Messy in the Middle- Episode 7: Why You Probably Hate LinkedIn (And Why You Should Be On It Anyway)
If you’ve been following me for a while or know me in real life in any capacity, then you probably know the story of how I accidentally became a LinkedIn expert. Over the years, I learned that my love of LinkedIn was not very common among other online service providers. So, I’ve spent more time than I care to admit defending LinkedIn, helping my creative friends find space on this platform, and coming up with some seriously simple strategies to make LinkedIn a fun and effective place to spend time online and grow your business or your personal brand. In episode 7, I shared how you can create genuine connections and leverage your LinkedIn presence to grow your business. No bots necessary. And I know why you probably hate LinkedIn…and why you should be on it anyway
The Breakdown
After college, I had a part-time job at a marketing startup that spent a lot of time helping people leverage LinkedIn. It taught me a lot…about how to piss people off with LinkedIn messaging. I was tasked with writing a blog series on how to use LinkedIn to grow the “right” way. That series never saw the light of day and I was downsized shortly after I had finished. So, like any go-getter, I took what I had learned about LinkedIn and used it to grow on my own.
The biggest reason people don’t like LinkedIn is because of the mismatch between the expectation of LinkedIn and the reality of creating a strategy for the platform. LinkedIn’s own examples of how to create a strategy are based on the profiles of celebrities who no doubt have a whole team running their account. What’s important to focus on is maximizing your impact- a little bit of high quality effort will help you succeed. Creating a strategy for LinkedIn is a little bit like the story of the tortoise and the hare. Slow and steady wins the race.
Hate Spam? So Does Everyone.
Another reason people object to LinkedIn is because of the spam. This isn’t really a good excuse because spam is just part of the digital world we live in now. The truth is there really are more real people on LinkedIn waiting for you to genuinely connect with them than there are bots. The idea of professionalism is something else that holds people back from getting on LinkedIn. The truth there? LinkedIn is what you make it! If you want to be buttoned up- do it! If you want to drop an f-bomb or two- do it! The only rule is to be yourself.
LinkedIn isn’t meant to be a transactional platform, it’s a place to build relationships. Yes, it’s a place for clients but it’s also a place to connect with old friends and make new ones along the way. Once you reframe your expectations and change the way you set goals for the platform you’ll be able to make new connections and gauge your success on the platform. It’s also a great place to gain visibility, as the posts are longer lasting and farther reaching due to the LinkedIn algorithm. The algorithm values engagement and will show a person’s whole network when they like or comment on your post.
When creating content for your audience on LinkedIn, you can easily provide value by talking about your zone of genius or just by being real with your audience. Stand out and write something from the heart! No need to brag, but rather write about the obstacles you’ve overcome and take the time to amplify the voices of others. Don’t expect to be perfect, just start!
Learn More
Want to learn more about how you can leverage LinkedIn for your online business? Propegy’s Level Up with LinkedIn Lead Gen program or a LinkedIntensive might be a perfect fit for you! Head to the Propegy website to learn more about how these resources can be of use to you and your business!
