Hey Guys,
I’m going to make it short and succinct.
I invested a lot of time in LinkedIn content marketing and it is generating results so far.
If you have a B2B product on a tight budget this miniguide can give you some ideas.
Pros: Requires zero $, can bring customers and puts you in always-on networking mode.
Cons: Requires consistency and time-investment.
I’ll start with the LinkedIn algorithm first then get to the posting tips. You need to know few things before you post.
Note: Some people thought the post is about the “articles” on LinkedIn. But I’m talking about the regular posts only.
LinkedIn Algorithm
Like every content platform, LinkedIn tries to show related quality content to the users. Also, they want to make sure to keep them on the platform as long as possible.
There are 3 things you should know:
From my observations, I noticed 3 things here:
#1: The first 30-60 minutes of your content
Stage 1: Every time you post, the LinkedIn feed algorithm scores it. Determines whether it’s low or high-quality post.
Stage 2: If it’s marked as high-quality content, it appears in the feed for a short time. Meanwhile, bots observe how your audience engages with your content.
Stage 3: If people in your network liked, commented or shared your post, LinkedIn, decides to take your post to the next level. Here the more engagement brings better results.
Stage 4: At this point, real people will review your content. They’ll check why your post is performing so well, whether there is anything spammy.
If not, they’ll keep showing your post in related channels and it’ll keep getting engagements. It continues like that for 48 hours (this is our observation) and it drops down very quickly.
(You can use LinkedIn pods or engagement communities to increase your engagement)
#2: Posting at the right time
As you see, more engagement=virality. It’s a good idea to post when people on your list are active.
According to Hootsuite:
The best time to post on LinkedIn is 7:45 a.m., 10:45 a.m., 12:45 p.m., and 5:45 p.m. EST.
The best day for B2B brands to post on LinkedIn is Wednesday (followed by Tuesday).
The best days for B2C brands to post on LinkedIn are Monday and Wednesday.
Yes, these numbers are backed by data but every audience is different. If it’s not working for you, then stop and start testing with your guts.
#3: Don’t include a link in your post
What happens when you include a link to your post? People click and drift away from LinkedIn.
LinkedIn doesn’t want that and penalizes your post by showing it to fewer people. But there is a way to add links and avoid the penalty. Put your link in the first comment and voila. That’s it.
Onwards to the content tips!
#1: Write in a conversational rhythm and tone.
People on LinkedIn not wearing serious faces, they’re pretty loose and like to read conversational tone.
Understand the harmony between long and short sentences, then write like you’re writing a friend.
Write like you’re talking.
Here is a legendary example from the author Gary Provost that explains the importance of flow. Love this.
#2: Use simple words
Big words don’t make the writer look smarter and annoy the reader.
So be simple. Our brain always wants to preserve more energy. As a result, it chooses the easier option.
So, never indicate when you can show
Or obtain when you can get
Or eliminate when you can get rid of
You get the idea.
Plus, there will be lots of non-native speakers and readers in your network. So, be simple and get more engagement.
If you want to grade your text you can use Hemingway app to calculate your readability score.
#3: Use the power of whitespace
Long posts are scary. When you see a huge paragraph the first reaction is to run away from there.
Let’s make a comparison between short and long paragraphs. The content of two posts you’re going to see is identical.
Without whitespace: https://imgur.com/a/cKboGX9
It is painful and hard to read, right?
But you can transform the same piece to snackable bits by using whitespace.Also, you’ll get the power of rhythm and flow together.
With whitespace: https://imgur.com/a/aHloBlS
You see, that one is easy on your brain. It hooks you with that wavy rhythm and keeps you reading until the end.
#4: Start your post with an attention grabber.
On LinkedIn, your first sentence is your headline. When people saw your post on LinkedIn, they’ll see the first two lines and the rest will stay under the fold.
So, your opening sentence will determine whether they continue to read or scroll down.
Your first line should trigger the reader and make them click for more. Here are some ideas.
#5: Use emojis for a more fluid reading experience
I experimented with emojis a lot. They make your text easier to follow and get more engagement.
You can add some characteristics to your content by using them as storytelling elements or pointers.
Example:https://imgur.com/a/IjGVDje
#6: Add related hashtags and tag people to increase engagement
Elementary but effective. When you use hashtags, you tell LinkedIn that the content you shared is relevant to that topic.
Then if your post got enough engagement, Linkedin starts to send a notification to the people who are interested in that hashtag.
#7: Trade valuable content with comments.
We generated over 5k leads and made hundreds of new connections with this simple strategy.
Here how it goes,
You’ll create a lead magnet (eBook, cheat-sheet, blog post etc.) that solves your audience’s problems.
And you’ll launch it on LinkedIn. Then follow these four steps:
Create a post with your eBook (video works better)
Make people comment to get the lead magnet.
Scrape their comments by using dataminer.
Send automated messages to commentators an ask for an email to send the ebook.
If you want to know-how in detail, you can check this article.
#8 Get personal
LinkedIn is a business platform where you talk about your product, accomplishments, promotions and milestones. And people on LinkedIn like that talk.
But they love personalities they can relate to. Therefore, being one of them and telling about your stories, daily challenges, breakdowns or personal milestones influences people.
#9: Plant your seeds
What if you can reach the audience of a guru in your industry? Or a person who can influence your target audience?
This is the ultimate goal of the seed strategy.
We called it “seed” because it’s a long term plan. It can take months, even years. It’s simple. You’ll make a list of influencers. They can be:
Business geniuses that you follow.
Influencers that your audience love.
The people that you want to become in the future.
Make a list of 10-20. Actually, there are no limits, but over 20 is not practical because it’ll take a lot of time.
You’ll start to follow the people on your list. You’ll comment on their LinkedIn posts. You’ll criticize their latest blog post and reply to their tweets.
If they have an online course, buy it. A book? Buy it and read it.
The goal here is to share more common interests and to be able to talk over them like genuine friends. This is not your job; it’s a friendship.
In the long term, anything can happen. A podcast, interview or speaking invitation in a summit. Or mention in a post that can bring you hundreds of leads.
Plant your seeds today and make real friends in your market.
#10: Learn how to tell a story
You wrote an awesome article in your blog and you want people to read it.
And you write the following;
The new blog post is out!
It’s called six neuromarketing strategies that will work forever.
Follow the link to read it and transform your prospects into your customers.
You see, it’s boring and sloppy. You wrote your new article for nothing. You’re lazy at writing and you hope that your post will generate you leads.
Well, wrong.
How is that as a starter?
If your audience is conscious of your sales effort, you can sell subconsciously.
Want to know how to sell subconsciously? Follow this.
Better right? Now you already give them a promise and value. Plus, it’s all about them.
Then you can briefly explain that six neuromarketing tricks and finally direct them to your blog post.
The difference?
Here you already gave some value and put in an effort. Plus, you earned their trust and interest. Now it’s easy for them to click your blog post.
We got used to the “We wrote this go and read” approach and it’s not working anymore.
Here is a storytelling approach that is used by screenwriters. It’s called Hero’s Journey and it can help you to structure your writing.
Normally it’s a 12 stage journey but here we’ll tweak it and end up with five stages for LinkedIn writing.
5 phases of Hero’s Journey
The first phase, Trial:
Here, you face a challenge about your business or personal life.
The second phase, Problem:
What problems has that challenge brought to you? How it affected your life and business?
The third phase, Guidance:
How did you try to solve that problem? How did you realize or who helped you? It could be a person, book or bird. Where did you get your inspiration?
The fourth phase, Solution:
The problem is solved. How does it feel right now and what are the echoes of the solution? How did it affect your business?
The fifth phase, Transformation:
You’re changed. Now you’re stronger and capable. Tell other people about your experiences and how they can solve their problems.
Try to stick to that structure. Remove or add one more step, tweak it for your needs and writing style.
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That’s all folks! Thanks for reading and I hope this helps you!
In case you want to see the article with colors, images and all that, you can from here.