s ointment:
- There’s a minimum daily spend. If you want to market on LinkedIn, you’re going to have to open your wallet every day of the week, which can be hard for small businesses with smaller budgets. There is a lifetime budget option; however, if your campaign falls flat on day one, you’re stuck with paying for it anyway.
- The toolbox is a bit sparse. You won’t find a lot of tools or analytics on LinkedIn. There’s no media library, no bulk editing tools, and no custom reporting.
- You’ll need to establish your credibility. LinkedIn members are a bit more discerning than Facebook or Twitter. After all, it was created primarily to be a professional network. The audience is more educated, and you’ll have to put a lot more thought into the way you market to them.
The Bottom Line
For B2B marketers, LinkedIn is a great choice. For B2C marketers, success is possible, but you’ll have to work at it, and it’s probably best used in conjunction with other platforms rather than as a stand-alone.
At Mischa Communications, we speak social media. Whatever platform you choose, we’ll help get you up and running. Let’s schedule a chat!