09 Jul

L I N K E D I N C O N T E N T M A R K E T I N G TACTICAL PLAN 

A daily playbook for successful  

content marketing on LinkedIn

TACTICAL PLAN  CONTENTS 

Let’s Dive In 3 5 Opportunities for the Taking 4 Your Printable Tactical Plan 5 

“Fail to plan, plan to fail”: 4 Planning Basics 6 LinkedIn Company & Showcase Pages 7 LinkedIn SlideShare 9 Publishing on LinkedIn 11 

LinkedIn Sponsored Updates & Direct  

Sponsored Content 13 LinkedIn Groups 15 Ready to Drive More Revenue on LinkedIn? 17

LET’S DIVE IN 

It’s Monday at 9am. Your boss walks into your office and politely inquires about  your team’s LinkedIn strategy for the quarter. You freeze. Amongst all of the  content you are producing and distributing throughout all of your social channels,  you might have overlooked the most powerful platform for B2B and high  consideration B2C marketers: LinkedIn. 

Exemplary content creation falls flat without a solid distribution plan—we  know this. And, in the UK, 96%1 of B2B marketers are using LinkedIn as a  content marketing channel, with 61%1 saying they find it highly effective. But  while people are spending time on other social channels, they’re investing  time on LinkedIn. Furthermore, a whopping 80%2 of B2B leads come  from LinkedIn. 

In an effort to help you get your content in front of the 400+ million professionals  on LinkedIn, who represent the largest group of influential, affluent, educational  people anywhere (and to let your boss know that you’ve got this), I have created  a quick LinkedIn Content Marketing Tactical Plan for you to incorporate into your  integrated marketing approach. Find out what content to share, which products  suit your needs, and how much time you’ll spend daily or weekly to ensure your  brand stays in front of the people who matter most to your business.  

Keep in mind these findings have been compiled as a result of multiple tests  conducted by the LinkedIn Marketing Solutions team (including yours truly).  Get ready for an inside look into how LinkedIn marketing successfully distributes  content on LinkedIn.  

No matter what your goals are—brand awareness, thought leadership, or  lead generation this plan will set you down the right path all before lunchtime.  So grab another cup of coffee and let’s dive in, shall we? 

Alex Rynne 

Associate Content Marketing Manager,  

LinkedIn Marketing Solutions 

3 1B2B Content Marketing UK 2015 2Oktopost 

LINKEDIN CONTENT  MARKETING SUCCESS 5 OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE TAKING 

Each of the following 5 features play a pivotal role in how we’re meeting  your specific content marketing objectives on LinkedIn—from brand awareness,  relationship building to generating higher quality leads. Take a quick deep  dive into each and learn how we’ve invested in these to drive optimal results  for our business.

LinkedIn Company & Showcase Pages 

LinkedIn SlideShare  

Publishing on LinkedIn 

LinkedIn Sponsored Updates & Direct Sponsored Content  LinkedIn Groups  

4 

L I N K E D I N C O N T E N T M A R K E T I N G 

TACTICAL PLAN  

Here’s Your Printable Plan for Killing it with Content Marketing on LinkedIn

OPPORTUNITIES WHAT TO SHARE OBJECTIVES KEY METRICS ACTION ITEMS 

1HR.  

DAILY 

Linkedin Company  

& Showcase Pages 

• Whitepapers 
• eBooks 
• Case Studies 
• Industry Articles  
• Helpful How-To Content 
• Brand Awareness • Lead Generation • Thought Leadership • Event Registration 
• Page Followers • Post Clicks 
• Engagement • Inquiries & Leads • Event Registrants 
• Post 3-4x a Day 
• Engage With Followers Via  Post Comments 
• Change Cover Image Every  6 months 
  

30MIN.  DAILY 

1HR.  

WEEKLY 

30MIN.  DAILY 

LinkedIn SlideShare Publishing on LinkedIn 

• Company Videos   & Presentations  • Infographics  • Webcast Decks	• Lead Generation  • Brand Awareness  • Thought Leadership  • SEO	• Views  • Leads & Inquiries  • Linkbacks & Embeds
• Professional Expertise   & Experiences  • Industry Trends  • Lessons Learned	• Thought Leadership	• Post Views (& Demographics  of Your Readers)  • Post Likes, Comments   & Shares  • Profile Views
• Company News  • Blog Content  • Industry News & Research • Case Studies  • Webcast  • Eye-Catching Visuals   & Statistics	• Lead Generation  • Brand Awareness  • Thought Leadership	• Engagement Rate  • Impressions  • Inquiries or Leads  • Company or Showcase   Page Followers

 

• Upload New Content Weekly • Highlight Decks on Profile Page • Group Content into Playlists • Add Lead Forms 
• Publish Whenever You  Feel Passionate 
• Recommended: Bi-Weekly  or Once a Month 
• Run 2-4 Sponsored  

Updates/Week 

• Run For 3 Weeks, Then Test  & Iterate 
  

LinkedIn Sponsored Updates  & Direct Sponsored Content 

20MIN.  

DAILY 

LinkedIn Groups 

• Avoid Self-Promotion 
• Use as a Catalyst for Thought  Leadership & Community 
• Spark Conversations About  Industry Trends & Challenges  • Ask Questions to Crowdsource  Sentiment 
• Thought Leadership 
• Number of Group Members • Number of Discussions • Quality of Conversions • Number of Profile Views • Number of New Connections 
• Select Compelling Visuals • Share Links To Lead Forms  & Add URL Tracking Code 
• Create a Group for  

Your Company 

• Ask for Opinions &  

Provide Insights 

• Monitor Submissions Daily • Highlight Top Contributors • Promote Group on Social Media 
  

“FAIL TO PLAN, 

PLAN TO FAIL” 

Benjamin Franklin made a great point, which was reinforced  

by Content Marketing Institutes’s Joe Pulizzi, who recently  

revealed that marketers with a documented strategy are 4x  

more effective. And yet only 36% of marketers in the UK have  

a documented content marketing strategy. With those kind of  

numbers it’s no wonder that only 42% of marketers feel their  

content marketing strategy is effective.3 #MissedOpportunity 

LET’S START WITH 4 PLANNING BASICS TO SET YOU UP FOR CONTENT  MARKETING SUCCESS: 

1. Delegate. Ensure you have someone (or a group of people) dedicated and  held responsible for each of your channels. 
2. Follow brand guidelines. Maintain open lines of communication with your  brand team to ensure your content reflects a consistent look, voice and tone.  Consider creating content guidelines which your team and other regional and  vertical teams can follow. 
3. Look beyond your team to source content. Everyone loves a solid  cross-functional partner. Encourage a steady stream of content from all  regions and verticals. Also—going back to delegating above—assign  someone as the gatekeeper of content across channels. 
4. Build an editorial calendar. Based on your objectives, fill your calendar  with a variety of top, mid and lower funnel content to help you engage your  audience and achieve your goals. 

43% 

According to HubSpot, 43%  of marketers say that they have  sourced a customer from LinkedIn. — HubSpot State of Inbound 

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3B2B Content Marketing UK 2015 

LINKEDIN COMPANY  & SHOWCASE PAGES

Time Investment: 1 hour daily/4 hours weekly/10 hours monthly  

Deliver relevant content to your audiences through LinkedIn Company  and Showcase Pages.  

FIRST, WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?  

Company Pages are where you can catch the eye of prospective customers  and build relationships with existing customers by featuring relevant content.  Showcase Pages serve that same purpose for specific business lines, products  or initiatives within your company.  

OVERVIEW OF WHAT TO SHARE 

• Links to Your Latest & Greatest Whitepapers 
• eBooks 
• Case Studies 
• Industry Articles 
• Helpful How-To Content 
• Bright Visuals (Visual is the New Headline! 

Company Updates containing  

45% 7 

links can have up to 45% higher  follower engagement than  updates without links. 

LINKEDIN COMPANY  & SHOWCASE PAGES HOW TO MEET YOUR OBJECTIVES 

Brand Awareness Build relationships with  your prospects by getting your brand’s word  out and actively engaging with and replying to  followers’ comments.  

Key Metrics 

• Page Followers 
• Post Clicks  
• Engagement 
• Comments 

Lead Generation Prospects engage with 10  pieces of content before making a purchase  decision. Drive higher quality leads by featuring a  good mix of upper funnel and lower funnel content,  including whitepapers, eBooks and case studies.  

Key Metric 

• Inquiries & Leads (Ensure you’re including  tracking codes within links.) 

Thought Leadership 74%4 of prospects choose  the company that was first to help them along their  buyer’s journey. Share perspectives on industry news  and trends, helpful product how-to’s and articles  which reflect your company’s vision.  

Key Metrics 

• Page Followers 
• Post Clicks  
• Engagement 
• Comments  

Event Registration Promote upcoming webcasts and  

events your company is attending and/or sponsoring.  

Key Metric 

• Event Registrants Driven Directly from Your  

Company Page 

ACTION ITEMS 

☑ Post 3-4x a Day  

☑ Engage with & Respond to Followers’ Comments  

☑ Change Cover Image Every 6 Months 

For every self-serving post,  

you should share four pieces of  

relevant content written by others. 

Four types of updates to consider:  

Text, Link, Video, & Image. 

8 4SAVO, Techniques of Social Selling: Just Do It!  

LINKEDIN SLIDESHARE

Time Investment: 30 minutes daily/2 hours weekly/6 hours monthly  

With more than 70 million monthly unique visitors and on an average day, nearly  4 million people visit LinkedIn SlideShare (just on desktop!) with 13,000 new pieces  of content added, SlideShare is the world’s largest professional content-sharing  community. And that’s something you can’t afford to overlook. 

OVERVIEW OF WHAT TO SHARE 

• Company Videos  
• Webcast & Conference Recordings 
• Influencer Videos 
• Product How-To’s & Tips 
• Company Presentations 
• Webcast Decks 
• Infographics 
• Nicely Designed, Short & Informative Content 

Link your SlideShare presentation  

to your website to gain a quality  

inbound link. 

More than 15 million pieces of  

content uploaded to SlideShare 

9 

LINKEDIN SLIDESHARE HOW TO MEET YOUR OBJECTIVES 

Lead Generation: With the right tags, you  can easily attract the customers you are seeking.  Don’t forget to add a lead capture form to your  content in LinkedIn SlideShare. Users can subscribe  to your LinkedIn SlideShare Profile Page. These  are people who are interested in your content  who can easily convert to customers.  

Key Metrics 

• Inquiries & Leads 
• Demographics of your Readers & Followers 

SEO: Include keyword-rich titles, descriptions and  tags in order to give your presentations a fighting  chance in the world of search engines as well as  inside the LinkedIn SlideShare search result.  Key Metrics 

• Linkbacks  
• Keyword Rankings 

Leverage the C​lipping tool to  

highlight and share some of the  

most valuable content you’ve  

produced with your networks. 

10 

Brand Awareness & Thought Leadership: Build  authority by developing LinkedIn SlideShares that  present a unique point of view on industry news,  insights or your company culture.  

Key Metrics 

• Views  
• Actions (Downloads, Likes & Embeds) ACTION ITEMS 

☑ Upload New Content Weekly 

☑ Highlight Decks on Profile Page 

☑ Group Content into Playlists  

☑ Add Lead Forms 

PUBLISHING ON  

LINKEDIN

Time Investment: 1 hour weekly/3 hours monthly  

Today, LinkedIn has become known as the definitive professional publishing  platform around the world. In fact, more than 1 million people have published  more than 3 million posts on LinkedIn.  

OVERVIEW OF WHAT TO SHARE 

• Professional Expertise & Experiences  
• Industry Trends 
• Lessons Learned 

Our over 1 million unique publishers publish  

more than 130,000 posts a week on LinkedIn.  

About 45% of readers are in the upper ranks  

of their industries: managers, VPs, CEOs, etc.  

11 

PUBLISHING ON LINKEDIN 

HOW TO MEET YOUR OBJECTIVES 

Thought Leadership: Publishing long-form content  on LinkedIn is a great way to reach and build an  engaged audience and build your personal brand.  The more long-form posts you publish, the more  credibility you will build, and the stronger your  professional profile will become. Furthermore,  encouraging executives to publish content is a  great way to ensure your message reaches a  broader audience. 

Key Metrics 

• Post Views & Profile Views 
• Demographics of Your Readers (Industries,  Job Titles, Locations and Traffic Sources) • Likes, Comments & Shares 

ACTION ITEMS 

☑ Publish Whenever You Feel Passionate  ☑ Recommended: Bi-weekly or Once a Month 

Power Publisher Tip: Link images and keywords back  

to your company blog or eBooks for increased traffic  

and referral traffic back to your site. 

Writer’s block getting the best of you? Get the LinkedIn  

Pulse app for Android or iOS to stay on top of what content  is currently trending in your industry. 

For additional information and to  

connect with other publishers, join  

the Writing on LinkedIn Group.

12 

LINKEDIN SPONSORED  UPDATES & DIRECT  SPONSORED CONTENT 

Time Investment: 30 minutes daily/4 hours weekly/10 hours monthly  FIRST, WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?  

LinkedIn Sponsored Updates allows you to publish relevant content and  reach a targeted audience of professionals beyond just your LinkedIn  Company Page followers. 

Direct Sponsored Content is a type of Sponsored Update which allows  you to share content directly in the feed, giving you the ability to personalise  and test content without having to originate posts on your LinkedIn Company  Page. Make your content more relevant by sending personalised messages to  specific audiences. Then test and retest a variety of content in real-time to  optimise performance.  

OVERVIEW OF WHAT TO SHARE 

• Company News  
• Blog Content 
• Industry News & Research  
• Case Studies 
• Webcasts & Content Produced by Business  

Leaders (Both Within and Outside of Your Company)  

• Eye-catching Visuals & Statistics (800×400 pixel images are optimal) 13 

75%

of Sponsored Updates engagement  comes from mobile devices. Make  sure your website or landing page  design is responsive. 

LINKEDIN SPONSORED  UPDATES & DIRECT  SPONSORED CONTENT  HOW TO MEET YOUR OBJECTIVES

Brand Awareness: Shape perception amongst  your target audience to increase awareness of  your brand, products and services. 

Key Metrics 

• Engagement Rate 
• Impressions 
• Company or Showcase Page followers 

Thought Leadership: Build relationships with  the world’s professionals by creating value and  establishing trust that sparks ongoing conversations  and deeper customer relationships. 

Key Metrics 

• Engagement Rate 
• Impressions 
• Company or Showcase Page followers 14 

Lead Generation: Generate quality leads by sharing  insights that professionals seek. Watch that content  spread via the peer sharing that occurs naturally  on LinkedIn. You’ll also want to make sure you’re  sharing links to gated content or a landing page with  a lead form. 

Key Metrics 

• Inquiries or Marketing Qualified Leads  

Generated from the Update (Include a  

Tracking Code) 

ACTION ITEMS 

☑ Select a Compelling Visual  

(800×400 pixel image) 

☑ Run 2-4 Sponsored Updates a Week 

☑ Run for 3 Weeks, then Test & Iterate  

☑ Add URL Tracking Codes to Measure Post-Click  Actions like Site Visits or Conversions  

☑ Set up Campaigns by Audience  

☑ Shift Budget to the Audience with the Highest  Engagement Rate 

For optimal engagement, keep the text  accompanying your Sponsored Update  under 150 characters. 

LINKEDIN GROUPS

Time Investment: 20 minutes daily/2 hours weekly/4 hours monthly  

Companies often talk about ‘joining the conversation’ and ‘establishing  thought leadership.’ LinkedIn Groups are the perfect way to build an  engaged community on the world’s largest professional platform.  

OVERVIEW OF WHAT TO SHARE 

• Use as a Forum for Discussion (Avoid Self-Promotion) • Use as a Catalyst for Thought Leadership & Community • Spark Conversations About Industry Trends & Challenges • Ask Questions to Crowdsource Sentiment 

If you’re not putting much into  

LinkedIn Groups, then you can’t  

expect much in return. 

15 

LINKEDIN GROUPS

HOW TO MEET YOUR OBJECTIVES 

Thought Leadership: Weigh in on active  discussions and point fellow group members to  additional information of value, whether that’s  content published by your company or another  organisation. The key is to position yourself as a  trusted and helpful peer rather than as a marketer  focused on reeling in the next customer. You can  also build your personal connections with the  increased visibility that engaging in Groups provides. Key Metrics 

• Number of Group Members  
• Number of Discussions  
• Quality of Conversations 
• Number of Profile Views 
• Number of New Connections  

Looking for a great example of a  

ACTION ITEMS 

☑ Create a Group for Your Company & Assign  Ownership and Duties  

☑ Ask for Opinions & Provide Unique Insights  ☑ Keep Your Content Focused. Like Joe Pulizzi  once wrote “If your content marketing is for  everybody, it’s for nobody.”  

☑ Manage & Monitor Post Submissions Daily ☑ Highlight Top Contributors  

☑ Promote Your Group Across Social Media  Channels for Increased Membership 

☑ Join Other Relevant Industry Groups  ☑ Initiate & Participate in Group Discussions Daily 

LinkedIn Group? Check out HubSpot’s  

Inbound Marketers Group. 

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READY TO DRIVE MORE  REVENUE ON LINKEDIN?

So, there you have it. Feel free to adapt this plan to your business and present it  to your boss with pride. You’re on your way to delivering the right content to the  right people, which will help you build your brand, generate leads and ultimately  drive more revenue. 

FOR THE OVERACHIEVER IN YOU  

Additional resources to help you make the most of your content marketing  strategy on LinkedIn: 

15 Tips for Compelling Company Updated on LinkedIn Lead Generation on SlideShare: A How-to Guide 

Ultimate Playbook to Professional Publishing on LinkedIn 10 Ways to Drive Killer Results with LinkedIn Sponsored Updates The Sophisticated Marketer’s Guide to LinkedIn 

LinkedIn Marketing Solutions Platform Overview 

17 

Today, LinkedIn members number more than 400+ million  professionals. That’s over one-half of the 600 million  professionals on the planet, representing the largest group  anywhere of influential, affluent and educated people. 

For more information, visit emea.marketing.linkedin.com

L I N K E D I N C O N T E N T M A R K E T I N G 

TACTICAL PLAN  

Here’s Your Printable Plan for Killing it with Content Marketing on LinkedIn

OPPORTUNITIES WHAT TO SHARE OBJECTIVES KEY METRICS ACTION ITEMS 

1HR.  

DAILY 

Linkedin Company  

& Showcase Pages 

• Whitepapers 
• eBooks 
• Case Studies 
• Industry Articles  
• Helpful How-To Content 
• Brand Awareness • Lead Generation • Thought Leadership • Event Registration 
• Page Followers • Post Clicks 
• Engagement • Inquiries & Leads • Event Registrants 
• Post 3-4x a Day 
• Engage With Followers Via  Post Comments 
• Change Cover Image Every  6 months 
  

30MIN.  DAILY 

1HR.  

WEEKLY 

30MIN.  DAILY 

LinkedIn SlideShare Publishing on LinkedIn 

• Company Videos   & Presentations  • Infographics  • Webcast Decks	• Lead Generation  • Brand Awareness  • Thought Leadership  • SEO	• Views  • Leads & Inquiries  • Linkbacks & Embeds
• Professional Expertise   & Experiences  • Industry Trends  • Lessons Learned	• Thought Leadership	• Post Views (& Demographics  of Your Readers)  • Post Likes, Comments   & Shares  • Profile Views
• Company News  • Blog Content  • Industry News & Research • Case Studies  • Webcasts  • Eye-Catching Visuals   & Statistics	• Lead Generation  • Brand Awareness  • Thought Leadership	• Engagement Rate  • Impressions  • Inquiries or Leads  • Company or Showcase   Page Followers

 

• Upload New Content Weekly • Highlight Decks on Profile Page • Group Content into Playlists • Add Lead Forms 
• Publish Whenever You  Feel Passionate 
• Recommended: Bi-Weekly  or Once a Month 
• Run 2-4 Sponsored  

Updates/Week 

• Run For 3 Weeks, Then Test  & Iterate 
  

LinkedIn Sponsored Updates  & Direct Sponsored Content 

20MIN.  

DAILY 

LinkedIn Groups 

• Avoid Self-Promotion 
• Use as a Catalyst for Thought  Leadership & Community 
• Spark Conversations About  Industry Trends & Challenges  • Ask Questions to Crowdsource  Sentiment 
• Thought Leadership 
• Number of Group Members • Number of Discussions • Quality of Conversions • Number of Profile Views • Number of New Connections 
• Select Compelling Visuals • Share Links To Lead Forms  & Add URL Tracking Code 
• Create a Group for  

Your Company 

• Ask for Opinions &  

Provide Insights 

• Monitor Submissions Daily • Highlight Top Contributors • Promote Group on Social Media