When we ask people what social media platforms they are active on we mostly hear about Instagram and Facebook. Rarely do we hear someone tell us that they are active on LinkedIn, let alone, even have a business page there for their business. Everyone seems to spend so much time making sure that their Instagram pictures are perfect and their Facebook captions are on pointe, they seem to forget that LinkedIn can be an incredibly powerful tool in their marketing efforts. 

While LinkedIn is mostly seen as the place to go when you need a new job and where ‘business people’ congregate, it’s actually a fantastic spot for building relationships with old and new connections. Added to that, it’s a spectacular platform if you want to if you want to position yourself as a thought leader or influencer in your space. It’s not just about jobs, B2B sales, and boring work conversations. 

What makes LinkedIn stand out from other social platforms is that users there really crave resources – the content sharing that happens there is phenomenal. Whether you choose to share solely your own content or to curate content from others, you’ll find a very receptive audience there who *wants* to read what you’ve got to say…as along as you are providing something of value and interest. The content you share should focus on relationship building and establishing yourself as an authority in your industry. How can content help to build relationships though? When you are providing content that you know they crave – which of course you’ll have a good understanding of because you’ve done your market research, right?? – you’ll find that you’ll actually get some pretty good engagement with the comments. So when those comments come rolling in, you need to make sure you are responding to them and bringing the conversation further. When possible, share another article and tag some of your previous commenters and say something like “Hey so-and-so, I thought you might find this one interesting, based on our previous comment thread,” which will then help to get more action. 

Here’s the thing about LinkedIn though. Most people aren’t there connecting and following just anyone. They are actually seeking a legit connection with other people. So if you decide to venture over to LinkedIn, spend a little time thinking about who you can connect with there. Seek out people that you truly do know – friends, family, old colleagues, neighbours, people from school or courses, clubs/associations/groups you belong to etc – and start there. Next shift to people who are also in your space; yes, your competition. We like to say there is only community, no competition, but we know everyone doesn’t agree with us! But whatever your thought, connecting with your competition helps to build up community and knowledge sharing in your industry, which is a pretty good thing. 

Some quick tips on using LinkedIn: 

• Post a recent photo of yourself for a profile picture. Align it with the image you use on other platforms. 
• Create a headline for yourself that includes common search terms that someone might use when seeking someone who does what you do. 
• Create a business page AND a personal profile page. Share business-focused content on your business page and then share it through your personal page. You’ll find your personal page gets way more action than your biz page. 
• Use a content aggregator like Feedly to help you track and gather good content to be sharing. 
• Post 2-5 times a week 
• Enage, engage, engage. Don’t lurk. Don’t just like. Comment. Provide helpful and insightful comments so that people see you as a valuable resource. 
• Don’t send private messages to everyone because you think this is a great new sales tool. Trust us, no one likes that. 
• And last, but definitely not least, make sure your profile is set to public! 

Now, before you decide to hop on the LinkedIn train, do a little research and make sure your audience is there. Just like any other platform, make sure your people are there before you dive in. 

Are you looking for more information on Social Media or how LinkedIn can help your business? Head on over to our community, The Hustle + Flow Society and drop a comment in there! We would love to hear from you!