LinkedIn is a critical social media tool for networking, while adding significant value to B2B marketing and sales. I recommend that every individual stay active on the network, along with regularly updating your profile. Many businesses should have a LinkedIn strategy, too.
When LinkedIn launched its publishing platform, I was excited to try it out for my clients. Here are the benefits I was hoping would result from publishing on Pulse:
- Providing content directly to a member’s network would promote more interaction from relevant audiences.
- Articles would get an SEO boost from being on LinkedIn.
Several months later, and tests of Pulse have yielded lackluster results. Articles of similar theme and content perform better on my clients’ other platforms than on Pulse.
The Drawbacks of Marketing Your Small Business with LinkedIn Pulse
- Articles from small business seem to be effective only if your subject matter surrounds networking, career advancement or recruiting.
- Posts are published live. Without the ability to schedule posts, it’s difficult to publish at optimal times for your audience.
- SEO appears to be less effective on Pulse than other networks.
- Only three tags can be assigned to any one article.
- Image size and placement customization are very limited.
LinkedIn Pulse could become a useful platform for marketing your small business. But first it needs to mature by adding features and giving authors more publicity.
