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Integrating LinkedIn into your B2B website

Author's avatar By Chris Soames 14 Apr, 2012
Essential Essential topic

The 4 most important tools for LinkedIn & your business

LinkedIn is the most important social networks for B2B marketers who are taking online marketing seriously, particularly in the UK and US. LinkedIn now has an array of tools to help bridge the gap between the network and your own website, they're getting better and better and I wanted to share them with you.

Oatmeal Graphic

With  5.5 Million users in the UK alone (growing daily) there is an opportunity for all B2B businesses on LinkedIn.

As part of integrating LinkedIn on your website you need to also consider how you connect and interact on LinkedIn. You should checkout a recent post on Oatmeal that made us all chuckle, it highlights how so many companies take a very lame approach to Facebook, the same principal applies to LinkedIn. You have to remember LinkedIn isn't a silver bullet for online B2B marketing but it is a powerful tool, it takes time, investment and real purpose but the rewards are there...

1. Your remarkable content needs to be shareable

LinkedIn Share IconPossibly the most simple of the integrations is the share button. However, the share button assumes you are creating content worth sharing! As a B2B business you have to ensure that your business is publishing quality content that helps position you as a thought leader. Content will spark discussion, if good enough it will get shared and ultimately will bring new prospects to your website! It seems so obvious to have a simple share button, but you would be surprised how many have yet to implement.

2. Up-to-date LinkedIn team details

Utilising your LinkedIn business profile (and those of your team) within your website is a great way to keep your "about the team" section of your website alive. These two simple plugins allow profiles to be pulled from LinkedIn onto any page of your website. This means you keep one profile up-to-date and not multiple. It allows people to see current employees and of course their recommendations.

LinkedIn Company Insider

3. Develop credibility with reviews

B2B business are more likely pretty good at promoting themselves, especially to peers etc, but what about letting your customers say that you are great, that would be even better, right? LinkedIn can do this, and having a 3rd party handle recommendations gives an increased level of credibility. The recommendations plugin from LinkedIn will help you achieve just that. People can view or write reviews about your products or services through this neat little app.

LinkedIn Recomemndtions

4. Allow followers to keep up to date on company updates

Follow Company ButtonLead & you shall be followed. As simple as the share button, if people like the cut of your jib you need to ensure it is easy to follow your company. By selecting to follow you, users will receive notifications on their profile when you add company content, products, services or text updates. If you are publishing great content all the time then you will constantly be front of mind for your followers.

Author's avatar

By Chris Soames

Chris Soames is a Smart Insights blogger and consultant, he has worked in digital marketing for over 6 years with the last few years managing international web strategies for a leading travel brand. Now the Commercial Director at First 10, an Integrated marketing agency, he helps clients get clarity on their marketing strategy and create campaigns engineered to engage with their consumers to help drive sell-through. Most of all, Chris enjoys working with talented people who want to create great (& commercial) things not just tick boxes.

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