Creating Sponsored Content Posts that Earn Engagement

1. Creating sponsored content posts that earn engagement Tips from LinkedIn’s top performing posts in NAMER January-March 2016

2. “What are the best practices for promoting content on LinkedIn?” A search for “LinkedIn content best practices” returns over 40 million results on Google. Promoting content on a social platform does not have to be that complicated. These 5 examples of top-performing sponsored content posts provide tips you can use to earn engagement in the news feed of a busy, and aspirational, audience.

3. These following sponsored content posts: • Targeted an audience in the NAMER region • Served at least 25,000 impressions • Achieved a top engagement rate (NOTE: engagement rate includes clicks + social actions) • The top posts are broken out across the following categories: • Overall • Education • Technology • Financial Services Methodology 3

4. Key takeaways – A cheat sheet • A cheat sheet Give people access to exclusive, unique knowledge. Leverage your data and insights to find a compelling message to share that they won’t be able to find elsewhere. A great, contextual image works just as well on LinkedIn as it does on other social channels. It’s especially effective as an aid to simplify complex stories. Explain to your audience “what” they are going to learn from your content and/or “why” your insight is important. Keep your copy concise and headlines clear. Tailoring the copy to your specific audience and industry is also critical. Provide contextually relevant advice and expertise. Combining useful tips with accurate audience targeting sounds simple but is often a missed element of a LinkedIn campaign.

5. Tip #1: share exclusive research that adds value Break through the clutter by sharing insightful data that only your brand has. QSROnline.com reveals the results to a proprietary survey they conducted on the Most Requested Restaurants by State, while NetBase published their findings on the best luxury brand utilizing social.

6. Tip #2: show, don’t tell Whether you’re explaining how your technology works, or trying to communicate a key insight, images are a great way of breaking down a complex story into an easier to digest format.

7. Tip #3: what and why posts Explain to your audience “what” they will learn from your content or “why” your insight is important. In a recent post, Tradeshift teased what the future of procurement will be.

8. Tip #4: keep it concise Make sure to utilize copy that is simple and to the point in combination with clear, easy to understand headlines. Kinnser Software had great success by just making their offer clear and focused.

9. Tip #5: help your audience be successful It’s no surprise, but anything that helps professionals achieve their goals is bound to be well-received on LinkedIn, especially when those goals are financial. This content can also be targeted to the key business demographics using LinkedIn’s first-party data, ensuring the highest level of relevancy.

10. Education

11. Tip #1: leverage your thought leaders Tapping into key influencers within your school’s network to can drive huge engagement – Duke’s Dean of Fuqua School of Business, Bill Boulding, published a post about what he learned from Tim Cook while he was a student in the program. 11

12. Tip #2: inspire through relatable testimonials Sharing a student success story is a great way to demonstrate the value of your program and spark audience engagement – the Univeristy of Waterloo featured a former student whose degree helped her land a job at Salesforce. 12

13. Tip #3: share compelling 3rd party rankings Utilize rankings published by well-respected publications to build a more prestigious brand and engage audiences. Pepperdine University highlights their Executive MBA ranking via Bloomberg Businesweek to generate interest in learning more about their program.

14. Technology

15. Tip #1: show, don’t tell When it comes to catching a members’ attention in the LinkedIn feed, a great, contextual image works just as well as it does on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, etc. Onshape utilizes eye-catching graphics to depict their computer-aided design capabilities.

16. Tip #2: create intrigue Teasing up compelling stats or insider knowledge are effective ways to generate user interest. Both CareCloud and Zenputeffectively pique a user’s curiosity

17. Tip #3: pose a question Asking questions can be an effective means to gain valuable customer insights and feedback, as well as inspire a thought within your audience. Accent Technologies and Microsoft use this tactic to get their audience to think twice about their IT approaches.

18. Financial Services

19. Tip #1: keep members ahead of the curve Staying on top of emerging trends is critical to the FinServ audience. Both Wells Fargo and KPMG provide their audiences with continual updates focused on timely and insightful trend analysis.

20. Tip #2: keep it simple Keeping the message simple enables the audience to easily understand what value they’ll get out of your content. Utilizing formats such as lists and helpful tipsprovide “snackable content” that can drive great engagement.

21. Tip #3: the infographic is not dead Infographics are still an effective vehicle for delivering a complex message in an easy to digest, engaging manner. Vanguard commonly uses these to breakdown financial trends and insights.