B2C and LinkedIn
31 July 2020
B2C and LinkedIn much like the rest of the business world one of the first things I do in the morning are to check my Linkedin page to see what’s happening. Congratulate my connections on their accomplishments and of course, I love looking at the new and exciting marketing campaigns brands roll out.
Traditionally, LinkedIn is a place for B2B marketing. The unique user base of professionals and students makes the social networking service a hub for business and networking. Therefore it goes without saying that a professional audience is going to be a perfect fit for B2B marketing. However recently Linkedin has become the home of B2C marketing as well.
“B2B” stands for “business to business,” while “B2C” means “business to consumer.” B2B businesses sell products and services directly to other businesses. Or, more specifically, they sell to the decision-makers in any particular business. ... B2C businesses sell products and services to customers for personal use.
So the question stands how does B2C marketing fit into Linkedin? LinkedIn is notoriously a great platform for B2B marketing, but it’s increasingly popular for B2C marketers as well. For instance, the unique audience can be leveraged for stylized campaigns that work for the professional when they're not working.
To illustrate, it's likely that professionals have purchasing power within their homes. If your primary audience is children, a secondary audience, like their parents, can be reached on LinkedIn.
Additionally, promoted and sponsored content on LinkedIn is less easy to identify on main feeds. The posts are notated, but blend into news feeds so they're not distracting. Plus, an imbalance of B2C material on the website suggests the opportunity for it to make an impact on users.
Generally, there is an audience for nearly every industry on LinkedIn. Not only are customers just customers — but they're also professionals. There's a good chance a segment of that audience can be found and brought to the next stage of their journey.
The content on LinkedIn is commonly centred around a professional environment. B2Cs can either highlight that atmosphere or use the lack of non-professional content to their advantage when thinking of a marketing strategy. If you frame marketing messages outside of the traditional "work" landscape of LinkedIn, your content will stick out because it's different. Your content could be that brain break your audience needs when they need a break from the day and browse social media.
What makes your brand stick out from competitors? Whatever it is, use that to your advantage on LinkedIn. Many B2C company profiles on LinkedIn use the page to highlight business wins and people news. This lets customers see who is behind the companies they are thinking about supporting and clues them into what's important to that business.
LinkedIn’s Audience Network is part of the Marketing Solutions toolset. Here, you can identify potential reach and who from your ideal audience is using LinkedIn. To use Audience Network, all you need is a sponsored campaign.
When you open Audience Network, you're able to choose different categories of potential audiences, like "Arts and Entertainment" and "Education" to include or exclude from your campaign. You might notice that some categories, like "Family and Parenting," are great for B2C markets.
If you're using LinkedIn's ads, have your budget identified. Ultimately, the amount you spend is up to you, but keep in mind that you'll be participating in a cost-per-click, auctioning system.
You and advertisers with similar audiences will bid on an advertising slot to be shown. Choose between the bid types that will bring you the results you need. For example, if you want to increase brand awareness, the maximum pay-per-1,000-impressions (CPM) type is most likely going to be your winner.
In addition to bids, advertisers can set a daily and total budget. Total budgets are the absolute maximum you're willing to spend, while daily budgets have a little more flexibility. They allow for the campaign to be running until you stop them.
Use main feed posts to your advantage. This is an especially great move if your company has a Page and growing network on the channel. If your company is followed by several thought leaders, what you post on your page shows up on their main feeds. If they interact with the post, like sharing or leaving a comment, that interaction will be shown to their network. If that thought leader is in your industry, your post will be exposed to a large ideal audience.
Video, photos showing company culture, and offers are great for LinkedIn marketing. An ebook offer, for example, provides something valuable and interesting for target customers.
If you have a business profile for any social media channel, like Facebook for Business or Twitter Business, Company Pages on LinkedIn are similar. They're a space for businesses to have their own profile with personalization offerings for branding and networking.
For instance, if you're in the healthcare industry, you can use your Company Page to grow a community of patients and other professionals. You can interact with the members you follow, post to engage your network, and use the CTA link for your website.
You'll have customizable options for growing a network and audience. Additionally, you'll be able to engage with employees and share posts that are directly related to your company.
New York-based retailer Madewell's LinkedIn is all about branding and culture. The account focuses on what makes up the Madewell brand and the culture of their community.
For instance, in support of Mental Health Awareness month, Madwell's account has a post about how employees at the company take charge of their mental health, and it encourages followers to invest in what makes them happy.
Spotify has two Company Pages: One specifically for business, called Spotify Brands, and one for customers, which is the Main Page. If you're part of a larger B2C that also has a large business clientele, think of having a page just for B2B efforts.
Spotify does a great job of updating customers and introducing leads from an employee perspective. For instance, up until recently, the streaming service had a limit of 10,000 songs an account holder can "like".
Streaming service Netflix also has an interesting approach to LinkedIn marketing. Their company image on LinkedIn is "doing the best work of your life," with content built around community engagement.
Netflix's LinkedIn presence has a fun energy and encourages vibrant discussions. Hosting Q&A formats like polls and open-ended questions is a tactic that fosters a sense of belonging when visiting the page.
Additionally, Netflix keeps the LinkedIn community clued in about upcoming Netflix releases and partnerships (like their multi-year deal announcement with Nickelodeon). That way, current customers checking their feeds will be clued in about what's going on and leads can find something related to their interests.
If like us you were confused as to why B2C brands are popping up on LinkedIn. But when you think about it, professionals aren't just professionals — they're also parents, siblings, people with lives outside of work. Because of this, it's totally possible to tap into those outside-of-work interests on a platform meant for sharing and connecting — focus on how and who when building those connections.
Traditionally, LinkedIn is a place for B2B marketing. The unique user base of professionals and students makes the social networking service a hub for business and networking. Therefore it goes without saying that a professional audience is going to be a perfect fit for B2B marketing. However recently Linkedin has become the home of B2C marketing as well.
B2C Market
“B2B” stands for “business to business,” while “B2C” means “business to consumer.” B2B businesses sell products and services directly to other businesses. Or, more specifically, they sell to the decision-makers in any particular business. ... B2C businesses sell products and services to customers for personal use.
So the question stands how does B2C marketing fit into Linkedin? LinkedIn is notoriously a great platform for B2B marketing, but it’s increasingly popular for B2C marketers as well. For instance, the unique audience can be leveraged for stylized campaigns that work for the professional when they're not working.
To illustrate, it's likely that professionals have purchasing power within their homes. If your primary audience is children, a secondary audience, like their parents, can be reached on LinkedIn.
Additionally, promoted and sponsored content on LinkedIn is less easy to identify on main feeds. The posts are notated, but blend into news feeds so they're not distracting. Plus, an imbalance of B2C material on the website suggests the opportunity for it to make an impact on users.
Generally, there is an audience for nearly every industry on LinkedIn. Not only are customers just customers — but they're also professionals. There's a good chance a segment of that audience can be found and brought to the next stage of their journey.
Tips for B2C marketers on Linkedin
Relate to the interests of your audience outside of work
The content on LinkedIn is commonly centred around a professional environment. B2Cs can either highlight that atmosphere or use the lack of non-professional content to their advantage when thinking of a marketing strategy. If you frame marketing messages outside of the traditional "work" landscape of LinkedIn, your content will stick out because it's different. Your content could be that brain break your audience needs when they need a break from the day and browse social media.
Drive engagement with content that fosters brand awareness.
What makes your brand stick out from competitors? Whatever it is, use that to your advantage on LinkedIn. Many B2C company profiles on LinkedIn use the page to highlight business wins and people news. This lets customers see who is behind the companies they are thinking about supporting and clues them into what's important to that business.
Use LinkedIn Audience Network to identify potential reach.
LinkedIn’s Audience Network is part of the Marketing Solutions toolset. Here, you can identify potential reach and who from your ideal audience is using LinkedIn. To use Audience Network, all you need is a sponsored campaign.
When you open Audience Network, you're able to choose different categories of potential audiences, like "Arts and Entertainment" and "Education" to include or exclude from your campaign. You might notice that some categories, like "Family and Parenting," are great for B2C markets.
Know the adoptions and how to use them.
If you're using LinkedIn's ads, have your budget identified. Ultimately, the amount you spend is up to you, but keep in mind that you'll be participating in a cost-per-click, auctioning system.
You and advertisers with similar audiences will bid on an advertising slot to be shown. Choose between the bid types that will bring you the results you need. For example, if you want to increase brand awareness, the maximum pay-per-1,000-impressions (CPM) type is most likely going to be your winner.
In addition to bids, advertisers can set a daily and total budget. Total budgets are the absolute maximum you're willing to spend, while daily budgets have a little more flexibility. They allow for the campaign to be running until you stop them.
Budget yourself for success.
Use main feed posts to your advantage. This is an especially great move if your company has a Page and growing network on the channel. If your company is followed by several thought leaders, what you post on your page shows up on their main feeds. If they interact with the post, like sharing or leaving a comment, that interaction will be shown to their network. If that thought leader is in your industry, your post will be exposed to a large ideal audience.
Video, photos showing company culture, and offers are great for LinkedIn marketing. An ebook offer, for example, provides something valuable and interesting for target customers.
Save money by having a brand page.
If you have a business profile for any social media channel, like Facebook for Business or Twitter Business, Company Pages on LinkedIn are similar. They're a space for businesses to have their own profile with personalization offerings for branding and networking.
For instance, if you're in the healthcare industry, you can use your Company Page to grow a community of patients and other professionals. You can interact with the members you follow, post to engage your network, and use the CTA link for your website.
You'll have customizable options for growing a network and audience. Additionally, you'll be able to engage with employees and share posts that are directly related to your company.
Examples of B2C Brands on LinkedIn
Madewell
New York-based retailer Madewell's LinkedIn is all about branding and culture. The account focuses on what makes up the Madewell brand and the culture of their community.
For instance, in support of Mental Health Awareness month, Madwell's account has a post about how employees at the company take charge of their mental health, and it encourages followers to invest in what makes them happy.
Spotify
Spotify has two Company Pages: One specifically for business, called Spotify Brands, and one for customers, which is the Main Page. If you're part of a larger B2C that also has a large business clientele, think of having a page just for B2B efforts.
Spotify does a great job of updating customers and introducing leads from an employee perspective. For instance, up until recently, the streaming service had a limit of 10,000 songs an account holder can "like".
Netflix
Streaming service Netflix also has an interesting approach to LinkedIn marketing. Their company image on LinkedIn is "doing the best work of your life," with content built around community engagement.
Netflix's LinkedIn presence has a fun energy and encourages vibrant discussions. Hosting Q&A formats like polls and open-ended questions is a tactic that fosters a sense of belonging when visiting the page.
Additionally, Netflix keeps the LinkedIn community clued in about upcoming Netflix releases and partnerships (like their multi-year deal announcement with Nickelodeon). That way, current customers checking their feeds will be clued in about what's going on and leads can find something related to their interests.
If like us you were confused as to why B2C brands are popping up on LinkedIn. But when you think about it, professionals aren't just professionals — they're also parents, siblings, people with lives outside of work. Because of this, it's totally possible to tap into those outside-of-work interests on a platform meant for sharing and connecting — focus on how and who when building those connections.
