I left my mark on 2020 with 366 LinkedIn Tips

At the end of the year, many people make resolutions about what they are going to do different at the start of the New Year. Whether it is a commitment to lose weight, exercise more, eat healthier, quit smoking, save more money or whatever the case may be, the New Year is a fresh start to establish a new habit. Unfortunately, before the month of January is over, resolutions are often forgotten.

As a LinkedIn coach and trainer, one of my biggest frustrations is seeing people say content creation is too hard. Because they feel the process is too hard, they rarely post on LinkedIn. Because they rarely post, they don't get quality and consistent results from the platform. During my LinkedIn content creation trainings, I share with attendees my analogy of LinkedIn content being similar to fuel in a car. No matter how fancy a car someone may have, it will not take them anywhere without there being gas in the tank. The same is true with LinkedIn. Having an optimized profile is great, but like a car without gas, it will just still idle without consistent content.

At the end of 2019, I decided I was going to provide a year long content series with an original LinkedIn tip each day. Yes, yearlong. Which meant 366 tips in 2020 because it was a leap year. By December 31st I was extremely H A P P Y the year was over. Just as people get weary with their New Year resolutions, there were many times when I wanted to end my series. I value accountability. Once I announced my Shine Online Series, I had to keep it going, so I did. There were a few days I missed because of business or family priorities, but I always doubled up afterwards to make sure I still ended up with 366 tips.

If you didn't follow my Shine Online Series, here's a few random tips from the series:

As you can see, each day the tip was provided in graphic form. Oftentimes I developed the tips based on what I observed on LinkedIn or from questions during my coaching and training sessions. To see past tips, put #ShineOnlineSeries in the LinkedIn Search (top left).

When I decided I was going to provide the daily tips, I had no ideal 2020 was going to be the year that it was. My overall goal was to have the track record of 366 pieces of content to serve as inspiration to those who believe creating consistent content is too hard. Yes, the process can be hard. But the results make it worth the effort. As the saying goes,

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

I created other content as well, but the series actually became something I actually looked forward to doing each day as the pandemic seemingly disrupted everything else.

Looking back on 2020, it's a good feeling to know that I left my mark LinkedIn wise with my series. The first two weeks of January were a bit strange as I had to get out of the habit of posting a tip each day. This year, I will continue my Shine Online Series with a tip in video form each Thursday. Going from 366 (days) to 52 (weeks) is less daunting, but I hope others will find them of value. Be sure to follow #ShineOnlineSeries to make sure you don't miss any. To follow hashtags on LinkedIn, you put the hashtag in the Search and then hit the Follow button.

The number of LinkedIn users continues to raise. It is estimated that only approximately 1% of LinkedIn users create consistent content. To stand out from the crowd, creating content is essential. Keep in mind Bill Gates' quote about content being king. If you really want to be seen on LinkedIn create content! When you do so you will Shine Online! For example, my daily tips allowed more people to recognize me as a LinkedIn expert. Many times they would leave comments about how my tips help them advance their understanding about LinkedIn and how to use the platform better.

If you struggle with creating LinkedIn content, perhaps starting a series will help you build some momentum. Of course, you do not have to do a yearlong one like I did. Even doing a monthlong or weeklong series can make an impact.

Clarene Mitchell is owner of TCM Communications, a PR firm specializing in helping success driven professionals and businesses effectively use LinkedIn to advance their online brands. She helps her clients #ShineOnline and generate results.

You can learn more about TCM and stay updated with branding information by following the LinkedIn Company page and joining her private Facebook, 'LinkedIn Power Moves w/ Clarene.'

In September 2019 she self-published her book, 'Shine Online With LinkedIn: LinkedIn Isn't Just An Online Database Of Resumes.' Orders can be placed by sending $25 per book via PayPal ( Paypal.me/tcmcommunications ).