How marketers can easily 10X their organization’s brand presence in 2020.

Generating “top of the funnel” awareness is always on the minds of marketers. “How do we get in front of more people?” is often the sales rallying cry.

If you’re a savvy marketer, you know that it’s not about being in front of more people, it’s about being in front of the RIGHT people more often.

Who is considered an influencer?

The word “influencers” has become a popular term in the past few years.

While Pewtiepie, James Charles, and Mr. Beast may not be well-known names to a wide audience, each one of these brands has millions of followers.

You don’t have to be a Kardashian to be an influencer. Every single person on your team, your prospects and your clients are all influencers.

An influencer (noun) is: a person or thing that influences another.

Meaning, that anytime someone engages, interacts and endorses your brand, they are influencing their network. 

Let’s take a look at some statistics:

• According to Tapinfluence, the average ROI for B2B influencer marketing is 11 times higher than traditional methods.
• An article in Social Media Today (2018) claims that 94% of B2B marketers who use influencer marketing say this tactic is effective. 
•  Marketing Charts states that 92% agree that “working with influencers who have a natural brand affinity and shared ethics with the brand is critical.”

When it comes to conversions, LinkedIn Selling states that 80% of all B2B leads generated on social media come from LinkedIn (which makes sense, because LinkedIn is the world’s largest business networking site).

In the past few years, LinkedIn has become much more of a marketing and sales tool. LinkedIn says when your employees share information, you can 10X the reach of your Company page.

Here’s how to empower your team so you get more reach on the world’s largest professional network:

Step #1: Start with ensuring your team are all up-to-date on the parameters of your Social Media Policy.

Happy staff want to share Company wins. When someone is proud of where they work, they’ll want to let others know how about it. Let them sing the praises of your organization. Not only will it help extend brand messaging, but you will likely attract more qualified applicants who are job prospecting. (So you’ll be making both sales AND HR happy!)

You’ll want to be sure your team is behaving, even in their non-working hours so be sure to let them know what is and isn’t appropriate when it comes to sharing content.

PRO TIP: Encourage your team to re-share pre-approved posts from your LinkedIn Company page. This way, the content has already been vetted, and it takes the guesswork about what they should be posting.

This video from 2013 may be a little outdated, but the Australian Air Force has a cool video that is much more interesting than the standard word-based policy. Think about converting your Social Media policy into a video that people will want to watch.

Step #2: Encourage each staff member to use standard messaging in the Current Position block.

When I write profiles for executives, I usually maximize the Current Position with a description about what they do in their current role. I’ll often also include a short two-sentence description about the company at the bottom of the block so the reader knows exactly what the organization does and how they help their target audience.

PRO TIP: Provide standardized copy they can cut & paste right into their profile. This way your copy is consistent across the entire organization.

Step #3: Provide at least one graphic image that can be uploaded to the “Cover Image” that resides behind the professional photo.

In the latest look & feel, the real estate that resides behind the professional photo is quite dominant. Why not extend the brand messaging of your organization visually?

Most people haven’t changed the standard blue background, so providing your team with a well-branded image is another touchpoint that helps to extend messaging and build resonance.

PRO TIP: Sizing for the graphic image is 1400 x 425 pixels. Be sure to include your company logo and a visual representation of your brand.

These simple and cost-effective ways of extending brand presence will not only help for top-of-funnel awareness, but it will also empower your team to feel like they are a part of making your company stand out online.

(P.S. I’m also a little biased, but hiring a trainer to help empower your team to take action is also beneficial. They will know what to post and what to share. They’ll be able to ask questions to ensure they don’t make any mistakes along the way.)