LET'S GET STRATEGIC
LinkedIn Best Practices
by Linda Pophal
LinkedIn is, arguably, the most important social media channel for B2B professionals. Originally started as a job search network, LinkedIn has evolved into a gathering place for a wide range of business professionals. Unlike other social media, LinkedIn content is heavily skewed toward the sharing of professional information, although more personal posts have been creeping in recently. Still, super users suggest that the best results come from sharing content that is likely to appeal to a business audience and address their pain points and professional needs. There are a number of best practices that can help other users improve their own LinkedIn presence and outreach.
A SHIFTING LANDSCAPE
Marketing strategist Mark Amtower joined LinkedIn in 2004 and began actively using it in 2007. He was a beta user of the Pulse news publishing hub when it was first introduced by LinkedIn. His first article on the platform, “Thought Leadership: Elements Needed, Benefits of, and Dues You Must Pay,” was published on March 12, 2014. Today, Amtower coaches professionals in the government-contracting community on building subject-matter-expert platforms on LinkedIn. He’s personally leveraged the power of LinkedIn for building an audience and establishing thought leadership status and has counseled others to do the same.
Amtower has seen a lot of changes along the way—most notably, massive growth (there were only about 250,000 members back in 2004 when he joined). These include algorithm changes that have had an impact on visibility and the devaluation of groups, which has resulted in the migration of LinkedIn experts to other platforms. Despite these shifts, however, there are still some tried-and-true best practices that can help users attract and engage their audiences. To start, it’s important to gain clarity around who it is you want to connect with and engage. Keep in mind that just as with any form of marketing, your audience isn’t everyone. The narrower your focus, the more precise you can be in creating and sharing content that will resonate with that audience.
UNDERSTAND YOUR AUDIENCE
Peter Winick is the founder and CEO of Thought Leadership Leverage, a thought leader advisory company. He’s number five on the Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Marketing 2024 list from Thinker360 and has a very successful LinkedIn presence. When considering your audience, Winick advises going beyond simple demographics. It’s important, he says, to consider psychographic attributes of your audience and ask the following questions: Do they have a growth mindset? Are they open to new ideas? This is the kind of knowledge, Winick says, that can help create content that addresses the issues your audience faces in their personal and professional lives.
FOCUS ON YOUR PERSONAL PROFILE
While LinkedIn offers the ability to create both personal profiles and company pages, it’s personal profiles that are most likely to effectively entice an audience. For optimum engagement, Amtower recommends a focus on personal profiles. He has both a company page and an individual page, and he has two websites. “I get more traffic from my LinkedIn personal profile than I do from anything else. That’s where I engage, that’s where I share, that’s where I reach out to people,” Amtower says. You can also pick up followers and connections much more quickly on a personal profile, he states, “if you’re active, and if you engage in a positive way.”
The goal for many LinkedIn users is to establish themselves as thought leaders—as go-to resources within a specific niche. Amtower makes a distinction between subject matter experts and thought leaders. “Pretty much anybody can be a subject matter expert if you’re willing to put in your time, but not everybody’s going to be a thought leader, at least from my perspective,” he says. “Thought leaders are people recognized by the niche they serve in whatever market they’re in, and they will be published. They’ll get the speaking gigs; they’ll be invited to be on podcasts.” Not everybody, Amtower says, will rise to this level of exposure and credibility. Those who do need to have expertise in their field and need to share that expertise authentically and consistently over time.
RECOGNIZE THE REQUIRED TIME COMMITMENT
Building an audience on LinkedIn requires a time commitment and effort, Amtower says. “Building an audience on a business platform is not like generating followers on other[s], it’s not viral; it is an incremental and earned thing.” Users need to make the time and commit to maintaining consistency, Winick stresses. “Carve out the time and honor it to do what you need to do,” he says. And, Winick adds, understand that “inevitably, it will be painfully frustrating in the beginning.” Getting traction, gaining an audience, and generating engagement can take at least 3 months or more, he says. That can seem discouraging, but, “ultimately, there’s a flywheel effect.”
Don’t try to go it alone. Enlist others to help share, comment on, and post content. “One unique strategy I recommend is leveraging employee advocacy,” says Rahul Vij, co-founder of WebSpero Solutions, a digital marketing agency. “Encourage your team to share company updates and insights on their own profiles. It expands your reach and adds a touch of authenticity, showcasing your company culture as well.” The larger your company, the more opportunity you have to engage employees in your outreach efforts. But even very small companies can help expand their reach by calling on connections and members of their professional community. These direct connections can be powerful.
SHARE CONTENT DIRECTLY
Gaining traction on LinkedIn with connections and earning credibility and thought leadership require sharing information that is relevant to your audience and that makes you stand out from the masses. It’s important, says Amtower, to develop a distinct point of view and to become known for authenticity in your content on LinkedIn. He recommends demonstrating enthusiasm for your subject matter and maintaining a positive attitude in all interactions. “Don’t badmouth other people; that’s just the kiss of death,” Amtower states.
When creating and posting content to LinkedIn, don’t assume that it will be discovered organically, Amtower cautions. He recommends sharing content directly with key influencers and highlights the importance of networking with other thought leaders in your target market. But don’t just post your own content. For maximum engagement and growth, Amtower says, sharing content from others can help to build credibility and engagement with the community. “Posting only your own stuff is a little too self-promotional, so I find good content for people and repost it and comment on it.”
Stacie Sussman, chief revenue officer of RevUp Advisory, agrees. “One of the biggest successes I’ve found is consistently commenting on posts from true experts in the industry who have larger followings,” she says. “These thoughtful comments not only amplify your visibility, but also position you as a valued participant in relevant conversations, often leading to an increase in followers.” She gives this example: “I commented on a post by a leading marketing strategist about the future of digital marketing, adding my insights on emerging trends. This comment sparked a lively discussion and gained me several new followers.”
ENGAGE WITH OTHERS
Engaging with your audience on LinkedIn is more important than ever before, says Kristi Piehl, founder and CEO of Media Minefield, a public relations agency. LinkedIn now prioritizes sharing content that has been commented on, reshared, or engaged with by other people in your network, so engaging with other people and brands via tagging can be an even more valuable LinkedIn strategy because it amplifies content to a much larger audience, she says.
“When I’m coaching ‘social CEOs’—chief executive officers or anyone who leads a team, manages people, or aspires to the C-suite—I encourage them to have active social media public profiles and regularly post strategic content to benefit the business and their personal brand,” Piehl says. “They can start by knowing their audience and posting specific content that resonates with them.” For example, she shares, “Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx, has a large social media following and often shares photos and stories that feature her husband and children. This clearly resonates with her audience because her posts have high engagement.”
You can engage with others by reaching out to them directly to share or seek information—or by responding or commenting on their posts. Over time, those connections will pay dividends as both your audience and your reputation grow. “Your visibility on LinkedIn is going to be predicated on consistency, honesty, displaying your enthusiasm for what you do, and then finding ways to reach out and connect with key people in your market,” Amtower says.
PAY TO PLAY
Commit to making an investment in your LinkedIn presence beyond what your free profile offers. Unfortunately, Amtower says, it’s really a “must do” to pay for a LinkedIn membership to maximize the site’s capabilities and visibility. Without it, he warns, you’re going to be restricted in terms of what you can do, and “you’re not going to be prioritized in their algorithm.” The power of LinkedIn is indisputable, but only if you’re using the platform strategically and consistently. What steps could you be taking today to boost your credibility, engagement, and results?
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LINDA POPHAL (