Using LinkedIn To Improve Your Business
Are you a LinkedIn skeptic?
If you are, I defs feel you.
I was, (and kinda still am) too.
But that doesn’t mean that it hasn’t been an incredibly helpful and beneficial tool for improving my business for the past six months that I have used it.
The tale of how I started using LinkedIn
For those of you who follow me on LinkedIn, you may have seen my post about the benefits I’ve experienced since deciding to post weekly on LI a few months back
(You also may have seen this slay picture of me from a recent post, but if not, I’m attaching it here for good measure because it is ICONIC)
This is, and forever will be, an epic serve 💅
I started posting regularly on LinkedIn as a challenge to myself, assuming I would stop after a few months.
But, instead, it has helped me find my community, landed me an amazing client, helped me create this very newsletter, and given me real-life friends and peers.
Who would have thought that LinkedIn is more than just business bros talking about crypto?
Truly, no one is more shocked than me.
So, if you are looking to dip your toes into the vast and turbulent waters of LinkedIn, here are a few pointers that I have used to use the platform in a sustainable and enjoyable way:
Four fundamental truths about using LinkedIn for your business
#1 — You don’t have to post every day to be successful
LinkedIn gurus and self-branded “experts” will tell you that you need to post daily (if not more than daily!) on LinkedIn in order to grow your platform.
And honestly, this advice is so overwhelming and exhausting, it is no wonder that people turn away from the platform.
If you run a huge, multi-staff company, then sure — posting this much is great for awareness.
But, if you are a single creator (especially if you are just starting out) there is no reason to try to hit these impossible metrics.
Instead, I recommend starting with a more reasonable goal: posting once a week.
That’s what I did — and I have still been able to grow my audience.
(And I had the added bonus of not burning myself out on content ideas in the first two weeks)
Be gentle on yourself — it’s a marathon, not a sprint, and you don’t need to turn yourself into a one-person content mill overnight.
#2 — Don’t worry about personalized connection invites
When you send messages to connect with people in your niche, my (maybe controversial) advice is not to worry about personalized messages.
I personally never send a personal message attached to an invitation to connect — mostly to save time, but also because I don’t personally love receiving them.
In a lot of cases, connection invite messages can read very stiff and formal, which is not the vibe I like to include in my first impression.
Because of this, I forgo the connection message and instead reach out to the person in DM if I decide I want to chat after they accept.
#3 — Comment on like-minded people’s posts
As your network grows, do not sleep on the opportunity to connect with people in your space by commenting on other creator’s posts.
This is something I am working on doing more, so I totally get that it isn’t the easiest.
I always struggle with knowing what to comment so I don’t sound like a nightmare narcissist or a bot lol.
But as a general rule of thumb, I have found that the best types of comments to leave are (surprise) comments of genuine support.
We all love hearing that people are interested in our work — so do your best to write comments on other people’s content that reflect your interest while also showing your knowledge.
But DO NOT out of nowhere just comment with a link to your materials (unless asked).
No one likes people who overly promote their content over other people!
#4 — Set up calls with people in your niche
Finally, possibly the best-kept secret of LinkedIn is that you can literally just hop on calls with people from literally any professional background.
(I know, video calls suck, but trust me, this is worth it)
As the single most important piece of advice that I have for anyone looking to get the most out of the platform, I recommend that everyone set up a Calendly link and then message people in their niche to chat.
No sales pitch. No hidden motives.
Just a chance for you to meet people doing the same thing as you — giving you a chance to bond and explore what works for them and what doesn’t.
This has been the single most important thing I have done on the platform and has boosted my knowledge base and experience as a freelancer ten-fold.
It’s worth the effort to network on LinkedIn
These are just a few personal insights that I have gathered from the past six months of using LinkedIn — do you have any other advice I am missing?
Best of luck and see you on LI!