The opinions expressed by the collaborators of Emprenderos are their own.
The future of TikTok is uncertain. Twitter is in a period of turmoil. Instagram engagement is down. So, which social platform is the best for entrepreneurs to focus on? Consider the ever-solid LinkedIn.
By building a strong network on LinkedIn, entrepreneurs can make valuable connections, share ideas and thought leadership, and establish themselves as industry experts.
I asked the people making the biggest waves 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 was all about conservative, buttoned-down posts meant to show how professional you are. My own top-performing post was one where I included my first rejection letter, from when I was 12, adding my thoughts on staying determined.
Honestly, I owe most of my success on Linked to Justin Welsh, the founder of The Diversified Solopreneur and creator of one of LinkedIn’s most popular courses (he’s helped over 10,000 students, including myself, accumulate over 3,497 .000,000 impressions on LinkedIn). ).
According to Welsh, generic “This is how to be a better leader” content might have worked before. Still, now that employers have started flooding LinkedIn, it takes a lot more than the general stuff to get the right kind of followers.
“Everyone will share things like, ‘Ten steps to this or that,'” he says. “But the person who writes things that show their unique journey will stand out and attract a sticky kind of followers who will follow that journey with them.”
LinkedIn trainer and executive advisor Tara Horstmeyer believes the rise of AI means video, and “live” publishing will be more critical, as video increases the authenticity angle.
“Anytime you can get your face out there, your words, your voice, just your personality visually, it helps,” 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 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’m against the traditional nine-to-five. In a world of 4.9 billion people connected to the Internet, opposing viewpoints they help you stand out.”
2. Remember it’s human psychology first and algorithm second
Because LinkedIn is constantly rolling out new features, it can be easy to get swayed by people who swear that the algorithm favors newsletters or that content posted through programmatic platforms won’t be seen as widely. Ultimately, no algorithm can overcome a basic understanding of what makes people tick.
“Human beings have worked the same way for hundreds of years,” says Welsh. “The person who grows the most in 2023 will ride the wave of trends, but also get the basics right by knowing their audience and ideal customer profile, telling stories, being empathetic, learning copywriting and understanding the customer journey.”
3. Engagement is the name of the game
While success on any social media platform involves interacting, on LinkedIn, it’s crucial. This 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 about throwing a thumbs up or writing “Great post” and walking away. It’s all about reading (sometimes quite long) posts and giving thoughtful responses.
One benefit 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, she says, is support and reciprocity. “That generosity you’re already giving will come back to you when people start supporting your content,” he says.
Welsh agrees. “If you come in, drop some high-quality content, and walk away, you can still reap the rewards of posting quality content, but you won’t grow as quickly or build as deep an audience as if you were engaging on a regular basis. “, he says.
4. Embrace the journey
Unlike TikTok, where a well-timed post can send you viral, there’s no quick scheme on LinkedIn. Welsh, who has more than 340,000 followers and can attract thousands of comments and likes to her posts, has been consistently featured for more than four years.
Welsh and Horstmeyer estimate they spend between 45 minutes and an hour a day on LinkedIn, with their time split between posting, responding to comments and interacting with other people’s posts.
In the end, like anything worthwhile, the unsexy act of showing up day after day will be what will be effective in 2023.
“I always tell people, ‘Removing the friction of consistency is the most important thing,'” Welsh says. “So, for example, I like to write, so I write every day.”