Express Yourselfie - do selfies belong on LinkedIn?

How many times in the average week do you see the phrase "this isn't Facebook" angrily typed into a comments section?

I see it at least once a day.

And usually, it’s directed at me.

?? If it’s not the topic I’ve chosen to rant about, it’s the fact that I’ve DARED to use a photo!

My first reaction is to roll my eyes, because people really need to get some original feedback.

?? But then I wonder why people feel the need to offer this feedback.

My theory is that it mostly comes down to entitlement.

People feel a sense of ownership over the platforms they use because of the time they’ve invested into them.

?? Even if people themselves do not post (and we’ll get to that irony later) they feel entitled to an opinion because… well, they’re here. And if they’re on, LinkedIn, it means they should have a say in how it’s used, right?

?? I disagree.

All social media platforms morph over time based on how the users, well use them.

But the interesting thing about LinkedIn is that it has a STAGGERING number of barely-active users, or 'lurkers' as they're more commonly known.

?? In fact, despite having 830 million users, only 1% of them post at least once a week.

That means there are over 821 million people who rarely if ever create their own content on the site!

Don't get me wrong - there are lots of different ways to contribute to a platform; on LinkedIn you can leave comments, support other people, give encouragement, apply for jobs and chat privately in dms.

But there's a trend I've noticed with a lot of the people using the 'this isn't Facebook' argument;

They don't actually post their own content.

?? Meaning they are actively criticising the people who are making the biggest contribution to the platform... without putting themselves out there in the same way.

?? Call me precious, but I don't think these are the kind of people we should be deferring to for posting advice!

But sadly, in conversations I've had with people who are holding back from posting, the number one reason they give for this is fear of criticism.

People with great ideas are keeping their insights to themselves because of fear of recrimination - ironically, from the people who are doing nothing to improve the quality of the platform and seem to delight in taking other people down.

?? But, what's all this got to do with selfies?

Well, nothing will get people's backs up quite like posting a photo of yourself. Especially if you're female.

?? Because the internet LOVES to tell women how they should and shouldn't use, display or otherwise exist in their bodies.

(Spoiler alert: we're always wrong.)

I posted the above photo with an accompanying post about 'thirsty selfies' - those photos of women considered stereotypically sexual in nature - perhaps where they are wearing a provocative outfit or is highly made up.

The conversation that ensued in the comments section was very interesting with people on all sides of the debate weighing in.

Thoughts ranged from "stop posting selfies, you sheep" through to more nuanced discussions around the post accompanying the photo and whether it suited the overall context of the post.

?? But here's my biggest observation:

There was no overall consensus. There were people on all sides of the arguement making valid points, with no clear agreement as to whether selfies should be used or not.

On the one hand, this could be really frustrating;

?? How are any of us supposed to know what we should or shouldn't be posting when there's no clear rule book?!

?? But here's the liberating part:

There are no rules.

As much as the LinkedIn police would love to tell you differently, selfies can be a valuable addition to your posting repertoire and you might benefit heavily from them.

Here are some of the benefits myself and my coaching clients have experienced from posting selfies:

?? an increase in post reach - meaning more people are seeing it

?? an increase in engagement and better quality conversations in the comments

?? more connection requests from ideal clients and people we want to connect with!

?? more conversations started in dms including enquiries around working together

?? better relationships developing with people both on and off-platform from people who feel like they know us that little bit better from seeing us on a regular basis

By no means am I saying that these benefits are unique to posting selfies - I know a lot of people who create purely written content and will get the same results.

But what I am saying is that if you want to post a selfie, there are potentially a lot of benefits to be gained that far outweigh the petty disapproval of non-posting lurkers.

So, don't let those people hold you back.

If you want to express yourself through the medium of selfies, then get on and get out there.

? COACHING QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF: ?

1. What am I trying to achieve with this post?
2. Would a selfie help to reinforce this message?
3. Do I feel comfortable posting this selfie?

If the answer to the bottom two is more yes than no, that's a good indication to go for it!

And if the lurkers don't like it, you can send them my way for a chat ??

Alice

?? CONTENT COACHING OVER COFFEE is here to give you weekly ideas to up your posting game on LinkedIn so you get your good work out there ??

If this newsletter has nudged you into writing your own post, use the hashtag #contentcoachingovercoffee and one poster every month will win a 60-minute coaching call with me to help make your content even more badass ??

Happy posting! x x