Howie Busch says, “What do you do when you need to get to a person or a company?It used to be that when you needed to get through to somebody you didn’t already know you had to pick up the phone and persuade that skeptical receptionist/gatekeeper. Remember the movie “Wall Street,” when Bud Fox called Gordon Gekko for 30 days straight, each time trying to charm Gekko’s secretary to put him through?Gatekeepers can be pretty tough (besides, when Bud Fox did get through the gatekeeper to Gekko, he lost everything and almost wound up in jail. But we digress).Cold calling... [...]

Larry Kim says, “Like a lot of marketers, I find LinkedIn Ads frustrating. The thing is, by making just a few needed improvements, both LinkedIn itself and advertisers could greatly benefit.For LinkedIn, advertising could be bringing in much more than a meager $181 million in revenues, as it did during the second quarter of 2016. Compare that to the advertising revenues of Google ($19 billion) and Facebook ($6 billion) during the same quarter.For advertisers, better LinkedIn ads would offer some pretty obvious benefits. It would give brands and businesses another platform to reach LinkedIn’s... [...]

Sahil Jain says, “Marketers advertising on LinkedIn have been longing for the ability to marry their website conversion goals, such as form fills, to their ad performance data in LinkedIn Campaign Manager.Today, LinkedIn’s Marketing Solutions team announced the official release of its native conversion tracking for Sponsored Content and Text Ads. The built-in conversion tracking measures how many leads, sign-ups, content downloads, and purchases are generated from specific campaigns and ad creative. B2B advertisers now have the ability to examine their conversion performance and adjust... [...]

Tim Peterson says, “This could be a really short article. LinkedIn is rolling out a way for advertisers to track when their ads lead people to do things on the brand’s site like buy a product or register an account, which is something that Facebook and Google and Twitter and Pinterest already offer.But LinkedIn is putting its own spin on a measurement tool that even Russ Glass, product boss at LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, called “table stakes.”LinkedIn’s conversion tracking won’t only tally how many people saw or clicked on an ad and eventually did something on the advertiser’s... [...]

Susan Gilbert says, “You’re personal brand’s website is an important tool where meaningful connections can be created. In order to establish yourself as an expert in your field you need great content and a strong social network like LinkedIn to share that with.How can your personal brand attract more leads and sales? It all starts with daily activity and meaningful engagement. LinkedIn is one of the top online networking tools that allows you to connect with influencers and potential customers.In today’s mobile economy it’s all about standing out with your target market, and nurturing... [...]

Iman Jalali says, “I value LinkedIn more than any other website. I would gladly give up access to Facebook, Twitter, or my vice, Reddit, before I would let go of LinkedIn. Whenever I mention this, people think I’m crazy. You might be thinking that right now. Well, it’s probably because you’re not taking advantage of everything that LinkedIn can do for you or your business. Time to level up.If you think of LinkedIn as a large database of resumes and nothing else, you’re so wrong. It’s a rich source of information and a social network. If you’re in sales, and you’re not using... [...]

Paige Southard says, “It’s sales 101 to use LinkedIn as a prospecting tool, but are you really squeezing every last drop of value out of it?Most salespeople use LinkedIn to research and connect, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg.The platform is valuable for research, but it’s also a relationship-builder, brand advocate, research tool, publishing platform, and marketing asset.If you don’t know how to utilize the power of LinkedIn in all of these areas, keep reading.1) To Build Their Personal BrandDoes your LinkedIn profile look like an online resumé? A list of your past... [...]

AJ Wilcox says, “We’re all well aware that the tides have shifted in SEO. Building links for the sake of building links is no longer the best strategy.We’ve all heard the gospel of great content being preached: “Just create great content, and the links will naturally come.” While this may be true for brands with existing followings, it’s often a very different story for most SMBs.The fact of the matter is that if a brand lacks social presence and followers, it may get more eyeballs on its great content by printing a copy, and stapling it to a tree.For that reason, you... [...]

Aaron Agius says, “While LinkedIn is traditionally used as a networking platform for professionals and job-seekers, it also offers plenty of opportunities to market and grow your business.By the first quarter of 2016, the B2B social platform boasted more than 430 million users.When you add LinkedIn to your marketing strategy, you can build targeted connections, generate higher-quality leads, reinforce relationships with prospects, and greatly improve your brand visibility.Here’s how marketing with LinkedIn can help you grow:1. Grow Your Presence With Targeted ContentUnlike other social... [...]

Emma Brudner says, “Social selling is part activity and part reputation. If you’re writing insightful comments on your prospects’ blogs, responding to their tweets, and liking their shared content, you’re got the activity bit down pat. But if your LinkedIn profile is three jobs behind and features a picture of you from prom, you can’t really call yourself a social seller.If you’d like to start a social selling initiative in earnest, you should begin by revamping your LinkedIn profile. Just as you’re researching potential buyers on LinkedIn to learn more... [...]