Wednesday, March 31, 2021

3 Ways To Beat The LinkedIn Algorithm

Adrian Dayton

Sometimes it’s hard to feel like your LinkedIn posts are doing anything. You put something up and it gets a couple likes, maybe one comment, but it doesn’t go anywhere. You’ve heard stories about regular peoples posts going viral, but why doesn’t it happen to you?

The people going viral aren’t just getting lucky. While luck does play a part, there are three simple steps you can take to increase how many people see your posts and give yourself a better chance of going viral.

1) Comments and Hashtags

The whole point of social media is to be social, and LinkedIn wants to encourage this behavior so they have designed their algorithm to reward good behavior. You have to add commentary that people encourages interaction. If you don’t add a comment to your post, all that people are seeing is some random link or photo with no context.

Adding a comment to your post not only increases your visibility, but encourages people to comment back. If you notice, posts that go viral have thousands of comments and that’s because the original poster encouraged feedback. When you add a comment, leave it open-ended to get people to respond.

Wants people start to comment, you need to keep the conversation going. If people are commenting on your post, reply to every comment, lean into the social side of social media. If you can get a conversation going, you have a surefire way of getting your post seen by dramatically more people.

In addition to comments, hashtags are another great way to increase visibility. Hashtags allow your post to be searchable, whether it be online or on the platform, by people who are interested in the topic you are posting about.

Adding a hashtag will bring in experts, as well as potential clients who are looking into the information you are speaking about.

There are a lot of tools online that can help you choose the right hashtag. I would recommend hashtagify.me, a site that tracks the top trending hashtags and will recommend the hashtags that are performing the best in your area of expertise.

See all 3 ways and the complete Forbes article

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

7 Posting Tips to Help Boost Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn

Believe it or not, you already have a personal brand. The question is, are you leveraging your personal brand to monetize your expertise or accelerate your success?

Personal branding is the process of marketing yourself, and your career or business, in order to attract relevant opportunities. Marketing, in this context, means getting people to know, like and trust you, so that they'll eventually want to work with you or buy from you.

Content marketing, on the other hand, is the strategic process of creating and distributing content to attract a targeted audience. And on LinkedIn, your content strategy has a huge role to play in successfully building your personal brand.

So what does this mean for you?

With your expertise, and your drive to create relevant, useful and engaging content, you'll be on your way to building a powerful personal brand that'll give you "permission" to monetize your expertise using LinkedIn features.

In this post, we'll look at seven content marketing strategies and tips that'll help you boost your personal brand on LinkedIn.

Let's get started.

2. Leverage industry influencers

Industry influencers are influencers for a reason: People follow them.

Building relationships with influencers and mentioning them in your posts can help boost your visibility on LinkedIn - here are some examples:

Peter Brace mentions Amy Edmondson and Timothy Clark, among the pioneers in the field of psychological safety

LinkedIn Post by Peter Brace

Raymond Domingo mentions Robina Gokongwei-Pe, a highly reputable entrepreneur and President/CEO of one of the largest multi-format retailers in the Philippines 

Raymond Domingo's post on LinkedIn

Anda Goseco mentions Marcia Reynolds, an Executive and Leadership Coach based in the US

Anda Goseco's post on LinkedIn

Peter, Raymond and Anda didn’t really talk about themselves in their posts; instead, they talked about the influencers they mentioned.

So what can we learn from these posts? If you’re making this type of post, remember to make it about them, the influencers, not about you.  

 

6. Just be yourself

When was the last time you shared your story on LinkedIn? 

One of things I've learned through the years is that people on LinkedIn either know what they want to achieve through the platform, or they don’t know at all what they want to achieve. 

Although it may seem like the ones who know what they want to achieve would be more successful on LinkedIn, I've learned that this is not always the case. 

Many times, those whose top goal is to generate leads for their businesses are too focused on the goal of ‘selling’ so they end up operating with a wrong mindset, thinking about what they can get in terms of immediate leads or sales. 

But LinkedIn is not a place where people want to hear sales pitches all the time - LinkedIn is a place where people engage with other people who provide valuable content, and whose stories resonate with them.

And guess what - the more you share who you are, the more people gravitate towards you. And that means more opportunities for you to start conversations, and build meaningful business relationships. 

In this post below, Peter openly shares a part of who he is that makes him different - a lifelong learner who entered university in his 50’s, and finished his Ph. D. in his 60’s: 

Peter Brace's post on LinkedIn

What most people don’t realize is this - knowing and being yourself is a free, tried-and-tested way to increase your reach and attract like-minded people on LinkedIn. 

Peter wasn’t sure at first if this post was "appropriate" on LinkedIn, but posting it anyway led him to the answer:

Being who you are, and sharing what makes you different, indeed, can have a place on LinkedIn.

 

7. Reshare your top-performing posts

Your top-performing posts performed well for a reason. Maybe they resonate well with your audience, or perhaps you posted it at the right time, when your network needed to read it the most.

Reposting your top-performing posts will not only ensure you get a lot of views and reactions (again), but it can also help you capture a whole new audience. Don't just post and forget, keep a record of your top-performing posts, and when the timing is right, go ahead and repost them.

In my case, I repost my top-performing content at least after 3-6 months. And they work like magic each time.

Below is an all-text post I shared in March 2020. This post reached over 97,500 people, and garnered almost 2,000 reactions and 81 comments.

All text post in March 2020 by Virginia Bautista

The same post at the time was trending in #personalbranding:

Virginia Bautista's post trending in #personalbranding on LinkedIn

I shared this post again this year. Here's the same post I just reshared three days ago (March 19, 2021):

And according to LinkedIn, this post garnered Top 1% engagement on the platform:


Read all 7 tips and the complete SocialMediaToday article

 

Wednesday, March 17, 2021

4 Steps To The Perfect LinkedIn Profile

Adrian Dayton

Think of LinkedIn like a footrace: at the center of the pack are a whole bunch of people. They’re tripping over others’ feet, elbowing each other, and altogether disappearing amongst the crowd. Then, towards the front, you have some outliers. People who are running in solitude, pushing their way forward. Finally, you have your stragglers, runners who have fallen behind and can’t quite seem to catch up.

Standing out amongst the crowd of faceless and random strangers on LinkedIn can seem quite intimidating, but there are a few simple things that you can do to jet yourself to the front of the race.

2) About Section

The ‘About’ section is a probably a close second to the profile photo in imortance. This section is what will go most in-depth on you, telling your story, and letting people know who you are and what you are about. There is a simple template that I always recommend when people start putting this section together.

  • Lead with what you are best at (and the type of business you are most interested in attracting)
  • Specific examples of your greatest accomplishments.
  • Additional accolades, and interests

Many people write their about section all wrong, they start with very general history and then eventually towards the end they through in the punchy persuasive stuff. You need to do this the other way around. Lead with specificity, eventually share your general competence or skill.

Next up are specific examples, which I like to put in bullet points. It just makes it clear and easy to read. Throw in no more than 3 to 4 bullet points after the lead sentences. These should be specific examples that prove the statement of skill made in the first sentences. For example if your leading sentence says, “World famous mountain climber and guide,” then your bullets should list out your most daring summit attempts.

Finally, accolades and interests. Do you write for a trade publication or are you on a speaking circuit talking about your special skill? This is the place for that. Volunteer work and other civic causes (caveat: steer clear or politics or religion here, unless you are a priest or politician.) Finally, let the people have a taste of your personality. I’ve personally summited a few mountains, so I add it in here. Will people hire me simply because of my mountaineering? Probably not, but adding your interests will make you more approachable.

I always get the question of whether or not to write the ‘About’ section in the first or third person and I’m afraid there is no right answer. Numerous studies have shown that there isn’t any difference for people when they’re browsing LinkedIn. Most professional services firms tend to lean towards third-person more, but Adrian thinks that is confusing. Adrian also think it is most natural when it is you talking to talk in first person. You know what I mean?

3) Work and School History

This next section is simple, but will require a bit of maintenance: your work and school history. You always want to keep this section as up-to-date as possible. List every promotion, every job, every degree. This is the easiest resume for people to find so you want to make it easy to read. Avoid any confusion on here, just a simple list of your work and education history.

 See all 4 steps and the complete Forbes article



 

 

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

14 tips to get the most out of your LinkedIn profile

I spent more than 9 years in recruitment and I’m pretty sure I have seen thousands of resumes/CVs/LinkedIn profiles during my career  Even though I’m no longer hiring, as a Software Engineer, I still have opportunities to do reviews (e.g. as part of my initiative where I’m helping #WomenInTech – check my Twitter and Instagram for more details).

Below are my tips for getting the most out of your LinkedIn profile (based on my profile).

1. Background photo

What kind of picture you can put there? I’ve seen people adding the logo of companies they’re part of, photos where they’re together with their teams, companies’ motto/slogan. It can be also something more personal like the city they live in or favorite tech stack
If you have many social media accounts use it to showcase them. The same goes for having your blog or YouTube channel – this is extra space that is visible and can help you stand out!

As you can see, I have information about my blog set as a background photo. There’s a high chance every person visiting my profile will notice it and decides to check the website (Pro tip: use this approach on every social media that enables setting background photo, this will help you build/promote your personal brand).

 

3. Your full name + customizing your public profile URL

This one is important, especially if you have special characters in your name/surname. My full name is Elżbieta Mościcka, but as I am working with people from all around the world, I knew that this might be difficult to remember or pronounce for some of them. Therefore, I decided to go with a short version of my first name: Ela Mościcka. Small, but really powerful change, I highly recommend you doing the same
When it comes to customizing your LinkedIn profile URL all details can be found here, but the most important part to remember is:
it is a “must-have” if you have special characters in your name. My auto-generated URL based on my name (Ela MoÅ›cicka) was something like this:

All because of “Å›” in my surname. The problem with this is not only lack of readability, but something much worse: imagine* situation where you add this kind of a link to your CV when applying for a job, and a person who clicks it will see the “profile not found” page!
(*not “imagine”, this happened to some of my candidates as I was always clicking through all links in their resume making sure that when CV will be sent to Hiring Managers, all will be fine – I was always double-checking and letting them know if something wasn’t working as expected).

Now it’s https://www.linkedin.com/in/elamoscicka/ (all I did was changing “Å›” to “s”).


6. “Open to” section

This one is powerful when you’re looking for new opportunities. Why? When Recruiters/Sourcers will be using “LinkedIn Recruiter” license and looking for candidates, they have the option to start from those that have “open to” on their profiles. This means your profile will be viewed before candidates who don’t have that option enabled.

You can specify what kind of work you’re open to by selecting “Job titles”, “Job locations”, mark if you’re open to remote work, what is your start date and type of jobs you’d consider (full-time, contract, part-time, internship, temporary).

Choose who can see you’re open to work – all LinkedIn members or only Recruiters:


Read all 14 tips and the complete article

 

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Top 20 LinkedIn Podcasts You Must Follow in 2021

 

1. Good Girls Get Rich Podcast

Good Girls Get Rich PodcastNew Jersey, United StatesAbout Podcast Good Girls Get Rich Podcast with your host Karen Yankovich is where you embrace how good you are, girl. Stop being the best kept secret in town. Learn how to use simple LinkedIn and social media strategies and make the big bucks. Frequency 1 episode / week Since Oct 2017 Also in Social Media Podcasts Podcast karenyankovich.com/podcast
Facebook fans 10.3K ⋅ Twitter followers 118K ⋅ Instagram Followers 2.7K ⋅ Domain Authority 34 ⋅ Alexa Rank 2M

3. LinkedIn Leverage

LinkedIn LeverageMacon, Georgia, United StatesAbout Podcast Is LinkedIn working for you? Do you know how to leverage it to get amazing opportunities for yourself and your business and to establish your unique, powerful brand? This podcast is for small business owners and those that serve them, for marketers, consultants and students - to provide you strategies to leverage LinkedIn to make great things happen. Frequency 1 episode / week Since May 2020 Podcast linkedinleverage.libsyn.com
Twitter followers 2K ⋅ Alexa Rank 4.8K

8. The 5 Minute LinkedIn Marketer

The 5 Minute LinkedIn MarketerAustraliaAbout Podcast Want to learn what's working right now with LinkedIn marketing? In 5 minute episodes, Think Bespoke's Founding Director and Asia Pacific's LinkedIn (TM) Lady, Karen Hollenbach, shares her LinkedIn marketing tips. If we are yet to meet, hello there! I'm Karen Hollenbach. I've written 100s of LinkedIn Profiles and trained 1000s of business owners and digital marketers. In 2019 I was ranked in Asia Pacific's Top 10 LinkedIn experts. I'm going to show you that LinkedIn can be fun! Please enjoy my LinkedIn Marketing tips. Frequency 1 episode / month Since Aug 2020 Podcast anchor.fm/5minlinkedinmarketer
Twitter followers 624 ⋅ Domain Authority 84 ⋅ Alexa Rank 2.8K

15. LinkedInBuddy

LinkedInBuddyJohannesburg, Gauteng, South AfricaAbout Podcast Welcome to the LinkedInBuddy podcast! This show is for entrepreneurs, business owners, and business executives who want to master LinkedIn marketing to become authority and brand leaders while filling their sales pipelines and grow their businesses. Learn from Tilly Davies, known for her LinkedIn skills as a global LinkedIn Specialist, founder of MarketingCX, and creator of the LinkedInBuddy System. Inside each episode, Tilly reveals her tried and tested LinkedIn marketing and business secrets to assist 1000's clients generating 10,000's sales opportunities over the last 15years. Frequency 4 episodes / month Since Dec 2020 Podcast anchor.fm/tilly-davies
Twitter followers 14K ⋅ Social Engagement 1 ⋅ Domain Authority 84 ⋅ Alexa Rank 2.8K

See all 20 Podcasts and the complete FeedSpot post