As the world has changed, so marketing has changed with it. We are irrevocably tied to the rate of change and the many innovations it brings, from how we work to how we communicate with the people closest to us (family WhatsApp group, anyone?). B2B marketing is no different, with new capabilities and expectations shaping trends heading into the future.

With LinkedIn established as the place to be in B2B marketing (59% of B2B marketers use it as their primary lead gen platform), we at Chief Nation have decided to delve deeper. In our new LinkedIn Marketing Trends to Watch eBook, we unpack what successful LinkedIn marketing looks like and unveil some of the key trends to watch out for not only over the next year, but the next 5-10 years.

The state of LinkedIn

LinkedIn is where B2B marketers go to make valuable connections for a reason. As the most popular professional networking platform in the world with over 722 million members, it’s an unrivalled resource for getting targeted messaging in front of the right people. B2B audiences are generally smaller than their B2C counterparts, but much more engaged, presenting fantastic ROI to those who get it right.

46%

A massive 46% of consumers want to invest in socially and environmentally responsible brands and products.

It also reigns supreme for social selling, with 80% of socially generated B2B leads generated on LinkedIn. With attention being the commodity it is, LinkedIn simply cannot be ignored.

TREND 1:The rise of social selling

At Chief Nation, we know how to social sell, with our team of expert marketers consistently overdeliver on their targets. We’re expecting marketers to refine their LinkedIn social selling strategies for years to come. Many social sellers are already taking advantage of the post-lockdown appreciation for one-to-one connections, becoming a key social avenue for sales teams the world over.

This is supported by the explosion of influencer marketing over the last few years. Telling the story of your business through an authoritative voice is effective, helping you brand build credibility and relationships. In 2022, marketers are set to capitalise as LinkedIn develops its influencer community with an always on approach.

We use the same principles in our LinkedIn Ambassador programme, bring relevant, targeted thought leadership to our clients in an organic way that coverts way above the benchmark and establishes valuable, personal connections (read more below).

TREND 2:Yearning for more ‘good’

People en masse are searching for positivity, in their lives and in marketing. There has never been a better time for you to reiterate your social responsibility, realign your client-facing purpose, and go beyond the status quo to stand out as a champion for the world we want to live in.

Almost half of consumers (46%) actively want to invest in what they believe in, as well as in socially and environmentally responsible products. Couple this with the 77% of consumers who claim that a brands’ sustainability practices play a role on what they choose to buy, and the picture becomes even clearer.

Human beings are, now more than ever, sensitive to the needs of society and the planet, interconnected activism mobilising millions for worthy causes every year. This is even before considering the documented rise of investor activism, with ESG initiatives becoming more valuable each year.

By aligning your brand to any number of social and environmental causes on LinkedIn, you’ll be reaching targets and making the world a better place, that sounds like a win-win to us. Written on a placard in forest green, no less.

Thanks for connecting with me

While much changes, some things remain reassuringly familiar – content is still king. On LinkedIn, it’s the perfect storm of audience personas, engagement, and receptibility to make the absolute most out of your company’s and even senior leaders’ profiles to secure the business you’re hoping for.

By adhering to the trends and practices outlined in this report, you’re on track to maximise your LinkedIn marketing efforts far into the future, increasing your profits, and build connections that could provide untold value to you personally and your business.

In our report, Thanks for Connecting with Me – The Top LinkedIn Marketing Trends to Watch, we share more invaluable insights into what the future of successful LinkedIn marketing looks like.

It can be a cold, cynical world out there, and it takes expertise to make the most of the opportunities lying in wait. We believe in the power of authentic communication that benefits both parties and we believe the future of LinkedIn marketing is personal, informed, relevant, engaging, and full of shared value.

That’s why we developed the LinkedIn Ambassador programme for our clients. Our expertise on LinkedIn lead generation has been used by global tech giants like IBM, Citrix, Pure Storage and Sitecore. It also informed the compilation of our new report.

Download the report for free right now over here and gain insights that will inform your next great LinkedIn strategy.

Are you ready to engage the C-suite?

Download Thanks for Connecting with Me – The Top LinkedIn Marketing Trends to Watch.

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