Unlocking Your LinkedIn Potential: 12 Analytics Tools to Optimize Your B2B Marketing

LinkedIn has cemented itself as a go-to channel for B2B marketing. Consider that over 722 million professionals now actively use LinkedIn, representing the world‘s largest community of business leaders and influencers.

With such an expansive audience at your fingertips, the opportunity to educate, connect with and convert high-value prospects is immense.

But posting content, making connections and running campaigns blindly without measuring their impact limits your ability to refine strategies and maximize LinkedIn ROI.

That‘s why savvy marketers turn to LinkedIn analytics as the foundation for informed decision making and continual optimization. Let‘s explore how.

Why You Need LinkedIn Analytics In Your Toolbox

As the famous business adage goes: "What gets measured gets improved." LinkedIn analytics help you measure marketing performance so you know what content and tactics to double down on.

More specifically, monitoring key LinkedIn metrics enables you to:

Fine-tune Content For Your Audience

Visitor demographic reports reveal who engages most with your posts – which companies, titles, and industries they hail from.

These audience insights help you tailor messaging, topics and calls to action to resonate better. Even A/B testing content approaches based on solid data can lift performance.

Post Topic/Type Impressions Engagement Rate
Buyer‘s Guide 1,590 4.2%
Tips & Tricks 1,050 2.1%
Case Study 2,240 5.8%

Example content insights for tailoring topics and formats

Spot Trends To Set Yourself Apart

Your competitors likely use a "spray and pray" approach to content without assessing what works.

Monitoring historical analytics arms you with concrete evidence identifying topics and formats that engage your audience most.

Capitalize by devoting more resources towards differentiated content aligned to audience interests.

Quantify Campaign ROI

How much revenue growth, pipeline or sales can be directly attributed to your LinkedIn initiatives?

Sophisticated analytics measure the cost per lead, opportunity influenced and deal size to calculate your ROI.

Positive ROI confirms current programs deliver value. Low or negative ROI signals needed changes like retooling content offers.

Centralize Data For Teams

Consolidated analytics eliminate data silos and reporting inconsistencies that hamper alignment.

Marketing, Sales and Executives access verified "single source of truth" dashboards to guide decisions and strategy.

Now that the importance is clear, let‘s explore tools to unlock those kinds of LinkedIn insights.

Limitations Of LinkedIn‘s Free Analytics

LinkedIn Pages come with limited built-in analytics tracking basic metrics like:

  • Follower growth
  • Post impressions and reactions
  • Top content consumption

This can help spot major changes but lacks granularity to inform optimization. Key limitations include:

Data Limits: Only 12 months of rolling historical data available

Metric Gaps: No click traffic or conversion tracking

Rigid Reporting: Canned reports lacking customization

Siloed Data: Can‘t consolidate programs or multi-channel analytics

ForUNLIMITED HISTORICAL DATA and ADVANCED ANALYTICS explore these 12 leading tools…

12 Best LinkedIn Analytics Tools For B2B Marketers

1. LinkedIn Analytics (Native Tool)

Best For: Basic performance tracking if capped at high-level data

LinkedIn‘s free analytics offer a jumping point to assess:

  • Follower growth
  • Content reactions and clicks
  • Visitor segments

Convert visitors directly within LinkedIn through Lead Gen Forms. Then monitor consumer submissions and responses generated.

But for historical data beyond 12 months or custom reporting needs upgrade to advanced platforms like:

2. DashThis

Best For: Robust LinkedIn analytics alongside other marketing data

DashThis specializes in multi-channel analytics combining data feeds from:

  • LinkedIn Company Pages and ads
  • Google Analytics
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Paid ads
  • Email marketing
  • And more

This unified view helps spot trends across programs and inform optimization accordingly.

Specific LinkedIn KPIs monitored with DashThis include:

  • Content engagement rates
  • Follower locations/growth
  • Profile traffic sources
  • Sponsored ad results

White label reporting and scheduled PDF distribution keep executives and clients up-to-date on marketing performance.

14-day free trial available here

3. Inlytics

Best For: Historical LinkedIn content analytics and planning

Inlytics focuses exclusively on extracting content insights across your Company Page history.

The intuitive dashboard reveals rich details like:

  • Post impressions and engagement changes over time
  • Content driving most reactions and comments
  • Audience response by day/time

Inlytics overlays this historical data into an interactive timeline – extremely valuable for planning future publishing approaches.

Compare and contrast performance analytics on posts focused on product updates vs thought leadership vs current events and so on. Then double down on content framed around high-engagement areas.

Inlytics starts at $xx/month for its comprehensive content analytics capabilities.

Check out Inlytics‘ 7-day free trial here

4. Klipfolio

Best For: Blending LinkedIn with other data sources like web, CRM, etc.

Klipfolio makes it easy to combine LinkedIn Analytics alongside other channels for a 360 view of marketing and sales.

Important LinkedIn metrics pulled into Klipfolio include:

  • Content reach/engagement
  • Follower locations
  • Lead capture form conversions
  • Traffic referrals

Support for 30+ total data connectors eliminates blindspots and answers questions like:

"How website visitor quality compares before/after launching new LinkedIn content offers?"

Klipfolio dashboards auto-refresh as new data comes in. One-click sharing helps align departmental teams on priorities.

Access Klipfolio‘s robust connectors and visualization with a free account

5. Dripify

Best For: Automating personalized outreach and measuring response

Dripify streamlines previously manual LinkedIn relationship-building through automatically:

  • Sending customized connection requests and messages
  • Following up nurture sequences
  • Monitoring reciprocal engagement

This removes opportunity for human error while scaling outreach exponentially.

But automation without analytics is running blind. Dripify tracks the hard metrics around outreach effectiveness like:

  • Response rates
  • Message opens
  • Profile traffic

These benchmarks help continuously tweak messaging and prospect targeting criteria for better results.

Compare campaign metrics against previous periods and throw more budget towards highest performing initiatives.

Put Dripify‘s automation-fueled efficiency to work for your outreach with a 14-day free trial

6. Vaizle

Best For: Competitive and historical performance benchmarking

Vaizle stands apart with detailed comparative analytics revealing how your LinkedIn presence stacks against competitors.

Monitoring comparative metrics helps answer questions like:

  • Who sees more organic traffic and follower growth?
  • Whose content gets higher engagement rates?
  • Who responds faster to prospect comments and messages?

Vaizle also analyzes historical posts and activity to spotlight potential areas for your own page to improve – say highlighting missed opportunities around paid ads or reliance on link posts over rich media.

These kinds of competitive insights coupled with personalization tips drive real differentiation and impact.

Check out Vaizle‘s free LinkedIn analytics here to benchmark yourself

7. ReportGarden

Best For: Automating custom LinkedIn reporting packages

Generating regular analytics reporting is pivotal for optimizing campaigns but extremely manual.

ReportGarden simplifies this busywork by automatically:

  • Building reports around the exact LinkedIn datasets you designate – from content performance to follower segments to lead gen forms
  • Refreshing reports on schedule to serve up-to-date numbers
  • Distributing reports out to clients or teammates

Beyond automation, white labeling and custom report formatting ensure your analysis stands out in polished fashion.

Dive into ReportGarden‘s capabilities through their free 14-day trial offer.

8. OctopusCRM

Best for: Triggering real-time alerts around LinkedIn engagement

Field sales teams need to know the moment a prospect engages with your LinkedIn content or makes contact. OctopusCRM turns this requirement into reality by monitoring key LinkedIn metrics and triggering instant Slack notifications including:

  • Alert for spike in Company Page views
  • Prompt to respond to new prospect message
  • Heads-up on lead visiting jobs page

Notifications keep reps in sync on hot prospects reaching out or investigating products without having to log into analytics platforms separately.

Think instant reaction vs untimely weekly reports pulled manually. This real-time edge helps reps standout and convert more top-funnel prospects into pipeline opportunities.

OctopusCRM plans start at $xx/month but you can test drive their notification features here.

9. Taplio

Best for: AI-optimized content recommendations

When it comes to quality content, the stakes are high because poor performing posts signal irrelevance to prospects.

Taplio‘s AI assistant analyzes your current LinkedIn content metrics then suggests topics and formats projected to lift engagement based on audience interests.

Ongoing analytics continue monitoring performance of published posts to further tune the AI‘s recommendations.

This essentially builds a personalization engine fine-tuned to your audience‘s preferences so they receive content tailored specifically for them – leading to higher conversions.

Try Taplio‘s AI capabilities through their forever free account option or paid plans starting at $xx/month.

10. Measure Studio

Best for: AI-powered analytics and cross-network reporting

Measure Studio makes it simple to benchmark LinkedIn metrics against other networks like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter in one dashboard.

But they also surface AI-powered recommendations to optimize efforts further.

Examples include suggestions to:

  • Adjust posting cadence based on when followers are most active
  • Join related industry groups to expand reach
  • Leverage video content based on engagement spike tests

These kinds of strategic insights help maximise your LinkedIn presence.

Paid plans start at $xx/month but Measure has a generous free tier to benefit from their AI engine.

11. Quintly

Best for: Robust enterprise-scale analytics and competitor benchmarks

For large companies managing an extensive LinkedIn presence, Quintly delivers required enterprise breadth and depth.

The platform tracks all core metrics around followers, content performance, lead gen form conversions, traffic sources, and more.

Both canned and custom reporting help inform departmental decision making.

But where Quintly truly differentiates is enabling you to benchmark LinkedIn performance against competitors. Applying lessons from frontrunners in your space can profoundly impact growth.

On top of competitive intelligence, Quintly provides expert coaching for further optimization.

Sign up to pilot Quintly‘s enterprise-grade capabilities through their free demo

12. Zoho Analytics

Best for: Consolidated analytics and reporting spanning marketing channels

For largest scale needs, the Zoho Marketing Platform incorporates LinkedIn analytics into broader data tracking across:

  • Website analytics
  • Digital + social ad performance
  • Campaign cost and budget tracking
  • And more

Zoho pre-builds 75+ linkedin report templates around traffic, content, follower, lead gen metrics and more.

Schedules and automates delivery to continually align Teams and demonstrate marketing ROI.

As a division of Zoho CRM, the #1 customer management platform, bi-directional connectors transmit LinkedIn analytics into your operating heartbeat for immediate sales user accessibility.

If complex B2B marketing and sales processes define your reality, tour Zoho‘s full capabilities via custom demo.

Align Your LinkedIn Presence To Audience Interests With Analytics

There you have it. A comprehensive guide to 12 leading options for unlocking enhanced LinkedIn analytics critical to data-driven B2B marketing.

While native LinkedIn Analytics provide basic performance tracking, the tools above take you much further – serving up actionable intelligence to stand out from competitors.

I encourage you to try out free trials of options matching your current business maturity but built to scale as marketing needs evolve over time.

Then armed with audience insights and metrics revealing what content and engagement tactics convert best, double down on those strengths through ongoing optimization.

The only limit to your LinkedIn success is how data-informed your strategy stays. So let analytics pave the way for achieving your growth potential through active listening.

I‘m excited to hear about the impact these platforms make for your B2B marketing efforts!