LinkedIn: 4 Things I Wish I’d Known Earlier

With more than 850 million members across the globe, there are plenty of reasons to be on LinkedIn. And no doubt many of us have headed online and created a LinkedIn account at some stage.

If you’re reading this, you might have a decent profile set up and a nice headshot uploaded. Some of you might be logging in and commenting from time to time. Others are perhaps reading this wondering what on earth their password is. No judgment here.

If you’re wanting to get more from LinkedIn and see just how powerful this platform can be for your marketing efforts, first read on and learn from the mistakes of others.

1. Active participation is a must

Like many, I can fall into the habit of becoming somewhat of a social media voyeur. But if you want to reap the rewards of being on LinkedIn, it turns out lurking isn’t the best way.

Joining groups, contributing quality content of my own, responding to messages, commenting my thoughts on others’ content — not only will you be putting your best foot forward professionally, you will actually find the platform more enjoyable to be on when you’re actively participating.

2. It’s a two-way street

I used to only log in to LinkedIn when I received an email notification telling me that someone had sent me a request to connect. Turns out that if you’re only ever on the receiving end of requests and never send any out yourself, you’ll probably be slow to grow your network…

LinkedIn is an excellent place to network with like-minded professionals and continue conversations from events ongoing. Now, when I am getting to know a new client or have been mingling at a networking event, I am always sure to reach out to connect with them on LinkedIn.

3. LinkedIn company pages are worthwhile

If you’re running a B2B business, a LinkedIn company page is non-negotiable.

Rather than just relying on your individual profile, a company page on LinkedIn gives you the chance to share your brand voice with a huge network of professionals.

By publishing valuable and shareable content from a LinkedIn company page, you can reach more prospects, tell your business’s story, highlight your unique selling point (USP) and share career opportunities.

4. A strategy won’t go astray

Find yourself logging in to LinkedIn diligently every day for a week then forgetting it exists for up to a month, maybe more? You’re not alone.

Setting up some guidelines for how you will use LinkedIn can help you to leverage it more effectively without it being a drainer.

It might be useful to consider batching content too. You could write up a bunch of high-value content and thoughts to share with your LinkedIn audience, then use a social media scheduling tool to drip feed them as posts to LinkedIn. Then the hard work is done and you just need to log in and check up on engagement and respond to comments as they come in.

Our guide to LinkedIn

If you’ve joined LinkedIn but find yourself thinking “Now what?” we have written a little guide to help you get the most from your time online.

If you need more personalised help with your LinkedIn strategy, whether it’s for you as an individual or for your business, send us an email and let’s arrange a time to chat.