Using LinkedIn Polls

for Great Marketing

© 2010 GrowMotor All Rights Reserved

PUTS A QUESTION TO LINKEDIN USERS

LinkedIn Polls is an application that

The Rules

1. 125-character limit for the question

2. Up to 5 different 40-character responses

3. Cannot select more than one answer

4. $1 per response; add an extra $.50–$1 per targeting option

GrowMotor

We recently repositioned our company and are always trying to find out more about our potential clients

Why LinkedIn Polls Makes Sense For Us

1. Decision makers for our services are active LinkedIn users

2. We want to speak directly to a larger pool of potential clients

3. We have a low budget and few resources

CHOOSE OUR POLL QUESTION

First we need to

Two Simple Goals:

1. Learn more about potential clients

2. Generate leads by alluding to the respondent’s real problems

First, We Started Big

We brainstormed questions about

• Overall marketing performance

• Leadership

• Process

• Product development

• Positioning

SERVICES WE PROVIDE RIGHT NOW

Then we refocused the questions on

One Final Criteria

The results of the poll must help us market our services and test our ideas about marketing

The Question We Chose

Are you going to write a marketing plan in 2011?

Already done! We write one every year.

Already done! This is our first time.

We plan to write one in December.

We might write one. We don’t know how.

What is a marketing plan?

Why It Works For Us

1. We have clear expertise in marketing plans, which is reflected in content on our website

2. We will learn how potential clients are using marketing plans, which will help us communicate how we can help them

3. Respondents might realize that their companies need help with marketing plans

Guidelines For Writing a LinkedIn Poll

1. Keep it simple and clear. Our question is straightforward and direct.

2. The shorter the better. Our question is only 40 characters long.

3. Use a casual, interesting tone. Our question sounds like something you would hear in casual conversation.

50% DISCOUNT PER RESPONSE

Woohoo! Graeme has a LinkedIn Premium account…

Choose Up to 2 Targeting Options

We selected:

• Job Function—Business Development, Creative, Marketing, Public Relations, and Sales

• Geography—US, UK, Australia, Canada, and South Africa

JUST ENOUGH RESEARCH

We selected 100 responses for $50. That is all we need for

ALL 100 RESPONSES WERE COLLECTED

20 hours after we posted the poll

Overall Results

Some Observations

1. Most people wait until the last minute to do their marketing plan

2. Many understand the importance of a marketing plan, but admitted they don’t know how to write one

Possible Potential Clients

Let’s find out more about the 16% that responded:

“We might write one. We don’t know how.”

Let’s call them oranges

By Company Size

Some Observations

1. Most oranges come from medium and small companies

2. Almost half of respondents from medium-sized companies are oranges

By Age

18-24 YEARS OLD

Oranges are young!

By Job Function

Oranges are in business development, sales, and creative

Putting It All Together

Oranges, or people who understand the importance of a marketing plan but don’t know how to do one, are either:

1. Young entrepreneurs

2. Young people in tactical marketing roles at medium-sized companies

SO WHAT?

REFINE OUR MESSAGE WHEN WE TALK TO AN ORANGE

Now we can

We Will Emphasize That...

• We teach you how to write an effective marketing plan and implement successfully

• We develop your first 2-year marketing planand calendar together

• Your marketing plan will read like an instruction manual, so anyone can use it

Other Discoveries

1. People who responded “We plan to write one in December” have a tendency to be older and in small businesses

2. People who responded “Already done! We write one every year” have a tendency to be middle aged and in large companies

3. People who responded “What is a marketing plan?” were all in the age range of 25-34

DID IT GENERATE LEADS?

What about our second goal?

BUT HERE’S WHAT WE LEARNED

Probably not…

Change Your LinkedIn Headline

Include your company name in your personal LinkedIn headline because it appears at the bottom of the poll

We should have changed Graeme’s title to Big Wheel @ GrowMotor before we published the poll

Marketing Performance Process™

1. Understand customers, problems, needs

2. Diagnose problems in current system

3. Articulate the story

4. Decide on the plan

5. Communicate the story to customers

6. Deliver the customer experience

7. Measure results & improve the plan

STEP 1: UNDERSTAND

LinkedIn Polls in the Marketing Performance Process™

LinkedIn Polls Can Help You

1. Make new discoveries about your target market

2. Confirm inclinations about your target market

3. Refine your message

4. Test product or service ideas

5. Discover new potential customers

PERSONAL CONVERSATIONS WITH POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS

Always confirm your findings from LinkedIn Polls in

Use LinkedIn Polls If

1. You’re in B2B or your customers are working professionals

2. You have a limited marketing budget and limited resources for market research

3. You need to learn more about your target market and get feedback from potential customers (Hint: We all do!)

If You Want More

• Growmotor.com

• Facebook.com/growmotor

• Twitter.com/growmotor

• Linkedin.com/company/growmotor