Do you know what the key ingredient to success on LinkedIn is?
Great engagement.
With over 875 million users worldwide, LinkedIn is the perfect networking platform to help you build your brand, make valuable professional connections and generate business leads, but as with many tools, you need to learn how to use it properly to optimise its potential.
All good creators on LinkedIn have great engagement
So, if you’d like to:
- Get more profile views
- Grow your following
- Become an industry authority
- Improve post performance
Then you need to read our top ten tips for improving your LinkedIn engagement!
10 top tips for improving your LinkedIn engagement
1. Only ever ADD value
We mentioned this before, but it’s worth repeating. You should only contribute to a post if you have something worth adding to the conversation.
Sure, it might be polite to type a quick ‘Thanks for sharing!’ but it’s not going to contribute to your authority.
We recommend that you try to provide value for people in the comments by including a unique perspective that will demonstrate your knowledge and experience on the matter.
Offer tips, provide genuine advice, or tell a story that relates to the post.
Whatever you choose to do, make sure it’s both interesting and valuable to everyone reading it.
2. Don’t ghost your followers
If all you do on LinkedIn is publish a post and log out, you might as well not use the platform. When the goal is to connect, you can’t ghost those who interact with your content.
Always respond to comments, you can even take it one step further and use the opportunity as a springboard to message them directly.
3. Personalise your outreach
When connecting with people through LinkedIn, no one wants to feel like they’re having a conversation with a chatbot.
It’s always worth your time to take an interest in their content for a week or two before you try to connect.
Like, comment and engage with their content over time, allowing them to build some familiarity with your name (don’t overcrowd them, there’s a fine balance to be struck here).
When it’s time to reach out, make it personal.
Don’t: “I am looking to grow my network and would like to connect.”
Do: “Loved seeing you discussing X, would be great to connect to discuss Y.”
4. Have a content plan in place
Ad-hoc content ‘plans’ almost always fail.
Consistency is key, and the best way to remain consistent is to plan out your LinkedIn posts a few weeks in advance.
These can be scheduled using software such as HubSpot, meaning that your profile is regularly updated. This allows you to drop in and leave comments at a time that’s convenient to you.
5. Make the time
LinkedIn is almost always worth the time investment.
Pop some designated LinkedIn time into your diary. We recommend 15-30 minutes, once or twice a day. Make a habit of this and it’ll start to pay dividends in the long run.
6. Always use tags
It might seem simple, but it’s worth going back to basics. Some LinkedIn users have their notifications disabled, so a sure-fire way to get their attention is to tag them in your responses.
7. Pin a comment
Once you’ve created a post, a great technique to boost engagement is to provide additional value by pinning a comment, such as:
- A CTA to get in touch or leave a comment
- A URL/Link to bonus resources
- Extra details or information
Commenting around 10 minutes after you’ve posted will draw attention back to your post, extending your reach and could potentially spark responses from your audience.
Psst…Don’t forget to use the pin emoji to make your content stand out!
8. Direct messages before you post
Another intelligent way of increasing your reach is to direct message the key people you want to target your content at.
For example, if you want your post to be seen by CEOs, direct message them before you post and LinkedIn will show your content to more of those people.
9. Research and target the right audience
There’s no point wasting time engaging the wrong people.
If you’re sharing your insights or experience with people who are either in the wrong industry, or aren’t in a position to help you grow, you might as well be talking to the wall.
The best part about LinkedIn is that it’s incredibly easy to find the right people, all you need to do is search for relevant job titles (the more descriptive the better!), identify key players you want to connect with, and away you go!
A clever little trick you could try is to research other LinkedIn creators and see who’s following them. They’ll likely be interacting with the same people you want to be, so this is a great way to find some quality connections.
10. Try strategic engagement
Sure, it’s important to focus your engagement efforts on potential clients, but a healthy, strategic split is far more effective. We recommend engaging with roughly:
- 50% your ideal client profile
- 30% peers
- 20% industry and thought leaders
This gives you a substantial boost in reach, while demonstrating that you’re competent in your field and are able to engage with key players from across the sector.
Need help with LinkedIn content creation?
If you’re struggling to create engaging content or form a content plan for your LinkedIn page, don’t worry, you’re not alone.
Many businesses have difficulty creating engaging content that will reel in their audience and have them coming back for more. The answer?
Outsource it to content marketing specialists.
And fortunately, you’re in the right place.
At Catalyst, we understand the ins and outs of LinkedIn, having used the platform for years, both for ourselves, and our clients.
We’ll work closely with you to form a comprehensive LinkedIn content strategy, one that’s designed to help you grow your audience and gently nurture leads into prospects, and prospects into customers.
To talk with a member of the team, click the link below.
