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B2B advertising is boring. That’s what nearly half of business buyers told PR Web in a 2018 survey. And it seems to have gotten worse since then.
In 2023, The Power of Provocation discovered that a staggering 82% of business decision-makers considered B2B marketing monotonous and repetitive, while a mere 1% believed it demonstrated a meaningful understanding of the human experience. This signals a massive opportunity for B2B marketers to redefine their approach, and the ideal place to start is on social media.
While creative campaigns are often synonymous with platforms like Instagram and TikTok, LinkedIn has emerged as an unexpected yet powerful player, especially for B2B marketers. Recently, we tested the waters ourselves with our first LinkedIn creator campaign for Hootsuite’s Social Media Career Report, and the results were astounding: 1.2 million impressions, 20,000+ engagements and over 8,100 link clicks within the first few weeks.
Here’s what we learned.
Why LinkedIn?
LinkedIn boasts a user base of 875 million, with 48.5% of U.S. users engaging at least once a month. An impressive 40% of LinkedIn visitors organically engage with a page every week, and 50% of brands are perceived as “higher quality” after advertising on the platform.
It’s not just about the numbers; LinkedIn offers a unique community of creators spanning various industries, making it an ideal platform for B2B influencer marketing.
What works in B2C can shine in B2B
When we think about social media influencers and creators, our first thought doesn’t always go to LinkedIn. But perhaps it should.
Here are some core tenets that we’ve applied to our social marketing on LinkedIn and the results are showing us … it’s working.
Humans are humans.
LinkedIn’s users are diverse. Someone who buys makeup on TikTok at night could be a marketing director by day. Preferences don’t clock out at 9 am. What works in B2C can shine in B2B. At Hootsuite, simplicity is our gold mine, and influencer strategies are no exception.