How to use other people's content on LinkedIn to build your thought leadership

LinkedIn is a great source of content but how can you use other people's content for your own purpose? You may be building your own personal brand, a business brand or raising awareness for a cause or movement. Whatever your objectives are, exisiting content can be a great time saver to get a message out to your network and beyond.

Firstly what is your purpose for sharing content from others.

Are you;

• ?Supporting the content creator
• ?Supporting the message
• ?Amplifying a brand
• ?Introducing a creator to your network
• ?Leveraging the creator's audience
• ?Aligning to a message, industry, individual or entity
• ?Lending the credibility of the creator
• ?Adding value to exisiting content
• ?Layering your thought leadership
• ?Celebrating a milestone
• ?Raising awareness to an issue, innovation or important info

Something else?

Next it is about how you want to leverage the content. There is good practice or bad practice.

BAD PRACTICE

• Bad practice involves stealing or copying other content and using as your own.
• Downloading and using images from Google images, websites and social media and using without permission.
• Copying chunks of text and publishing as your own.
• Downloading video and uploading to LinkedIn or other platforms without permission.
• Copying an idea or concept without credit.
• Sharing stats without referencing a source.

BEST PRACTICE

Quote people and organisations, link to their original content and seek permission. When it comes to media only use images and video available under the creative commons licence (which is even a google images search filter), stock websites (both free and paid), or create your own using tools such as Canva and take your own photos and video footage. Always credit your source of information or idea, which may engage them in discussion.

LINKEDIN CONTENT CURATION

There are five ways to leverage exisiting content on LinkedIn;

1. Comment on the original post - to join a conversation.
2. Repost - Share it without comments.
3. Share with your thoughts - to add value and insights.
4. Copy and share a link to the content with your own post.
5. Use as inspiration for your own content, with appropriate credit.

My recommendation when curating content is to always taking the time to add you own thoughts and insights to a post to add context and build your thought leaderships. This is achieved by using the Share - Share with your Thoughts option under a post.

Repost and Share with your Thoughts are new updates LinkedIn rolled out this week.

Do you curate content?

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Jo Saunders is an independent LinkedIn expert, marketing strategist and social media educator who has been helping people connect since the early 90s.?Known as the LinkedIn Demystifier, she guides graduates, experts and organisations through the complexities of LinkedIn to energise their brand, establish credibility and earn influence through the power of Connectfluence.

“Jo should be your go-to if you are looking at creating, building or better leveraging LinkedIn for your professional growth or career development.” Mark Longman, Curtin University

“Jo has an encyclopaedic understanding of how to use LinkedIn well and build lasting business relationships.” Allister Frost, Wild Orange Media

“Within 14 days of working with Jo Saunders to up-level my LinkedIn profile, I had landed $16,000 of additional business - directly linked to implementing the tactics and strategies Jo trained me in. Jo truly is the Queen of LinkedIn.” Ian Stephens, EnRich Training & Development

Jo is the winner of Best Use of LinkedIn 2021, Social Media Educator of the Year Award Finalist 2019, was named #2 LinkedIn Expert in Asia Pacific for 2018, and is the co-author of 'Get Good or Get Off - A guide to getting it right on social media'.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/JoSaunders

Web: www.wildfiresocialmarketing.com