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!
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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?”
9
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
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!

22. 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
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

2
4
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

3
0
THREE
Top Sponsored
Updates of Q2 2015

31
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

32
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.
Top Updates- Q2 2015

33
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.
Top Updates- Q2 2015

34
Niche content finds a place on
LinkedIn with the use of an
effective targeting strategy.
The image adds context to the
post.
Top Updates- Q2 2015

35
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.
Top Updates- Q2 2015

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