live webinar: 10 ways to drive killer results for your clients with sponsored updates

Marketing Solutions

Phil Han (@mrBriskly) Associate Product Marketing Manager, LinkedIn

Ligia Ishida Sr Global Marketing Manager, LinkedIn

10 ways to drive killer ROI for your clients with Sponsored Updates

Questions? Send them via Webex Q&A Feature

Recorded? Of course!

Before we get started…

Shout outs? Tweet them via #LinkedInContent

Feedback? Survey will be available at the end of the Webinar

Today’s Agenda

ONE TWO THREE Content Management Best Practices

Campaign Set up Tips & Tricks

Top Sponsored Updates of 2015 (so far)

Content Through the Buyer’s Journey

4

Source: Zero Moment of Truth Study, Google

B2B Buyers are consuming an average of 10.4 pieces of content on their way

to a purchase decision.

6

Where are they finding it?

Marketing Solutions

Nearly half of B2B buyers start their solution research with a web search, and 72% of buyers will use Google at

some point in the research stage

Source: 2014 B2B Buyer Landscape, Demand Gen, Pardot

Asked for suggestions/

recommendations from users

Connected directly with potential

vendors

Connected with individual thought

leaders for opinions

Did not use social Browsed existing discussions

That same percentage of buyers using search will also use social media

“How do you take your Sponsored Updates from Great to Outstanding?”

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ONE Content Management Best Practices

Source: LinkedIn Internal Study May 2015

Provide a steady stream of content for your followers: best in class marketers post one to three updates per day on their Company or Showcase Pages.

TAILOR YOUR CONTENT ACCORDINGLY!

1. Followers and target audiences want different things

Source: LinkedIn Internal Study May 2015

•  Sponsor 2 to 4 updates at any time to maximize your reach. •  Proactively optimize or cycle out the updates that aren’t achieving your KPIs.

TAILOR YOUR CONTENT ACCORDINGLY!

1. Followers and target audiences want different things

You have 10+ opportunities"to publish Sponsored Updates"that effectively introduce your"

brand, build trust, provide helpful information, and ultimately inform

a purchase decision. Deliver"relevant content at every step"

of the buyer’s journey.

2

Infographics, blog posts, industry trends, influencer"content, “behind the scenes” and exclusive content

Best practice guides, case studies, product reviews,"analyst reports, webinars, blog posts

White papers, research briefs, product demos, trials,"product reviews and comparisons, analyst reports

Newsletters, recommendations, case studies, product"news, tutorials

Shape Perception Establish Trust

'ULYH�7UDI¿F for Nurturing

Nurture to Convince

and Convert

Earn New Leads

2. Pick content for the full marketing funnel BUILD TRUST FIRST, THEN ASK FOR CONTACT INFO!

2 2. Pick content for the full marketing funnel PRO TIP:!

Clear calls to action will maximize clicks and conversions to gated content. This CTA from Hortonworks for a whitepaper download couldn’t be more direct:

Make the most of a piece of gated content by repurposing it in a variety"of full funnel pieces such as blogs, infographics, webinars"

and SlideShare presentations.

3. Boost your content ROI through repurposing

4. Leverage the employee network to scale up reach EMPLOYEES ARE A VALUABLE SECRET WEAPON IN SCALING SPONSORED UPDATES!

Results: •  Engagement rates as high as 3.25%

on their content. •  Over 28,000 visits to ABN Amro

Insights site in one month.x

The Helpful Advisor The Conversationalist The Cliffhanger

Start by explaining how"your piece of content will"help your target achieve"professional success.

Make a bold statement or ask"a question to spark a conversation"

and get your audience to react.

Tell your audience just enough"to pique their interest but not so"much that they aren’t compelled"

to learn more.

5. Create content that’s helpful, informative and/or entertaining TRY WRITING FROM THESE PERSPECTIVES!

6. Optimize the content for mobile

For best mobile performance make sure: •  The intro copy is fewer than 150 characters or

eliminate it all together. •  The CTA is clear. •  The landing page is optimized for the small

screen.

7. Use images to drive engagement

•  Adhere to published specifications at adspecs.liassets.com to ensure your image has the proper resolution."

•  Use the image to expand on the content"or emphasize the CTA."

•  Make sure you choose an image that accurately reflects your content. Consistency between image and story conveys the topic before the member even reads a word.

LET THEM STAND OUT IN THE FEED!

8. Test and improve performance with Direct Sponsored Content

At any time, test 2 to 3 versions of the content to continuously improve performance. Think simple: Consider testing personalization or variation of the CTA.

Never miss an opportunity to reach your target audience—no matter where they are or how and when they choose to consume content.

9. Adopt an always on mindset… …AS PROFESSIONALS CATCH UP ON CONTENT AT HOME!

of decision makers use social media to research the solution purchase.

of B2B purchase decision makers said that winning FRQWHQW�KDG�D�VLJQL¿FDQW� impact on their decision.*

*The 2014 B2B Buyer Behavior Study, Demand Gen, January 29, 2014

9. Adopt an always on mindset… PRO TIP:!For content, think always on content strategy. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to impact your prospect’s buying decision.

10. Expand the reach to similar audiences USE AUDIENCE EXPANSION TO DISCOVER AUDIENCES SIMILAR TO YOUR TARGET!

Make your content last longer: •  Before retiring a campaign that’s

showing fatigue, consider enabling the Audience Expansion function.

•  These audiences haven’t seen your content, so it’s new to them.

Best Practices Cheat Sheet

1. Optimizing content

•  Always ask, “why would the audience read this?”

•  Use concise and compelling "intros and headlines

•  Ask compelling questions to involve the target audience

•  Include a clear call to action, regardless of the objective

•  Make sure landing pages are

optimized for mobile traffic

2. Managing updates

•  Plan an editorial calendar, but also react to timely events

•  Respond to comments regularly

•  Consider keeping updates running through the weekend

•  Test to see what works

with the audience and then refine

3. Optimizing visuals

•  Always include an image, presentation, or video

•  Ensure the image is relevant to your content

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TWO Campaign Setup Tips & Tricks

You have 4 levers to optimize your campaigns:

CONTENT

AUDIENCE BUDGET

BID

TARGETING

Relevance matters TEST YOUR CONTENT TO BOOST CTR AND LOWER CPC!

CONTENT

Pricing model options: CPM (cost per thousand impressions) CPC (cost per click)

In both cases, you only pay enough to beat the next highest bidder in the 2nd price auction

$

BID Bid only as much as you’re willing to pay

.

AUDIENCE

Shift your budget based on performance

Chisel, don’t piece-together Run-of-professionals (ROP) doesn’t mean “no targeting” it means “all targeting” Pay for your target audience at ROP rate! Let the robots work their magic While marketers are great at understanding “who” their audience is, optimization algorithms “know” who clicks and optimize accordingly

TARGETING Start broad, chisel down

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THREE Top Sponsored Updates of Q2 2015

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Stands out from the rest of the news feed by using a casual tone and incorporating a meme. Uses a short-form article format for easy engagement. Uses the intro copy to deliver an upbeat message as a hook.

Top Updates- Q2 2015

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Provides a lot of upfront value with the use of statistics in the intro copy and an infographic for visual engagement. These tactics are effective ways to tease out longer content like survey results or a research report.


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The post optimizes mobile engagement by eliminating the intro copy. Taps into a very broad desire to be more successful: the main reason professionals use LinkedIn. The message is appropriate to the platform.


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Niche content finds a place on LinkedIn with the use of an effective targeting strategy. The image adds context to the post.


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What makes it engaging? It keeps content social by using human stories and peer learning. The intro copy is concise and clear and adds to the image and title.
