10 LinkedIn marketing lessons to boost your effectiveness
From my experience, LinkedIn's red-headed stepchild status in the social media world stems mostly from a lack of knowledge of how to yield its power.
Some people may peruse a few articles, but mostly, people only hop on when they receive a notification for a random connection request.
But what if there was a way to take your LinkedIn relationship to the next level?
I recently polled y'all on my Instagram stories and the tribe has spoken: an astounding 85% were ready to take the LinkedIn plunge and learn more. 85%, y'all!
Below you'll find 10 LinkedIn Marketing Lessons that will boost your effectiveness on this enigmatic platform.
1. Keep it real
You connect more when you keep it real. Quality over quantity applies here. Choose your connections thoughtfully, with two priorities in mind:
- You want people with an existing audience that would also be interested in you. Their indirect endorsement of liking and commenting on your content will be powerful.
- Someone you might want to do business with/potential client/customer.
Want to increase your chance? Add a personal note to your request. Particularly if it isn’t obvious why you’re asking to connect when they look at your profile.
2. Don't forget the OGs
You can’t just get and forget your best LinkedIn contacts. Keep an eye out for their content and add thoughtful comments. No spamming. Just keep them on your radar.
3. Dump LinkedIn Email
LinkedIn email is like catnip for spammers and does not work. A thank you right after connecting is fine; but if you don't want your messages sent straight to trash, we’ve got to get to know each other first. Play nice.
4. No double-dipping
You can’t double-dip with LinkedIn. It’s a professional network, so your execution can’t just be to copy-paste from other social networks. Take a little bit of extra time to customize your visual content and your caption to make it fit into the LinkedIn environment.
5. Yoohooo...we can see you
Actions are more visible than ever on LinkedIn. Both for you to find out about other people, and for them finding out about you too. Most people keep their settings fairly open.
6. If it ain't cute, put it on mute
You ever attend a family gathering, only to get cornered by your crazy cousin with their million conspiracy theories and no one sees your "help me" eyes? Oh...just me? Don't be the crazy cousin. "Prolific" LinkedIn posters end up in the mute category.
So how often should you post on LinkedIn? You should be posting as often as you have something to say or share that your audience will find valuable. You also have to take into account their capacity to consume that value.
7. Personal can be a touch too much
Getting overly personal still does not work on LinkedIn. It breaks my heart to say this but: no puppies, no cat videos, no"This is what I had for breakfast," UNLESS you can tie it into something professional. It’s okay to inject a little bit about yourself, just make sure the context is right.
Example: Posting a coffee photo from a cool cafe you visited and contextualizing it as here’s a set of takeaways I had from a meeting today. Or posting a photo of you running and tying it to how your routine has helped make you a better entrepreneur.
8. Nurturing your network made easy
LinkedIn makes it SO easy to nurture your network. You see that Notifications tab? Use. It. It's a wealth of knowledge. That’s where you’ll get alerts about your connections' work anniversaries (say happy anniversary) or who likes your posts. LinkedIn provides you with rich opportunities to connect.
9. LinkedIn Groups? Um..about that.
LinkedIn Groups are still not living up to their potential. Groups on any platform are about community, not pushing your own agenda - which happens far too often on LinkedIn. LinkedIn Groups trend toward one-way conversations.
10. This may or may not be your niche
If you don’t have business products or services, LinkedIn may not be for you. If you have a product or service that someone would be interested in for themselves professionally or for their business, LinkedIn is for you. Personal use services or products (i.e. fitness training sessions) don’t get the same traction. There are some exceptions: big companies do use it effectively for brand awareness. But unless you can tie your service into the business world, it may be time to let sleeping dogs lie.
If you’ve made it to the end of this post and found these tips helpful, please take a moment to share this post with a friend, write a (5-star) review, or connect with me on LinkedIn. See you on social!