Content … there’s a huge amount of it out there on the internet. Wouldn’t you agree?
So how to do you stand out in the sea of words, videos, infographics, images and podcasts?
Well, I’ve got a few tips for you.
I’ve been running a LinkedIn Influencer challenge to my VIP list and one of the things I talk about is how to be stand out and become an influencer on the platform.
So here’s a quick process I follow.
- Have a plan
I’m pretty sure I have mentioned this a few thousand times but when it comes to standing out on LinkedIn (and any other social media platform) it’s crucial to start with a plan.
Now, we follow an elaborate plan so we leave no stone unturned when it comes to our content and we do the same for our clients.
However, you don’t have to start with an elaborate plan.
It can be very simple. In a nutshell, it looks like this:
- Always provide content that is also value driven (even your promotional posts).
- Post regularly, at least 3-5 times a week.
- Create original content
- But also curate content (share other content you know your followers will love too).
- Start to use hashtags in your content so people can find you more easily.
I’ll talk a little more about the type of content you can create a little later in this post.
Content marketing on LinkedIn is still as important as ever and social influencer Neil Patel says the vast majority of LinkedIn users (67%) consider themselves “news junkies,” While 40% of members log in each and every day looking for new content.
So if you are a business owner who is creating content for LinkedIn, you need to be creating content that feeds your feed!
But let’s be clear on the terms, there is a content creator and marketer on LinkedIn … and then there’s an influencer!
And you want to be an influencer.
Now, there’s knack to becoming an influencer on LinkedIn and it all starts with “why”. So I have a few questions coupled with some important information for you.
If you are wanting to become an influencer on LinkedIn, ask yourself:
- Why do you want to use social media?
Over the past five years I have lived and breathed social media through our own social strategies and those of our clients.
I want to let you in on a little pearl of wisdom from those years of constant evaluation: marketing your products, services and offers via paid social-media campaigns rarely delivers great results.
Exceptions are when you’re promoting deep discounts or end-of-season clearances, and the reason is that there’s so much free high-value information on social media that we’ve become accustomed to thinking of the entire social-media platform as a free information service.
We will always use social media and the internet to research products and services we’re interested in and comparing them with other offers. Therefore, unless your offer is the best value on the market today, many people might click on your advertisements but few will purchase.
If your reason for being active on social media is to promote your products and services, you will likely need a huge budget or you face some level of disappointment. Also, you should not waste your time reading the rest of this email; it is not for you.
On the other hand, if your why is to position your business, yourself or your brand as a market leader and you want to create the right strategy to do that, then keep reading.
- Why do you think LinkedIn is the best platform for you?
Influencers know LinkedIn will be able to deliver results.
You should be on LinkedIn if your market exists in the more than 200 countries that have access to the platform. And if you can tick off one or more of the following points, then it’s also the right platform for you:
- You need to create quality leads consistently.
- You would like a shorter, more direct sales funnel.
- You would like to maintain awareness of your services among your ideal customers.
- You would like your customers to find you when they’re searching for the services you offer.
- You would like to attract people who will become long-term customers.
- You would like to be made aware of new potential clients automatically every day, based on your own criteria.
- You would like to have access to any or all of the above without a massive marketing budget.
If you can’t tick off any of these options, then again you don’t need to read any further. LinkedIn is not the platform for you, and that’s fine. It’s far better to know this in advance than waste time and energy in the wrong place. Another platform may well provide you with an ideal marketing medium.
- What is your company’s why?
Let me ask you ask you this… why are you in business?
Amazingly, very few business owners can answer this question when first asked, or they default to the wrong answer.
They might respond with ‘To make money’ or ‘To provide a lifestyle for our family’ or ‘So I can put our children through private education, it’s something I never had access to’.
Don’t get me wrong, these are noble objectives, but they are simply outcomes and not your why.
Understanding the importance of and knowing your why changes everything; it underpins everything you do from a marketing perspective.
I highly recommend that you watch the sixteen minutes of pure genius that is Simon Sinek’s TED talk on YouTube: ‘Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Action’.
It’s a great video and will really help you with finding your “why”.
Now that you know this…
All of your content will be so much easier to create from this point onwards.
I’d like to share 4 ways that you can use LinkedIn to help your profile, online presence and your business.
Apart from sharing content that is high in value…try these suggestions:
- Use the Pulse blog
LinkedIn is your social media business card and a place for you to share your knowledge and experience. And one of the ways you can do this is on the Pulse blog. With people on LinkedIn looking for news-style content, the blog is the ideal place to share what you know.
- Share what you know
Remember that being on social media is still meeting people and it’s important to share your knowledge and experiences – especially stories that have contributed to your journey. This is an engaging way for people to converse with you online, just like you would offline. Talk about the challenges your target market faces in your posts too.
- Be yourself
People will follow and engage with you if you just be yourself. Your audience is craving reality, not the crafted perception that social media allows us. Online content should be conversational and informal, remembering it is the social aspect people are looking for, even on LinkedIn and even in the world of careers and business. We are all just people looking to collaborate, connect and work with other people.
- It’s about relationships
LinkedIn is a very powerful platform for businesses to build relationships with other business owners. The benefits of doing this far outweighs any “dump and run” content strategies. You need to be active and write or create content that will make people want more from you. You can do this easily by, of course, being yourself (see tip above), telling stories and sharing experiences that others may not share.
HOT TIP:
This year I’ve committed to running regular updates via webinar about the ever-changing way LinkedIn works and how to get the best value from our time on the platform.
The next one is October 2nd and I will be covering:
- How to maximise your content engagement, and 10 X your results with LinkedIn’s new requirements
- How to ensure your content is not being “shadow banned”
- How to get your content out of LinkedIn jail (if you have been using non-compliant content)
- The 9 step process to becoming an Influencer in 90 days
It’s also free and from the comfort of your own home or office at 7 pm. If you would like to join me register here
Want more information on LinkedIn?
Here are 4 ways to work with us…
1. Grab our free 4-Week LinkedIn Profile Optimisation Course
It’s the road map to positioning your profile in the top 5% of the 550 million LinkedIn users currently active – Click Here
2. Join our LinkedIn Group and connect with entrepreneurs who are scaling too
It’s our Facebook community where smart entrepreneurs learn to get more leads and smart ways to scale using LinkedIn — Click Here
3. Join our LinkedIn Influencer Program so you can “Show out” instead of just showing up
Every 8 weeks we have a new intake into our 12-week Influencer program… Click Here for more details
4. Work with our team privately
If you’d like to work directly with us to create new marketing opportunities send us a quick message Click here… tell us a little about your business and we’ll organise a time for a deeper chat.
