LinkedIn has recently introduced a powerful tool that promises to elevate brand awareness, boost engagement, and drive lead generation – Sponsored Articles. This innovative feature allows marketers to seamlessly integrate their content within the LinkedIn platform, eliminating the need for users to navigate away to external sites for sponsored content consumption.
Maximizing Engagement: A Seamless User Experience
One of the key advantages of Sponsored LinkedIn Articles lies in its ability to keep users within the LinkedIn ecosystem. As marketers, we understand the significance of reducing friction in the user journey. With this feature, when a company account publishes an article on LinkedIn, administrators gain the option to promote it. This promotion not only includes the content but also integrates a Call-to-Action (CTA) button, such as “Unlock Article,” strategically placed to encourage users to sign up and access the complete content.
Direct Connection to In-App Engagement
Drawing parallels with LinkedIn lead generation ads, Sponsored LinkedIn Articles establish a direct connection to in-app engagement. This direct link ensures that users remain within the platform, enhancing the overall user experience and potentially leading to increased conversion rates. The feature allows seamless interaction, providing a unique advantage over traditional external blog articles.
Accessibility and Future Developments
As of now, only articles authored by companies are eligible for sponsorship. However, LinkedIn’s product team is actively working on expanding the functionalities of Sponsored Articles. Anticipated developments are expected to roll out shortly, providing marketers with even more ways to enhance their content strategy on the platform.
Roll Out and Availability
Sponsored Posts have already been introduced to the majority of business accounts. However, it’s worth noting that some brands may still be awaiting access to this powerful feature. The phased rollout ensures a smooth integration process, allowing LinkedIn to fine-tune and optimize the feature for a seamless experience across various business accounts.
Insights from LinkedIn
Baptiste Beauvisage, Lead Client Solutions Manager at LinkedIn, emphasizes the unique benefits of Sponsored Articles for advertisers and brands. According to Beauvisage:
- Utilize Existing Content: “You can use the content you already have on your LinkedIn page.”
- Enhanced Virality: “Sponsored posts are more viral than a blog article hosted externally.”
- Direct Engagement: “You can have all the comments from logged-in members on the article directly.”
- LinkedIn articles sponsored under the lead generation objective will come with a default “Unlock article” call-to-action button. Clicking this button will open a lead form in the feed. After completing the lead form, members will gain full access to the LinkedIn article.
- If multiple posts from a company’s Page link to the same article, only the initial post linking to that article will appear in the Content Library. Subsequent posts linking to the same article will be excluded.
- Currently, Company Page posts included in newsletters are not visible in the Content Library. However, this feature is expected to be activated in a future release.
- Sponsored LinkedIn articles will feature a Promoted tag at the top of the ad, indicating that the post is sponsored.
A Deeper Dive: Understanding LinkedIn’s Popularity
For marketers looking to delve deeper into the dynamics of LinkedIn advertising, a recommended read is our comprehensive article on the surge in LinkedIn ad prices. Gain valuable insights into why the platform has become a preferred choice among advertisers.
Conclusion
In the evolving landscape of digital marketing, seizing innovative tools like Sponsored Articles on LinkedIn can make a significant impact on your brand’s visibility and engagement. As LinkedIn continues to enhance its features, staying ahead of the curve by incorporating Sponsored LinkedIn Articles into your content strategy positions your brand for optimal success. Embrace this evolution, connect directly with your audience, and unlock the full potential of your content within the LinkedIn ecosystem.
Blog reference: https://www.linkedin.com/help/lms/answer/a5966218
Rakesh Bhosale is a seasoned digital marketing consultant with over 15 years of industry expertise. Specializing in lead generation, demand generation, branding, marketing automation, and digital transformation strategies, Rakesh’s comprehensive knowledge and hands-on experience drive remarkable growth and establish strong online presences.
