According to Hubspot’s 2020 State of Marketing report, about 500 million people watch Instagram Stories every day.[1] With Stories now being introduced to LinkedIn, there is exciting potential for businesses to leverage this popular feature and increase their engagement in a professional context.
With Stories, businesses will be able to share an update with their connections and followers for 24 hours. But why is this so popular? Pete Davies, LinkedIn’s head of consumer products, believes Stories work because “they offer a lightweight, fun way to share an update without it having to be perfect or attached to your profile forever.”[2]
This new feature has not escaped criticism, however. Some assert there is a mismatch between its social, casual nature and LinkedIn’s professional standards. Can Stories really be used appropriately in a B2B context?
We’ve identified five potential ways B2B marketers can leverage this new feature for business growth:
1. Share valuable industry insights
Stories offer an opportunity to promote an expert from your organisation in a personal way. This could take the form of a headshot accompanied by a quote, or a few video snippets of your subject matter expert discussing a new industry trend. The value of Stories is that they only last for 24 hours, which means there is less expectation for a Story to be constructed perfectly. The more authentic it feels, the better.
2. Showcase client testimonials
Stories create another avenue for showcasing customer experiences. Rather than relying solely on your website, try building a Story with a series of photos accompanied by stickers or text to highlight customer testimonials. Alternatively, if you have a willing customer, you could ask them to film themselves discussing their experience and upload it as a video for your network to see. The temporary nature of Stories makes this a low-risk way to test whether your customer’s story resonates with your audience. If it does, you may decide to include it permanently on your website or LinkedIn page.
3. Repurpose blog content
Rather than hoping someone will click on your blog post in their news feed, Stories let you upload a series of photos, which could feature snippets of information from your blog. You could then post a link to the blog in full at the end. The opportunity for creativity is endless. Try experimenting with different backgrounds, photographs, and headings. This feature may see more members engaging with blog content than they otherwise would.
4. Promote events
You can use Stories to share real-time event updates, and this can help to build momentum around your event. Using a series of photos in the lead-up to the event is one way to count down to the final date, and help remind those who registered to attend.
5. Share brand announcements and product news
With so many organisations shifting and adapting in response to the changing economic environment this is another way to share news with your stakeholders. You can use Stories to provide your network with these updates in a highly visual way.
Finally, as with any marketing activity, measuring results is crucial. During the 24 hours that LinkedIn shares your Story, you will be able to view insights for each of your Story’s posts. This includes the list of members who viewed the Story. Don’t forget to keep track of your engagement, and record which Stories perform well so you can continue to improve in the future.
At Outsource, we help our clients solve the unique challenges of digital B2B marketing, and regularly promote their products and services through LinkedIn. To find out how we can help you incorporate LinkedIn into your overarching marketing strategy, get in touch today.
[1] https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/linkedin-stories
[2] https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/linkedin-stories
