3 Ways To Build Thought Leadership on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is my favourite social network and it's a valuable platform to connect, learn and share. More than ever, we have a responsibility to show up and share our knowledge as seeking out news and information is one of the top reasons people use social media.

Developing your social media footprint is also important if you are intent on managing your online reputation. So in this article, I'm sharing three ways to be a thought leader on LinkedIn.

2.5 million adults in Ireland are active on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the largest people database in the world and we are there with an intention to connect with others, so be sure to be purposeful with your own strategy.

#1 Be Proactive

LinkedIn rewards consistency, much like the other social networks. It's not ok to simply have a LinkedIn profile and then walk away from it. Visibility on LinkedIn is easy to achieve, and simply posting twice a week will give you a strong presence. Did you know the lifespan of a LinkedIn post is three days?

Having a proactive presence also requires you to engage with others and in fact, we should engage at least three times more than we publish our own content.

So be proactive and check in on the mobile app a few times a week. If your network is relevant it's a great way to stay up to date on what's happening in your industry and who's influencing where.

Don't forget to use five hashtags on your posts, tag people or organisations where relevant, add media, and prompt conversation. It's great when posts have an engaging thread below them. So make that your intention, to open a conversation. Don't post and go.

#2 Publish Articles

I love the articles feature on LinkedIn (Twitter is testing a similar feature) as it provides an opportunity to go deeper on a topic to really showcase your knowledge and insights. Opinion editorial in newspapers is often viewed as a fantastic PR opportunity, but we must view the article feature on LinkedIn with similar enthusiasm.

Articles can be repurposed from speeches, press releases, white papers, reports, or videos. They are archived on your profile and you can pin them to your 'Featured' content on your profile. Articles also provide you with excellent search optimisation on Google.

#3 Leverage Your Network

We are only three connections away from being introduced to anyone in the world because of the power of LinkedIn. The opportunity to outreach to people based on a shared professional interest has never been easier.

I know lots of pros use LinkedIn for aggressive sales but I advise focusing on your own strategy. LinkedIn allows us to connect with 100 people a week, and while, that's significant you don't need to do that level of outreach. But certainly, send connection requests with a personal note to 10-15 people a week and use LinkedIn's search function to find those with niche expertise that matches yours.

It's also a good idea to call out your network when they are promoting projects or career wins. Be sure, to share others' content and provide context on why you are sharing it. That type of network promotion is really welcomed by connections.

Like everything we do on social media, do it with purpose, genuine intention, and authenticity.

Don't forget, consistency wins the race, every time!

Are we connected here on LinkedIn? If not, let's fix it!

Yours in digital,

Joanne.