5 LinkedIn Strategies to Get More Traction (and enjoy yourself more)

NOTE: This post originally appeared on my blog.

If you’ve been following me on social media, you might have noticed that I’ve been talking about Linked In more than in the past.  Why? Some changes in the platform itself and a few simple LinkedIn strategies have meant it’s becoming a growing part of how new clients find my business.

First, it’s important to know that LinkedIn is the largest professional networking site the world has ever seen. Take a moment to let that sink in. The. Largest. Professional. Network. Ever.  And, it’s free.

However, in the past, LinkedIn was lame (ok, it sucked) when it came to meaningful conversation. It was mostly a static site who’s primary usefulness was to recruiters and people looking for a job.

Now, it feels very different.

What Different About LinkedIn Now?

In short, a few changes in the platform – like #hashtags and Linked In Video – have fundamentally changed my experience of what it’s like to spend social media time there. Professionals with common interests are finding each other and the level of dialogue is much higher.

One thing to understand is it’s a more professionally focused audience than your average Facebook user. Now if you business is purely personal development or healing focused, it might not be a good fit for your needs. But before you write if off completely, I invite you to reach the 5 tips below and see if any of these LinkedIn strategies might be something you feel comfortable experimenting with.

As I’ve spent more time there, I’ve developed 5 LinkedIn strategies that are helping me get much more traction and I wanted to share these with you. The video below goes into these in detail.  I’ve also summarized each of the LinkedIn strategies I’ve been using in text in case you prefer that.

5 LinkedIn Strategies to Get Much More Traction

1. Use hashtags to find aligned professionals.  This article talks about how to effectively use hashtags.  It’s something I first learned on Twitter and it turns out it works equally well as a LinkedIn strategy. I use hashtags like #socialimpact, #marketing, #mindfulness, #entrepreneurship, #socialenterprise and others to find professionals with similar interests to connect with.
2. Video is your friend.  If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know I’m a big fan of Facebook live. It’s a simple way to get content out there without worrying about super polished production levels or uploading anything. Now, LinkedIn has it’s own native video called Linked In Video. Same benefits – simple to use, nothing to upload, no one expects you to have fancy music or intros, etc.  Except it’s on the world’s largest professional network.
3. Conscious networking.  Once I find people with shared interests, one thing that helps tremendously. It’s not a pushy sales thing at all. To me, networking with someone with shared values is an opportunity to have a deep dialogue and get to know their work better – and it’s amazing how this leads to referrals both ways.  Here’s a post I wrote on making networking deep and fun.
4. Visual posts. On Facebook, there is a glut of people posting visual posts (especially those with inspirational intent). However, it’s much less common on LinkedIn. I use the free program Canva (they have simple templates you can use so it’s really easy) to create simple visual graphics with messages that are relevant to the kind of people who could use my services.  Here’s an example.
5. Create and curate great content.  LinkedIn is a professional network. So many people spend time on the platform looking for news and interesting resources that relate to their professional goals, passions and challenges.  One of the best LinkedIn strategies for success is to create and curate blog posts, podcast episodes and videos with stories and information related to the professional outcomes that people desire.

What’s your experience with LinkedIn?

So in sum, LinkedIn has gone from one of my least favorite places to spend time on the internet to one of the most productive ways I can spend time to grow my business outside of creating content.  The 5 tips I’ve shared here in this post are the LinkedIn strategies that have worked best in my business.

What’s been your experience with LinkedIn?  Has it been a good resource for growing your business or do you think it could be? What LinkedIn strategies have you found to be effective?

I’d love to hear your experiences and questions in the form of a comment below.