I absolutely love LinkedIn and I cannot stress enough, that if your Business is B to B you need to show up! You also need to show up whilst the exposure is superb and the platform is working with you rather than against you.
There is a lot to learn with LinkedIn but the best thing to do is start!
Here are my Top 10 Tips to getting started on this fantastic platform.
Tip #1 – Use a professional photo.
- LinkedIn profiles with photos get 21 x more views and 36 x more messages. Plus we like to see who we are talking to! A professional headshot is the best option, so get booked in with a local photographer if you need one and get this done asap.
Tip #2 – Update your information & Strapline
Your summary should clearly state what you do, and how you can help your target market. Concentrate on what makes you different from the crowd and create your brand message and strapline around that. This helps convince your audience that you are worth their time, connection, and engagement.
- Use clear and simple language – avoid jargon and acronyms
- Communicate concrete results you provide to your customers
- State how your offering is different than what else is in the marketplace
- Avoid hype and superlatives. For example, don’t claim you’re “the greatest” at something. Stick to facts and measurable achievements
- Make it easy to read and skim
- Include a call-to-action
- Provide your contact information
- Add external links such as your website and other social profiles
Tip #3 – Make use of your personal profile
- Strangers who come across your profile on LinkedIn are more likely to follow you than to connect with you if they like your content. This is why it’s useful to change your default button on your profile to ‘Follow’ instead of ‘Connect.’
- Changing the button can grow your network faster, and lead to more engagement. Plus, once people follow you, you can personally reach out and invite them to connect with them as well.
Tip #4 – Seek out connections – aim for 10 per day
- Join LinkedIn groups – it allows you to connect with anyone in the group
- LinkedIn hosts thousands of groups, often run by leading industry professionals. Contributing valuable content to these groups can help establish your credibility as an industry leader – plus, it’s a unique opportunity to connect with people in your audience.
- Belonging to a group instantly grants you access to sending connection invites to every other member within that group.
- You can also set up and run your own LinkedIn group. Not only could you stand to benefit from upcoming changes, but establishing a group can also help your target market find and engage with you.
Tip #5 – Optimize your posts
There are three types of content you can create directly on LinkedIn:
- Posts – this is short content, such as status updates and quick shares – Making sure you add 5 x #
- Videos – you can directly upload video files to LinkedIn
- Articles – LinkedIn Publisher enables you to publish long-form articles
You have up to 1300 characters for each post, but the first 2–3 lines are critical because everything after this is hidden unless the viewer clicks ‘…see more.’
Tip #6 – Engage with others
- Liking and commenting on other people’s posts can boost your own engagement and lead to new connections.
- The clap / curious / ideas are all ways of standing out too.
Tip #7 – Be consistent
LinkedIn’s feed algorithm promotes those who post frequently. Most advice suggests at least 1–2 times per day.
- 500 million LinkedIn users – 260 million are logging in each month.
- It’s B2B online networking 24/7
- It’s where most Fortune 500 decision-makers and executives like to spend their spare time.
- LinkedIn users typically use the platform to find relevant content, meaning they’ll be much more willing to check out what you’re sharing.
- Many LinkedIn users are senior level influencer’s and 40 million are in decision-making positions.
- Only 3 million users share content weekly
- Only 1 million users have published an article on LinkedIn.
Tip #8 – Use Hashtags to Get Discovered
- You should also aim to use no more than 5–6 hashtags per post (including long-form content).
- LinkedIn gives you suggestions under your post so have a look at the recommendations.
- LinkedIn users can follow a hashtag to get content on that topic in their feed even if they don’t follow specific influencers for that topic.
Tip #9 – Write More
- Posts: You have 1,300 characters available to you on a personal LinkedIn post. It turns out, at least in this case, longer is better.
- Articles: 1900 word articles usually get the most shares, so aiming for between 1700 & 2100 words should give your content a great boost. Aim for 2 per week if you can and you can then break this down for other social media ‘bite size’ gems!
Tip #10 – Tag People in LinkedIn Posts
Once you’ve formatted the perfect post that provides value to your readers it’s time to tag your network and core fans! The post may start #Trending if lots of people engage with it and comment on it! If you want it to be seen, tag your team or associates.
I could write another 20 Top Tips but I will leave you to put these ones in action first. If you need some help then feel free to book a call @ https://scollectivecouk.wordpress.com/book-a-call/
“LinkedIn is for life, not just for a season”
The Social Entrepreneur 