Are you missing this important principle in your LinkedIn strategy?
Most people entirely miss the point of LinkedIn, and therefore miss out on an effective strategy for using LinkedIn in their business or career.
There is a reason LinkedIn is a major component of the marketing plans I put together for clients. It’s a powerful platform with a range of great tools to help you, whether you are looking for:
- more clients
- a new opportunity
- a better understanding of an industry or market
- more exposure or brand awareness
- a wider network.
A lot of people have a good handle on the main tools available on LinkedIn, and check in regularly, maybe creating posts or responding to those of others. Furthermore, some professionals understand they need to have a plan of action on LinkedIn, rather than just floating about aimlessly, in order to achieve their specific goals. Many are seeking training for their leadership team and other staff on how to go about this. For some businesses, a priority is to get good content out regularly, and they are employing or outsourcing someone to help them achieve this.
While understanding the tools, having a plan, and creating regular content are important steps to LinkedIn success, there is a really important component that will elevate your LinkedIn strategy from achieving a little bit of noise… to zeroing in and achieving your specific goals.
Here it is: Understand that LinkedIn is about people.
Understanding that LinkedIn is a platform built for individuals to connect and communicate with other individuals is fundamental to using it with success. It is the online equivalent of ‘networking’, and it’s also an essential research tool to connect with people meaningfully – to start great conversations, to be introduced through connections, and to inform your sales presentations.
“It is the online equivalent of ‘networking’, and it’s also an essential research tool to connect with people meaningfully – to start great conversations, to be introduced through connections, and to inform your sales presentations.”
This means you cannot rely on automated posts or a great profile – this is only a starting point. To use your LinkedIn account effectively, you have to be personally involved – even if it’s just a few minutes once a week.
Because LinkedIn is about relationships with people, you will have to actively seek good connections and maintain your relationships with them – in a non-pushy, human, respectful way – just like you would if you were introduced to a new contact by a friend. It means that you have to tie in your online activity with real-life, human contact, such as attending networking events, setting up meetings, or catching up with people over coffee. It also means that while you may have regular, scheduled content going up, you actually have to log in and respond to comments and share your insights personally.
A lot of businesses apply the ‘set and forget’ to social media, only involving a small team to manage it. But this alone rarely works in achieving the business’ goals. The leadership team (and preferably the wider team) should maintain their own relationships, as well as keep an eye on what’s happening, who is interacting, and try to be involved on a personal level. If this seems pie in the sky, think of it this way: LinkedIn is an online platform that simply supports and extends what you are already doing to build business relationships, face-to-face, every day. If used with this guiding principle, a small, directed effort will yield the best results.
