Proposal Template For Marketers: Accelerating Thought Leadership Through a Strategic LinkedIn Growth Program
3rd December 2024
Introduction
This proposal outlines a scalable strategy for growing a personal LinkedIn account based on the results of an experimental framework. The experiment tested how quickly a LinkedIn personal account can grow and what measurable impact it can have on individual and company branding. By starting small, analysing data-driven results, and iterating, this strategy builds a solid case for scaling thought leadership effectively.
Executive Summary
Between Oct 31st - Dec 3rd 2024, I have launched a small project to conduct an experiment using my LinkedIn personal account to explore the potential for organic growth through thought leadership. This initiative has generated 355 followers in just one month (See above the screenshots showing before [1645 followers] and after the experiment [2000 followers]) demonstrating a clear appetite for high-quality, authentic content. This experiment provides a strong case for a scalable program involving C-suite executives and sales team, aimed at building both the personal and the business brands, increasing exposure to your company Ideal Customer Profiles (ICPs), and reinforcing your organisational presence in the market.
This proposal outlines a strategy to scale this initiative, highlighting its benefits and the organisational impact. With the right investment, I am confident that this program will:
Increase engagement with your ICPs.
Establish your leadership and sales team as industry thought leaders.
Boost overall brand visibility and trust.
Drive organic inbound opportunities and sales growth.
Generate approximately 4,260 to 21,300 new followers across the team over 12 months. By enrolling between 1 to 5 participants in this program, each can consistently gain around 355 new followers per month, leading to this significant growth over the year. Social Media Followers Are Not Vanity Metrics When Backed by Strategy and Analysis>>
Results from my Experiment
Organic Growth: Achieved 355 followers in one month (this represents about 20% growth rate within one month)
Audience Quality: Majority of my new followers align closely with my ICP profiles.
· Content Themes: Topics related to marketing and HubSpot garnered the highest engagement.
Engagement Metrics: Over the last 28 days, posts outperformed average benchmarks, achieving a 125% increase in impressions and a 129% boost in members reached. Website traffic surged by approximately 216%, with the campaign drawing 58 ICP companies to visit the website (this represents about 16% conversion rate of new followers to website visits) and engage with the content I developed. Direct messages both on LinkedIn and via emails saw a notable uptick, leading to 2–3 weekly meetings aligned with my objectives, one face-to-face meet-up with an industry expert (where one of my posts caught her attention, after engaging online we decided to meet for a drink - showing that LinkedIn is not just for building digital networks, but for creating real-world relationships) and a closed-won project with a startup.
The startup closed won project, now 100% completed, involved:
Ø Designed their website.
Ø Implemented HubSpot: Completed setup, created comprehensive training documentation, and recorded a training video to support new staff onboarding. The solid foundation ensures the company can scale seamlessly with HubSpot as it grows.
Ø Conducted keyword research and analysed online activities of 5 competitors.
Ø Developed a 7-month content calendar and social media calendar for their brand awareness campaigns.
Ø Created artworks for social media pages and the video for the business launch.
These results demonstrate that consistent, strategic thought leadership content can drive organic growth while fostering connections with ICPs.
Proposed Program: Thought Leadership at Scale
1. Program Objective
Goal: Scale the experiment by enrolling the C-suite and sales team in a thought leadership program to grow their personal and company brands and amplify the company’s online presence.
2. Program Overview
Training and Enablement: Equip executives and sales leaders with the skills to create and share compelling LinkedIn content (where the tactic used for this experiment will be shared)
Content Strategy: Develop a content calendar aligned with your key business priorities and ICP interests.
Measurement: Track metrics such as followers growth, posts engagement, inbound leads, DM and meetings attributable to LinkedIn activity.
Support: Provide editorial and graphic design support to ensure professional-quality posts.
3. Execution Plan
Kick-off Workshop: Train participants on LinkedIn best practices, thought leadership, and personal branding.
Content Creation: Develop personalised strategies for each participant, focusing on their expertise and ICP interests.
Ongoing Support: Offer monthly coaching sessions, content ideation, and analytics reviews.
Content Syndication: Repurpose individual posts for use on the corporate LinkedIn page and other channels.
Expected Benefits
Increased Exposure to ICPs:
By leveraging the networks of your C-suite and sales team, you exponentially increase your brand exposure to ICPs.
Enhanced Credibility:
Leaders sharing authentic, industry-specific insights position themselves—and by extension, the company—as credible, innovative, and authoritative.
Improved Brand Visibility:
Collective activities will increase awareness of your company’s mission and offerings across LinkedIn’s professional audience.
Lead Generation and Sales Enablement:
Engaged followers are more likely to convert into leads or advocates, directly impacting sales and marketing ROI.
Talent Attraction:
Visible leadership attracts high-caliber talent, further strengthening the organisation.
Investment and Resources Required
Personnel:
Hiring me as the program lead to design, execute, and manage the initiative.
Potentially allocating a content creator to support participants.
Tools and Technology:
LinkedIn Premium subscriptions for advanced analytics.
Tools for content scheduling and performance tracking. For example, if you are using HubSpot, their social media scheduling tool could be used.
Budget:
Estimated initial cost: £59,99 per month (LinkedIn premium cost for business) for each member who will be enrolled into this program
Success Metrics
The success of the program will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
Followers Growth: The rate of growth in participants’ LinkedIn followers over time.
Engagement Rate: The average number of likes, shares, and comments on participant posts, along with website traffic and visits from our target Ideal Customer Profiles (ICPs).
Inbound Leads: The volume of leads, direct messages, and meetings directly attributed to the program’s efforts.
Brand Awareness: Measured through increased mentions and reach of the company name across LinkedIn and other online platforms, as well as a rise in search engine queries using the brand name.
Sales Pipeline Impact: Improvements in key sales metrics, including a higher sign-up rate, increased deal value, and a reduction in the sales cycle duration. This program will also help pre-qualify opportunities before they enter the sales funnel.
Next Steps
Approve the hiring of a program lead to oversee the initiative.
Schedule a leadership team meeting to align on program goals and expectations.
Finalise the budget and timeline.
Launch the pilot phase as soon as this proposal is signed off.
Your Guide to Social Media Success>>
Conclusion
This thought leadership program has the potential to transform your digital presence, strengthen connections with ICPs, and drive meaningful business outcomes. By scaling the proven strategy from the experiment, you can position your organisation as an industry leader and achieve measurable results in brand visibility, lead generation, and sales growth.
This blog post highlights not only a methodology or proposal template that marketers can use to present a new marketing initiative after completing an experiment, but also showcases my ability to implement innovative strategies that drive measurable results.
My ultimate goal is to contribute to the success of your marketing team by leading impactful marketing and CRM programs that ensure sustainable growth for your organisation.
I am open to full-time opportunities and excited to discuss how this approach could integrate into your growth plan. Let’s work together to bring this vision to life. My focus is on securing a long-term role within your marketing team.
Alberte Touani CMktr MCIM
3rd December 2024