At our recent Tribe Global Annual Meeting in London in September, we had the privilege of hearing from Dan Sheridan from LinkedIn. Dan shared invaluable insights for both agency and brand marketers on how to have more meaningful and value-added conversations around marketing. His presentation shed light on the incredible scale of data LinkedIn has at its disposal and how it can help us enhance the effectiveness of our marketing strategies.
LinkedIn’s impressive scale of data
LinkedIn provides access to a range of data from professionals, companies, jobs, skills, and education:
- 50 million individual members
- 60 million listed companies
- 90,000 job listings
- Over 120,000 different skills represented
- 637 new data points created every 2 seconds!
This ever-growing pool of data offers marketers an unparalleled resource to tap into the insights necessary for driving impactful conversations.
The importance of effective creative in driving sales
One of the standout messages from Dan’s session was the importance of creative impact. It’s alarming to hear that nearly no brand in the B2B sector currently has truly effective creative. In fact, 71% of B2B ads are likely to generate no sales at all due to weak creative execution. LinkedIn’s data shows that a highly engaging, well-crafted creative can be 10 to 20 times more effective in driving sales compared to mediocre content.
For us as marketers, the takeaway is clear: creative that resonates with the target audience isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s a necessity. On platforms like LinkedIn, creative tailored to specific audience segments performs significantly better. Campaigns that are generic or not thoughtfully executed can easily miss the mark, leaving valuable paid social marketing opportunities untapped.
The winning formula for high-impact creative: storytelling
Great creative has a recipe for success, and it comes down to storytelling. Here’s the winning formula:
- Deep audience insights – We need to understand what makes our audience care and craft messages that speak directly to those needs.
- A clear story arc – As Dan emphasised, those who tell the best stories rule the world.
- Relatable characters – Every story needs a character that the audience can connect with, one that elevates the customer to hero status.
- Emotion – Creative that evokes emotion engages both the brain and the heart, motivating action.
- A compelling soundtrack – Great creative should stir both the heart and soul, adding another layer of impact through the audio experience.
The financial benefits of brilliant creative cannot be overstated. Investing in creative excellence leads to better outcomes without the need for increased ad spend, ultimately improving ROI.
Navigating complex buying groups
As agency marketers, we face significant challenges when trying to sell to brand marketers. One key challenge is getting on the shortlist of potential buyers. With the sheer volume of information and solutions available, making that initial shortlist has become tougher than ever.
Another issue is the expansion of buying groups. There are more stakeholders involved in purchase decisions today, making it essential to address diverse perspectives and interests. Marketing campaigns must speak to multiple departments and influencers, not just one decision-maker.
Lastly, we must acknowledge the growing influence of senior stakeholders in buying groups. This means that marketing communications need to resonate at both the technical level and with broader business objectives. Crafting messages that speak to these senior executives, while addressing their concerns and priorities, is essential for long-term success.
Driving more meaningful data-driven conversations
At TrunkBBI, we recognise the power of these insights shared by Dan Sheridan. As we move forward, we’re committed to implementing these key learnings to better serve our clients and elevate our creative and marketing strategies. By leveraging LinkedIn’s vast data and focusing on creative that resonates, we aim to enhance the effectiveness of our campaigns, ensuring they drive value, engage audiences, and deliver measurable results.
Ready to make your B2B marketing take off? Get in touch by using the form below.