Updating statuses, sharing, liking and tweeting are words common in the lexicon of modern business and any social network user.
Most of us have probably done one or more of these things before, and highly engaged users will have done them often across multiple social media accounts many times a day or week.
But not all social platforms are the same! The lure of automatic sharing of updates to LinkedIn and more is dangerous, but if you don’t do any activity it is easy to disappear and become wallpaper. Increasingly the users of LinkedIn are getting more aware of the full functionality and you can easily fail their checks (think users such as procurement, due diligence and increasingly smart clients who look at what you say in public or perhaps don’t!)
This also means that LinkedIn should not only be updated when searching for employment or prospects as your connections can see your activity and, if you explode into their LinkedIn feed with recommendation requests, comments etcetera, the more cynical connections will wonder why, if you’re worried about your role or what you’re after.
This doesn’t mean you should interact constantly on LinkedIn either as this can demonstrate that you are not focused on your specialism, role or expert area as you spend so much time there – arrrggghh how to find the balance?
You’ll be far less effective on LinkedIn if you just think of it as a static tool, something to use when you need it.
The starting point of many conversations on LinkedIn is the status update. If you have just secured a new account, completed a project a client is happy with, launched a new product or service you want to tell people about, your status update is the place to announce these things and then see who engages, looks or wants to connect with you – LinkedIn is a very holistic world, like business.
Social networking has often been described as word of mouth on steroids. A press release or LinkedIn Post may never reach your intended audience. A tweet might get drowned in the noise, and a web page might never be found.
However, on LinkedIn the right status update will get the attention of your trusted contacts and more importantly their connections.
It is just like a conversation; we all have those don’t we? We all talk every working day and hence we should all engage with LinkedIn everyday. Simple things work – a quick check of what others are up to, some business small talk (resist the ‘like’!), tell people what you’re up to and more.
LinkedIn will always work best when you talk to people on it, engage with them offline over a coffee and act like you do in your normal business life.
If you need some help or processes to make your LinkedIn work just shout.
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