Many people are unsure what they should say and how they should act on LinkedIn so I thought I would share some suggestions.
Think about the posts on LinkedIn being the same as when you interact with people in real life in a business setting like a networking event, conference or convention – those small talk conversations with someone you know but you could be overheard by strangers you don’t know.
They probably tend to be ones that appeal to you on a personal level such as the things you might say if someone asked you “what’s keeping you busy?” or “what are you thinking about at the moment?” from people you know in real life and occasionally just generally interesting “stuff” that you are thinking about or reflecting on – your perspective on “stuff”.
You don’t need to “sell” every time you post or have a call to action or offer special deals – I bet you don’t do that face to face when you meet someone so why do it on LinkedIn?
The most important thing to remember is be yourself and be genuine – just talk on LinkedIn like you talk in real life – you don’t need to be inspirational, viral, wordy, clever or inspiring every time (unless that’s how you would act in real life and that must be tiring to be like that all the time!).
Think of posts on LinkedIn as small talk – talk about what you are up to that day, the types of clients you are working with – no need to drop in names, just mention their industry for example (no one likes a bragger and your client may not be happy that you mentioned their name either).
Comment on something you have been annoyed by today or enjoyed.
Be personable and be you – people like you for being you! Think about those interesting conversations you have each day; those experiences that make you think differently and how you could share these on an update.
It’s ok to feel a little uncomfortable when you first start posting, that’s quite normal as it can feel odd talking to people you cannot see but the more frequently you post the sooner you will find your style and be confident about what you write, and when you start seeing people interacting with your post – commenting, liking and sharing – that’s a real confidence booster and should give you clear indicators of what style works best for you and your network / audience.
Always reread what you have written before you post an update, check for spelling mistakes, have you kept under three hashtags, are any links included in the post working etc.
Think about how your audience will react to the content of the post, if it’s too political, argumentative, or bad-mouthing somebody how will this reflect on you? Will the post make someone run for a bucket (or you!) or make people majorly uncomfortable? If so, you might want to think twice about posting it!
Have a go, don’t be afraid of trying and enjoy but don’t make life too challenging if you’ve not posted before. Start by doing one a week, then see what happens. Do people look at you? Interact? If so step up to two a week and progress till you’re posting a maximum of once per day.