Every week, three billion people compete for a spot in your LinkedIn feed.
That means battling three billion other creators to get the attention of a target audience.
How can your content stand out? The answer may be simpler than you think.
Carve Communications (the author’s agency) has worked with dozens of founders and executives on their LinkedIn thought leadership strategies. During that time, they’ve learned that standing out from the noise can be as easy as avoiding these four mistakes.
LinkedIn Mistake #1: Constantly Reposting
The most obvious mistake to point out here is posting inconsistently, period. Posting once or twice a month will not increase your audience.
But what’s worse than not publishing consistently? Publishing in series.
A shared post creates more work for the original creator than for the poster. If someone simply clicks the shared post button and gives up, all eyes are still focused on the original post feed.
That’s not to say you should never repost. If the goal is to support a fellow creator, hit the repost button and add a few lines of text. But if there’s a broader point of view or response, create an original post. Then tag the creator or upload a photo of the original post. That way, LinkedIn sees and rewards the user for conveying fresh ideas to an audience.
Publishing original content consistently helps you build content, build an audience, and achieve your goals faster.
LinkedIn Mistake #2: Content comes first, promotion, not reflection.
Everyone has heard versions of this from potential clients before:
“Our problem isn’t the content: it’s getting people to see it.”
And after conducting a content audit, a lot of promotional content is revealed. These could be posts that say, “We’re hiring!” or “Our webinar is next Tuesday!”
While these posts are necessary, they are self-promotional and not targeted to a target audience. Here’s what is targeted:
- Industry stories that intrigue audiences and start conversations.
- Bold points of view that challenge an audience or coincide with a moment or trend in time.
- Tips that help audiences break down the complexity of their jobs and lives.
Eighty percent of a feed should be dedicated to content that truly generates thought leadership. The other 20 percent can be dedicated to promotional content.
Focusing on thought leadership first allows a page or person to build trust. When trust is the foundation of a feed, the audience will be exponentially more interested in those promotional moments.
LinkedIn Mistake #3: Forgetting the Algorithm
There’s nothing more frustrating than investing time and effort into content that either never gets seen or is only noticed by the same few people.
If this happens to your content, something to think about: is it working? with LinkedIn’s algorithm?
There are a lot of “rules” at play behind a feed, and it’s important not to unwittingly work against them.
For example:
- Tagging people who never interact reduces reach.
- Posting multiple times in 24 hours reduces views.
- Posting and following posts reduces the visibility of posts in other users’ feeds. After posting, stick around and interact with creators in the feed.
The algorithm shouldn’t dictate everything in a LinkedIn content strategy, but when you know how the game works, you know when to break some rules.
LinkedIn Mistake #4: Ignoring the Biggest Secret Weapon… YOU.
Take advantage of LinkedIn’s social networking aspect. Be social. The most successful LinkedIn posts reveal who the person behind them is.
Brands and individuals should share stories of success and failure, or what excites them for the future. Reflect on key moments. Even travel updates or team photos can go a long way. Give viewers a reason to stop watching and tune in.
Don’t overthink it. Not everything has to be related to a life lesson. Some posts can just be funny.
It is possible to stand out on LinkedIn, especially if you avoid these four mistakes. Now, create fresh, eye-catching content, because that will capture your audience’s attention every time.
Ashton Mathai is Associate Director of Content at Carve Communications.
