LinkedIn: a game-changer.
What is the purpose of using LinkedIn?
Do you find LinkedIn useless?
Are you not aware of the real power of LinkedIn?
If you are still stuck with these questions while using LinkedIn then this piece of content will definitely help you!
First of all, those who aren’t aware of the fact that LinkedIn is an excellent platform to build your professional network; obtain resources and support; build relationships with potential customers, clients, and partners.
LinkedIn is about building strategic relationships where the type of connection is more important than the number of connections.
This platform is ideal for building connections for freelance work, a customer base, potential partners, or simply to keep your job prospects open.
It is a site for professionals so everything is geared towards career and business.
LinkedIn has actually become a powerful tool which, when used correctly, is the leading social media platform for B2B lead generation.
When I started using LinkedIn, my purpose was simply to be on one more social media platform where I could have my ‘digital presence’.
Then, the need shifted to ‘finding jobs’ on LinkedIn; surely it was quite effective.
I did build my profile but wasn’t sedulous. I used to scan for some good posts which my small connections managed to share and some of the company posts which I had followed.
At that time, I had about 300 connections and I did not even bother to understand whether they are valuable to me.
I used to get fewer connection requests (say 5–6 in a week) which I simply accepted because I wanted to expand my network.
Then, there were requests from friends and colleagues, I openly accepted them too (just like we do on other social media channels).
I likewise sent requests to quite a few people (8–10 people in a month); most of them were the “HRs from the companies where I wanted to get a job” or “top managers from some reputed companies” or “some friends who could recommend me for a job in their company”.
I suppose this is what we do when our principal goal to use LinkedIn is to get a job.
But instead of blindly using some platform why don’t we completely understand it and then use it wisely?
Those were the days when I had no idea about the ‘Real Power of LinkedIn’.
After knowing and thoroughly understanding it, I wished I knew all these things earlier. I would have built my network and personal branding better until today.
Yes, you read it correct!
LinkedIn is one of the best platforms to build Personal Branding.
So, let me help you before you lose any more time wondering how to use LinkedIn efficiently to yield promising results.
In April 2020, I attended a few workshops and webinars which pushed me in an exact direction to start working on my LinkedIn presence to build a Personal Branding and ultimately Generate Leads.
I am thankful that I took this decision to learn and apply those learning in real-time. And guess what, it worked like a charm for me!
I have seen a radical improvement in my performance on LinkedIn from the day I optimised my profile.
I also kept on researching to perform better every day.
These were the changes I have observed in a month:
My connections: 1800+
People followed me: 2130+
People viewed my profile: 1120+
Maximum views on my post: 14K+
Invitations: 80+
With an amazing engagement rate on almost every post and last but not least, my post has been trending on relevant hashtag keywords like content strategy, marketing, website and SEO.
Are you aware of the new LinkedIn algorithm 2020 update?
As per the latest update to the LinkedIn algorithm, valuable, relevant content and engagement are the important factors.
Through your connections, hashtags you follow, pages you’ve liked, and places you’ve worked for, LinkedIn create a personalized feed with content and conversations geared towards you.
Here are a few ways you can optimize your LinkedIn profile and “beat” the algorithm:
1. Be Genuine and Relevant
LinkedIn is all about personable and relatable. In order to make yourself or your business seen, you’ve got to engage more in other’ posts, be consistent in posting valuable content by understanding your audience preferences, share and comment more.
Before you post any content, ask yourself “Is this content justifying my brand value and is relevant to my audience?”
Use hashtags(relatable & not more than 2–3), create your brand-specific hashtags, tag others who are within your industry and more likely to engage in your conversation and share your content.
Be creative and mindful of using rich media, posts with videos and images.
There are many new features added by LinkedIn to enhance engagement rate.
a. Share a pdf format document — it gives your audience a slideshow view.
b. Create an occasion — this can be used to appreciate your colleague or Welcome your teammate.
c. Find an expert — this feature helps you to find trusted experts in my network. For e.g. Looking for a job, career guide, a referral you can trust and many more.
d. Create a poll — this is a very interesting feature added by LinkedIn. You can now use this to get a survey done or to know the votes for any particular topics.
e. Offer help — this is again an excellent feature which is letting your network know that you can lend a helping hand at any situation. LinkedIn has introduced this feature in this time of crises(COVID19) which is a great step I believe.
2. Flaunt your skills
Let your skills be at the forefront of your profile. In September 2019, LinkedIn launched a tool on its platform called “LinkedIn Skill Assessments”. It’s a way for you to show off and validate your skills in order to stand out from the crowd.
You can ask your network for endorsing your top skills and give recommendations which help your profile visitors to understand your expertise and builds trust.
Tip: Do endorse the skills for your network as well when you feel their content is adding value to you then why not reward them with endorsing their skills.
3. Create a community
Engagement is a major factor in LinkedIn. Encourage Engagement!
The easiest way to do this is with a call to action such as a question or poll. The more conversation and buzz surrounding your content, the higher it will be ranked across other’s feeds.
Create your own group or participate in the groups, start a conversation, create conversations which builds meaningful connections and relationships.
Create inspirational and helpful content that is geared towards the main reason people turn to LinkedIn-to get a job, to get a better job, or to grow their professional networks.
4. Optimize your LinkedIn profile with analytics
Like other social media platforms, LinkedIn has also provided analytics to help you understand how and why some of your posts are performing better than others.
There are certain time, days or some particular call-to-action, relevant hashtags or the type of content you post.
Learn from the analytics and replicate it to get the best consistent results.
As per the research, Best times to post on LinkedIn:
Best times: Wednesday from 8–10 a.m. and noon, Thursday at 9 a.m. and 1–2 p.m., and Friday at 9 a.m.
Best day: Wednesday and Thursday
Worst day: Sunday
Nearly 600 million business professionals use LinkedIn to find jobs, create content, and grow their networks. It’s become a social network powerhouse you cannot ignore. Whether it be to build your personal brand or business, LinkedIn is vital in creating and maintaining professional relationships.
So, how to write an effective LinkedIn profile and build valuable networks using the brilliant content strategy? How to use the “Featured” section?
There might be questions running in your mind and I would like to answer them for you.
Contact me for Personal Branding Consulting to skyrocket your success!
Thank you for your reading and do share this post!
Author: Akanksha Bohra
