By now it can come as no surprise to anyone that LinkedIn is the social network to be on, when it comes to promoting your business and your (professional) self. But still so many of us struggle to figure out how and where to get started.
Join Communities on LinkedIn
A great place to start is to join a few communities on LinkedIn that are relevant to the kind of work you, or your company does. On these a lot of great discussions take place, so they’re a good place to gain some new insight into your line of business. But even more importantly, join in on the conversation. Take part in the conversations and make yourself known as a voice in that community – it will pay off in the long-run.
Comment on other peoples content
So you have a bunch of contacts on LinkedIn and some of them are posting really interesting articles. Read them and comment on them. Show your connections that you engage with their material and appreciate that they are sharing interesting content. We all like to be told that we’ve done something good – we all love getting those likes and re-tweets on Facebook and Twitter, it is no different on LinkedIn.
Blog
Did you know you can blog on LinkedIn? Blogging or sharing updates on LinkedIn is a great way to connect with new people. Currently LinkedIn is making a big push for getting people to start sharing more on their platform, with a series called Why I Publish on LinkedIn, where users share their stories of sharing on LinkedIn and why you should to! Check it out on the LinkedIn blog
Reach out
It’s all about the connections you have! But what about that connection you really want to have, but don’t? Reach out – but be smart about it. Don’t just press Connect, especially if you don’t know the person. Attach a personal message, telling the person why you are reaching out to them, but remember: asking a stranger for a favour is a big no-no! If you on the other hand have something to offer that person, then that’s great. If you can get an introduction from some one you know, even better! Did you know that LinkedIn actually have an introduce me function?
Ask your employees to share company updates on LinkedIn
Finally, if you are a business, be sure that your business is on LinkedIn, and ask your employees to share your content. Your employees most likely have more connections than your company has followers, and by asking them to share your content your company blogposts will have a wider reach, plus, when an employee shares it’s a great company endorsement! It shows that not only are your employees proud of working where they do, they’re also really excited about the work you do.
LinkedIn will soon be introducing a platform, Elevate, that makes it easier for your employees to share – but in the mean time, just send them a friendly reminder.