With about 467 million users worldwide, LinkedIn has solidified its place as the king of professional social media. LinkedIn not only provides great resources for career advancement, but generates a significant share of all B2B leads on social media.
Just like other social media platforms, LinkedIn brings with it the opportunity for content you post to go viral. The big difference? When content spreads on LinkedIn, it’s far more likely to be picked up by potential partners, influencers, and respected media outlets.
In a nutshell, LinkedIn articles are the royal road to thought leader status for you and your enterprise – if you use them right.
Write What You Care About
If you’re on LinkedIn and interested in building a brand, “what you care about” and “what you know best” are probably convergent. But, while people may read LinkedIn articles to become more informed, they naturally gravitate back to writers who have an authentic voice. Often, that means the people who write on what they deeply care about, even when it’s done in a businesslike way.
Pay Attention to Trending Topics
Leveraging trending topics is a great way to draw more attention to your content – and perhaps catch the eye of LinkedIn’s in-house editorial staff. It goes without saying that LinkedIn editors can catapult you into the limelight if they notice a post that’s gaining traction. You’ll need a unique, compelling perspective to stand out, but trending topics help to improve the odds.
Develop an Editorial Approach
Develop an Editorial ApproachWith the platform’s latest changes, LinkedIn users are incentivized to find and keep track of influencers in their field. Building that following, however, requires consistency. That means you should always be developing ideas – and writing them down in case you don’t get to them right away. Establish your own calendar with topics for the week, and set aside plenty of time to write.
Aim to Help, Inspire, and Inform
Like your prospects and customers, LinkedIn users generally go online when they have questions they want answered or problems they want to solve. LinkedIn articles can provide you with an amazing platform to reach new people and provide help, direction, and guidance – in whatever way you do best. When people can see you are adding value, they will want to work with you.
Participate in the Conversation
Without one-on-one interactions, LinkedIn can feel like a “networking” mixer where no one knows anyone else. Following up to respond to comments on your article shows that you’re really invested in the ideas you express. That, in turn, can motivate people to take the next step and seek out your writings on your own platform.
Want to become one of LinkedIn’s top influencers? Get started today.