CBD Resource : New LinkedIn Marketing Features Rundown: Top FAQs About Boosting, Events and More

At the end of May 2021, LinkedIn rolled out several new features designed to help companies amplify their reach at a lower cost, all with less time invested.

Let’s explore the updates a bit more in-depth: The ability to Boost well-performing organic posts as paid media gives marketers instant opportunity to capitalize on momentum. For companies taking advantage of LinkedIn Events, Event Ads are the newest way to attract your audience and learn more about them. And, Custom Streaming makes it easier than ever to go live, using your preferred broadcast tools. Mobile Page Analytics and Event Analytics were also among the valuable new capabilities highlighted.

Tom Kim, LinkedIn Senior Product Marketing Manager, hosted and gave viewers an introductory overview of the new features unveiled. Joining Tom were Erin Sumpmann, LinkedIn Product Marketing Manager, and Grant Empey, LinkedIn Product Manager. Digital Consultant Chris Morris also stopped by to share success stories from Crestbridge, an early-access customer that saw amazing results from the new Boost feature.

Here’s what you missed from the May 2021 QPR Live-stream, including answers to some of the most frequently asked questions by attendees.

From Organic to Paid, Boosting Posts for Momentum

Boosting is designed to be as simple as possible for marketers — and extremely efficient in terms of low-cost ROI. Notice a post that’s getting great engagement from your followers? Boost it! With a quick click of the “Boost” button, you can instantly turn an organic post into a piece of paid media, amplifying the reach of that message to others outside your immediate network.

The simplicity of LinkedIn’s Boost feature is already proving its worth. Chris Morris shared his experience using Boost to accelerate Crestbridge’s content strategy in a major way. “The two main areas where we saw results were visibility and in terms of engagement,” says Chris. “From a visibility point of view, our content was 15x more visible to our audience than it was previously as organic posts. We also saw an engagement increase up to 360% over the trial — which is obviously a phenomenal statistic.”

The beauty of Boosting is that it walks the line between organic and paid content. Because Boosted posts begin as organic content and the Boost is what turns them into paid pieces, there’s a no-risk, no-cost investment to test content before making a paid investment. It’s an instant opportunity to capitalize on organic momentum.

LinkedIn Boost FAQs

Can I Boost a personal profile post or is it company page only? Boosting is only available for posts on company LinkedIn Pages at this time.
Can you choose a specified campaign group when boosting a post? Not at this time, although this capability may become available in the future.
How do you measure the ROI of Boosted posts? It depends on your goal and objective. The best way is to establish individual benchmarks and compare post engagement rates.
Is there a minimum amount that you can Boost? While it depends on the audience, we typically recommend a $25/day minimum for boosted posts.
Is there a how-to guide for Boosting posts? Absolutely! You can find a step-by-step overview of the Boost feature here.

Go Live With LinkedIn Events and Event Ads

Last year saw an explosion of virtual events, and that momentum has continued into 2021. Virtual events are here to stay, and LinkedIn is making them more versatile. Registration forms help companies get an active headcount of RSVPs, as well as contact info from those attending their event. This not only helps marketers tailor events to their audience, it unlocks tremendous retargeting potential. “Member information is already pre-populated into RSVP forms,” says Erin. “All they need to do is click submit and they’re registered.”

Speaking of LinkedIn Live Events, Custom Streaming is a big addition for marketers interested in making the go-live step. Using LinkedIn’s simple stream URL and stream key, you can broadcast from Zoom, OBS and more. It gives you the power to stream on-demand, on a platform you’re comfortable with. “Live-streaming continues to be a great way to connect with your audience, and we’re making it really easy to go live,” says Grant.

Event Ads are also getting an update, giving marketers a smarter way to attract attendees. These ads pull in all the essential details for you: date, time and how to join. Target audiences the same way you would any other LinkedIn Ad and watch as the RSVPs come rolling in — along with attendee information. All that’s left to do is go live and host!

LinkedIn Events and Event Ads FAQs

Can you use the Boost feature to increase the ROI of Event Ads? Yes! Just share the event ad to your company’s LinkedIn Page and Boost it as you would an organic post.
How close to an event should I share an Event Ad? We typically recommend a 2-4 week lead time for Event Ads, to generate the highest possible interest.
Can I target someone who clicked an Event Ad but didn’t RSVP? Yes! Retargeting tools allow you to target people who bounced from an event page or who visited later.
How can I get approved for LinkedIn Live? You must have a LinkedIn profile in good standing and meet all of our LinkedIn Live Video Access Criteria.
Are event registrants required to provide contact information to the host? Yes, events with registration forms require that attendees share their information.

Watch the Full Product Update Live-stream!

Want to see what you missed from the May 2021 Live-stream? Catch a recorded version here. You can also get a more in-depth breakdown of the newest tools introduced here. These tools are live for everyone now, so feel free to go out and explore them for yourself! And, if you need help or have questions, click here to learn more about Boosting, updates to LinkedIn Events, and mobile Page analytics.

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