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The future of TikTok is uncertain. Twitter is in a period of turmoil. Instagram engagement has decreased. So which social platform is best for entrepreneurs to focus on? Consider the ever-solid LinkedIn.
By building a strong network on LinkedIn, entrepreneurs can make valuable connections, share knowledge and thought leadership, and establish themselves as industry experts.
I asked the people who caused the most buzz on LinkedIn what they were doing right. Here are their tips.
Related: 5 LinkedIn Content Ideas for Entrepreneurs to Drive Growth and Visibility in 2023
1. Share the real you
Gone are the days when LinkedIn relied on strict, conservative posts meant to show how professional you are. My best performing post was one where I included my first rejection letter, from when I was 12 years old, adding my thoughts on staying determined.
I honestly owe most of my success on Linked to Justin Welsh, the founder of The Diversified Solopreneur and creator of one of the most popular courses on LinkedIn (he has helped over 10,000 students, including me, rack up over 3,497,000,000 impressions on LinkedIn).
According to Welsh, the generic “This is how to be a better leader” content may have worked in the past. Still, now that entrepreneurs have started to flood LinkedIn, it takes a lot more than general stuff to get the right kind of following.
“Everyone will share things like ‘The 10 steps to this or that,'” he says. “But the person who writes stuff that showcases his unique journey will stand out and attract a sticky type of fan who goes on that journey with them.”
LinkedIn executive coach and advisor Tara Horstmeyer believes the rise of AI means video, and that “live” will be more critical as video increases the angle of authenticity.
“Anytime you can show your face, your words, your voice, just your personality visually, it’s going to help,” she says.
On the other hand, Welsh eschews video and instead emphasizes writing posts that go against the grain.
“It’s not just about what you write, but also what you’re up against,” he says. “I write a lot about building your own business as an entrepreneur, but I also write about the opposite, which is how I am against the traditional 9 to 5 schedule. In a world of 4.9 billion people connected to the Internet, opposing views They help you stand out.”
2. Remember that it is human psychology first, algorithm second
With LinkedIn constantly rolling out new features, it can be easy to be swayed by people who swear that the algorithm favors newsletters or that content posted via programming platforms won’t be seen as widely. Ultimately, no algorithm can get past a basic understanding of what makes people tick.
“Humans have worked the same way for hundreds of years,” Welsh says. “The person who grows the most in 2023 will ride the wave of trends, but will also learn the basics by knowing their audience and their ideal customer profile, telling stories, being empathetic, learning copywriting and understanding the customer journey” .
3. Commitment is the name of the game
While success on any social media platform involves interaction, on LinkedIn it’s crucial. That means finding people like you and commenting on their posts, rather than just responding to comments people make on your posts.
Still, it’s not just a matter of throwing a thumbs up or writing “Great post” and walking away. It’s all about reading (sometimes quite long) posts and providing thoughtful responses.
One advantage of commenting on other people’s posts is that, according to Horstmeyer, “you find your voice, you find how you like to write, and you find your people.” LinkedIn’s currency is, he says, support and reciprocity. “That generosity you’re already giving will come back to you when people start supporting your content,” she says.
Welch agrees. “If you go in, drop a very high-quality piece of content, and walk away, you can still reap the rewards of posting quality content, but you won’t grow as fast or increase your audience as much as if you were engaging regularly. Basis,” he says.
4. Accept the journey
Unlike TikTok, where a well-timed post can make you go viral, there are no growth spurs on LinkedIn. Welsh, who has more than 340,000 followers and can attract thousands of comments and likes on his posts, has been consistently featured for more than four years.
Welsh and Horstmeyer estimate that they spend between 45 minutes and an hour a day on LinkedIn, with their time divided between posting, responding to comments and interacting with other people’s posts.
In the end, like anything worth having, the unsexy act of showing up day after day is what will be effective in 2023.
“I always tell people, ‘Taking the friction out of consistency is the most important thing,'” says Welsh. “So, for example, I like to write, so I write, every day.”