I recently lead a discussion on building and maintaining a LinkedIn audience on Paper.li’s #Bizheroes Chat.
Here are 7 Takeaways in case you missed the chat:
Q1. How do we start building an audience in LinkedIn? What are the first steps?
The first thing you can do to start building a LinkedIn audience is to have a complete LinkedIn profile. People need to trust you before they will listen. Connect with people and build up your network. As people are more likely to read an article from someone with connections as opposed to someone with zero.
Q2. What kind of content delights LinkedIn users? How is it different from a regular blog?
Content that delights LinkedIn users are How to articles, articles on News and Industry Trends. It is important to have a great headline that will catch the reader’s attention along with content that supports it.
LinkedIn is different from a blog in terms of SEO because users can only use three tags where as a blog user can use an unlimited amounts of tags. Also, the user owns their blog in terms of branding and content where LinkedIn owns the content on their platform. However, LinkedIn has over 400 million users and is the largest business publishing platform.
Q3. Are there any rules we should follow when trying to attract an audience on LI?
When trying to attract an audience, it is important to write with your audience in mind.
Ask the following questions:
What is your objective for writing and publishing content?
Who is your target audience?
What types of content do they find valuable?
Also, curate content from people in your industry, influencers & non influencers. This will help to build a relationship where they will share your content if they think it is valuable.
LinkedIn provides suggestions when you share a post. It is a good idea to check the channels for your industry as LinkedIn has many specialized channels for content.
Q4. How do we make sure we’re attracting the right audience?
See who is sharing/engaging with your content. Is your target audience sharing it? Examine content that gets shared in your industry.
Q5. How can you use LinkedIn to market yourself or your business?
Users can create business pages, groups and most importantly keep creating and sharing content/relevant insights. Remember the audience determines what is relevant.
Q6 Is there a way to share your own work without being too self-promotional?
Use SlideShare for content repurposing as it is great to embed in posts, use videos along with text, pictures etc… This will allow you to put a different spin on your work; changing things up with your audience.
In my posts, I share links to relevant articles I wrote on the topic.
At the bottom of each post, I create an about the author section. This gives the reader a choice if they want to learn more and does not compromise the quality of my work.
Q7 How can we try and build relationships and then take them off of LinkedIn?
Users can use LinkedIn groups and messages to share relevant insights, conferences and networking events with connections.
How have you built and maintained an audience on LinkedIn?
Share and comment below.
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About the Author
Dan is passionate about using Marketing to help businesses drive sales. He has worked on various marketing assignments that include a Start Up, Political Campaign & a Digital Marketing Conference.
Prior to Teaching, Dan served customers as an Outside Sales & Marketing Representative in the Dental industry. In this role, he taught and trained Dentists on the company’s products and services using a consultative selling approach. He also supported the company’s marketing efforts at industry trade shows & in the field through lead generation of Digital Technology along with large Dental Equipment.
He writes and publishes a business blog on the topics of Sales, Marketing & Social Media entitled Sales, Marketing & Social Media Today.
Dan is seeking a full time marketing role in New York City. He is interested in roles in Direct, Digital, Content & Social Media Marketing. If your company is hiring for roles in these areas, contact him directly via a free LinkedIn Message or email him at Dan@DanGalante.com to set up interviews.
Sales, Marketing & Social Media Today 