14 Years on Linkedin: My Journey from Strange Platform to Favorite Platform

Although I created an account in January 2006, I neglected it forever. Linkedin was different back then. It was a directory for professionals. A one-time thing you set up and updated only when you changed jobs.I even forgot I ever had a Linkedin account. Then in early 2018, I found myself in career transition. In 2017 I sold my agency and honestly was unsure what I’d do next. I hired a career coach and was told “Go on Linkedin.” I dusted off my profile and started my true Linkedin journey in March 2018. Wow, had Linkedin changed! You could write posts and chat with people and all kinds of cool things. At first, I shared popular articles I liked, usually with a very short commentary, one monthly at best. Once in a while, I would like someone’s post with one-word comments like “Nice!” or “Agreed!”. I mistakenly thought articles were only for journalists and famous CEOs so I never wrote one. I thought I wasn’t pretty enough nor good enough of a speaker to go on-camera so I avoided video. I didn’t connect with strangers so I rarely sent any connection requests, and when I did send one, it was using InMail starting with this sentence “Sorry to bother you…”. It took me weeks to reply to messages or comments and often I didn’t even notice them at all. All of my professional opportunities came from outside of Linkedin. Bottom line: my Linkedin strategy was non-existent or terrible, at best.

Fast forward to January 2020, I am blessed with a network of over 30,000 connections and growing and I can honestly say I am deeply connected to many of them. I regularly post a variety of content and receive generous amounts of engagement on nearly everything I publish. I write articles weekly and videos too. I have meaningful conversations in the messages and many of my connections lead to paid opportunities. I receive connection requests daily and many of them want to hire me as a business strategist for their marketing and sales. I’m invited to events and interviews and much more. I have made true friendships thanks to Linkedin.I honestly feel like Linkedin has grown my business tenfold just in 2019 alone and I can’t wait to see what the possibilities are in 2020.

Here are some of the most surprising things I learned that helped me be successful on Linkedin:

1/ You can just be yourself, quirky and all. Yes, people want to see the real you!

2/ It’s not just for middle-aged corporate employees anymore. Linkedin has evolved into a platform where all generations, entrepreneurs, and creatives can have a voice so don’t be afraid to speak to your niche.

3/ Engagement groups are fun. I was warned about pods where people just like one another’s content but joining a few small Linkedin groups was the best decision I made in the beginning. 

4/ I can be incredibly honest and raw. This surprised me but (most) people respond well to it. I guess it means the time has come when we are ready for real conversations here on Linkedin.

5/ You can interact with people here who are influential, powerful, and normally not accessible to the public. It’s so amazing every time I have any contact with a major CEO or thought leader on Linkedin.

6/ You can build a community. Everyone thinks of Facebook as the place to build communities but Linkedin is my community.

7/ Linkedin is the new YouTube, kind of. There are definitely Linkedin content creators who are making such entertaining content that the platform is becoming a go-to for much more than B2B relationships. 

8/ Linkedin has a dark side. I never expected to find creeps, scam artists, liers, and fake profiles. Luckily, Linkedin is amping up their fight against them. Be aware and report any you encounter.

9/ You can grow into a Linkedin celebrity. Linkedin has its’ own stars and groupies. Be one or follow one, if you like that kind of thing!

10/ You can learn alot on Linkedin. The quality of Linkedin Learning never ceases to amaze me. The courses keep getting better and better.

What is your Linkedin story? I’d love to hear from you. Are you just starting out? I am not a Linkedin coach but I regularly write about my personal Linkedin tips so follow @thesassymethod and subscribe to my Linkedin newsletter, Take Back Mondays, to make sure you receive them. 

Are we connected here on Linkedin? I love meeting new people and welcome new requests from business owners and ambitious professionals. I intentionally have not grown to 30k followers so that I could carefully build more meaningful connections. Please reach out.

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