Whether you're using a LinkedIn Profile to promote your personal brand or a LinkedIn Company Page to engage with customers and clients, it's never fun to see your LinkedIn post fall flat on its face.
You put a ton of work into your social media marketing and it's disheartening whenever you fail to make an impact. If it happens again and again, you may start wondering whether being active on LinkedIn is really worth the effort.
Before you call it quits, see if any of your LinkedIn posts are blinking red warning signs:
1. Posts are not relevant to your audience
There's a good chance the content you share on LinkedIn will reach a wide range of people.
If you're using the site as an individual, then you'll likely be reaching colleagues, friends, and other professionals working in your industry - depending on the size of your network and the places you decide to share on LinkedIn (on your page, in a group, etc.)
With a Company Page, that audience is even wider, as the people who are following your updates may not have a direct relationship with your business at all.
While every post you share won't be relevant to every member of your audience, you should take the time to identify the needs and interests of the people you are trying to reach. What are the topics they're most interested in and why did they decide to connect with you in the first place?
2. Posts don't encourage responses
One of the reasons you're not seeing a response may be because you haven't been looking for one.
Think about the way you're presenting your content to your connections and followers on LinkedIn.
When sharing a blog post, do you just post the link and hope someone clicks to read it? Why not add a description to give some insight into why someone should check it out?
When you share an update or announcement from your organization, are you asking people to share their feedback or just shouting it out there and forgetting about it until the next time you post?
Engagement on LinkedIn won't come easy. If you want a response, you need to do the work.
3. Posts don't offer anything new
People will be much more likely to pay attention to your content if you're offering something new.
This is where brands and individuals who are creating original content have a real advantage. If you have your own blog or are contributing to someone else's, LinkedIn is the perfect place to share it.
Other pieces of content that work great on LinkedIn include:
- Studies/reports
- SlideShare presentations
- Case studies
- eBooks/guides/whitepapers
- Client testimonials
- Videos
That's not to say all of your content needs to be your own. This brings us to warning sign #4.
4. Posts don't take a position
In addition to showcasing your experience and expertise, you should also look for opportunities to demonstrate your insights on relevant topics.
Anyone can share a link to a blog post or article they found online. Not everyone can explain why the content matters and offer a fresh perspective.
Your perspective doesn't have to be groundbreaking to make an impact, but when sharing a piece of content, consider taking these simple yet impactful positions:
- This is a great read because...
- I agree with the author about....
- Read this post if you want to learn...
- This post is relevant to our business because...
- This is an important topic because...
Watch out for the warning signs!
Figuring out how to find and share great content is one of the biggest challenges you'll need to overcome when developing an effective social media strategy.
If you want your content to have an impact, you need to learn how to identify the warning signs!
Are there other warning signs you think people should be aware of? Let us know in the comments below.