Start planning your LinkedIn strategy for 2025 today. Want to know where you should focus your time and effort? Michelle J Raymond shares her strategies for building community and driving growth.
Today's episode is sponsored by Metricool. Make sure to register for a FREE Metricool account today. Use Code MICHELLE30 to try any Premium Plan FREE for 30 days. https://i.mtr.cool/NEDXVZ
Key moments in this episode:
00:00 The LinkedIn Content Surge
00:18 LinkedIn B2B Strategy Planning for 2025
02:05 Building a Community on LinkedIn
07:03 LinkedIn Content Trends for 2025
12:49 Boosting Engagement and Thought Leadership
18:40 Preparing for LinkedIn Success in 2025
ABOUT MICHELLE J RAYMOND
Michelle J Raymond is an international LinkedIn™️ B2B Growth Coach. To continue the conversation, connect with Michelle on LinkedIn™️ and let her know you are part of the community of podcast listeners.
Connect with Michelle J Raymond on LinkedIn™️ - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellejraymond/
B2B Growth Co offers LinkedIn™️ Training for teams to build personal and business brands and a LinkedIn™️ Profile Recharge service for Founders/CEOs.
Book a free intro call to learn more - https://calendly.com/michelle-j-raymond/book-an-intro-call-15mins
Social Media for B2B Growth Podcast is a fully accessible podcast. Audio, Video, Transcript and guest details are available on our podcast website - https://socialmediaforb2bgrowthpodcast.com/
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@MichelleJRaymond
#LinkedIn #MarketingStrategy #B2BMarketing
00:00:00
Michelle J Raymond: I was just reading a report from LinkedIn that says that members engage
00:00:04
with over one and a half million pieces of content every single minute on the platform.
00:00:11
With this in mind, what are you going to do to stand out for your brand and
00:00:15
your business on LinkedIn in 2025?
00:00:18
In today's episode, we're going to go into planning mode.
00:00:21
So if you're responsible for the LinkedIn strategy for your business, you're going to love it.
00:00:44
G'day listeners, it's coach Michelle J Raymond, and I hope you're having an
00:00:47
awesome week wherever in the world you are.
00:00:50
And I know that it's only September and you might be sitting there thinking, we
00:00:57
can't really be talking about 2025 as yet.
00:01:01
But the fact is, it's going to be here in no time.
00:01:04
And the work that we do now, just like we've been doing every other week on this podcast,
00:01:08
will really set you up for success in 2025.
00:01:13
Planning is not a word that rolls off my tongue very easily.
00:01:17
It's almost like a swear word.
00:01:19
And that's because in my mind I've always been the person that loves to fly by the seat
00:01:26
of their pants and I like to wake up in the morning and see what do I feel like today?
00:01:32
And that's great, but it's not great when you're trying to grow a business.
00:01:37
It's not great when you're trying to align a LinkedIn strategy to a business strategy.
00:01:42
And it's certainly not great when you want to maximise the ROI from your time on LinkedIn.
00:01:48
So the three key strategies that we're going to be looking at the power of building
00:01:52
community, content trends, and we're also going to be looking at engagement tactics.
00:01:58
Before we go into those key areas, I just want to drop a quick word
00:02:02
from our podcast sponsors Metricool.
00:03:35
It's pretty safe to say, as we go into 2025, that posting content alone is not enough.
00:03:43
We know that as the platform gets crowded, it gets overrun with content,
00:03:49
especially low quality content.
00:03:51
That we have to do different things to stand out and building a community is
00:03:57
going to be way up the top of our priority list as marketers going into 2025.
00:04:03
Building community, whether we're talking about individuals, building their own personal
00:04:08
community, whether we're talking about Pages going from just collecting followers to
00:04:13
really becoming an industry hub, either way, it is not a game that you can play alone.
00:04:21
It is super hard.
00:04:23
A shout out to all of the small businesses, especially consultants that are out there
00:04:28
trying to win at LinkedIn, you might feel like you're up against it and, to a certain
00:04:33
degree, I probably think that's true.
00:04:36
I've been there myself.
00:04:38
But what I recognised early on is that one of the greatest ways that I could grow my profile on
00:04:46
LinkedIn was to start looking at collaborations.
00:04:51
Those collaborations started just because I was commenting thoughtfully on posts
00:04:58
and expressing my own point of view.
00:05:01
And I was consistently challenging those norms.
00:05:04
I had something different to what other people were saying.
00:05:07
And I think that's really important.
00:05:09
I remember for my own journey, I started guesting on other people's podcasts.
00:05:15
If you haven't ever been a guest on a podcast, I highly encourage you to do things like that.
00:05:21
It is such a great way to borrow other people's already built communities.
00:05:27
And that's essentially what you're doing when you're commenting as well.
00:05:30
That person has built up their followers, that content that you're creating in the
00:05:35
comments is then seen by their community.
00:05:38
And, hopefully you're attracting the right kinds of people.
00:05:41
Another way that I have built up my collaborations and you can do this as well is think about
00:05:50
who you could partner with on things like LinkedIn Audio rooms or LinkedIn Lives.
00:05:55
And that could be other people within your business.
00:05:58
It could be a brand partnership.
00:05:59
There are so many different ways that you can keep an eye out on LinkedIn for collaborations.
00:06:05
If I go back to the episode that I did on Page Advocacy, one of the things that
00:06:11
I was very adamant about was getting your Company Page as well to not just
00:06:17
sit on the sideline and post content.
00:06:19
I want it to get in the game and start to build its own community.
00:06:23
And it's going to do that by liking people's posts, including employees.
00:06:28
It is going to be out there reposting.
00:06:31
Perhaps it's a key supplier or a partner that your business works with.
00:06:35
And it can also highlight other companies in the content that you do.
00:06:39
Who else do you work with in your industry?
00:06:41
Like businesses don't operate in a standalone environment.
00:06:45
And this is why Page Advocacy is a great way to build up your collaborations as well.
00:06:51
So get out there and support other people.
00:06:54
And this is why it's so important.
00:06:56
This is why I've been talking about it.
00:07:03
What's the kind of content that will work on LinkedIn in 2025?
00:07:07
The first one that we're talking about and I have been a huge advocate for this from the
00:07:12
very beginning and that is LinkedIn newsletters.
00:07:17
Why do I love them?
00:07:18
Because there's been so much research by LinkedIn.
00:07:22
So go back to the Edelman thought leadership report.
00:07:24
Yes, I'm banging on about that.
00:07:26
It was commissioned by LinkedIn that basically says B2B buyers are looking for thought leadership
00:07:34
content that helps support their decision making.
00:07:38
LinkedIn newsletters are the best way that we can create long form content on LinkedIn.
00:07:44
And when you think about it, there's no other social platform that incorporates long form
00:07:51
articles and newsletters like LinkedIn does.
00:07:54
Besides the fact that you can go into a lot more detail.
00:07:59
The other reason that I love it is you build subscribers.
00:08:02
So as the home feed gets more and more competitive, the good news is when you put
00:08:06
out a new edition, all of your subscribers to the newsletter are notified, right?
00:08:12
So there's no more of that competition, that hustle and bustle of the home feed.
00:08:16
You go around it and go directly to who you want to talk to.
00:08:19
What else am I definitely backing that I think you should really plan into your 2025 LinkedIn
00:08:25
marketing strategy besides long form newsletters.
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It's almost contradictory to be honest, because what I'm about to say is
00:08:34
video and especially short form video.
00:08:37
LinkedIn are reporting that video content is the most popular format of
00:08:44
content that is growing on the platform.
00:08:46
So 34 percent year on year from their latest report.
00:08:50
And when it comes to video and it comes to the trend, I don't think it's going away.
00:08:58
It's not my personal preference.
00:09:00
I don't particularly enjoy scrolling and hoping and praying that I
00:09:04
find a bit of content that I like.
00:09:06
But there is no doubt with the popularity of TikTok, of Shorts, of Reels that LinkedIn
00:09:14
is going to want a piece of that pie.
00:09:16
Now we've seen what happens when they try and copy them.
00:09:20
LinkedIn had stories a couple of years ago, rest in peace stories.
00:09:23
I really miss stories.
00:09:25
I love the idea of having a space for content that doesn't live forever.
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Why I'm a little bit hesitant on this one is sometimes LinkedIn goes out hard and with a
00:09:37
brand new feature, they can often take it away, or it doesn't appear in the same way that I'm
00:09:43
talking about it here today what I can see.
00:09:46
We've gone from having video buttons to video carousels where you can
00:09:50
go into these different feeds.
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I don't think that they exactly know what they want to do with this just yet.
00:09:57
So I'm backing the power of video.
00:09:59
I love it cause you can build your personal brand, your company brand, and it can't be replicated
00:10:05
by AI unless you're driving the deep fakes, you know, it's not to say that there aren't
00:10:11
tools out there that will do it, but you have to be involved in generating that in some way.
00:10:17
There's some people that have tried video content for the first time recently after one
00:10:22
of my LinkedIn posts, encouraging them to do it.
00:10:24
Honestly, I felt more connected to them because all of a sudden it was little things.
00:10:29
I was like, I didn't know you sounded like that.
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There was a different level of energy that came across and that I think
00:10:37
is going to be important in 2025.
00:10:38
Whether it's the brand creating the videos or whether it's the individuals
00:10:43
or employees creating the videos, I think more of the humanness is going to come out.
00:10:48
And I think more of that authenticity.
00:10:50
If I was going to answer the question that a lot of people ask, where should I put the priority?
00:10:55
I actually think that the idea is make sure that you mix things up.
00:11:00
I think that there isn't one form of content that will dominate over another in your community.
00:11:07
So focus on what will make the biggest difference to the people in that community that you've built.
00:11:14
How can you create content that serves them best?
00:11:17
And knowing that we all learn a little bit differently, I think that's why
00:11:21
it's important to mix things up.
00:11:23
If you are planning your content strategy for 2025, I would say to
00:11:29
you that you need to incorporate a strategy for employee generated content.
00:11:35
Find a way to support the people within the business to be themselves
00:11:41
and talk about what they do.
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This does not need to be a full on production.
00:11:47
It can be, but it doesn't need to be.
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Sometimes I think the more real it is, the more people trust that kind of content.
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And I think it's the kind of content that money can't buy.
00:11:58
I especially hope that in 2025, I get to see a lot of the younger creators putting
00:12:04
content out on LinkedIn as employees.
00:12:07
And marketing managers if you are from a different generation like I am support them,
00:12:13
let them experiment, let them get creative.
00:12:16
You just never know what's going to work and letting someone have a go
00:12:20
is not going to break your brand.
00:12:22
Who should be creating the video content within your business?
00:12:26
Pretty much anyone.
00:12:28
It doesn't have to be the CEO or founder.
00:12:31
You might actually find that you've got an amazing video creator that is used to creating
00:12:36
content over on Reels or TikToks, and you can bring their skills across onto the platform.
00:12:49
Okay we're into the third section of what I would be focusing on for your LinkedIn marketing
00:12:54
strategy in 2025 and that is planning around how are you going to boost your LinkedIn engagement
00:13:01
and thought leadership on the platform.
00:13:03
If you think about the strategy that we've built out while we've been planning in this
00:13:07
episode is that we've looked at community building and we've looked at content.
00:13:12
So of course we want to build out our engagement.
00:13:15
Now when it comes to LinkedIn and building engagement, there are some types of content,
00:13:19
which I think you need to include in the mix that I haven't spoken about already.
00:13:24
And they are interactive content styles.
00:13:27
What's an interactive content style.
00:13:29
Very glad you asked me!
00:13:31
What they are is the kind of content that gets your community involved.
00:13:37
And it could be as simple as a poll.
00:13:39
Ask them for their feedback.
00:13:41
Ask them to answer a question.
00:13:43
So polls is an easy way to get your audience to engage.
00:13:48
Now that's one thing, but probably the next level up from that is having your own LinkedIn
00:13:55
audio rooms or your LinkedIn live streams.
00:13:59
These are going to drive engagements, in real time.
00:14:04
Having that engagement allows you to get real time market intelligence, instant
00:14:09
feedback, and you build not only your audience engagement, but the thought leadership
00:14:15
as well, all in one half an hour lot.
00:14:18
What's cool about LinkedIn audios and LinkedIn lives is that not only
00:14:22
are you building communities because it is an engaging type of content.
00:14:28
Because people can come up on stage in the audio events and add their thoughts.
00:14:32
Because in a LinkedIn live, they can type the comments and respond to shout outs that
00:14:37
you put out and questions that you ask.
00:14:39
You're also positioning yourself as a thought leader leading those conversations
00:14:44
and building your community that way.
00:14:46
So don't forget about interactive content.
00:15:12
Next thing we're going to have a look at kind of builds on collaborations
00:15:15
that we were talking about earlier.
00:15:17
And I think we're going to see the rise of brand partnerships.
00:15:21
The rise of the LinkedIn influencer.
00:15:23
And I don't mean it in the cringy way.
00:15:26
I mean it in those niche areas where there are people that have built a powerful following
00:15:34
and a community, just like we've been talking about here today, that are seen and
00:15:39
positioned as thought leaders in the industry.
00:15:42
I think we're going to see a lot more collaborations and I'm encouraging you to
00:15:47
think, how can we work with someone else in the industry that's already built up that
00:15:52
perception around their personal brand?
00:15:55
And LinkedIn themselves have thrown money towards this.
00:15:58
You can see that they have things now where you can flag a post to
00:16:02
say it's been a brand partnership.
00:16:05
And there's a brand that's had a huge amount of success with this.
00:16:09
And it's Lyft, L Y F T.
00:16:13
So they're similar to Uber, if you don't have it in your country.
00:16:16
They've partnered up with influencers on LinkedIn to share the message about their product.
00:16:24
And it's the first time that they've ever tried it.
00:16:26
Normally it's a B2C play that they would do on other platforms.
00:16:31
This has been so cool to see what they've done on LinkedIn.
00:16:34
But you know, myself, I kind of think about it, I've built a significant following that
00:16:39
I talk to B2B marketers, to business owners.
00:16:43
I am somebody that's respected and thank you to all of you podcast
00:16:47
listeners that are a part of that.
00:16:48
But that's something as I head overseas on what I'm calling my World Domination Tour next
00:16:54
year in March, which is where I'm speaking at UpLift Live and then Social Media Marketing
00:16:59
World in the same trip and I'm thinking about ideas right now around the brands
00:17:05
that I would love to partner with that will sponsor that trip or parts of it or parts of
00:17:11
my presentation, like who can I work with?
00:17:14
Who are the brands out there that are aligned to my values?
00:17:17
And we're going to see a lot of this coming from both ways, requests from
00:17:21
influencers, requests from brands to partner.
00:17:23
And that's something I'm super excited about.
00:17:31
I also think when it comes to boosting your LinkedIn engagement and thought
00:17:35
leadership, as we plan that out for 2025.
00:17:39
You have to start thinking, how can we create content that's authority building?
00:17:45
So coming back to that thought leadership piece, and this is going to definitely
00:17:50
come back to quality over quantity.
00:17:53
Can't say it enough.
00:17:54
There's so much rubbish out there, especially AI generated rubbish.
00:17:59
Go team, it's time to get some quality back.
00:18:02
How can you do that?
00:18:03
By generating your own insights and stats and really showing people
00:18:08
that, you know, your industry.
00:18:10
By creating your own insights, you become the authority.
00:18:13
And again, we want to position your brand or you as an individual as a thought leader.
00:18:19
So be the person that generates these insights that other people look to.
00:18:24
So boosting your LinkedIn engagement and thought leadership there are a couple of ways that I
00:18:29
think are going to be important in 2025 beyond the everyday activities that we all need to do.
00:18:40
I can't be certain of many things in this world, especially when it comes to LinkedIn.
00:18:44
But I am absolutely certain that if we don't take the time to plan out our strategies
00:18:50
for 2025 we don't adapt and evolve to the changing platform and our competitors do,
00:18:58
they are going to leave you in their dust and you're going to get left behind and that
00:19:03
costs your business opportunities and growth.
00:19:06
And I never want that for you listeners.
00:19:09
Now is the time to formulate the strategies for building a community, thinking about
00:19:15
some of those content trends that I spoke about and really thinking about how can
00:19:20
you level up your engagement tactics.
00:19:22
There you have it listeners, your LinkedIn B2B marketing guide for 2025
00:19:26
to help your business build a community and drive growth until next week.
00:19:32
Cheers.
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