Reasons You Need to be More Active on LinkedIn
Anshu Aggarwal
LinkedIn changed the look of LinkedIn some while back so that your activity is very prominent on your profile and has become a very important part of showing your professional brand. Your activity was visible before on LinkedIn but most people didn’t know where to look for it. Now, every time you like, comment, or share something on LinkedIn, it becomes a part of your image.
- "Like” a silly word puzzle and risk being labeled as frivolous.
- Comment on a political attack piece (for or against) and risk alienating potential business connections.
- Share a funny cat video and look out!
It’s not that you can’t show different sides of yourself but be aware you’re doing it in a very public forum. Some things may be considered fine on your personal page on Facebook but not on LinkedIn. It’s very much personal preference.
Why be active on LinkedIn?
1. Create a personal brand presence.
LinkedIn has evolved into much more than an online resume. Now, it truly offers the opportunity to present yourself as an expert and thought leader in your particular field. For instance, you can include your awards, presentations, recommendations, and writing examples – not to mention photos, videos, and links to other supporting documents. So when it comes to LinkedIn stop thinking, “get a job” and start thinking, “build my personal brand”.
2. Listen to what’s happening with your target audience.
It’s sort of amazing to watch my LinkedIn feed every day and see who just got connected, changed jobs, or was promoted. I also discover what content people in my network are reading, sharing and talking about. It’s so easy I can’t imagine why every sales person and marketer isn’t doing this! It’s also a big reason why you need to prioritize connecting with all your customers and prospects… so you can add them to the list of people and companies you “listen” in on. Bottom line: these social insights are gold.
3. Stay “top of mind” with your professional network.
Your network gets to see what’s happening with you, too. That means you can stay top of mind with your network by posting and sharing updates, engaging with others, and being active in your favorite LinkedIn groups. How active should you be? I shoot for three to five updates daily, which includes posts I share, and “liking” and commenting on other people’s updates. Fifteen minutes a day and your customers and prospects will be thinking about you. No brainer, right?
4. Build an audience for your content.
Anyone that blogs, has opinions to share, or is serious about moving up the career ladder should be publishing on LinkedIn’s Pulse platform. Unlike starting your own blog from scratch, you start with a built-in audience: your professional network. From there, LinkedIn’s algorithm takes care of the heavy lifting by getting more visibility for your content with exactly the kind of people most likely to find it useful and engaging. Plus anyone can follow you as a “publisher” even if they’re not part of your network. When it comes to how to be more active on LinkedIn, it’s time to shift your thinking from “growing my network” to “building my audience”.
5. Find and connect with prospects.
LinkedIn is great place for finding exactly the people you want to connect with and sell to. But (please) don’t start sending out unsolicited invites to prospects in the name of “social selling” until you have a complete LinkedIn profile, hundreds of connections, and some network activity. With that said, go ahead and reach out to build relationships (not spam) with those that will value getting to know you and your company. Bonus tip: first tap those that have engaged with your status updates, posts, and LinkedIn comments, since you’ve already gotten on their radar in a good way!
Just keep in mind, it’s all about getting and staying active on LinkedIn. Make it part of your daily routine and you’ll benefit from the marketing insights and social selling opportunities, for sure.
Anshu Aggarwal
HR Manager
AirCrews Aviation Pvt Ltd
aircrews.anshugoyal@gmail.com
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