LinkedIn has changed a lot in the last year. There has been a shift in the way people receive messages. LinkedIn clamped down on the number of people you can connect with. Some automation tools have fallen to the wayside while others have risen to replace them.
It’s important to stay up to date on the platform as it’s ever-changing. With that in mind, here are the 10 most asked questions we received about LinkedIn in 2021:
#1 which LinkedIn subscription should I have
The right answer is sales navigator if possible. Of course, some don’t want to pay the $80 / month that it costs, which is understandable. That said, it’s a smart idea to go with some form of premium option.
Besides being a place to meet people, LinkedIn is a search engine for people. Sales navigator is how you can utilize that search feature and find the connections that are best for you.
If you’re going to use LinkedIn for any commercial usage, you should especially make sure to upgrade your account. LinkedIn is suspicious of free accounts that are doing business on the platform.
#2 Should I connect with people I don’t know on LinkedIn
Yes – within reason.
There are two reasons for this. First off, LinkedIn works by degrees of separation. With each connection, your circle grows. As a general rule of thumb, it’s a good idea to connect with more people.
Not connecting with people you don’t know is like going to a networking event and not talking with anyone. Consistently growing your network allows you the opportunity to connect with people who might bring business to you. That said, there are some caveats to consider.
For example, an account where there is not a lot of activity or engagement doesn’t make sense to connect with.
#3 How often should I post on LinkedIn?
It’s really about quality over quantity. Some take the approach of utilizing scheduling tools to set up daily postings for months at a time. Doing this risks removing the personalized nature of a post.
It is better to focus on creating quality content.
LinkedIn doesn’t even consider showing your content to more than a few hundred people without it getting at least 10 or more likes in the first hour. If your content is continually missing that mark, the algorithm takes note of that fact. One good post is worth more than a hundred poorly created ones.
That said, if you have a larger following, a lot of posts could make sense, provided you can meet that metric. Conversely, if you’re just starting, it may be smarter to spend time on the feed, commenting on other posts.
#4 How many LinkedIn connections do you need?
Again, it’s about quality over quantity here. Some can run a successful business off as few as a thousand connections. The right amount of connections is not about having a larger network but ensuring the quality of those connections is high.
Connections who will read and reply to your posts are more valuable than a high number of them.
#5 How do you get more engagement on your posts?
The number one thing is to make sure that people see it. If you’ve taken time to sit down and write an engaging post, people will engage with it. A key way to make your content engaging is to ask questions and start a conversation.
If you want people to respond to your post, inviting the opportunity to have a conversation is crucial. Showing your personal side is also crucial. Showing yourself as a human being will make deeper connections with your audience. When people can relate to who you are, that’s when your content will get noticed.
Additionally, connect with us and receive daily tips and tricks for creating engaging content.
#6 Does LinkedIn work for B2C Companies?
Yes – But not in the same way.
B2C companies should focus on building partnerships and relationships. Those are the connections that then drive business in. Some B2C brands have built strategic partnerships and grown their business in this way. The right partner could bring in a lot of sales for your company.
It works but it won’t be the right platform to directly build sales. It’s a longer play than that for B2C. It will build awareness and grow partnerships for your business.
#7 Should I build a LinkedIn Company Page?
Having a company page hasn’t ever been very important for businesses. It hasn’t been much help to businesses but operated more as a box to check off. However, LinkedIn Events has given much more value to company pages.
With this in mind, spend a couple of hours setting up your company page, and then feel free to forget it. Unless that is, you can start hosting events. Without the events part of the platform, there isn’t much value in having a company page.
Don’t go too crazy with it.
#8 What’s the best way to spend time on LinkedIn to find clients?
There are two answers to this. The first is events. There is a big investment in getting an event put together but there is a lot of value to it. The second best is to spend time on LinkedIn every day. Setting up a single event and then spending just 20 minutes a day on LinkedIn will get leads.
LinkedIn is a platform for people that are always looking to connect and do business. Engaging is the only way to meet them.
Here is a three-step daily engagement strategy:
- Spend time on SalesNavigator, connecting with people that are right for you.
- Engage with them. Go into their content and leave engaging comments. Get them to see your name and that you have something meaningful to say. Show your value.
- Send them a direct message to start a private conversation. Don’t pitch them, simply drop a note to take them out of the comments section and into your inbox.
#9 What’s the best way to promote my services?
Again, events. Events are a great way to promote your services and build brand awareness. Whenever we do an event, we see massive spikes in new leads coming into the business.
#10 Is it safe to use automation tools on LinkedIn?
Yes!
The main reason we created these tools is that we believe that automation is an essential part of the growth of your business. Where it goes wrong is when people try to use it as the only part of their presence. In addition to the automated content strategy, it is important to ensure that you are engaging on a personal level.
Now, for automation tools that attempt to mine data from LinkedIn or spam messages, no. These platforms are not going to be safe on LinkedIn. More than that, they are not smart to use. They can lead to your account getting a negative reputation and the upside is extremely small.
Simply be careful of which tools you decide to use and remember that you must be active on the platform on your own as well.
