How To Make Effective Use Of Linkedin In 7 Steps
Linkedin is widely known as the platform for professional networking, but there is way more to it than what you might expect. I have researched a lot about LinkedIn and in this article, I will briefly summarize what the power of LinkedIn really is, and tell you why you should also use it.
Make sure to stick till the end because you are going to find a tremendous amount of value in this article.
Let's start.
1. Why was LinkedIn created?
Linkedin was created for connecting businesses to other businesses(B2B), businesses to clients(B2C), and for professional networking.
You won’t see many people posting content on Linkedin, and that's where you can take advantage of LinkedIn.
LinkedIn has over 760 million users, with more than 260 million monthly active users. Of those LinkedIn users who are engaging with the platform monthly, 40% access it daily.
Although, the number of content creators comes down to 3 million a week. This means that there is a huge window open for you here. Without the use of ads or bad tricks like follow for follow, you can get followers on Linkedin by the effective use of hashtags. Organic reach is the biggest advantage of LinkedIn.
2. Content
Back in September 2020, I had a pretty clear idea about whatever I told till now, although one question always revolved around my head:
“What kind of content should I post on Linkedin that would actually generate some leads / look good on my profile?”
This question led me towards a lot of procrastination, and I never really posted, but there is a very simple answer to this question.
Post what you are good at.
On LinkedIn, you need to maintain a good professional image and post only what makes sense to you. Do not try to post your own pictures as you would on Instagram, because the mindset of people who come to Linkedin is not to look at you and say “Wow that guy has some huge muscles there!”. That might be the case for Instagram, but not for LinkedIn.
I am good at motivating people, python, JavaScript, and communication. That is exactly what I post about.
This tells people that I am good at these skills, and if that’s what they are looking for, they will start following you for more content.
On Linkedin, 3 kinds of content dominate.
A. Written content
B. Video content
C. Articles
Try doing all of them. Also, make sure to try out Linkedin Live. This way, you get to interact with your audience and generate a lot more trust.
3. Clear Bio
The next thing is having a good and clear bio. This should in fact be in the first position, because it is equally as important as the content you put out. On LinkedIn, people want to get to know you before they send a connection request or start following you. The two best resources for this are your posts and your bio.
This is the place where you describe yourself and all that you have done over the years. People like Jay Shetty have amazing bio’s and you can look into that for some inspiration.
Describe in detail. don't worry about your bio getting large.
4. Connect
Connecting is one of the primary reasons for the creation of LinkedIn, although this might become a bit more confusing for some people.
Mostly, people send out connection requests blindly. It's of no point in doing so because even if you connect to them, they barely care about you.
I get 20 connection requests a day, and hardly do I ever find someone who sends a message along with the connection. While sending a connection request, you get the option of sending an optional message along with it. I think that this message ends up being the most important thing to establish a connection. Here, please do not include messages like “Hi”, because they simply get ignored. Instead, structure the message properly and get an idea about how to get a reply. A good message should include the following points:
- Who you are
- What you do
- Why are you connecting with them?
- Call to action (don’t try to include links, just ask a question at the end)
If you include all these points, there is a massive chance that they will get back to you.
5. Comments
Comments on your post should definitely be replied to or at least liked, but more importantly, the comments that you post on others’ posts matter. You might think of this to be weird, but whenever you go to a person’s profile, you always find a “recent activities” section. Here, Linkedin shows whatever you have commented about or posted, and hence the comment that you write matters. Make the comments thoughtful, informative, and positive.
6. Testimonials
If you are a freelancer or someone who is actively looking for a job, this is something that you should keep an eye out for. Testimonials stick to your page, and of course, everyone checks for reviews on a product. Think of the recruiter as a client and you as a product. If you go to amazon and buy something, you don’t just buy it. You always check for reviews so that you know that your money is going into the correct hands. Same thing here. People want to see whether or not you deserve the money you ask for, and how others’ experiences have been with you.
Request testimonials from people whom you have worked with. You will not regret it.
7. Maintainance and consistency
Maintainance and consistency are two of the biggest factors for any social media influencer. Even if you do not think of yourself to become a social media influencer someday, this still matters a lot.
The more consistent you are to deliver your content, the more users you attract towards you. I literally open up youtube only on Tuesdays and Saturdays, because that’s when my favorite creators post content. This effect leads to you generating trust.
Maintaining a clear chat is no easy task, but you still need to try doing it. Try to respond to everyone who has approached you one time a week. Just sit for an hour and clear out all the DMs. This helps the algorithm and tells it that you are actually active.
These were the 7 secrets of any LinkedIn influencer. I hope that you found value in this article.
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Thank you!
