7 Steps to effective LinkedIn marketing strategies

Tired of shouting into the void on LinkedIn? You’re not alone.

Many B2B brands show up, post regularly, and still see little traction. Why? Because LinkedIn isn’t about broadcasting, it’s about building real relationships with the right people. In this blog, I’ll help you cut through the noise with a strategy that’s built for connection, not just clicks.

The power of LinkedIn in numbers

Before we dive into strategy, let’s ground ourselves in the facts. LinkedIn isn’t just useful for B2B marketers, it’s essential.

• 96% of B2B marketers in the UK use LinkedIn as a content marketing channel.
• 61% of those marketers say it’s the most effective platform.
• 74% of buyers choose the vendor that first provided value on their journey.
• SlideShare, LinkedIn’s content-sharing hub, sees 70M monthly visitors, with 13,000 new pieces of content added daily.
• 1 million LinkedIn publishers produce 130,000 posts each week. Nearly half of their readers are high-level decision-makers like VPs, CEOs, and Directors.

People aren’t just scrolling LinkedIn, they’re investing time, engaging with intent, and making business decisions.

(*) Data source: Linkedin Content Marketing Tactical Plan

Why LinkedIn is the B2B growth engine

LinkedIn offers what no other platform can: a direct line to decision-makers while they’re in a professional mindset.

• You can target by job title, company size, industry, or seniority;
• It supports long-term relationship building, not just transactional marketing;
• You gain access to professional communities eager to engage with thought leadership;
• It aligns seamlessly with account-based marketing and sales outreach.

The bottom line? If your audience is on LinkedIn and you’re not showing up consistently, you’re leaving deals on the table.

Cracking the LinkedIn algorithm

LinkedIn doesn’t show content randomly. Every post must pass through a smart filtering system designed to prioritize relevance, quality, and engagement.

How it works

1. Quality check – Is your post spammy or high-value? If it passes this first filter, you’re in the game.
2. Engagement testing – LinkedIn shows it to a small audience and watches closely. Do people engage?
3. Member relevance – It looks at your connections’ behavior, interests, hashtags, and past interactions.
4. Content relevance – Language, topic, format, tags, everything is factored in to determine who sees your post.

Viral content detection pipeline

The journey of content detection on the platform is illustrated in the diagram above. Once a piece of content appears, existing machine learning classifiers quickly assess initial features, such as author and content attributes. If the content is flagged as spam or violates platform policies, it is either removed automatically or sent for human review. For content that remains live, we continuously monitor engagement patterns, timing signals, and spam indicators to detect potential viral spam throughout its lifecycle.

What the algorithm loves

• Conversations, not broadcasts;
• Thoughtful comments over likes;
• A mix of formats: text, video, carousels, polls;
• Posts that spark meaningful responses.

Want to stand out? Focus on delivering value, not vanity metrics.

How to build a winning LinkedIn marketing strategy

Crafting a strategy for LinkedIn isn’t about checking off boxes, it’s about building meaningful, professional connections at scale. Here’s how to do it with intention:

1. Optimize your company page

Think of your LinkedIn page as your digital storefront. Make it welcoming, relevant, and easy to understand.

• Add a strong, keyword-optimized headline;
• Use your banner to tell a visual story (e.g., customer logos, product value, or team culture);
• Fill in the About section with clear messaging on who you help and how;
• Include a consistent posting cadence to showcase thought leadership;

Example:

Meta’s LinkedIn company page is a strong example of how to effectively optimize your digital presence. Their headline clearly communicates their mission: “Meta builds technologies that help people connect, find communities, and grow businesses”, using relevant, keyword-rich language. The banner image visually reinforces their brand identity, often showcasing innovation and community. In the “About” section, Meta provides a concise yet powerful description of who they serve and how, making it easy for visitors to understand their value proposition.

2. Set SMART goals

Your LinkedIn activity should align with measurable business goals. Some examples:

• Increase brand awareness (KPI: impressions, page views)
• Drive leads to a whitepaper (KPI: form submissions, CTR)
• Build a talent pipeline (KPI: applications, job views)

3. Know your audience inside out

Your message is only as effective as its relevance to the person receiving it. On LinkedIn, understanding your audience isn’t a “nice-to-have”, it’s a competitive advantage. When you know your ideal customers inside and out, every post, ad, and outreach message can feel like it was written just for them.

Start with defining your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile):

• What size company do they work for?
• What industry are they in?
• Where are they located?
• What is their job title and level of seniority?
• What KPIs are they held accountable to?

If you’re targeting marketing managers in mid-sized SaaS companies, their challenges will be vastly different from CFOs at enterprise logistics firms.

Dig deeper with psychographics:

• What are their biggest pain points or frustrations?
• What trends or tools are they excited about?
• What kind of content do they engage with (e.g., data, stories, humor)?
• Which influencers or thought leaders do they follow?

4. Build a content strategy around value

On LinkedIn, content is your currency. But not just any content, valuable, relevant, audience-first content that earns attention and builds trust over time. If you want to grow on LinkedIn, you need to stop thinking like a marketer and start thinking like a publisher.

Start with 3–5 core content pillars:

These are foundational topics that tie directly to your brand, offering, and audience interests. For example:

• Industry insights – commentary on market trends, regulation changes, or innovations
• Product education – how your product solves specific problems
• Customer stories – testimonials, interviews, or case studies
• Culture & people – your internal values, hiring announcements, team highlights
• Thought leadership – unique takes, frameworks, or lessons from your executive team

Create content for every stage of the funnel:

Each piece of content should have a purpose based on where your audience is in their journey.

• Top of funnel (Awareness)
  • Posts: Industry trends, original research, common challenges
  • Format: Video explainers, data-rich carousels, collaborative articles
  • Goal: Educate and earn attention
• Middle of funnel (Consideration)
  • Posts: How-tos, customer success stories, product comparisons
  • Format: Long-form posts, SlideShare decks, infographics
  • Goal: Build credibility and demonstrate value
• Bottom of funnel (Decision)
  • Posts: Demos, testimonials, feature breakdowns
  • Format: Native documents, short videos, lead gen forms
  • Goal: Drive conversions and initiate conversations

Formats that work well:

• Native documents (PDF carousels)
• LinkedIn polls (to drive engagement and collect insights)
• Short-form videos (for product intros, tips, or culture highlights)
• Newsletter posts (for deeper, recurring content)

5. Post with intention and rhythm

LinkedIn engagement trends by day and hour – Image source: sproutsocial

LinkedIn rewards consistency, but posting with purpose matters just as much as showing up regularly. Rather than blindly sticking to a schedule, it’s about syncing your content with when your audience is most active and receptive.

Optimal posting times (based on sproutsocial):

• Mondays: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Tuesdays: 10 a.m.
• Wednesdays: 10 – 11 a.m.
• Thursdays: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Fridays: 10 a.m.
• Saturday: 9 a.m. (less engagement, but less competition)
• Sunday: Between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. (use cautiously)

Best days for LinkedIn Company Pages: Tuesday through Thursday
Worst day for engagement: Sunday

Use these patterns to schedule your highest-value content (such as thought leadership, product education, or announcements) during peak windows when your audience is most likely to engage.

Posting rhythm and frequency:

• 3–4 times per week: Enough to maintain visibility without overwhelming your followers.
• Use a variety of formats: Carousels on Tuesdays, short videos on Thursdays, text-only stories on Fridays.
• Match content to intent: Use early-week slots for educational posts and end-of-week slots for engagement-driven content like questions or polls.

6. Empower employee advocacy

Your employees are one of the most untapped and authentic voices for your brand. While your company page can educate and promote, individual team members bring a human touch that builds trust and connection at scale.

Encouraging employee advocacy is not just about asking people to reshare posts—it’s about embedding LinkedIn into your internal culture. Help your team understand that they are not just employees, but personal brands contributing to the company’s voice.

How to enable this:

• Provide ready-to-share content: Create a library of approved visuals, sample posts, and talking points that employees can use. This reduces friction and ensures alignment.
• Offer LinkedIn training: Not everyone is a LinkedIn pro. Host short sessions or share tutorials on profile optimization, posting strategies, and engagement best practices.
• Celebrate internal wins: Encourage employees to share customer success stories, behind-the-scenes moments, or professional milestones that tie back to your company’s mission.
• Create internal incentives: Recognize top contributors in team meetings or offer rewards for those who consistently share and engage.

7. Measure what matters

A well-oiled LinkedIn strategy is only as strong as its ability to adapt. And adaptation starts with insights. Tracking key metrics ensures you’re not throwing content into the void, you’re learning what resonates and refining your approach.

Metrics to monitor:

• Engagement rate: Are people reacting, commenting, and sharing your posts? Engagement is a direct signal of relevance.
• Reach & impressions: How many people are seeing your content? This helps you understand your visibility and brand awareness.
• Click-through rate (CTR): For posts with links or CTAs, CTR helps you measure how compelling your message is.
• Follower growth: An expanding follower base is a sign that your content is valuable and your brand is gaining traction.
• Lead conversions: If you’re using Lead Gen Forms or directing users to a gated offer, track submissions and conversion rates.

5 LinkedIn marketing mistakes to avoid (and how to fix them)

Even savvy marketers can fall into traps on LinkedIn. Here are five common missteps and how to sidestep them:

Mistake 1: Using LinkedIn like a resume

LinkedIn is not just for job seekers. Company pages that simply post job listings or achievements feel flat.

Fix: Share insights, industry news, helpful resources, and customer success stories. Become a resource, not a bulletin board.

Mistake 2: Prioritizing promotion over connection

Nothing kills engagement faster than “me-first” content that only talks about your products or services.

Fix: Follow the 4:1 rule. For every one promotional post, share four valuable, non-promotional pieces. This could include curated articles, thought leadership, or community content.

Mistake 3: Neglecting employee voices

Relying solely on your company page limits your reach.

Fix: Turn your team into LinkedIn advocates. Provide them with branded assets, sample posts, and encouragement to share insights and stories.

Mistake 4: Ignoring LinkedIn analytics

If you’re not measuring, you’re guessing.

Fix: Dive into LinkedIn’s native analytics to track:

• Engagement rate per post
• Follower growth trends
• Click-throughs on links

Use these insights to shape your content calendar.

Mistake 5: Ignoring visual impact

In a platform filled with endless text and scrollable feeds, bland visuals can be a silent killer of your content’s potential.

Fix: Invest in strong, consistent visuals. LinkedIn posts with high-quality images, infographics, or video thumbnails perform significantly better. Avoid overused stock images and default graphics—create visuals that reinforce your message and reflect your brand identity.

• Use branded templates for consistency
• Add captions or overlays to highlight key points in images
• Design for mobile-first viewing (most users browse on mobile)
• Always include a visual for carousel posts or SlideShares to increase click-throughs

Take the first step toward LinkedIn success

You don’t need to do everything at once. But you do need to start.

Pick one tactic from this guide, optimize your company page, post that carousel, or set up your first campaign, and commit to testing it this week. Marketing isn’t built in a day, but it does build daily. For more practical insights like this, explore my blog A Piece of Marketing, where theory meets experience.