Clients slashing retainers. Pipelines drying up. Yes, times are tough for agencies.
Some have cut salaries, others have had to lay off staff, and most are looking at an unsteady cash flow ahead. This is an anxious time for businesses, but there is some good news: social media platforms like LinkedIn can help.
Right now, agencies need to become much more visible to potential clients and build relationships, and LinkedIn is where to do it. The business networking platform has a higher organic engagement rate than other platforms like Instagram, and it was built for B2B communications. In fact, research from Wpromote's State of B2B Marketing Report shows that 89% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn for lead generation. Now it’s time for more agencies to get involved.
Visibility signals stability
As I’ve written previously, communications professionals are often the worst at promoting themselves. It seems that all the advice that agencies give clients doesn’t apply when it comes to marketing their own businesses. I’m sure you’ve been telling your clients that going quiet right now (i.e. in a crisis) is the wrong move. You’d be right. Staying visible signals that your business is active and stable, and during a time of turbulence, clients gravitate towards agencies that they perceive to be in control. If you’re not showing up, you’re less likely to be considered when decisions are being made.
Keeping top of mind
You’re not only speaking to potential clients when you post on LinkedIn – you’re also connecting to your existing network. The Middle East business world is run on relationships and referrals. For example, a former client sees your post. They remember you. Their friend needs help with the exact problem you can solve. They refer you. It’s all about reminding your network you exist, and the research backs it up: figures from Nielsen show that people are 4x more likely to buy when referred by someone they know.
Direct messaging
But don’t just rely on posting to maintain your network. LinkedIn is designed for relationship building via messaging. Sending direct messages provides the perfect opportunity to network without heading out to an event. Low effort but high return. Send messages to old clients, former coworkers or industry pals – or cold contact marketing directors and start a conversation. The more points of contact you can create, the better.
Personal profiles vs. Company pages
Another common mistake I see agencies make on LinkedIn is to over-rely on the company page. While company pages are important, engagement rates are low. A much more powerful and effective route is to get your leadership and employees to share content from their personal profiles, which get about five times more reach than company pages, according to LinkedIn data.
Additionally, credibility is built at an individual level. Clients can make a decision about an agency much more easily when they know and trust the person leading the agency because they’ve been consuming the managing director’s content. In fact, data from LinkedIn and Edelman shows that 75% of decision-makers and C-suite executives say thought leadership has led them to research a product or service they weren’t previously considering.
Getting your employees to be more active on LinkedIn can further raise your game. Companies that leverage employee advocacy see up to a 561% increase in reach, according to MSL Group.
Here are some reminders if you’re ready to give LinkedIn a more thorough try
- Optimise your profile. Change your cover photo to a branded image. Get a professionally-shot photo.
- Encourage your employees to post. You can provide instruction or hire someone like me to come in for a quick training session.
- Show the results of your work. It may be impressive that you worked with a huge company, but what did you do for them? What was the business impact?
- Lean away from AI-generated content. Here’s your chance to shine as someone who probably does a lot of writing for a living. Dust off those fingertips and come up with some original content.
LinkedIn is all about consistency, which can take some time, but investing in being more visible is essential. Isn’t that what we tell our clients every day? Taking steps to keep up with your network and share authentic, genuine thought leadership can help you get ahead and keep your business afloat.
See you in the feed.
Annie Meikle is the founder of Meikle Communications which delivers strategic thought leadership programmes to corporates and senior executives, mainly on B2B platforms like LinkedIn. The company also designs and implements employee advocacy programmes within companies across the Middle East.