4 Tips To Help You Go All In On LinkedIn
Do you find yourself juggling too many social media platforms each day? You’re not alone. In fact, on average, people spend up to 2.5 hours on Social Media a day.
According to RescueTime, an app created to monitor phone use, the amount of time we spend on our phones is 3 hours and 15 minutes. For some, it can be much longer, depending on their phone use. Thus, it’s hardly surprising that we seem even busier than ever. The question is, how active are you on social media, and when you are there, what consumes your time?
Hottest Social Media?
Did you also know LinkedIn is the hottest social media platform in 2024? It’s long lost its stiff, starch-collared reputation it once had, but now it’s becoming a cooler place to hang out. Ok, it’s not a social platform like Meta, Instagram or TikTok, but as the work/life boundaries blurred, LinkedIn evolved to reflect the end user.
Why Linkedin Is The Go-To Platform For Professionals
LinkedIn now had a Billion People users as of November 2023. With so many people on it, it’s a no-brainer that you need to be active on it to reap the rewards.
As an Executive Coach, I’m amazed how many talented people don’t use LinkedIn to their advantage. If you think that having a profile on Linkedin is enough, it’s not.
Nowadays, you have to do your bit to create opportunities and waiting around for prospects won’t cut it either. You must have a complete profile AND be active to make the platform work. If you do your bit, let the platform do its bit because you never know when and where those opportunities can come.
I see LinkedIn as an online shop window. You must ‘put’ the right’ goods’ in the right place to attract customers.
Four Tips To Help You Go All In
- LinkedIn Housekeeping
- Post at least three times a week
- Network smartly
- Follow Thought Leaders
- LinkedIn Housekeeping
Write an attention-grabbing Profile. Use the checklist below to help you add a bit of zing to your profile.
❇️Write a strong profile. Tell it like a story with a strong beginning, middle and end. Mention your core strengths.
❇️Fill the experience roles with your tasks and duties.
❇️Add skills. You can max it out to 50.
❇️Get recommendations.
❇️Follow companies
❇️Add a professional-looking headshot photograph. Avoid the holiday snaps.
❇️Add your title and industry, as this helps people to find you, especially if they are searching for a specific sector.
What You Should Put In Each Section
Summary Section
Fill out the Summary Section. Tell it like a story with a strong beginning, middle and end. What can you write here? You could even write it in one paragraph, but for experienced hires, it is worth breaking it into three mini sections.
Experience Section
This is not a copy and paste of your CV
❇️Fill out each role, but avoid using a job description format.
❇️Instead, think of highlighting achievements using your core responsibilities.
❇️Avoid using proprietary information which may land you in trouble with an existing or past employer.
Exercise
Once you’ve completed the LinkedIn profile, take a break and return to it. Look at it with a fresh pair of eyes.
❇️Do you like what you see?
❇️Have you presented your professional self well?
❇️Would you spend more than a couple of minutes on your profile?
2. Post Three Times A Week
Put posts up and engage with other people’s posts. I hear the following all too often. “I’m not ready and want to spend more time working on my online message”. This is what I hear. It’s not because they’re not capable. It’s because of fear or fearing the judgements of others.
Guess what happens when they put their first LinkedIn post? I’ll get a message to say they’ve done it. What happens after that? Some take it in their stride, others fall to the wayside, and some pop up online occasionally.
Those who manage their online presence start attracting the right attention and audience. Over time, they position themselves for the right opportunities and reap the rewards.
3. Network Smartly
Do you dread networking? I know many who do. Why? They’ve probably been out of by going to dull and dreary events, forcing themselves to speak to a few people and then coming away with a bunch of business cards. Chances are, those same business cards are probably collecting dust somewhere
If you’re still networking like the above, it was yesterday. Networking in today’s fast-paced world requires a mindset shift.
In today’s world, it pays to build bridges, not because you want something, but because LinkedIn allows you to connect with people you wouldn’t be able to connect with at other times.
Plus, It is easy to connect with people you know, but it’s going to be very important for you to connect with people you don’t know, and that’s where ‘cold networking comes in.
Here are some tips to help you ace cold networking
- Do your research: Before reaching out to someone, research their company and background to understand their interests and how connecting with you might be mutually beneficial.
- Personalise your message. Ensure your invitation is tailored to the person you are reaching out to, and include specific details about why you are reaching out to them.
4. Follow Thought Leaders
Learning comes in many forms in the 21st Century. If you want to shift gears this year with your learning, follow a handful of thought leaders. Why? You’d be surprised how many Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 leaders regularly post on LinkedIn.
Unlike X, I can follow and write on David Solomon’s post (CEO of Goldman Sachs) or write something on Kevin O’Leary (Shark Tank) on LinkedIn because I know both are active on LinkedIn. Kevin is active on X, too.
I can also write comments on my industry peers. It’s a versatile place to learn, share and engage.
My Journey
I’ve been posting on LinkedIn more or less every day except some weekends for the last three years. I tend to post infrequently in August, but other than that, I’m on it every day.
Like many, I was initially hesitant because I wasn’t sure what the audience wanted to see. Once I flipped this thinking, I started posting what I wanted to post, and it turned out to be a great idea. How? I started building momentum and gained visibility with my followers.
I started getting more enquiries and new clients. It’s one of my most robust social media platforms because of my journey and experiences. I recommend my clients leverage LinkedIn, and they’ve shared great successes with me.
Top Tips On Using LinkedIn
❇️Avoid impersonal invitations, usually with no salutation or even a message. Most feel as if someone just fired, sat down and sent countless invites, hoping someone, somewhere, would accept.
❇️Build bridges. It’s easy to fire off network connections online and forget relationships.
❇️People are more willing to help you if you ask, but you can only ask if you’ve built a relationship in the first place.
❇️Personalise it — Those who bother to personalise are far more likely to be read.
❇️Don’t expect people to help you with the first exchange. Your time pressures are not theirs.
❇️Create Your Luck
Parting Comments
For luck to turn up, you need exposure; to get exposure, you must put yourself out there. How? Think about your online brand, especially LinkedIn
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Pervin
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