The Fear of Posting & Engaging

Welcome to LinkedInformed 336.

This article has also been recorded as a podcast;

Linkedinformed on Google podcasts?/?Linkedinformed on Apple podcasts

This week I chat with fellow LinkedIn Trainer Teddy Burris about the challenges we all face with the posting and engaging…the fear factor!

What stops us from engaging more on LinkedIn? Is it really a time thing, or is it for normally more complex and deeper reasons.

More of that further down but firstly;

Feedback from last weeks LinkedInformed

I always like to tell it as I see it on LinkedInformed, whether that be a criticism of LinkedIn or other LinkedIn users. I always try to be as fair as I can be with the information available to me. LinkedIn never come back to me on any criticism, they prefer to keep their silence (as discussed last week) but Lea Turner did come back to me following my reporting of her very public clash with Ross Freeman.

I really appreciate this as it helps us all to gain a better perspective of what went on. Here is Lea’s reply;

I thought that was a very measured and thoughtful reply from Lea. I guess we will never know if Ross was really bullied by her followers…he seemed to suggest he received many DM’s we have no evidence to support that.

The Fear Of Posting & Engagement

I’ve been interested in this subject for a while, it’s one of the greatest challenges I face when working with clients.

The benefits of visibility are well known, to become influential on LinkedIn you need to ensure that your content gets viewed by many relevant people and a key way to ensure that happens is to build relevance by commenting on posts…but people struggle with it.

Here is a poll I recently did on the topic;

Not surprisingly many people just ‘react’ with a Like rather than commenting but is this really about time management or is it something deeper? Here are some of the comments and reasons given in the comment thread of that poll.

Sometimes I have an opinion but the reader's opinion has not been asked for.

Surely if they post something, they are doing so with the expectation of comments? An author doesn’t have to expressly ask for comments, the assumption is that viewers will do so.

Sometimes I have an opinion that is so opposed to what's in the post I don't want to get into a discussion.

This can be a good reason to not comment but not always. Opposing a view is not always a problem if done in a courteous and professional manner. As Teddy explained…” type out your reply and then read it out loud to yourself before posting it”

Sometimes I agree but don't want to be seen as using the comments in an opportunist way.

I would agree if your comment was promotional and irrelevant to the discussion but if you are adding value to the comment thread then others will not see it as being opportunistic. This might be different if you are commenting on a competitors post - that would depend on the competitive nature of your market. I love it when competitors comment on my posts, although I wouldn’t be too impressed if they started promoting their next workshop!

Could be many reasons for anyone holding back: e.g. bad timing, indifference, apathy, information overload, office politics etc etc

Office politics is an interesting one - I wouldn’t advise making a point via public content. If you have something to say to a colleague, don’t do it via Linkedin!

Most of the time I see someone's response that offers a good summary of my thoughts. So I don't want to spam the post if there are similar/same comments already.

This is based on a misunderstanding of how LinkedIn works. If your point has already been made, by all means, refer to that earlier comment but make your point anyway. If you don’t do this, you are denying your followers the opportunity to see the post…and your opinion!

From talking to former colleagues (financial), a primary reason they don't post or comment is a fear of getting in trouble with their compliance depts.

This can be a problem but I have found it’s often more of a perception than reality. Check with your compliance department and if you feel they are being unreasonable (it’s often easier for them to just say no) then don’t be afraid to escalate it. Gaining a clear understanding of what is acceptable and what isn’t ids going to be critical to your content and engagement strategy on LinkedIn.

No time at that moment or I am on the "wrong" device for me (mobile instead of desktop and typing on app takes too long for me)

I can definitely relate to this one. The best way around it is to save the post (3 dots top right of the post) and come back to it later when you are on desktop.

Sometimes it depends on my mood.

This is understandable…as above, save it and come back to it when you are in the right mindset.

Generally, time and brainpower is a barrier for me… I go to LinkedIn 'between' other things to see what is happening.

If you treat LinkedIn as a ‘go-between’ in this manner then it’s always going to be difficult to make an impact and build visibility. When you understand the benefits of visibility, you will see LinkedIn as more important and schedule more time for it.

Sometimes I'm not expert enough on the topic to offer my view.

I have found this one a very common issue with clients I have worked with. Here’s the deal…You don’t need to be a subject matter expert to add value to a comment thread!

If you don’t understand the post, feel confident enough to express that in your comment and ask for clarification - LinkedIn users love authenticity and vulnerability. Having the confidence to admit a lack of knowledge (unless it’s something you really should know) is likely to do you more good than harm

Another way to deal with this is to think about who you know who would be able to add value to the discussion…contact them and then quote their reply in your comment. DON’T claim credit for the value you are adding - always make it clear that you got this from an expert. This adds value to the discussion, increases your visibility and subtly informs others that you are well connected with experts in this field!

This conversation with Teddy was recorded from a LinkedIn Livestream we did together this week.

Post of the Week

I can so many brilliant nominations this week and it was incredibly hard to choose. In the end, I opted for this gem from Mark Doyle, or rather his loyal son Louis.

What a fantastic thing to do…many would have managed the account, pretending to be Mark. Louis however did the right thing - authentic, personal, and heart-wrenching. This image post has so much going for it.

This article has also been recorded as a podcast;

Linkedinformed on Google podcasts?/?Linkedinformed on Apple podcasts