Blog written by: Matt Froehlich, Content Marketing Strategist
When was the last time you visited linkedin.com or tapped the app on your phone? For many, it’s probably been well over a week. It is important when using any social media channel, you are maintaining your profile. The stigma behind an unfinished account or lack of interaction will turn off prospective employees, clients and even employers. In this week’s #BaerNecessities, we will discuss how to build a LinkedIn profile properly, the dos and don’ts of interaction, how organic reach has changed and tips and tricks for gaining engagement with your business or personal LinkedIn account.
What Does Your Profile Look Like?
Before we get started, ask yourself the following questions:
- Do you have a headshot? How is the lighting? Is it formatted correctly?
- What about the cover header at the very top of the profile? Is it the default turquoise geometric photo?
- Is your profile “completed” according to LinkedIn’s standards?
After you finish reading this blog, reference the bullet points above to finish your profile.
Interacting – What to Do and Not Do
How To Interact With Your Audience
Interacting isn’t only about liking a post from a friend’s company once a week. There are a variety of ways to interact, such as commenting on work anniversaries or new job postings from your network. Ideally, you should always take the five seconds to type a personal comment instead of the generated default text. Make it a goal to interact with at least three posts per day on LinkedIn.
The next piece is a broader tip for social media: produce content. There is only so much time in the day. We get it. Trying to come up with relevant ideas or new, creative approaches to content can be challenging, but don’t overthink it. Record a 15 to 30 second video while walking into work and greeting the first person you see with “Good morning.” Content doesn’t have to include elaborate edits and post production elements. Share an article about your industry from a reputable website. Find a funny meme that is relevant to your industry. Odds are good your network will relate.
What Not to Do Within Your Network 
It’s not uncommon to see tacky messages, posts and comments on LinkedIn. Many men (and women) assume LinkedIn is a virtual coffee dating platform. Maybe some of the requests are genuine invitations for $4 lattes, but the reality is you don’t need to meet to connect and work on business or ideas. Save your money.
Do not use LinkedIn as a dating app.
Do not wish happy birthdays.
Do not overstep the line of professionalism which is increasingly declining on social media.
Tactics to Grow Your LinkedIn Footprint
LinkedIn probably has a lot of features you are not utilizing as often as you should. Here are some of our favorite tactics to gain high engagement on posts and for your profile to garner attention.
Sharing Content Effectively to Your Audience
Sharing your company’s content onto your personal page is the easiest and most effective use of LinkedIn. By simply hitting the “Share” button on the bottom right–hand corner of a post, you can incorporate the post into your network of connections. Your company will receive more views, your page will get more interactions and your profile will start telling the story of how great your employer is. Win-Win-Win. Doing this is so important and easy to do. If you have any questions about sharing content on LinkedIn, contact BPM online or through social media: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
How Does LinkedIn’s News Feed Work?
Currently, the LinkedIn algorithm is as aggressive as ever. Over the past two years, the LinkedIn algorithm saw a 50% increase in viral activity. Videos, photos and posts are now filtered, ranked and displayed in feeds of 650+ million LinkedIn members.
The two primary goals of the LinkedIn algorithm are to prioritize relevant content and to promote engagement. Relevancy takes precedent over recency, which is why the default homepage feed is set to “Top” posts.
How Can I “Hack” the Algorithm and Increase My Organic Reach?
LinkedIn takes into consideration your personal connections as the top contributor to your timeline. You will see more content from those you interact with most. LinkedIn determines relevancy by work choice, groups people are in, hashtags and the industry of the people who are interacting with the content. Another way LinkedIn’s reach works is by charting fast interactions on posts. Post growth can be directly associated with the immediate reaction to your post from your network.
Profile “Creeping” Viewing
Profile viewing can be done by simply going to someone’s profile and viewing their page. The person will receive a notification you visited their profile. Consider using this tactic the next time you are interviewing for a job. Search the recruiter, human resources executive, employees and owners of companies at which you are applying. We recommend doing this one to three days before an interview. All you need is for one of the people you viewed to remember you when you walk into the building or interview. It also is a way for people to view your profile. Let them explore your resume and details of your profile you worked so hard to build.
A second piece to profile viewing can be best used within sales and business development. Be sure to visit prospective business owners’ and employees’ pages. Alongside email, it’s another platform to help you connect. Your LinkedIn profile should speak volumes of what your company can offer and your experience in the field. If you are in sales, try this tactic before your next sales trip. Find your company prospect list, search the company and then navigate through the profiles of people who work there. Again, doing this a week ahead of time will give them a chance to see your profile view notification.
InMail Messaging
InMail is an extremely useful tactic, if done properly.
Baer Performance Marketing believes in a well-thought–out strategy with InMail advertising and advises many clients to utilize this LinkedIn feature. The messaging needs to be thought provoking, not copy and pasted, and also open ended to have the conversation evolve. Too much sales verbiage could be a turn off. Too personal of a message seems like you are direct messaging on Instagram to be friends. Check your messaging for balance, and integrate it into a full strategy.
LinkedIn’s premise is to give users the ability to build a social, professional network. Though, your network needs to be more than having 500+ connections and giving a 👍 to a couple posts a month. Use your connections to assist in building relevant business connections. Also, help people in your network connect with others who you think could be a resource to each other. Connect with BPM on LinkedIn today! Let’s grow together.
