“When you go to write a post on LinkedIn, it literally says ‘What do you want to talk about?’ Not ‘What do you want to sell us?’ or ‘What do you want to broadcast?”
LinkedIn has always been a professional social network, but the culture is significantly different than it was pre-pandemic. Developing meaningful relationships on LinkedIn requires you to balance authenticity with an unwavering focus on your audience—and the marketers and brands that do this successfully will build a platform that sustains ongoing content marketing success.
In this #ContentChat recap, Erika joins Louise Brogan (@LouiseBrogan_), a LinkedIn consultant and trainer, to discuss how to use LinkedIn to its fullest as a content marketer. In this recap, you’ll learn about “Creator Mode” and what it enables (and disables), ways to start and grow your network, and how to optimize your profile to attract new opportunities.
Read through a few highlights from the conversation below, and listen to the full recording here.
Q1: What are the most common misconceptions about LinkedIn that you hear from content marketers?
“With all the drama about Twitter, a lot of people jumped across to LinkedIn, not really knowing what it was like… they might have an idea that LinkedIn is boring, stuffy, not really interesting. And that’s not true. You curate the community that you want here on LinkedIn. I’m forever unfollowing people in my network not because they’re offensive, but because what they’re talking about just does not engage me. So I’d rather unfollow them and see content from people and companies that I’m interested in what they’re talking about.” – Louise Brogan
Many content marketers believe that LinkedIn is not effective for driving traffic to your site, but Erika’s B2B clients get 3x the clicks to their site versus other engagement activities.
A1: A big misconception content marketers have about LinkedIn is that it doesn’t drive people to your website. My #B2B clients usually get 3x the clicks to their site versus other engagement activities. It’s all about writing updates that inspire the click. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketer | Writer (@SFerika) April 24, 2023
You can build real connections outside of your network, but it requires personalization in your outreach.
A1: That is isn’t possible to build real connections outside of your network. Not true. You just need personalized, well-researched outreach when contacting prospects on LinkedIn.#ContentChat
— Sweepsify 🎈 (@Sweepsify_) April 24, 2023
Personalization is the key here. I don’t mind if unknown people reach out to me, but I need to quickly understand a.) what they want and b.) why they’re relevant to me. Too many people simply copy/paste the same message and wonder why no one responds. #ContentChat
— Alek Irvin (@AlekIrvin) April 24, 2023
Q2: Why do you think brands should continue to prioritize LinkedIn over other social networks?
Many Twitter users have started using LinkedIn more frequently, making it a great channel to interact with your brand fans and industry influencers.
A2: So many people who used to be active on Twitter have migrated to using LinkedIn more frequently. For #B2B content marketers in particular, there is even more opportunity to interact with your brand fans and industry influencers on LinkedIn. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketer | Writer (@SFerika) April 24, 2023
“People go to LinkedIn with business in mind. They’re not here looking to see what their cousin in Australia is doing. They’re on here to connect with their business network. So it makes absolute sense that if you are a business, you should be on LinkedIn.” – Louise Brogan
In the audio recap at 9:30, Louise explains that brands have partnered with her to use LinkedIn to nurture relationships from trade shows and conferences, strengthen the company’s branding, and attract the best talent.
Q3: What are the LinkedIn “Creator Mode” features or other capabilities that content marketers may not be aware of, such as audio events (like this!) and newsletters?
Erika and Louise explain Creator Mode starting at 12:30 in the recording. For starters, Creator Mode enables live audio chats, newsletter features, and content carousels on your profile.
A3: My favorite #LinkedIn Creator mode features are live audio chats like our #ContentChat, allowing people to subscribe to a special edition of my newsletter, and the content example carousels on my experience blocks. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketer | Writer (@SFerika) April 24, 2023
Louise shared the following about Creator Mode:
- Anybody can turn on Creator Mode from your profile “resources” page.
- Creator Mode enables LinkedIn Video (LinkedIn Live), LinkedIn Audio, and newsletter creation and distribution.
- When you turn on Creator Mode, you’re asked to identify five key topics. If someone searches for one of your key topics on LinkedIn, then your profile will appear in the search results.
- Instead of showcasing your activity on your profile page, with Creator Mode your profile shows the most recent things you wrote on LinkedIn.
Newsletters are especially valuable because your entire network is notified when you send your first newsletter.
Q4: How can you decide if it makes sense to enable creator mode for your profile? Are there any downsides or functionality that you lose access to?
With Creator Mode enabled, your “connect” button gets hidden. If you go to a Creator Mode profile, the “connect” button says “following.” To access the “connect” button, you need to click the “more” button to access the connection request.
A4: If you regularly create and share content, then Creator mode is made for you! If you are more liekly to amplify other people’s content, it may not be useful to make the change. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketer | Writer (@SFerika) April 24, 2023
Q5: If someone is just getting started on LinkedIn, what are your recommendations for them?
Erika recommends browsing LinkedIn when you first join and reviewing profiles of your current and former colleagues to see who they’re following and what groups they belong to. Erika links to a blog post with marketers that the #ContentChat community recommends you follow on LinkedIn.
A5a: As with any social channel, it’s beneficial to spend some time browsing around on LinkedIn. Connect with favorite current and former colleagues, and see who they’re following and what groups they belong to. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketer | Writer (@SFerika) April 24, 2023
A5b: If you want a cheat sheet of LinkedIn marketers to follow, check out this one crowdsourced from our #ContentChat fam: https://t.co/N5Zk4yk4iH
— Erika Heald | Content Marketer | Writer (@SFerika) April 24, 2023
At 20:50 in the audio recap, Louise walks through the essential profile elements to cover. Below, you will see highlights from what she discussed, and you can watch this YouTube playlist from Louise to learn how to optimize your LinkedIn profile in a day.
- Introductory card: This lists your name, headline, profile photo, background image, and work or education. At the very least, you should fill out this section.
- Profile photo: Be sure that someone will recognize you at a conference based on your LinkedIn profile photo. Set your profile image as public so that anyone can see it (it will otherwise appear as an anonymous gray square, which will deter people from engaging with you).
- Headline: You want your headline to represent what you do and the industry you’re in.
- About section: Write this to explain how you help people instead of focusing on yourself.
- Experience section: Detail your past roles, focusing on key responsibilities and accomplishments.
Q6: For content marketers who have been on LinkedIn for a while, what strategies can you share for expanding their network beyond their current following?
“Treat LinkedIn like it is your favorite in-person industry conference. Imagine yourself walking into the conference door as your LinkedIn profile. You’ll listen to speakers that you’re interested in, visit conference booths from people who attract your attention, and strike up a conversation with people.” – Louise Brogan
Look at the comments on posts from your industry connections to find new people to engage with. Even better: Comment on posts so that more people will see you.
A6: When I see interesting posts from friends like @PRisus, I head to the comments! I’ve found all sorts of interesting marketers to follow based on their interactions with people I know. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketer | Writer (@SFerika) April 24, 2023
A6. Me too!! So true. #ContentChat
— Zen Yinger (@ZenYinger) April 24, 2023
Join groups and follow active users in your niche.
A6: Tips for starting on LinkedIn:
1️⃣ Join groups. This is how you find where the conversation is.
2️⃣ Follow active users in your niche. This is the easiest way to figure out what types of content to post.#ContentChat
— Sweepsify 🎈 (@Sweepsify_) April 24, 2023
Louise shares more advice for approaching LinkedIn like an in-person conference in this Forbes article.
Q7: How can a marketing team encourage their company peers to help with content marketing on LinkedIn?
Erika and Louise share their tips in the audio recap. Some brief highlights include:
- If you’re the marketing manager in your company, ensure that employees who are on LinkedIn are connected to the correct company page.
- When you post through a company page, you can notify your employees by clicking a button.
- Train your team about the value of having a good profile and ways they can amplify your company content in a meaningful way.
- Consider sharing a weekly or monthly internal team email that spotlights your company’s new content with draft social posts for your team to use.
- Use your team in your content—the content that includes your team members will perform best on LinkedIn.
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