Basic Best Practices
for B2B Marketers

Social Media:
■ An engagement with online
communities to generate
exposure, and the opportunity
to position yourself, your
products and your services
to those already
invested in you
■ “Water Cooler of the 21st Century”

For Your Company’s Brand:
■ Professional presentation
■ Branding
■ Search engine optimization
■ Calls-to-action; today’s tools for
success when using social media
for B2B marketing.

For The Individual Brand:
■ Persistence, self-branding, professional
presentation, all things a marketing consultant
would have steered you toward two decades
ago, are necessary for success when
using social media for B2B marketing.

?
What is

Just the Facts
■ World’s largest professional social network at 70+ million
■ A new member joins LinkedIn approximately every second,
half are outside the U.S.
■ Executives from all Fortune 500 companies
are LinkedIn members.

Just the Facts
■ Over 1 million company pro les (less than 1% optimized)
■ To make this a performing part of your marketing mix –
you need be one of the 1%

Why
?

LinkedIn Users
■ Average Years of Experience – 15 years
■ Average Age – 41 years
■ 47% are “Decision Makers”

Consider This:
LinkedIn has an unparalleled
search engine ( elds)
■ You are a record in the database
■ The records are connected
■ The connections form
a network you can use

7LinkedIn B2B
Best Practices

7 LinkedIn B2B Best Practices
1: Branding
■ YOU are your Brand
■ Why you? (Expertise, Industry, Niche)?
■ What are your keywords?
■ Create your pro le in a Word document
Why? The clearer you are on your personal brand,
the better you represent yourself and your company,
the more business you will attract to both.

1 Develop Your Company’s Keywords:

1 Develop Your Personal Keywords:

7 LinkedIn B2B Best Practices
2: Optimize
■ Optimize your header
■ Optimize your title
■ Optimize your content
Why? Get found to get business

2 Optimizing Your Pro le to Get Found
Optimize your header and title

2 Optimizing Your Pro le to Get Found
Optimize your content

7 LinkedIn B2B Best Practices
3: Customize
■ Customize your website link
■ Customize your public pro le
Why? Attract more eyes with
customized content – increased
tra c to your online presence

3 Customizing Your Pro le for Higher Visibility
Customize your website link

3 Customizing Your Pro le for Higher Visibility
Customize your public pro le

7 LinkedIn B2B Best Practices
4: Recommendations
■ How do they know you?
■ Tell them what to say!
■ Recommend others
Why? Heavily ranked by LinkedIn
search, heavily weighted by viewers

4 Act on Recommendations – Inbound and Out
Tell them what to say!
Recommend others

7 LinkedIn B2B Best Practices
5: Network Building
■ Use advanced search to nd
strategic connections
■ Join groups
■ Respond to every invitation
■ Consider becoming a LION
Why? You’re only as visible as the size of your network

5 Your Only as Visible as Your Network
Use advanced search to
nd strategic connections

5 Your Only as Visible as Your Network
Join groups

5 Your Only as Visible as Your Network
Respond to every invitation

Quantity
vs.
Quality

Why a Big Network? (LION)
■ More prospects
■ More inbound calls
■ Best for sales, recruiting, marketing

Why a Smaller Network? (LamB)
■ Nice to “vouch” for and qualify your connections
■ Best for executives of large companies

7 LinkedIn B2B Best Practices
6: Apps

6 Know Your Apps – Put Them to Use
Why? Share Your Existing Marketing Assets

7 LinkedIn B2B Best Practices
7: Relationship Building
■ Join groups
■ Contribute to discussions
■ Ask and answer questions
Why? The more you follow and contribute
valuable information, the higher quality your
tribe: “Know me, Like me, Trust me, Buy from me.”

Groups: LinkedIn’s Answer to Being Social
■ LinkedIn’s blog
■ Post your good news
■ Repurpose your content
■ Build relationships
Why? Create relationships
and share your valuable content

An Answer a Day = Thought Leader
■ Repurpose old content
■ Mine for new content
■ Help someone out!
■ Increased inbound leads

Reach Out – and Reconnect
■ 3 new connections, read their pro le,
ask them about themselves
■ 3 old connections – get back in touch
(prepared document)
Why? Because synchronicity doesn’t
happen if you don’t pay attention

Daily LinkedIn Strategies: In 15 Minutes a Day
■ Inbox
■ Reach out
■ Answers
■ Groups
Why? Because who has an hour a day

“Old Fashioned” Etiquette
■ Be courteous
■ Be relevant!
■ Be responsive
■ Email!
■ Pick up the phone!
■ Help someone out!
Why? Because it’s still a SOCIAL network

“Good ideas need
good strategy to
realize their potential.”
– Reid Ho man, former LinkedIn CEO

?
Do you have
Questions

LinkedIn: 7 Best Practices for B2B Marketers
Martine Hunter Viveka von Rosen
Creative Director, Social Media Trainer & Speaker
Inbound Marketing Founder of Linked Into Business
MLT Creative
With 20+ years experience in Viveka von Rosen is a successful
marketing communication, entrepreneur, nationally renowned
Martine is a solution-driven IA Certi ed LinkedIn trainer and
creative type who focuses on expert, and a respected social
innovative idea generation and compelling content. She holds media speaker. Her extensive sales and marketing background
the Inbound Marketing Professional certi cation and serves includes a specialization in helping her clients use social media
the Atlanta chapter of the Business Marketing Association marketing techniques to strategically extend their networks
as a member of the board of directors. and increase their business exposure.
mhunter@mltcreative.com Viveka@LinkedIntoBusiness.com
www.linkedin.com/in/martinehunter www.linkedin.com/in/LinkedInExpert
www.mltcreative.com www.LinkedIntoBusiness.com