Lately, you’ve been on a roll: Generating leads, fostering business relationships, and honing your LinkedIn profile. What’s next?
It wouldn’t be surprising to most that posting cat videos or political rants on LinkedIn would be a terrible idea. Unlike Facebook or Twitter, LinkedIn is a professional-centric platform. However, what might be surprising to hear is that posting excessive content lacking in cohesion or purpose might be just as damaging to your credibility.
That’s why it’s time to think seriously about your content strategy.
Content strategies allow for consistent branding across all channels. They’re carefully crafted according to your company game plan and target audience, they ensure content is tied to your client base, and they include a variety of content types. Having a clear strategy can help you clearly define and track goals or rethink and revise as needed.
Just remember that all content you share represents your brand, so it should be useful, high-quality, and relevant to your audience’s industry or goals as well as timely and informative. Paying careful attention to the content you share and how often you do so can help you position yourself as an authority in your field to help you stay top of mind throughout your buyers’ journeys, eventually leading to sales. As a business leader, you should include all four content types on LinkedIn.
1. Short-form posts
Your “LinkedIn Status Update” or “Network Update” can range from a simple text post, photo share, mention, or reply, yet it is perhaps one of the most underutilized tools. You should share one short-form post per day and, as with all tools, utilize short form in accordance with other elements in your content strategy.
If the goal is to increase brand awareness, use these posts to call attention to company achievements, professional development opportunities such as industry conferences, or even to applaud the achievements of clients or acquaintances within your industry. Any like or comment you receive increases status visibility — and your visibility as well.
When using short-form posts, avoid sensitive topics, and be careful about spamming your network. These posts should rarely be used to directly pitch products or services. Instead, the goal should be to get your name in front of as many eyes as possible.
2. Long-form posts
Long-form posts are generally articles published through LinkedIn Pulse either as individual pieces or parts of a series. You should post, on average, one of these per week or month, according to your availability, but keep it consistent. These can be incredibly beneficial in serval ways.
- They’re disseminated to your carefully crafted audience, so you can specifically cater articles to those with shared interests, inviting opportunities for dialogue.
- They create more exposure by showcasing thought leadership in your chosen industry.
- They have the possibility spread with every share or comment.
3. Miscellaneous posts
These include the free content you share such as links to eBooks, checklists, tip sheets, videos, guides, and more. As with short- and long-form posts, these give you another opportunity to lure in more audience members. While you don’t have to share these at a specific frequency, miscellaneous posts are important to include in your content strategy so you don’t miss the opportunity to engage your audience in new ways. You can even add in some promotions by sharing webinars your business is spearheading or community efforts you’re involved in.
4. High-quality curated content
With so much great content available, it’s not always necessary to reinvent the wheel. You don’t even need to produce all the content yourself! Just make sure the curated articles you share are relevant to your audience so they add value to and help strengthen relationships with your connections and prospects. Sharing this type of content also shows that you’re connected to your industry and invested in sharing fellow thought leaders’ insights.
When you share all four types of content, you remain top of mind with your audience members. Not only can you improve your marketing and personal branding but you can add value throughout the buyer journey — without sounding too salesy.
If you’re ready to take the next step to grow your company revenue using LinkedIn, it might be time to call in an expert. Contact me, Mark McIntosh, RevGrow CEO and founder, and I’ll be happy to explain how I can help you.