How To Design A LinkedIn Marketing Plan

You hear the term “Marketing Plan” thrown around a lot but it’s sad how many businesses out there don’t know what it means to have one. A business cannot really get off the ground until it sells something, and that is what marketing is all about.

Frankly, marketing is one of the single most important places you can focus your attention in your business. Particularly, if you hope to create a successful business.

Marketing equals money, when it is done right, and most businesses don’t put nearly enough attention on their marketing planning process, or on their marketing. Now there are many different ways you can market your business:

– Radio
– TV
– Billboards
– Newspaper Advertising
– Direct mail

And the list goes on ……. Though, one of the most powerful ways you can market your business in today’s social and digital world is through LinkedIn.

Regardless of industry, location or size of the company every business owner is in the business of marketing. And when marketing your business, the sole purpose is to get your message in front of key decision makers.

With over 500 million members in over 40 countries and 49% of members being key decision makers, there’s never been a better time to start using LinkedIn to connect and build your sales funnel of targeted leads. But just like any other marketing strategy, before you start using LinkedIn as a marketing tool, you need to create a very clear and concise plan on what you’re looking to achieve by using the platform.

Not having a clear and actionable outcome is the main reason why 90% of businesses fail to effectively use LinkedIn to grow their business. Start by asking yourself the following questions:

1) What’s my outcome for using LinkedIn? (Is it to generate more leads, get in front of decision makers, expand internationally, etc.)
2) What are my marketing objectives over the next 3-6 months?

With this in mind, your next step is to look at the type of people you need to connect with in order to achieve those goals. Think about the following factors when identifying your target market:

– Industry? (Is it Accounting, Banking, Publishing or Retail)
– Profession? (Accountant, Consultant, Lawyer)
– Organizational role? (Manager, Director, Partner)
– Size of the company? (1-10, 11 to 50, 51-200)
– And finally location?  (Sydney, Melbourne, Chicago, Los Angeles)

Now that you know your outcome and understand whom you need to connect with in order to achieve your marketing objectives, it’s time to go out there and start connecting with those decision makers to build your sales funnel of targeted leads to whom you then market to. Remember, without effective marketing, potential customers will never become aware of the product or service your business is offering. And without customers, your business may soon meet its demise.

Financial success often depends on marketing ability. Finance, operations, accounting, and other functions of your business will not really matter if there is not sufficient demand for the products or services you offer so the company can make a profit.

When doing something like this for the first time it can obviously be a little daunting, wondering whether what you’ve done is correct or going to get the result you’re aiming for. To take the guess work out of it, you’re best off outsourcing it to people who have years of experience to ensure you maximise your efforts and also don’t burn opportunities. Remember your first impression can often be your last.