Neil Patel, co-founder of NP Digital and one of the world’s leading digital marketing experts, has identified eight critical trends that will shape marketing success in 2026. These insights come from analyzing patterns across hundreds of brands and dozens of industries, revealing shifts that most marketers haven’t even noticed yet.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore each trend in detail and provide actionable strategies you can implement immediately to stay ahead of the competition.

1. Stop Sending Traffic Off-Platform: The New Lead Capture Revolution

The traditional approach of driving social media traffic to landing pages is killing your reach and costing you leads. Here’s why this fundamental shift matters and how to adapt.

The Platform Penalty Problem

Social media platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook actively throttle content that attempts to send users off-platform. Even innocent phrases like “click the link in my bio” or “visit our website” trigger algorithmic penalties that:

• Dramatically reduce your organic reach
• Increase your advertising costs
• Limit your content’s visibility to your existing audience

This happens because platforms want to keep users within their ecosystem, not send them elsewhere. When you try to move traffic off-platform, you’re working against the algorithm’s core objective.

The Mobile Drop-Off Crisis

Even when users do click through to external pages, mobile conversion rates suffer due to:

• Slow-loading forms and pages
• Poor mobile optimization
• Friction in the conversion process
• Context switching between platforms

The On-Platform Solution

The solution is to capture leads directly within the platform using automation tools like ManyChat. Here’s how it works:

1. Trigger Setup: Users comment with a specific keyword on your post
2. Automated Response: The tool automatically sends them a direct message
3. Lead Capture: Collect their information without them leaving the platform
4. Nurture Sequence: Continue the conversation through automated messaging

This approach delivers multiple benefits:

• Reduces friction and increases conversion rates
• Boosts engagement signals to the algorithm
• Captures higher-quality leads based on behavioral intent
• Maintains platform algorithm favor

2. Search Everywhere Optimization: Beyond Google SEO

Search has fragmented across multiple platforms, and your SEO strategy needs to evolve accordingly. This trend represents one of the most significant shifts in digital marketing.

The New Search Landscape

Search is no longer confined to Google. Consider these staggering statistics:

• Instagram: 6.5 billion searches per day
• YouTube: Over 3 billion searches daily
• TikTok: Emerging as a primary product discovery engine
• ChatGPT: Becoming a trusted research and discovery tool
• Snapchat: Invested $400 million in Perplexity to power their search

Buyers now jump across platforms like stepping stones, and most brands only show up on one of them.

Implementing Search Everywhere Optimization

To succeed in this new landscape, you need to optimize for discovery across all major platforms:

Keyword Integration Strategy

Weave your target keywords naturally into:

• Video scripts and audio content
• Captions and descriptions
• On-screen text and graphics
• Hashtags and metadata

Topic Cluster Development

Create multiple pieces of content around the same core theme to:

• Establish topical authority
• Help platforms understand your expertise
• Increase your chances of being discovered
• Build comprehensive coverage of your niche

Conversational Search Optimization

Optimize for how people actually search by:

• Using natural language and full phrases
• Including audio captions and transcripts
• Adding visual text that algorithms can read
• Matching user intent across different query types

3. The AI Slop Problem: Using AI Intelligently, Not Blindly

While AI promises increased efficiency, many marketing teams are experiencing the opposite due to hallucinations, errors, and poor implementation strategies.

The Hidden Costs of AI Dependence

Research shows that both free and paid AI tools have similar hallucination rates, meaning teams are trusting confident-sounding but completely incorrect information. This leads to:

• Wasted time on rework and corrections
• Campaign failures based on false data
• Decreased team productivity despite AI adoption
• Loss of critical thinking and validation skills

The Real Story Behind AI Layoffs

Many companies blame AI for workforce reductions, but industry experts, including Perplexity’s CEO, suggest the real reasons are:

• Overhiring during growth periods
• Slower-than-expected division growth
• Profitability pressures
• Market correction needs

AI becomes a convenient public explanation that sounds better to shareholders than admitting strategic miscalculations.

How Top Performers Actually Use AI

Successful marketers don’t use AI blindly—they use it strategically:

AI for Ideation, Not Execution

• Generate first drafts, not final content
• Brainstorm ideas and approaches
• Explore different angles and perspectives
• Create content outlines and structures

Verification and Quality Control

• Cross-reference all AI-generated statistics
• Verify sources and publication dates
• Fact-check claims and assertions
• Build internal quality assurance processes

AI as a Discovery Channel

The biggest ROI comes from using AI platforms like ChatGPT as discovery channels to drive traffic and conversions, rather than just content creation tools.

4. Digital PR: The New SEO Foundation

As AI tools become discovery engines, they’re prioritizing trusted sources and external validation over self-promotional content.

Why Digital PR Matters More Than Ever

AI platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini are developing authority systems similar to Google’s, but with key differences:

• They favor external citations over self-promotion
• Structured content gets cited more frequently
• Consistent formatting improves citation chances
• Micro-niche authority builds compound results

The Listicle Strategy

Publishing comprehensive “top 10” lists in specific niches helps train AI to see you as an authority:

• Top 10 SaaS marketing agencies
• Top 10 e-commerce optimization tools
• Top 10 affordable marketing solutions
• Top 10 franchise marketing strategies

The more micro-categories you own, the more AI platforms cite you as a source.

Building External Authority

Focus on getting other trusted sources to cite and recommend you:

• Pitch journalists and industry publications
• Contribute to industry reports and studies
• Participate in expert roundups
• Build relationships with industry influencers

Technical Optimization for AI Citation

Make your content easy for AI to extract and cite:

• Use clear headers and bullet points
• Include tables and structured data
• Add schema markup to your pages
• Keep content updated with last-modified dates
• Integrate case studies and verifiable statistics

5. AI Ads: Facebook Targeting Meets Google Intent

When ChatGPT launches advertising, it will combine the best of both worlds: Facebook’s behavioral targeting with Google’s search intent accuracy.

The New Advertising Paradigm

AI ads will target users based on:

• Complete search history and patterns
• Intent signals over time
• Behavioral interests and goals
• Problem identification and solution seeking

For example, if someone searches for marketing agencies but their last 9 searches were about weight loss, the AI might show them a fitness ad instead because that’s their primary current interest.

Preparing for Identity-Based Targeting

To succeed in this new advertising landscape:

Define Your Category Early

• Establish clear brand associations
• Build topical authority in your niche
• Create content that teaches AI who you help
• Focus on specific problem-solution relationships

Leverage First-Party Data

• Integrate CRM data with ad platforms
• Use purchase history for targeting
• Track customer interaction patterns
• Build detailed customer personas

Create Specific Positioning

Instead of saying “we’re a marketing agency,” say “we help SaaS companies scale from $1M to $10M through performance marketing.” This specificity trains AI to understand exactly who you serve.

6. Browsers as AI Platforms: The Next Discovery Frontier

Browsers are evolving into AI-powered platforms that provide answers, recommendations, and ads before users even visit websites.

The Browser Evolution

Major browsers are integrating AI capabilities:

• Chrome’s Gemini: AI-powered search and recommendations
• ChatGPT’s Atlas: Browser-integrated AI assistance
• Perplexity’s Comet: Search and discovery integration

This means users can get answers, comparisons, and recommendations directly in their browser without visiting individual websites.

Preparing for Browser-Centric Discovery

Early Adoption Strategy

• Start running AI-driven ad campaigns (like Google’s Performance Max)
• Learn how these systems optimize and target
• Build experience with AI advertising platforms
• Test different creative and messaging approaches

Technical Preparation

• Implement comprehensive structured data
• Use schema markup throughout your site
• Create clear, scannable content formatting
• Optimize for easy AI extraction

Content Strategy Shift

Treat your website as a data source that feeds AI systems, not just a destination for human visitors. This means:

• Organizing information for easy extraction
• Creating comprehensive resource pages
• Maintaining accurate, up-to-date information
• Building authority through consistent, quality content

7. Live Content: The Authenticity Advantage

In a world saturated with AI-generated content, live video provides the authenticity and human connection that audiences crave.

The Live Content Opportunity

Despite growing demand, few brands are capitalizing on live content:

• Nearly 30% of YouTube users watch live streams weekly
• Live content receives higher engagement rates
• Platforms prioritize live content in their algorithms
• Live streams build stronger audience relationships

Benefits of Regular Live Content

Audience Connection

• Builds trust through real-time interaction
• Humanizes your brand
• Creates community around your content
• Establishes thought leadership

Content Multiplication

• One live stream creates multiple content pieces
• Platforms auto-generate clips in different formats
• Horizontal and vertical versions created automatically
• Repurpose into shorts, reels, and TikToks

Live Content Strategy

Consistency Over Production Value

• Go live weekly with valuable content
• Focus on teaching and helping your audience
• Answer questions and address current trends
• Share case studies and behind-the-scenes insights

Content Ideas

• Q&A sessions with your audience
• Industry trend analysis and commentary
• Case study breakdowns
• Tool demonstrations and tutorials
• Guest interviews and collaborations

8. Multilingual Content: Global Reach Without Barriers

Language barriers are disappearing thanks to AI-powered translation and voice synthesis technologies.

The Global Content Revolution

Tools like YouTube’s auto-dubbing and HeyGen enable automatic translation and voice synthesis in multiple languages, allowing creators to:

• Reach global audiences instantly
• Expand into new markets without additional costs
• Generate 30-50% of views from non-native languages
• Scale content production globally

Implementation Strategy

Platform Optimization

• Enable multilanguage audio on YouTube videos
• Use automatic translation features
• Optimize video settings for global distribution
• Monitor performance across different languages

Website Globalization

• Implement hreflang tags for international SEO
• Add language selectors to your site
• Localize call-to-action buttons and forms
• Ensure checkout processes support multiple languages
• Create region-specific landing pages

Content Localization

• Adapt content for cultural differences
• Consider local market preferences
• Adjust messaging for different regions
• Test performance across markets

Implementing These Trends: Your 2026 Action Plan

To successfully implement these trends, prioritize based on your current capabilities and market position:

Immediate Actions (Next 30 Days)

1. Set up on-platform lead capture using tools like ManyChat
2. Enable multilanguage audio on your video content
3. Start going live weekly with educational content
4. Audit your content for AI-friendly formatting

Medium-Term Strategy (Next 90 Days)

1. Develop topic clusters for search everywhere optimization
2. Launch a digital PR campaign to build external authority
3. Implement comprehensive structured data on your website
4. Begin testing AI-driven advertising campaigns

Long-Term Vision (Next 6-12 Months)

1. Build a comprehensive content ecosystem across all platforms
2. Establish category leadership in your niche
3. Develop global content distribution strategies
4. Create systems for consistent quality control and verification

Conclusion: Leading the 2026 Marketing Revolution

The digital marketing landscape of 2026 will reward brands that understand and adapt to these fundamental shifts. Success will come to those who:

• Embrace platform-native lead capture strategies
• Optimize for discovery across all search surfaces
• Use AI intelligently while maintaining human oversight
• Build authority through digital PR and external validation
• Prepare for identity-based advertising
• Optimize for browser-integrated AI discovery
• Leverage live content for authentic connection
• Scale globally through multilingual content

The brands that implement these strategies now will have a significant competitive advantage as these trends accelerate throughout 2026. Don’t wait for your competitors to catch up—start implementing these changes today.

For more insights on digital marketing strategy and implementation, visit FML Marketing for expert guidance on navigating the evolving digital landscape.

The post The 8 Digital Marketing Trends That Will Define 2026: A Complete Strategy Guide appeared first on FML Marketing.

social media monitoring: 6 do’s & don’ts

DO: Assign a person responsible for monitoring within your organization

Social media is always on. Where messages used to spread more slowly, online reporting continues all day long. Even the smallest messages can affect your brand reputation. Within the organization, therefore, monitoring is not something you ‘just add to’. Certainly not at the moment that a crisis breaks out in which action is expected from your organization.

Think, for example, of a wrong reaction from a web care employee who goes viral or an accident about which reports are soon published via social media. Such events have a direct impact on a brand’s reputation. At that moment it is good to have a person who guides the process of media monitoring, informs the right people and does not panic. This person is extremely patient, can act quickly and thinks in terms of solutions.

DO: Use monitoring tools

To keep an eye on your organization’s reputation, you could hire someone to keep an eye on all channels (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, etc.) all day long. Fortunately, there are several useful and user-friendly tools available today that make social media monitoring a lot easier. Are you just starting media monitoring? A free tool such as Hootsuite offers easy solutions for different channels and offers you the possibility to respond via this tool.

Are you looking for a monitoring tool that can help you make a real difference in the field of reputation management? Then more advanced tools will help you out. Within such a tool it is possible to get graphs of volumes and scope of reporting, but it also offers the possibility of sentiment analysis, stakeholder monitoring and easy reports for internal use.

DO: Put relevant reputation pillars in place

To ensure optimum reputation management, it is important to focus on the pillars that are important for your organization. For example, by including the RepTrak© model in online media monitoring, you can measure the state of your brand’s reputation on a structural basis and where you may need to make adjustments. The model is based on seven dimensions with twenty-three characteristics and, with the right searches, can be easily integrated into a tool.

Does your organization appear online as an innovative company? Or do you show online that you are a sustainable company? By keeping an eye on this on a monthly, weekly or even daily basis, after a while you will gain insight into the online reputation of your brand. You can also see when situations threaten to get out of hand or when you have to make adjustments if you want to maintain or achieve the desired reputation.

DON’T: Lose your mind

The world of (social) media monitoring is enormous. The number of messages that organizations receive per day is sometimes between 1,000 and 10,000. Good monitoring helps you to get a clear overview of all these reports. Note: these are also messages that you might not have encountered in the normal course of business. An overview of these reports provides many new insights, which can lead to new ideas and solutions.

But you will also come across many negative reports that you have previously overlooked. Don’t panic! Look beyond the negativity and read carefully what your target group actually thinks. Are certain patterns visible? Or are the same people always negative? Map this out within the organization and think in terms of solutions. Monitoring can help you to actually adjust your reputation because you now have a good insight into what is being said about your brand. Think of it as a great opportunity from which your organization can benefit enormously.

DON’T: Ignore important questions or criticisms

Because monitoring provides you with more information, there is a good chance that there are also important and critical questions from consumers, external stakeholders, and interest groups, for example. In order to maintain or strengthen your reputation, it is important that you are able to answer these questions clearly. Put together the most important questions on a Q&A page (question-and-answer page).

Also, be aware that responses through public channels are visible to everyone. It is therefore even more important that you are unambiguous in the answers you give. Also, keep your organization’s customer service well informed of these questions. They are in direct contact with the customer and have a major impact on brand reputation. By responding quickly, clearly and unambiguously to important questions, your reputation will not be compromised.

DON’T: Forgot to ask questions yourself

Be constantly alert to changes in your customers’ purchasing behavior or the expectations they have. By constantly asking yourself how they see your brand and what they think of it, you can specifically monitor those answers.

For example, would you like to know how a recently launched campaign was received? Include this campaign name and related topics in your search. This gives you real-time insights into sentiment, volume, and media value around the campaign. Ask yourself such questions all the time, so that you can see whether the current strategy you are pursuing is a success or whether it needs to be worked on. Are you already aware of everything that is going on online around your organization? Or do you have any tips of your own? Let me know in a comment underneath this article!

Thank you for reading our article 6 do’s & don’ts of Social Media Monitoring. FML Marketing is a boutique digital marketing agency located in Estepona, Costa del Sol. We offer digital marketing solutions to small and medium-sized organizations. To learn more about our premium marketing services, please contact us for a personal approach.

The post 6 do’s & don’ts of Social Media Monitoring appeared first on FML Marketing.

Advertise on Linkedin? What are the advantages of this? Why would you do that anyway? It is not the most popular social medium, so it makes much more sense to go to Facebook?

This is not entirely true for a specific target group. You know that 9 out of 10 people are on Facebook, but many of those who are not on Facebook do use LinkedIn. This is also because LinkedIn is used with a completely different purpose than Facebook and with this goal in mind it is actually very logical to advertise on LinkedIn.
On LinkedIn, there are mainly people in the business area. It is a professional ‘social media’. This way you know that you can reach serious potential customers. Advertising on LinkedIn is, therefore, a very serious area for you.

How do you do that?

In the following paragraphs, you will find a step-by-step plan in which you learn how to advertise on LinkedIn. Read them in advance so that you know what you have to have at hand. Especially step 1 does take the necessary time.

Step 1: preparation

A preparation is certainly important. Ask yourself: What do I want to achieve with advertising? Here are a few examples: Do you want to bring in more customers? Do you want more brand awareness? Do you want to lead people to your webshop? Whatever goal you have, you have to take it into account in your ads.

You have to put your target group together on LinkedIn. Also, think about your budget campaign LinkedIn.

Step 2: Create an account

You must have your own account on LinkedIn and a company page. With your account, you can manage a page for your company and only with that company page, you can advertise messages. If you do not yet have your own account, you have to create it. Then you start working in the Campaign Manager. You create a new account (within your own account) on the name of your company. Choose a suitable name that tells enough about your company.

Choose the right currency for your business. Advertising is not free.

Think about the desired budget that advertises on LinkedIn costs.

Step 3: Campaign type

What kind of campaign are you going to conduct? LinkedIn gives you three choices. Sponsored content, text ads or a sponsored Inmail. What is the difference?

Sponsored content

You reach the customers through sponsored messages in their LinkedIn feed. The messages that you have already created on your company page can easily be sponsored to reach people who are not yet following your page. You can also turn on a feature that allows people to follow your page, which can provide more business followers. Very useful if you want to be seen repeatedly in their timeline.

This is the form of advertising that I usually apply on LinkedIn.

Text Ads

The campaign is listed as an ad on the side of Linked-In or at the top of one line.Advantage: This way of advertising leads to more visitors to your website. So this is more about selling. Because you lead people to your website, they can buy something from you.
Disadvantage: People cannot follow you in this way. You can create name recognition because you are always on the sidelines or top of LinkedIn.

Sponsored Inmail

This type of advertisement looks a bit like email marketing. You make a nice message that you can send to people you indicate in your target group or to the followers you have. The advantage is that this is very personal, the disadvantage is that this can also deter people.

Step 4: Campaign name

Think of a name for your campaign. You can have multiple campaigns on LinkedIn. If you want to order your campaigns, you have to put a number on your campaign. The campaigns are displayed in alphabetical order.
You also have to choose a language for your campaign. Think carefully about this! If you have a webshop, you will want to advertise internationally more quickly than if you have a store.

You can also opt for conversion tracking. This means that LinkedIn keeps track of the results for you. This way you can see whether your ads are effective. You can track how many people click on your ad and how many people go to your website or page. You can also see which campaign is most effective because of multiple campaigns.

For this, you have to install a code on your website, but this also allows you to advertise more specifically.

Step 5: Create the ads

It differs per type of advertisement, which is the working method.

Sponsored Content campaign

You can choose from two types of sponsored campaigns. With one, you sponsor from an existing content and with the other you create a content yourself. Give your ad a name and create a text with a maximum of 600 words and add an image. An image does not necessarily have to, but it appears from the practice that ads with images are viewed more.

Text Ad campaign

You can choose between two options: if people click on your ad, they will 1. visit your LinkedIn page or 2. to your website. Choose a good header for your ad with up to 25 words and a description of up to 75 characters. You can also add an image. You can create multiple text Ads to test which works best.

Sponsored Inmail

This is very similar to e-mail marketing within LinkedIn. You can write a personalized message to make real contact with people and to increase registrations for your real e-mail marketing or even programs.

Step 6: Target group

On LinkedIn, you can very clearly put together a business target group. You can indicate the areas you want to focus on. The professions and functions that your target audience must have, the number of years of experience, the company size and even which diploma your target group must have. Ideal for when you are looking for a business client with a certain position in a certain branch.

Step 7: Budgets

Advertising on LinkedIn is not free! Think in advance about your budget campaign LinkedIn. LinkedIn is relatively more expensive than for example Facebook, but this is also because you can advertise your target audience more accurately. With LinkedIn, for example, I have far less trouble with strange characters who like your ads. You can pay per click or per impression.

Cost-per-click

You pay when someone clicks your ad. Ideal for when you want more traffic to your website or page.

Cost-per-impressions

You pay per 1000 times your ad is shown, regardless of the number of times people clicked on it. This is a perfect deal when you want more brand awareness.
What is ideal on LinkedIn is that it always shows what the competitor does. You can also set a maximum budget per day so that you will not be through your budget after a week. You can also enter a budget for the entire campaign so that LinkedIn has an indication of your costs.

Your ad is ready to enter the world! Good luck! Do you need more help? Then you can always follow a workshop about LinkedIn.

LinkedIn advertising Marbella

If you want to learn more about advertising on Linkedin, or if you want professional support, please contact FML Marketing. Our team of experts is ready to help you and your organization reach your online marketing goals!

The post LinkedIn advertising: Campaigning on LinkedIn appeared first on FML Marketing.

1. Increase brand recognition

by using social media you increase the online presence of your company. By increasing the reach of your brand or product, consumers will recognize your brand or product name sooner and the name remains top-of-mind.

2. Online reputation management

Nowadays, it has become very easy for companies to monitor on the Internet what customers think of your brand. Here are several tools for finding. This part is very important for reputation management. By monitoring social media, you as an entrepreneur can respond quickly to reactions from (potential) customers and follow up on negative feedback. It is also advisable to monitor and learn from colleagues in the industry. Stagnation is decline: in many branches the saying

3. Stagnation is deterioration

The arrival of social media has changed marketing forever. The Internet is subject to constant changes. So it is important for your company to follow it. Social media is now becoming mature. As a result, you can no longer ignore it as an (innovative) company. Not to mention the massive presence of your (potential) target group.

4. Influence of buying behavior

The social media network of consumers has a considerable influence on buying behavior. Consumers who follow brands on social media often buy these products and regularly order them within their own network.

5. Social media business: Expert status

Your company profile/weblog is an excellent opportunity to be labeled as an expert by the consumer. Through a profile you can keep consumers up to date with the latest news regarding your company, but also sector-related news. When relevant news articles are shared on a regular basis, the consumer sees your company as an expert.

6. Generate website traffic

It is good to add a link to your site in posted messages where possible. By posting regular updates with a link on, for example, Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn, you can generate additional traffic on the corporate website via ‘clicks’. Incoming links are also a very important factor in search engine marketing.

7. Influence on search engine rankings

Many social media websites use no-follow tags. This means that search engines do not follow them. Nevertheless, social media websites often score very high in search engines. Testing shows that websites with a social part in the link profile (i.e. the no-follow links) rank better than websites without no-follow links. This underlines the importance of a so-called ‘natural’ link profile. If people talk about your site (and link through social media), this is a natural process. Search engines attach great value to websites with a natural link profile. More about Search Engine Optimization and Google Ranking.

8. Niche & local marketing

With the arrival of social media, niche marketing has become even easier. Companies can search through social platforms for demographic characteristics and interests. Therefore, social media lends itself perfectly for location-bound services. These ‘Location Based Services’ are particularly suitable for companies that want to inform their customers about the specific possibilities at the location where the customer is at that moment. In the past, we executed a very successful Social Location based advert campaign for perhaps the most thrilling food truck company on the Costa del Sol, iFood Comida en Ruedas.  

9. Recruiting new talent

Recent research by MrWork shows that a majority of companies already use at least 3 different social media for recruitment. More than 80% of the respondents use social media for ’employer branding’ and ‘direct sourcing’. 58% of the respondents, for example, use vacancies on LinkedIn and / or have built up a ‘social talent pool’.

10. Input product development

Through monitoring of social media channels, you also gain insight into the wishes of the customer. This input is extremely useful for innovating your products. Although many social media platforms are free, it takes time and energy to set up a successful plan to formulate the target group, to find out where this target group is located and to analyze the feedback.

FML Marketing Social Media Solutions

Make more out of your Social Media presence, actions and (paid) campaigns, please contact us for an open-end advice. We are more than happy to share our thoughts and recommendations.

The post 10 reasons to use social media for your business appeared first on FML Marketing.

LinkedIn ads that DO work

The question regularly asked on the platform is whether campaigns are ‘business enough’. As a result, the ads we see are often ‘coloured within the lines’. Or we could just say utterly boring, not conversing..rubbish! Fortunately, some companies succeed in making contact with their target group in an innovative, creative way. In this article, we show 4 good examples. Moreover, we share three tips to prevent your company (again) from setting up a colourless campaign.

1. Sun farmers?

Promoting Solar energy in a LinkedIn campaign, with a tight budget? E.On in Sweden succeeded and won the LinkedIn Marketing Award in 2017 for the most innovative corporate campaign. The idea? Simple but brilliant. Do you want to be able to trigger homeowners and entrepreneurs to switch to sustainable energy? In ‘The Great LinkedIn Sunfarmer Stunt’ all E.On employees in Sweden were asked update to update their LinkedIn to: Solfarmare (literally translated: solar farmer). Can you imagine how much attention and questions that have been called upon? All those changes to functions in your timeline? We do! LinkedIn indicated that all tens of thousands of members were reached within a few hours. Never shown before, as far as we know. And because good money is better than bad thinking … Who picks up the glove in the Netherlands, Spain and the UK? Come on guys!!

2. KFC – The Personal approach

Although it does not strictly meet the terms of use of LinkedIn, we think KFC has found a great way to generate brand awareness. We strongly believe in the personal approach (human to human). That is why we were pleasantly surprised that KFC (or a fellow fan!) Had created a LinkedIn profile for the now-deceased founder of the company, Colonel Harland Sanders.

And they did not finish it off quickly! The LinkedIn profile contains contact details, a (striking) summary and a complete CV. He also completed 50 (they would have looked after skills) skills. What an original way to highlight the heart and the history of the company!

Although we are extremely enthusiastic, there is still room for improvement. For example, the profile is not yet linked to the official LinkedIn Company Page of KFC. In addition, we miss a header on the profile and we would find it logical if some historical photos were added here and there. But the most important loss is the updates and the lack of interaction. The introduction of KFC in another country? More about KFC as an employer? Or a spicy chicken recipe for the barbecue? It may all be slightly less static. Nevertheless, a big compliment for the KFC social media team, which is brilliant anyway. Have you ever wondered why the company exactly follows 11 accounts on Twitter? This, of course, was the perfect opportunity for Albert Heijn (Dutch supermarket chain) to use the brand on LinkedIn with supermarket manager Harry Piekema.  Do you work for a company with a beautiful, rich history and a special founder? Then this is your chance! 

3. Undies or INdies?

This campaign by Fruit of the Loom blew us away. What did they do on LinkedIn to trigger their target audience? The company, known by many of its underwear and socks, launched a campaign where it sent a LinkedIn message to members who just had a new job. They offered free underwear under the motto “great-fitting underwear can help you start your workday in a great mood”. A fantastic example of being relevant at the right time, in a fun way too! 

4. Bikinis on LinkedIn?

Let’s remain in the fashion corner … What do you think? Do bikinis belong on LinkedIn? With exactly this question and a stimulating photo below, Candice Galek unleashed a huge discussion on the platform. People fell over each other to give their opinion on this subject. A Smart thought of this entrepreneur … Because she owns a manufacturer of designer swimwear! It resulted in 250,000 profile views in the 90 consecutive days, receiving more than 7,000 invitations during the same period and also traffic to the website went through the roof. Due to all (over)heated reactions, her post was removed by LinkedIn and her account temporarily blocked. But the ‘damage’ was already done. For example, as a result of this one post, she received several interesting business proposals, she was in The Huffington Post and now has almost 70,000 followers on LinkedIn. What one single update can do…

3 tips for your business

But now back to the daily practice. What can your company do now to really stand out on LinkedIn? This depends to a large extent of course on the market you are in, the vision of your company and your proposition. But these three things ensure that your next campaign on LinkedIn does not become the thirteenth in a dozen.

1. Look over the wall of your industry and the countries in which you are active. Get inspired! It is still better to steel well that invent something that is utter shite.

2. Do you have a brilliant idea for a campaign on LinkedIn, but do you doubt it is suitable for the platform? Discuss the idea with colleagues. And we do not only mean your hip fellow marketers, but also think about your colleagues who answer the phone when angry customers are reporting, the recruiters or, for example, your IT administrator. And introduce it to an outsider, which can lead to confirmation or surprising new insights.

3. Last but not least, show guts! We can all colour within the lines. Dare to do differently. Remeber that the most beautiful flowers always grow on the edge of the clough…

Social Media Support | FML Marketing Estepona

Thank you for reading our blog here at FML Marketing. We are a marketing agency located in Estepona on the Costa del Sol. Please contact us in case you need support with LinkedIn ads, social media, social advertisement or other digital challenges. We are happy to support. Contact us for a chat to discuss your digital challenges!

The post Social Media: 4 LinkedIn ads that DO work appeared first on FML Marketing.