11 Things You Can Do To Use LinkedIn™ More Effectively

Get on the path to being more effective.

1) Write quality content that your target audience wants to see.

There. That’s all you need to know about the LinkedIn™ algorithm. The algorithm changes all the time. Quality content never goes out of style.

2) Don’t believe everything you read.

A lot of LinkedIn™ statistics are either wrong or misleading. This includes statistics issued by LinkedIn™. Hearing that “sessions increased by 20% this quarter” when a session is undefined and there is no reference as to how many the 20% is more than, is a pretty meaningless statistic.

3) Don’t think of LinkedIn™ as a Social Network.

LinkedIn™ is a database of a billion people with a small social network of maybe one hundred million people embedded in it. Only 10-20% of LinkedIn™ users show up at least once a week. So there is a social network there, but it’s pretty tiny compared with the “real” social networks.

4) Don’t Follow people, Connect with them

Following + direct messaging privileges = Connecting. What’s with this whole “Connections are sacred” thing?

5) Use your connections for introductions.

One of the great secrets of LinkedIn™ is that it shows you paths to people you would like to know via people you already know. Use your connections for introductions or to find out more about those people you would like to know. But offer the same in return.

6) Add value for your connections.

Offer help, be a resource. There are people that will take advantage of you, but most people will appreciate it, and remember it.

7) Do engage with active people on LinkedIn™.

If someone has over a thousand connections and you can see activity on their profile, that is evidence that they are fairly active. Active people are more likely to engage with you and your content.

8) Don’t get overly excited or worried about new LinkedIn™ features.

You won’t get left out or left behind. A lot of them are experiments and many of them will be enabled in ways that limit what first appeared to be really good ideas. 

9) Don’t worry about whether you should get a Premium LinkedIn™ account.

You will need a premium account when these two things happen:

• You understand what is in a premium account and what it will do for you (this is the easy part)

• You find your ability to get the results you want constantly thwarted by not having one of more of those premium features

10) Your content doesn’t have to be long.

I have been saying this for several years now. This list is 450 words. Do you think it really needed to be 1,000? Or 2,000? 

11) Have a plan for what you want to accomplish on LinkedIn™.

LinkedIn™ can be a huge timesuck. Have a plan, execute the plan, leave. Come back for the next part of your plan. 

This newsletter is a shorter version of my weekly email newsletter. I usually publish one of the articles from my email Newsletter on LinkedIn™. If you are interested in this deeper weekly dive into Using LinkedIn™ Effectively, here’s a link to the signup page: https://www.practicalsmm.com/free-email-newsletter/

For complete access to everything I know about using LinkedIn™ effectively I have my All Access service. All my how-to’s, all my what-to-watch-out-for‘s, all my lists, all my experience as to what works, what doesn’t work, and why on LinkedIn™. Everything I have learned from working with and studying LinkedIn™ for the past fourteen years. Around 150,000 words, with another 4,000 - 5,000 more words added each month. This is a paid subscription service, but the cost is very reasonable, and there are no long term contracts. Here’s a link to more information and the sign up page. https://www.practicalsmm.com/all-access-membership-plans/

The obligatory disclaimer: I do not work for or have any business association with LinkedIn™ other than being a user who pays for a Sales Navigator subscription.