LinkedIn is one of the absolute best platforms for entrepreneurs and small business owners.
An astonishing 80% of B2B leads come from LinkedIn.
Undoubtedly, LinkedIn is an excellent place to connect with your audience, and content creation is often touted as the top strategy for LinkedIn.
While creating content is certainly a valuable part of marketing on LinkedIn, it’s only part of the equation.
Engagement is an equally important part of using LinkedIn that will pay off in the long run.
Read on to find out why engaging on LinkedIn is just as important as creating and how you can best do it.
Content Creation is One Method
Content creation is one of the most commonly discussed strategies for pushing your message on LinkedIn. It should definitely be part of your approach, but it does not encompass a holistic approach.
When you share content, you are sharing your message, but not always facilitating a conversation. Informing and entertaining your target audience is helpful, but it’s not nearly as valuable as a two-way conversation.
Getting Views on LinkedIn is a Huge Challenge
Have you ever posted an incredible article on LinkedIn just to get a handful of views and no comments? While there are viral posts on LinkedIn and “influencers” who consistently amass tons of views, it’s quite difficult to drive views and engagements on posts consistently.
No matter how valuable your content is, it won’t have the impact it should if it’s not getting seen by your audience. As Neil Patel puts it, “If 80% of your leads are coming from one site, but your posts are only gaining .04% of their potential engagement, you’re missing potential leads.” Relying on creation alone won’t be the most effective method for generating leads or reaching your target audience.
Engaging on LinkedIn
In addition to creating unique and curated content, you should spend time engaging with other people’s content. Liking, commenting, and sharing are all ways to engage on LinkedIn. There are many important reasons to engage on LinkedIn, including the following:
Foster a Conversation
Creating content offers a starting point for a conversation, but it won’t necessarily translate into one. One of the best ways to engage in conversations on LinkedIn is by engaging on other people’s content.
When you engage with their content, you automatically join the conversation they are trying to start. Just imagine how you would feel if someone responded thoughtfully to a blog post or question that you shared.
By joining the conversation through engagement you can:
- Learn more about your target audience.
- Learn more about your competitors.
- Position yourself as an industry expert or authority figure.
- Boost your visibility and get your name out there.
Boost Your Own Engagement
Engagement can be tough to come by on LinkedIn. The answer isn’t always “make better content”. Even well-written, insightful content can fail to garner the engagement it deserves. One of the best ways to increase the engagement of your content is to engage with others.
People appreciate engagement on LinkedIn, especially quality engagement. When you engage with others, you build rapport, which means they may be more receptive and willing to engage when you post. Through engagement, you build relationships, and these relationships lead to an increase in long-term engagement on your content.
Position Yourself as an Authority
Content is not the only way to demonstrate your value and knowledge. You can also position yourself as an authority in your industry via engagement. An irrelevant emoji or a “nice post!” won’t do the trick, to position yourself as an industry expert, you must add value with your engagement. Share an insight, provide answers to questions, ask a thoughtful question, or explain what value you gained from the content you’re engaging on.
Grow Your Organic Following
Engaging will help put your profile in front of more relevant eyes. When you engage with other peoples’ content, they will receive a notification and likely view your engagement. Additionally, any people who view the content will see your engagement (especially if it was a comment). Through meaningful engagement, you can attract more people to your profile, helping to organically grow your following.
Tips for Powerful LinkedIn Engagements
Simply dropping any comment won’t help you nearly as much as an intentional engagement. Here are some tips for engaging effectively on LinkedIn:
- Engage with relevant people. Look to engage on content from your target audience but also content they will be viewing.
- Add meaning to the content. Whether you share or comment on a post, add some value to the content. Take a moment to say something that will be helpful or interesting to those viewing the content.
- Be consistent. Commit to engagement as part of your LinkedIn strategy. Spend a few minutes each day engaging with relevant content, and revisit some of the top creators multiple times.
Engaging with other people’s content on LinkedIn helps you join a conversation. Ultimately, this will help you increase the visibility and engagement of your content. When you engage in meaningful ways with others, they will be more likely to do the same for you in the future. Make engagement a priority in your LinkedIn strategy today!
