One pre-frame to this blog that’s important here is to understand that despite the fact that I am ALL about social media and using it to grow your brand, I will ALWAYS recommend you only take on as much as you can effectively manage. If that means just one platform, a couple posts a week, great! Just start somewhere. You don’t need to be in all the places doing all the things right away. You will get there, but it takes small, calculated moves.
Which is why I want to bring up the platform you might be overlooking – LinkedIn!
I know, I know, you’re probably thinking “Autumn LinkedIn is so five years ago!” or “I’m not looking for a job so I don’t need to use LinkedIn.”
Well, I’m about to bust both of those myths.
I worked with a stellar LinkedIn coach last year, Judi Fox, and she completely transformed the way I use LinkedIn.
To keep it simple, think of LinkedIn as one giant networking opportunity. As if you’re attending a conference that has all of your potential clients, referrals, colleagues, collaborators, etc. All in one place, and you get a chance to talk to them all!
Sounds appealing, doesn’t it?
That’s what LinkedIn is right now!
Why LinkedIn is still relevant
It is an incredibly powerful tool that can be used for:
Building your brand
Demonstrating your credibility
Connecting with potential clients or collaborators
Getting invited to speak on podcasts
Seriously, gone are the days where LinkedIn was all about searching for a job. Nowadays it can be used to seriously level up your online presence. If you’re not sure about this for you, leave a comment below and tell me what you do – I’ll provide some suggestions for how you can use it!
So, I wanted to share a few things I’ve been learning that I hope will help you too.
Commenting on other people’s posts is a HUGE part of your presence on LinkedIn – you should be doing this every day (I’m not good at this yet so I’m starting just one day a week and picking very strategic posts to engage with to maximize my comments). What’s important to remember here is to treat the comments section as a way to talk to your potential audience. Imagine it as a small gathering of people at a conference that you’re engaging in back-and-forth conversations with.
There’s something called the Social Selling Index where LinkedIn tells you how your profile ranks. The higher your score, the more likely you are to show up in searches. Find out your score here.
Your Headline is a MASSIVE way to gain exposure as it’s what LinkedIn uses to get you in search results, so use all of the space available to be as descriptive as you can about your skills and what you do. Check out my headline as an example.
Ever notice the Bell on people’s profile? When you click that, you get notifications every time that person posts, so you want people to click it on your profile! You can use ‘Ring the Bell’ as a CTA in your posts and in your cover image (check out my cover image to see what I mean).
If you’re a creator you definitely want to turn on ‘Creator Mode’ – it unlocks way more features for you.
Last, but maybe the most important thing to do when it comes to leveling up on LinkedIn – follow Judi Fox and do everything she says. Watch how she interacts with people and how she structures her posts. Seriously, she’s a LinkedIn genius.
Remember at the end of the day, LinkedIn is a place where you can showcase your skills and knowledge. Your posts shouldn't be all about you, but should be more focused on delivering value to your prospects.
Instead of thinking "I need to share what I'm up to" think instead "what is a piece of valuable knowledge I can pass on to people?"
That reframe alone will have you posting better content on LinkedIn!