Remington Begg
If you weren’t one of the original top influencers on LinkedIn asked to publish original content, don’t worry, LinkedIn has now opened up its publishing platform to all members. This isn’t the only change to happen on the world’s largest professional network. Some may say that LinkedIn is beginning to look more like Facebook and Twitter with follow buttons for members and feeds giving you tailored content. How can you use this new publishing platform to your advantage? Easy. Follow our 6 best practices for publishing long-form posts on LinkedIn and watch yourself turn into a LinkedIn leader.
Make sure you have a growing audience
Your goal should be to reach as many of your buyers personas and industry peers as possible. In order to achieve this, first you’ll need to build up your LinkedIn following. As with most social media networks, you’ll want to interact, connect with others, and gain a following. When you publish your original posts, this will ensure that you reach the right people in your industry, become a leader, and acquire an authoritative voice.
Write about what you know
LinkedIn’s publishing platform is the perfect way to strengthen your professional identity. You should avoid posts that are too personal. Write about trends in your industry or challenges in the field. What problems, if any, has your company experienced? What inspires you? What advice would you give to someone hoping to enter your field? Have you already published a popular blog on your website? Use LinkedIn to republish it and reach more people. Always keep your audience in mind as you write.
Add complements
Just as with blogging, you’ll want to complement your original posts with appropriate images, documents, presentations, or videos. This will enhance your credibility and give you another way to showcase your talents. These complements will provide tangible examples of your work. It’s all well and good when someone writes about their expertise, but it solidifies it when people can see the work with their own eyes.
Proofread your work
LinkedIn does not provide editing services, therefore it’s important to check and recheck your work before publishing it. As a rule it is good to make sure your long-form posts are longer than three paragraphs. If you miss an edit, don’t fret, you can go back into your long-form post and fix any mistakes. Hit update and you are good to go.
Post consistently and frequently
As with all writing, your goal should be to build trust with your audience. This can be executed by posting consistently and frequently. We recommend making a posting calendar and sticking to it. If you post on a Friday and then not again for three weeks and on a Tuesday, how will your followers know when to check back for the latest updates?
Share, share, share!
Don’t write it and forget it! When you finish and share your long-form post on LinkedIn, your followers will receive the post in their feed and will hopefully feel that this content is relevant enough to share with their own social networks. You should do the same. Make sure you share your fresh content with followers on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and any other social networks that are used within your industry. Monitor your post and check how many have viewed it, shared it, and respond to comments. Use this information to help you with writing your future LinkedIn posts.
Now that all members are permitted to publish long-form posts on LinkedIn it is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of this new way to connect with your audience. Now that we’ve outlined the 6 best practices for you, we have no doubt you’ll be able to become a true LinkedIn influencer with these simple tips.
