LinkedIn is a great social media platform for business professionals—arguably the best social media platform for business professionals. Whether using it to build a network to aid in job search or business development, to assist in professional development, to market B2B products and services, or simply to share and learn with others, LinkedIn can be an extremely cost-effective tool for business pros of all kinds.
Like other social media channels, though, LinkedIn changes regularly. What worked before, may not work now. We asked business professionals how they’re currently using LinkedIn to further their personal and professional development goals.
Make Sure Your Profile is Complete and On Target
Optimizing your profile to be aligned with your audience, and your goals and objectives, is the first important step to take when hoping to use LinkedIn to build your professional reputation.
When networking “in real life,” you only get one chance to make a good first impression, says Paige Arnof-Fenn, founder and CEO of Mavens & Moguls. Consequently, she advises, “make sure every section of your LinkedIn profile is complete, with no blank spaces or gaps.”
Use your profile summary, Arnof-Fenn says, to tell your story. “Storytelling helps you stand out and be remembered,” she says. “Don’t just use it to list your skills or the job titles you’ve had. Try to bring to life why those skills matter and the difference they can make to the people you work with.”
In addition, she points out, make sure you’re focused on using the right keywords in your profile to help professionals in your industry find you. For instance, if your primary goal is to land a specific type of job, make sure you’ve included keywords and phrases recruiters will likely use when searching for talent.
Once you’re satisfied that your profile is thorough and complete, and showcases your expertise in a good light, aligned with your target audience’s needs and interests, it’s time to start building connections.
Making Connections
Building a network by making connections is an important part of the LinkedIn process. But, when doing so, it’s important to follow some best practices.
Wendy Shore is a marketing, branding, and revenue strategist. “Avoid sending out connection requests to people stating you saw their post on this or you would love to collaborate on that—and then immediately hit them up with sales spam,” Shore cautions. “It’s not only frowned upon but it’s yucky and doesn’t work.” It’s an approach, she says, that often backfires and, in the process, has the potential to damage your professional reputation.
Instead, Shore advises, “focus on building genuine relationships. If you do reach out to someone new, personalize your message and explain why you’d like to connect. If you have something to offer, do so without expectation. Remember, LinkedIn is about building a network, not just a customer base.”
Start by connecting with people who are already in your network. But don’t stop there. While some may advise against reaching out to connect with those you haven’t actually met, many have achieved great success doing exactly that.
When reaching out, though, it’s important to be honest and authentic, advises Scott McKain, CEO of The Distinction Group. “Not a day goes by that I don’t get a message that says, ‘In looking at your profile, I can see that you have quite a story to tell. Have you ever thought about writing a book?’ The problem is that my profile clearly states I’m an author,” he says. “My initial thought is that the person who just wrote to me is a liar. They’ve never looked at my profile—they’re just spamming me. I’ll never give them another thought.”
Instead, be honest. For example:
- To a recruiter: “I’m interested in exploring job opportunities in consulting, and I see you work in that area. I’d love to connect.”
- To a potential client. “I’m an IT developer and enjoy connecting with and learning from others in the industry.”
It can also be helpful to participate with industry influencers by commenting on their posts and adding value to the conversation, McKain says. But he adds: “Don’t hijack the conversation by drawing attention to yourself. Make your engagement something that adds value to the author’s point of the conversation. Don’t promote yourself on their platform. It’s the quickest way to look like a hack rather than stand out as a pro.”
As you build your network, make sure you’re focused on providing value.
Your connections connected with you because they felt you had something of value to offer—expertise, insights, information, service or support. Don’t let them down by failing to create and post valuable information.
Engagement Matters: Real Expertise Can Deliver
Carol Kaemmerer is an executive coach and author of LinkedIn for the Savvy Executive: Promote Your Brand With Authenticity, Tact, and Power (Artisan Digital, 2nd edition, 2020). Similar to Facebook, LinkedIn doesn’t necessarily show your posts to all of your connections, Kaemmerer points out. In fact, she says, only about 3% of your audience will initially see your post. If engagement is high, the post will be distributed more broadly. “LinkedIn defines engagement as a reaction—like, etc.—and a comment of at least five words.” A post with numerous likes but few substantial comments, therefore, won’t be distributed beyond that small original audience. “To maximize reach, encourage meaningful interactions,” she advises.
These changes, says Elisa Montanari, head of organic growth at Wrike, a work management platform, can represent an advantage to people who are trying to build a presence and thought leadership—if they truly have the expertise they claim. In this AI-driven world, she says, “they’re highlighting and prioritizing real expertise.” That, she adds: “Is great motivation to create content within your wheelhouse and use your expertise to take it to the next level. If what you’re creating is engaging enough to encourage in-depth replies, comments, and rich conversations, LinkedIn will prioritize your visibility.”
Focus on Building Relationships Over Time
“A common oversight in building a LinkedIn following is neglecting the cultivation of relationships,” says Kaemmerer. “Engaging warmly with every comment on your posts is crucial. Each response is a touchpoint with your brand, so make it meaningful. Regular commenters should be acknowledged and reciprocated by commenting on their posts as well. This nurtures relationships and amplifies your thought leadership reach.”
Fostering genuine relationships and understanding LinkedIn’s evolving dynamics are key to establishing and maintaining thought leadership,” Kaemmerer says. “By staying informed and strategically engaging, you can effectively leverage LinkedIn to build your professional brand.”
It’s also important to maintain a consistent presence.
Be Consistent
It’s common for people to start—and stop—posting on sites like LinkedIn. After all, maintaining an active presence takes time and commitment. That commitment and consistency will pay off, says Priya Shah, a communications consultant and founder and principal of ShahSquared Consulting.
“One of the key strategies for success on social media is maintaining an achievable, consistent activity cadence and sticking to it,” Shah says. “Scheduling posts instead of sharing them natively can significantly boost performance by optimizing timing based on your network’s activity. Additionally, creating a content calendar with at least three topics that resonate with your personal brand ensures that your content remains relevant and engaging.”
There are tools that can help maintain this consistency while also improving efficiency. “Hootsuite, Sprout Social, and similar social media management tools offer individual licenses that are incredibly useful for scheduling content, crafting post captions, and boosting SEO,” Shah says. “Canva provides royalty-free stock photos and design templates, making it easy to create attractive social cards to complement your posts. For staying organized, tools like Asana and Notion have social media planning templates that help you manage everything through an editorial calendar.”
Whether you already have a profile and presence on LinkedIn, or are just thinking about establishing one, the tips above can help you stand out—in positive ways. Leverage the power of LinkedIn for expanding your network and establishing your authority and expertise. Whether you’re actively seeking a job, or not, that reputation will serve you well.
Lin Grensing-Pophal is a Contributing Editor at HR Daily Advisor.