Did you know that there are over 500 million business professionals using LinkedIn? That makes it the single largest, up to date source of business contacts available worldwide.
And it’s available for free!
What we love about LinkedIn is that it’s freely accessible to everyone, and because you can update and manage your own profile, you’re completely in control of what people see.
It wins hands down when it comes to data recency.
Be as active or passive on LinkedIn as you like, but one thing is certain - the more you put in, the more you’ll get out.
Whether you are job hunting, building your network, researching information or promoting your company, chances are the people on this platform can help you achieve your objectives.
It is the huge adoption of LinkedIn that makes it so exciting, whilst empowering users to connect to each other and forge relationships digitally.
In a world where social distancing has become the norm, online networking and interaction is more powerful than it has ever been, which is why we feel so strongly that NOW is the best time to invest in your LinkedIn strategy.
Yet many of us don’t know how to best utilise LinkedIn as a resource. It is far too easy to waste time on the platform, whilst never achieving your objectives.
Here, Dux-Soup shares 6 tips to harness the power of LinkedIn and ensure that you use it effectively.
1. Outline your objectives (but remain focused).
Set your goals for LinkedIn and develop a strategy designed to help you reach them. Are you looking to increase your network by adding new connections? Do you want to promote your business? Do you want to communicate with customers? Are you looking to attract new employees?
Whatever your objectives, outline them in a strategy plan and map out the activities that directly contribute towards the end goal. And don’t get distracted by less important goals - especially to start with, otherwise you’ll end up with scope creep which can result a lot of wasted time and energy.
Identify any additional technologies you may need to get you to your end goal. For example, do you need a paid LinkedIn plan? Will automation tools, additional resource or third-party software be needed to complete parts of your workflow in a cost-effective manner?
We are a firm believer in quantifying your objectives so you can measure you progress against targets and adjust your activity accordingly. A robust plan will help you remain focused and enable you to measure against these plans on a monthly basis.
2. Dedicate time and extend your network.
Now that you’ve done the hard work, it’s essential to plan time for your LinkedIn activity. Whether you prefer to do a bit each day, schedule some time once a week, or binge on it once a month, scheduling time for the activity will help to ensure that it gets done. Depending on how busy you are, you may decide to trial it yourself as a proof of concept, delegate it or outsource the activity to an expert.
Your reach on LinkedIn will increase with the power of your network. LinkedIn offers direct access to your 2nd and 3rd degree connections, and in addition it will promote your content within the news feeds of any connections that engage with it, making it important to build your connections.
And then there’s Groups, which offer a place for you to discuss topics, ask for recommendations and promote your brand to people that aren’t within your network. They’re a great place to connect with people with similar interests. Join relevant groups to give you access to this wider network, but if you’re struggling with this then don’t worry - our blog shows you how to connect with people in groups even if you’re not allowed in.
3. People that help others get better engagement.
You may have heard that the trick to social selling is not to go in with the hard sell - well, we agree. There’s nothing worse than a salesperson who is constantly pushing products at you; you’re likely to do more harm than good to your brand and you’ll alienate your network that you’ve worked hard to build.
Instead, try to offer something useful to your network.
This can be done in a number of ways; recommending your connections when they’ve done a good job for you, sharing useful content, promoting great suppliers and getting involved in group discussions are all ways to build empathy with your network. In turn people are more likely to return the favour and share your content which helps your brand reach new audiences.
4. Ask for help
People love to help each other when they can. If you want reviews, don’t be afraid to ask your network for them. If you need help sourcing suppliers, then there is a world of resource in LinkedIn to help you. The more visible you make yourself, and the more engaged you are, the wider your reach and the more visible your brand.
5. Review your progress
Whatever your goal, reviewing your performance each month will make sure that you stay on track and will help you achieve them. The old saying “what gets measured gets done” is a good one and staying accountable for the numbers is an effective way of ensuring you hit them.
And if you need some more tips on how to extend your reach then read our blog on how to use LinkedIn to promote your brand.
6. Automate what you can
Once you’ve mastered LinkedIn and have a proven strategy to help you reach your goals, you may want to consider whether you can automate elements of it. The subject of automation can divide people, but whether you’re for or against it, there are certain activities that lend themselves well to automation and others that don’t.
A good place to start is to read about how other people automation their LinkedIn activity.
You may like to start with Donna McCurley’s blog which discusses lead generation using LinkedIn automation tools or you can browse a range of case studies for LinkedIn automation.
Just remember not to get too distracted… 😊
