5 LinkedIn B2B Marketing Best Practices

Organic social media is always evolving, with new algorithms, platform updates, and now, AI features rolling out almost weekly. It can be hard to keep up, and trying to be on every platform and posting at all times is a one-way ticket to burnout (trust me, I’ve been there, and I cannot recommend it). Without a dedicated social media agency or team, keeping up can feel overwhelming.

We know we can’t be everywhere all at once. So what’s the best approach? Focus on the platforms where your audience is most active. For many companies in the B2B industry, LinkedIn is likely a natural fit.

I joined LinkedIn in 2010 and started managing business accounts in 2018, meaning I’ve witnessed its evolution from a digital resume platform into the powerhouse B2B marketing network it is today. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that some LinkedIn best practices stand the test of time and will remain effective no matter what. Here are my tips to make the most of LinkedIn for B2B brands and why these best practices matter.

If you can only do one thing, make sure it’s this! Your company page is often the first impression potential clients, partners, and even employees have of your business—make it count! Optimizing your profile not only makes your company look more credible and professional but also increases your discoverability in LinkedIn and Google search results.

Here is an example of a well-optimized manufacturing LinkedIn profile:

Beyond visibility, an optimized company page builds trust and brand authority. If your page is incomplete, outdated, or unprofessional in any way, it can create doubt about your company’s legitimacy. On the other hand, a polished and well-branded page signals credibility!

How to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile for Increased Visibility

1. Create a Complete and Engaging Profile

   • Write a strong description that highlights your industry expertise.

   • Incorporate industry-specific keywords naturally to improve discoverability on LinkedIn and Google searches.

2. Use High-Quality Visuals

   • Profile image: Use a professional, well-designed company logo.

   • Banner image: Create a visually appealing cover banner that communicates your expertise, industry focus, or value proposition.

3. Keep Company Details Up to Date

   • Ensure your address, phone number, website, and contact details are accurate.

   • Broken links or outdated info can damage credibility and brand perception.

4. Add Call-to-Action (CTA) Buttons

   • Use LinkedIn’s CTA options like “Contact Us” or “Learn More” to drive engagement.

   • Direct users to a relevant, optimized landing page—not just your homepage.

   • A well-placed CTA encourages website visits, demo sign-ups, or direct inquiries.

5. Customize Your LinkedIn Profile URL
   • LinkedIn now requires you to input a custom public URL when creating a new company page, but if you haven’t yet, replace LinkedIn’s default URL with a clean, branded URL (e.g., linkedin.com/company/workshop-digital-llc).

     1. To update your LinkedIn public URL, go to your company page and select 'Edit Page' from the left-hand menu. You'll need the appropriate permissions to make changes.

   • A branded URL is easier to share and improves brand visibility.

6. Add a Strong Headline or Value Proposition

   • Craft a short, memorable tagline or compelling headline that clearly states your business focus aligned with your brand voice.

   • Example: “Helping manufacturers drive digital growth through data-driven marketing.”

7. Optimize Your “About” Section

   • Keep it concise and customer-focused—avoid long company histories.

   • Clearly explain: what your company does, who it helps, and what makes you unique.

8. Ensure Mobile-Friendliness

   • Check that your banner image displays correctly on mobile devices.

   • Keep descriptions concise and easy to read on smaller screens.

   • Make sure CTA buttons are visible and easy to tap.

These optimization tips can strengthen your company’s credibility and help LinkedIn work as a lead-generation tool rather than just a digital placeholder.

Consider this the bread and butter of your strategy. Without consistent, engaging, and value-driven content, your company page is just a static presence rather than a tool for connection and growth (even if it is optimized!). LinkedIn is all about relationship-building, and your content should reflect that. You want to foster engagement, spark conversations, and position your brand as a trusted authority in your industry.

With the right content and engagement strategies, LinkedIn can be a powerful (and free!) tool for brand awareness, lead generation, and community building.

Tips for Making the Most of Your Content:

• Know your audience. When you start to think about the content you want to share, start by identifying who you’re speaking to and what they care about. LinkedIn is great for both lead generation and recruiting, so your content should resonate with both potential clients and future employees. Understanding your audience’s needs, challenges, and interests will help you craft content that truly engages and adds value.

• Diversify your content formats. Keeping your content varied not only keeps your audience engaged but also maximizes your reach by catering to different consumption preferences. Some of your audience may prefer video, while others prefer reading text or interacting with content. Experiment with a mix of formats to see what resonates best:

  • Long-form articles: These are great for sharing in-depth insights, industry trends, or case studies to showcase thought leadership.

  • Native Video (video uploaded &shared directly on LinkedIn): Great for stronger engagement. Product demos, behind-the-scenes factory tours, or a day in the life of a team member are all great ways to use native video.

  • Carousel Posts: Contain both swipeable images and text. These are great for step-by-step guides, process breakdowns, or data-driven infographics.

  • Polls and Questions: Encourages interaction by gathering opinions, gauging industry trends, or sparking discussions.

• Post regularly, and post with purpose. Consistency is the key to building visibility and engagement on LinkedIn, but it’s important to create a schedule that is realistic for you (remember, doing too much is a fast way to burnout!). Batching content in advance or creating templates is a great way to get ahead.

  • But remember, while posting frequently can accelerate growth, quality matters more than quantity. Every post should offer value, spark conversation, or showcase your expertise, not just fill up your feed.

• Follow the 50/30/20 rule. What’s that, you ask? No one wants to be bombarded with sales pitches all of the time. You want to keep your audience engaged and position yourself as a valuable resource. A good rule of thumb to follow is:
  • 50% Value-Driven Content – This is content that educates, inspires, or engages your audience and provides real value.

    • Real-world applications of your products or services.

    • Customer success stories and case studies that focus on the impact, not just your brand.

    • Industry trends, insights, or breaking news.

    • Blog posts are broken into easy-to-digest takeaways.

  • 30% Curated Content – This is as easy as sharing insights from industry leaders, relevant news, and partner updates that are relevant to your audience. As a bonus, this is content you don’t have to spend time creating! Just don’t forget to credit the original creator. Sharing is great, stealing isn’t.

    • Industry events that would benefit your audience.

    • Deep-dive insights from thought leaders on emerging trends in your industry.

    • Client wins or milestones, and as a bonus, celebrating their success helps strengthen relationships!

  • 20% Promotional Content – Here’s your chance to promote your products, services, or company achievements. Just make sure it feels relevant and not overly promotional.

    • Product or service spotlights.

    • Announcements for new launches, special offers, or company milestones.

    • Industry awards or certifications that build credibility.

• Hashtags—yay or nay? Hashtags are no longer as important as they used to be on the platform due to LinkedIn's algorithm becoming more sophisticated. Users can't follow hashtags, and they no longer appear in the search dropdown. That said, they aren't completely useless. They still help categorize content and improve discoverability.

  • If you use them, stick to 2-5 relevant hashtags, mixing broad and niche ones. They won't make or break your strategy, but they can still add value.

This is arguably the most important thing to consider when creating content for LinkedIn (or any platform for that matter), and for that reason, it gets its own section.

I was first introduced to the concept of zero-click content through Amanda Natividad at Sparktoro back in 2022 (if you don’t already follow her, I highly recommend it! She’s a wealth of knowledge!). Natividad defines zero-click content as “content that offers valuable, standalone insights (or simply engaging material), with no need to click. Clicking might be additive, but it’s not required.”

💡 To sum it up: Zero-click content is about meeting your audience where they are and providing them with real value at the moment, rather than asking them to take extra steps.

What is Zero-Click Content?

Zero-click content is content that delivers all value upfront without requiring users to leave the platform they are on. Social media sites, including LinkedIn, want to keep users engaged on-site rather than directing them elsewhere. As a result, posts containing outbound links tend to get less reach and lower engagement, especially for accounts still growing their audience and authority.

Instead of using LinkedIn posts as a teaser to drive traffic to your website, zero-click content prioritizes immediate engagement, making it easier for your audience to consume insights without leaving their feed. Research has shown that LinkedIn’s algorithm heavily favors content like this, making it incredibly important for maximizing reach, engagement, and brand visibility.

Zero Click Content Examples

Instead of posting a link to your latest blog post or services page, focus on providing everything your audience needs directly in your post.

• Use LinkedIn Articles to publish full-length blog posts natively on LinkedIn instead of linking to your website.

• Create carousel posts to summarize blog posts, guides, or key insights in a slide-by-slide format, making information digestible and engaging.

• Leverage infographics and charts to add visual appeal. As a bonus, this kind of visual content grabs attention and encourages saves and shares, improving reach and engagement.

• Post text-only insights and takeaways to share quick industry insights, frameworks, or step-by-step guides that spark conversation without requiring a click.

Measuring the Success of Zero-Click Content

While zero-click content is important to keep the LinkedIn algorithm happy, it comes with a downside. It can be harder to track website marketing metrics like website traffic, conversions, and ROI. Without outbound links, you lose some of the direct attribution that comes from tracking visits, lead forms, or purchases tied to LinkedIn referral traffic.

So, how do you measure success? Instead of focusing on website-driven KPIs and traffic, shift your measurement approach to on-platform engagement metrics:

• Post Engagement – Track likes, comments, and shares to gauge how well your content resonates.

• Follower Growth – A steady increase in followers indicates that brand awareness is improving.

• Inbound Leads & Conversations – Monitor direct messages, connection requests, and inquiries resulting from your content.

• Content Saves & Shares – More saves suggest your content is valuable enough for future reference!

• Brand Mentions and Tagging – If people start referencing your insights in their own posts, your authority is growing.

While zero-click content might not improve your website traffic KPIs, it does build long-term brand awareness, credibility, and trust, all of which are important to marketing conversion goals.

How Can I Add Links to My LinkedIn Posts?

I know I just shared at length reasons why you should avoid including a link in your posts, but that doesn’t mean you can never do it. Maybe you need to share a registration link or allow your audience to read more details. Whatever the case, it’s understandable that sometimes not linking isn’t an option.

In that case, I suggest experimenting with adding links to the first comment. I mean, if it’s good enough for Natividad, it’s good enough for me!

Unfortunately, this isn’t a foolproof way to get around it, because LinkedIn hasn’t provided a definitive answer on whether or not linking in the comments affects reach. The best approach here would be to A/B test your strategy. Experiment with posts that include links in the comments versus those without, and track engagement to see what works best for your audience and goals.

People trust people more than brands. Think about it—when you’re getting ready to make a purchase, especially an expensive one, you don’t just rely on a company’s highly curated messaging that claims it’s the best. You’re going to seek out real opinions, perspectives, and insights. Employee advocacy and thought leadership are powerful ways to add authenticity to your brand, extend your reach, and build trust.

Your employees could be your greatest untapped marketing asset. By providing your team with the right tools and strategies, you naturally empower them to become brand ambassadors, amplifying your messages organically and credibly.

These aren’t just nice-to-haves. Empower your team to engage, create, and share because people trust people.

Tips for Employee Advocacy and Thought Leadership:

Employee Advocacy

• Encourage employees to share posts on their profiles. Most users engage with posts from individuals rather than company pages. When employees share company content, it gets more reach and credibility than when it’s posted from a brand account. Think of it as the professional equivalent of saying, “Hey, I know a guy for that!”

• Make engagement a part of your company culture. Ask employees to engage with company posts, not just by liking a post, but by commenting on or sharing a post and adding their own opinions or insights. This signals to LinkedIn that the content is valuable, further boosting its visibility beyond your company’s followers.

  • To make it easier, consider sharing key posts you’d like your employees to engage with via email or your internal messaging app like Slack or Basecamp.

Thought Leadership

• Founders, CEOs, other C-suite members, and high-level executives actively post thought leadership content from their personal LinkedIn profiles.

• Offering insights instead of direct sales pitches builds trust with prospective customers or clients, partners, and employees.

• Make it personal. Thought leadership posts don’t always require deep research into trends or news. Mixing in personal experiences, challenges faced, or lessons learned are some of the most engaging posts on LinkedIn. They’re relatable and also take less time to put together than something deeply researched (and we all know time is money!).

  • Enable “Creator Mode”: Creator Mode helps your content reach the right audience by tagging key topics and changing your “Connect” button to “Follow.” This allows more people to engage with your posts without requiring direct connections, expanding your reach authentically. A small switch with a big impact on your industry presence!

• Encourage your leadership team and key employees to spend 10-15 minutes a week engaging on LinkedIn. Commenting on industry discussions, posting original content, or sharing company updates go a long way in building trust, authority, and meaningful relationships.

At its core, LinkedIn is a relationship-building platform. It’s not just about sharing your own content but engaging with your industry, supporting your clients, and strengthening your brand’s presence within the industry community. Thoughtful interactions with other businesses, partners, and employees don’t just increase visibility; they build credibility and trust over time.

When you actively engage with others, it shows you’re not just here to sell but to participate in and contribute to the conversation. This kind of engagement humanizes your brand, making it more relatable to both potential clients and future employees.

Plus, a strong community presence makes your brand more discoverable, as LinkedIn favors posts that generate meaningful interactions. The more you engage, the more you show up in feeds, extending your reach beyond your direct followers and helping you build lasting connections.

Strengthen Your LinkedIn Presence with Thoughtful Engagement

1. Follow and Engage with Industry Brands

   • Start by following relevant brands from your company profile.

   • Set aside 10 minutes daily or 30 minutes weekly to interact with posts.

   • Thoughtful engagement—comments, reactions, and shares—boosts visibility within key networks.

2. Leverage Personal and Company Accounts

   • Company pages can only follow other company pages, so use your personal account to follow industry thought leaders.

   • Engage with their content by commenting, reacting, or reposting from your LinkedIn company account to extend your brand’s reach.

3. Encourage Mentions to Build Credibility

   • Ask clients and partners to tag your company in relevant posts.

   • This aligns with Employee Advocacy and Thought Leadership, strengthening trust and authority.

4. Showcase Employee Achievements and Company Culture

   • Celebrate wins—employee promotions, work anniversaries, team milestones, or client success stories.

   • These posts humanize your brand and foster deeper connections.

   • Example: Promoted? You get a post! Work anniversary? You get a post! Team milestone? Post, post, post! As you can see, we're pretty fond of these on the Workshop Digital LinkedIn page.

   

5. Share Behind-the-Scenes Content

   • Post about company gatherings, daily operations, or fieldwork to showcase culture.

   • This not only attracts top talent but also gives potential clients a reason to engage.

     • Make them feel FOMO—give them a reason to want to work on your team!

Building a strong presence on LinkedIn doesn’t happen overnight (I wish!), but with the right strategy, consistency, and engagement, it can become one of your most valuable tools for brand awareness, relationship building, and lead generation.

If you walk away with anything here, remember that the brands that succeed are the ones that focus on providing value first, rather than just pushing sales messages. Use these tips to stand out, build credibility, and make strong and meaningful connections.

If you’ve optimized your LinkedIn profile and are actively posting but aren’t seeing the engagement, leads, or traffic you expected, it may be time to explore LinkedIn Ads. With a range of campaign types, such as lead generation and brand awareness, LinkedIn Ads can help you reach the right audience at the right time, grow your follower count, generate leads, or drive website traffic… whatever your social media goals may be!

If you have questions about LinkedIn Ads or other paid social media strategies, we’re here to help! Get in touch to learn how we can support your goals.