Whilst LinkedIn may not be the go-to choice when it comes to social engagements, it certainly is for building business relationships.
It provides the opportunity to engage with the changing economy, societal trends and topical business discussion – enabling entrepreneurs to react and quickly share information with people who need to know.
Yet the Twitter account @StateOfLinkedIn highlights the worst of the site, calling it “a breeding ground for lies and brown-nosing”.
And it's true to an extent – the non-stop flow of upbeat self-promotion and inspirational quotes can prompt eye-rolling.
Surely these people who get up at 4am and write business plans whilst lifting weights and working on their Japanese can't be real – can they?
Like many people, I joined LinkedIn a decade or so ago and then avoided logging in unless I absolutely had to. However in recent months, I've begun to see the value and even (tentatively) put myself out there a little.
What holds a lot of people back from making the most of LinkedIn, I think, is the fear that someone they know in real life will see them in work mode.
A meme that emerged earlier this year via (would you believe,) country star Dolly Parton, gets to the crux of it:
Source: Twitter
In other words, we contain multitudes. Most of us switch modes depending on the circumstances and the company we're keeping, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Work-you is no less authentic than parent-you or Saturday-night-out-you, and using different social networks to compartmentalise your life makes complete sense.
That said, there are ways of refining your LinkedIn persona to make the impression you want to make on potential clients, whilst avoiding cliché or embarrassment.
“The people that are going to be buying from you business to business, all joined LinkedIn 10 years ago. There’s now a cultural understanding and context that LinkedIn is about business – so the buyers are already there. LinkedIn has moved from being a place where you store your CV, and has changed to become more of a content play.”
He adds, “There are now features where you can go live, you can add content carousels, creative videos and polls etc. Bringing this together makes it a more versatile platform, but the key note here is that the people who signed up to it years ago are still there. But relative to other social platforms, very few people are creating the content, instead of simply watching and responding to it. This is why algorithmically, it’s a great place to grow organically.”
Richard explains, “There are three stages in bringing people to your profile: attention, traffic and conversion. Your content will grab people’s attention, they’ll click on it and land on your profile. Once they get to your profile, you need to show that you’re solving a particular problem that they have.”
On this note, Richard adds that generally, the first thing a viewer will do is make judgement on your profile picture – do you look welcoming? Next, is your banner eye-catching and does it relate to what you do or hold a CTA?
Finally, your title needs to detail the problem that you solve, instantly capturing the people that want to do business with you – you’re segmenting the traffic that comes to your profile. Those that are interested will then go on to read your bio and visit your website.
The ever-evolving precision of analytics enables you to view your stats, see who has viewed your profile, reach out to them and nurture a relationship.
Generally, the version of yourself you portray on LinkedIn should be you on a good day. Filter out the moaning and grumbling that comes with everyday life, and focus on the positives. But occasionally, a heartfelt confessional will get good engagement.
Some LinkedIn celebs thrive on being controversial but, for most of us, keeping it professional is usually best.
For example, my most successful post in terms of engagement was about how to make your writing more professional by removing superfluous instances of 'that'.
Speaking coach and trainer Alexandra Bond Burnett of Speaking Ambition trains professional advisers in how to use video – her clients' faces can be seen all over LinkedIn. She says:
“There are two reasons why video usage has hit the roof on LinkedIn. Firstly, it's a simple case of pleasing the algorithm. Videos are five times more likely to get comments, and LinkedIn ranks content likely to get more engagement. Post a video and they are already assuming you’re going to get up to three times more engagement than text-only posts.”
She adds, “Secondly, and most importantly, is to ask why LinkedIn assumes this. Simply put, we are visual creatures. Seeing a moving image creates a memory and emotional experience faster in our brains than reading or one single image. Our brains seek eye contact and storytelling to help us connect to the information.”
It doesn't have to be super slick – again, immediacy and sincerity is the most important thing. And there's another upside: if you're not a confident writer, learning to do the talking head thing can also save you time and stress. It’s also best to avoid linking to videos hosted on YouTube or Vimeo – you want to keep people on your profile, so upload them directly to LinkedIn for the best results.
Remember: if you don't post, how can people engage with you? Bear in mind that LinkedIn – in common with most social media networks – defaults to feeding users content based on what its algorithm perceives to be 'good quality'. Infrequent posters are likely to be marked down so that when they do post, people won't see it.
He explains that for the most part, they are likely to be in a ‘cold’ scrolling state, not looking for anything heavy, but something short, snappy with value that passes the time.
Find a hook that makes people think. Richard adds, “Make sure your posts are showing awareness of what people are experiencing, and offer a solution. This can be done through video, text or a carousel, but what’s essential is that you make people think differently.”
It’s key to implement your USPs and demonstrate what sets you apart from the crowd.
Keep the hierarchy of content in mind – typically a status update beats a LinkedIn article which beats an off-site blog post.
The odd LinkedIn article (a kind of blog post hosted on LinkedIn) is a good idea because those viewing your profile to decide if they want to work with you, will find them useful.
Keep in mind that people’s attention span is short – even more so when it comes to LinkedIn, where people will generally check their account on a working day. Aim to make your point in a status update, within a few hundred words at most.
On the one hand, LinkedIn is a place where hustling and self-promotion are welcome, so there's no need to be coy. People know that you're connecting with them, in most cases, because you might want to do business at some point, or at least that there's something mutually beneficial in the relationship.
So there's no shame in finding people in the sector you're selling into and connecting with them.
On the other hand, the one thing I see most complaints about is people making a connection and then immediately turning it into a hard sell by direct message: “Hi, we've just connected - want to buy quality widgets at knock-down prices?”.
LinkedIn, like real-world networking, is more of a long game. You want people to know you and your business exist; you have an opportunity to sell your expertise and experience, and being connected makes it easy for them to get in touch when the time comes.
To learn more about driving sales on LinkedIn, watch our episode of UKBF Talks, where we chat to Richard Moore on using LinkedIn as a powerful business tool.
Want more from UKBF? Upgrade to a Business Membership today, and make the most of exclusive benefits including premium forums, partner offers and member-only content. You could save your business more than £400 a year by upgrading your account.
It provides the opportunity to engage with the changing economy, societal trends and topical business discussion – enabling entrepreneurs to react and quickly share information with people who need to know.
Yet the Twitter account @StateOfLinkedIn highlights the worst of the site, calling it “a breeding ground for lies and brown-nosing”.
And it's true to an extent – the non-stop flow of upbeat self-promotion and inspirational quotes can prompt eye-rolling.
Surely these people who get up at 4am and write business plans whilst lifting weights and working on their Japanese can't be real – can they?
Like many people, I joined LinkedIn a decade or so ago and then avoided logging in unless I absolutely had to. However in recent months, I've begun to see the value and even (tentatively) put myself out there a little.
What holds a lot of people back from making the most of LinkedIn, I think, is the fear that someone they know in real life will see them in work mode.
A meme that emerged earlier this year via (would you believe,) country star Dolly Parton, gets to the crux of it:
Source: Twitter
In other words, we contain multitudes. Most of us switch modes depending on the circumstances and the company we're keeping, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Work-you is no less authentic than parent-you or Saturday-night-out-you, and using different social networks to compartmentalise your life makes complete sense.
That said, there are ways of refining your LinkedIn persona to make the impression you want to make on potential clients, whilst avoiding cliché or embarrassment.
How has LinkedIn changed?
For those of us whose LinkedIn profiles are collecting dust after creating one upon launch – never to revisit it again. In a recent episode of UKBF Talks, founder of LinkedIn Client Accelerator Richard Moore shares why LinkedIn is becoming increasingly important for building business relationships:“The people that are going to be buying from you business to business, all joined LinkedIn 10 years ago. There’s now a cultural understanding and context that LinkedIn is about business – so the buyers are already there. LinkedIn has moved from being a place where you store your CV, and has changed to become more of a content play.”
He adds, “There are now features where you can go live, you can add content carousels, creative videos and polls etc. Bringing this together makes it a more versatile platform, but the key note here is that the people who signed up to it years ago are still there. But relative to other social platforms, very few people are creating the content, instead of simply watching and responding to it. This is why algorithmically, it’s a great place to grow organically.”
How can you optimise your LinkedIn profile for business?
Ultimately there are two key ways people will find your profile – search and content. While it’s unlikely that you’ll gain organic connections through search, content is a great way to pique people’s interest.Richard explains, “There are three stages in bringing people to your profile: attention, traffic and conversion. Your content will grab people’s attention, they’ll click on it and land on your profile. Once they get to your profile, you need to show that you’re solving a particular problem that they have.”
On this note, Richard adds that generally, the first thing a viewer will do is make judgement on your profile picture – do you look welcoming? Next, is your banner eye-catching and does it relate to what you do or hold a CTA?
Finally, your title needs to detail the problem that you solve, instantly capturing the people that want to do business with you – you’re segmenting the traffic that comes to your profile. Those that are interested will then go on to read your bio and visit your website.
Analytics
Whilst you may have optimised your profile, how can you go the extra mile to make prosperous connections with other businesses?The ever-evolving precision of analytics enables you to view your stats, see who has viewed your profile, reach out to them and nurture a relationship.
What works
Be sincere
Sincerity and authenticity is by far the best approach to take, and the best way to avoid the kind of post that will make your connections cringe.Generally, the version of yourself you portray on LinkedIn should be you on a good day. Filter out the moaning and grumbling that comes with everyday life, and focus on the positives. But occasionally, a heartfelt confessional will get good engagement.
Be reactive
Immediacy sells. Be the first with breaking industry news, and put your own spin on it – what do you think? Expressing your opinion will make your post much more interesting than simply dropping the link to the news story, and could even invite debate.Some LinkedIn celebs thrive on being controversial but, for most of us, keeping it professional is usually best.
Be informative
People like practical advice, so aim to provide discrete tips that people can take away and act upon.For example, my most successful post in terms of engagement was about how to make your writing more professional by removing superfluous instances of 'that'.
Be aware of what connects people to your content
It’s no secret that video is now one of the most popular forms of communication on social platforms. Being able to see the human behind the caption provides relatable content that people want to buy into.Speaking coach and trainer Alexandra Bond Burnett of Speaking Ambition trains professional advisers in how to use video – her clients' faces can be seen all over LinkedIn. She says:
“There are two reasons why video usage has hit the roof on LinkedIn. Firstly, it's a simple case of pleasing the algorithm. Videos are five times more likely to get comments, and LinkedIn ranks content likely to get more engagement. Post a video and they are already assuming you’re going to get up to three times more engagement than text-only posts.”
She adds, “Secondly, and most importantly, is to ask why LinkedIn assumes this. Simply put, we are visual creatures. Seeing a moving image creates a memory and emotional experience faster in our brains than reading or one single image. Our brains seek eye contact and storytelling to help us connect to the information.”
It doesn't have to be super slick – again, immediacy and sincerity is the most important thing. And there's another upside: if you're not a confident writer, learning to do the talking head thing can also save you time and stress. It’s also best to avoid linking to videos hosted on YouTube or Vimeo – you want to keep people on your profile, so upload them directly to LinkedIn for the best results.
Be consistent
Frequency is important. Posting at least once a day keeps people engaged, whilst you’re boosting your reach and staying up to date on current affairs.Remember: if you don't post, how can people engage with you? Bear in mind that LinkedIn – in common with most social media networks – defaults to feeding users content based on what its algorithm perceives to be 'good quality'. Infrequent posters are likely to be marked down so that when they do post, people won't see it.
What content works for you?
When it comes to the type of content you’re sharing, Richard encourages users to think about the context of the users, and what state they might be in before seeing your post.He explains that for the most part, they are likely to be in a ‘cold’ scrolling state, not looking for anything heavy, but something short, snappy with value that passes the time.
Find a hook that makes people think. Richard adds, “Make sure your posts are showing awareness of what people are experiencing, and offer a solution. This can be done through video, text or a carousel, but what’s essential is that you make people think differently.”
It’s key to implement your USPs and demonstrate what sets you apart from the crowd.
Keep the hierarchy of content in mind – typically a status update beats a LinkedIn article which beats an off-site blog post.
The odd LinkedIn article (a kind of blog post hosted on LinkedIn) is a good idea because those viewing your profile to decide if they want to work with you, will find them useful.
Keep in mind that people’s attention span is short – even more so when it comes to LinkedIn, where people will generally check their account on a working day. Aim to make your point in a status update, within a few hundred words at most.
Making connections
Connecting is LinkedIn's answer to 'friending' on Facebook, or a mutual follow on Twitter.On the one hand, LinkedIn is a place where hustling and self-promotion are welcome, so there's no need to be coy. People know that you're connecting with them, in most cases, because you might want to do business at some point, or at least that there's something mutually beneficial in the relationship.
So there's no shame in finding people in the sector you're selling into and connecting with them.
On the other hand, the one thing I see most complaints about is people making a connection and then immediately turning it into a hard sell by direct message: “Hi, we've just connected - want to buy quality widgets at knock-down prices?”.
LinkedIn, like real-world networking, is more of a long game. You want people to know you and your business exist; you have an opportunity to sell your expertise and experience, and being connected makes it easy for them to get in touch when the time comes.
To learn more about driving sales on LinkedIn, watch our episode of UKBF Talks, where we chat to Richard Moore on using LinkedIn as a powerful business tool.
Want more from UKBF? Upgrade to a Business Membership today, and make the most of exclusive benefits including premium forums, partner offers and member-only content. You could save your business more than £400 a year by upgrading your account.
