Sarah Bentley May 3, 2021 Credibility is a key differentiator that is going to help you stand out from the rest. For companies and individuals alike, it’s essential to drill down a strategy that not only you as a CEO adopts, but your employees adopt too. One key component to this strategy is content.
We’ve talked about content time and time again, and while it may seem daunting to continue to create posts and images weekly, it’s necessary. Why?
Celebrations of your achievements, acknowledgment of industry trends, and articles pertaining to the work that you and your company do allows you to showcase your expertise. Posts and articles live on your LinkedIn profile, allowing anyone who visits to see what you’ve written. These posts become a part of who you are, and the value that you can provide.
I hear time and time again how a lack of engagement has dissuaded someone from posting content. “If no one is liking it, then why should I continue to post?” A few things to consider if your content isn’t gaining traction:
What does your image look like?
Is it engaging? Is it easy to read and concise if it contains words? Basic stock images or a lot of text may not catch the attention of someone just scrolling through. Find ways to make your content stand out and more dynamic. I suggest using Canva, an online tool that allows you to create images of all sizes that can include your company logo, different shapes, and features that will allow you to capture the attention of your target audience.
Images are a core component of any post. Simplify, align with your brand, and use color to attract your audience and capture their attention. There are a lot of people posting, so figure out the best way to differentiate yourself and stand out!
Does it provide your own insight?
Resharing a relevant industry article isn’t sufficient. Share your own insight by explaining why that post is relevant/why you’re sharing it. I like starting my posts with a hook— a sentence or question that invokes thought. Then, write a sentence or two on how the article or image is relevant to the audience you want to attract. If you’re looking to attract prospects, close with a sentence on how you can help, or ask a question so that the people reading are encouraged to share their thoughts.
Are you being consistent?
You’re not going to see an uptick in engagement right away, unfortunately. Posting consistently, starting with once a week and increasing as necessary, will help you start to gain traction among your audience. Also, be sure to engage with your audience’s content as well. Liking, and commenting on their posts will show your commitment and interest, and in turn, could help the performance of your future posts.
Check your impressions to see who has seen your post. Is this the audience you’re trying to attract?
By clicking on your post views, you will be able to see where people work, their title, and their location. This allows you to evaluate the content you’re posting and see if you’re attracting the audience you aim to target. It also can give you a bit of a reality check when it comes to metrics— while likes, comments, and views are great, what matters is WHO is seeing your post. If your post has 2 likes, but you have views from a company you’re targeting, which do you think matters in the end?
Are you using tagging people and companies intentionally?
Tags are a great way to increase the chances of your post being shared or engaged with, but only use them when you are tagging a company or a person when it’s relevant, not someone you want to just utilize or engage with the post.
We see it a lot— someone tags a group of influential people in a post in hopes of them resharing the post or engaging with it. A better practice is to share the post (after it’s posted) individually through your LinkedIn messaging center and ask them to share the post or engage with it (if you really know them). Most people don’t want to be tagged in various posts if they aren’t directly associated with it.
Use hashtags to widen your audience reach.
By using the correct hashtags (max 3) in your post, you can potentially reach a larger audience than just the people who follow you. Be intentional with the hashtags that you use. Who are you trying to reach? You may also want to think about people who are searching for those hashtags organically. Are they the people you’re aiming to target?
Consider researching those hashtags prior to posting to see how many people follow it. If that number is low, think about if it’s right for you. If you’re trying to reach a small set of people, it may be the right hashtag. If you want a broader audience, you may want to use a more common hashtag.
You aren’t going to be a content rockstar overnight. Continue to research, test, and find ways to improve your content strategy so that you’re intentional and engaging. Patience, time, and consistency are key to improvement.
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