Reaching and maintaining over 1,000 profile views on LinkedIn

I did it. I was on a quest to reach over 1,000 profile views in a 90 day period on LinkedIn. I read all the tips, I tried all the wizarding tricks.

"Subject Matter Expert" is a highly subjective title, so the 1,000 views was a personal milestone. Here's what worked for me:

1. Personal Branding 101: Reflect on your strengths and areas of expertise, and start building your personal brand around that. The key is finding your "niche", and the more narrow, the easier it will be to establish that expertise.
2. Content is King: Regularly share insightful content on your profile - whether it's articles, infographics, or video clips. Stumped by what to post? Ask ChatGPT for inspiration. Here's an example of a recent prompt: "Chuck, please help me with an article using the following thought starter. The tone should be light hearted, but fairly serious since mindfulness and mental health are sensitive topics. Thought Starter: The job search can be an emotionally grueling process. Dealing with rejection, employers ghosting you even after a couple interviews, the endless customized applications and resumes submitted without a response, and the waiting for weeks and sometimes months for a response can all take their toll on a job searchers psyche." The result? This article will be out next week! "Regularly" posting means a consistent number of times per week. 3, 4, or more times per week will speed your growth trajectory. I started with and will continue to work toward 4 times per week.
3. Engagement is Queen: Engage with your network's content daily. Engagement is like a good chat around the family dinner table; it keeps the conversation flowing and relationships strong. In your posts, remember to ask questions, strongly encourage comments, tags, and even reposts. TIP: Just because one of your connections posts something, you don't have to agree with it. Never be afraid to share a comment contrary to what one of your connections posts. You do open yourself to ridicule, but stand your ground. This is also a sure way for your to gain the respect and connections of those who may think similarly to you.
4. Appear on Podcasts or Speak at Industry Events: A friend of mine [ Vin Clancy ] once told me, "Everything changed the moment I stopped attending events I wasn't speaking at." This is a great way to share your knowledge with a large audience and build your reputation as an SME. When you speak at events, be sure to promote your talk on LinkedIn so that others can learn about it. How? "Create a pitch deck highlighting your talk and be shameless at promoting yourself to appear on podcasts and reaching out to event organizers offering your speaking skills, either on a panel or a keynote - and then over-deliver value to the audience."
5. Spotlight Your Skills: I encourage you to actively seek endorsements for your skills on LinkedIn. It's like collecting gold stars in school, but for grown-ups. When people wrote to wish me "Happy Birthday" on LinkedIn, I respectfully requested that they endorse my skills using this: "[Connection Name], Your birthday greeting made my day extra special. I'd be delighted if you'd pop over to my profile, scroll down to 'Skills' and click the 'Endorse' button on a couple you feel I'm skilled in - 'Artificial Intelligence' would be especially helpful. Thank you! Mark V" Results? I received over 50 fresh Endorsements!
6. SEO Your Profile: Optimize your profile with keywords relevant to subject matter expertise or industry. It's sprucing up your virtual home so that more visitors stop by. Need some help identifying your top keywords? See steps 2 & 3 of THIS EDITION to see how #ChatGPT can help you identify and sprinkle in your killer keywords.
7. Mentorship Moments: Offer mentorship or advice in your field to not only help others but also increase your visibility on the LinkedIn platform. Send a DM to someone who recently posted about your subject matter and offer to have a 30 minute virtual coffee, thought leader conversation. Remember to make yourself accessible by adding a link to your Calendly or other scheduling solution. Remember, don't sell, just offer value. Who knows? It MIGHT result in a business partnership. Ask if it's OK to post about your encounter and conversation - it's a win-win!
8. Community Champion: There are many online and in-person communities where professionals can connect and share ideas. Get involved in these communities by participating in discussions, answering questions, and sharing your own insights. You can find in-person groups and events through tools like Eventbrite and Meetup .
9. Get certified.?Certifications can demonstrate your expertise in a particular area. LinkedIn for Learning has hundreds of courses and you can usually earn a badge to display on your profile. Coursera and Grow with Google also offer courses with badges display-able on LinkedIn. There are many different certifications available, so find some relevant to your subject matter.

Subject Matter Expertise is critical in #jobsearch, for #entrepreneurs, and just great #branding for you personally and your organization. In the grand scheme of things, however, collecting profile views might seem like chasing that golden snitch in a Quidditch field of social media – elusive and somewhat arbitrary. Yet, in my quest to garner those thousand golden glimpses, I discovered the true treasure of LinkedIn - a trove of opportunities to forge meaningful connections, share wisdom, and I've enjoyed fruitful conversations around new business deals and speaking engagements.

Take advantage of this vibrant ecosystem called LinkedIn, you're bound to benefit both personally and professionally.