I used to have no idea what I was doing on LinkedIn. Then I changed my entire strategy.
First I started listening. I looked at the posts of others who were succeeding on the platform and took notes on what they were doing right. They spoke from the heart. I started thinking about stories of my own I could share.
I asked my followers what they were interested in most. I looked at my metrics to see which posts resonated with my audience and which ones did not – but I did not obsess about the metrics. I didn’t let the lakes in the comments and the shares impact every single thing that I wrote about at first. I took that information into account but I didn’t let it overrule my gut.
I created an editorial calendar that was very simple and helped me track my posts enabled me to reuse and repurpose my content.
I learned that you always have to create content that serves your audience and not use it as a platform to brag about your successes.
Too many content creators – brands and individuals – get stuck in the mechanics and metrics. Successfully creating content on social media is requires:
- Posting content of value consistently.
- Sharing knowledge with your audience in mind
- Not bragging
- Caring about the intent of your content
- Committing to be part of this community and supporting each other
- Using hashtags and visuals
Without the human element at the core of your posts, I don’t believe that you will find true success on LinkedIn especially today after so many walls have come down after Covid.
I understand that many of you who follow me are in the B2B field and this is hard for you to do or imagine how it might fit into your own brand, but I encourage you to try it just once and see how it goes.
I was training a group of lawyers today and I encouraged them to write a different, more personal kind of post by thinking about a story from law school or from their first few years practicing law. Discuss an experience from then and relate it back to something in the present day. There are so many ways to take experiences that we’ve had and tell a story. And people really do like stories. They make us more relatable and human. Don’t underestimate the power of storytelling in your social media posts even on a professional network like LinkedIn.
Be more you. Be different. Be memorable. Be authentic. Be helpful. Don’t be vanilla. Don’t only post your successes. Have the courage to stand out and to share your experiences. Show up consistently and watch how your brand grows.
For more on this topic, on Friday, April 9 at 12pm EST, I will be presenting a free webinar with LinkedIn lawyer extraordinaire Frank Ramos on how to effectively use LinkedIn to build your personal brand and business. We will cover how to market yourself during all stages of your career on LinkedIn and how to use the power of storytelling in your posts. Register here.