Recently, I received a question on my business Facebook page. Steve is an engineer and currently unemployed due to the up and down cycles of oil gas industry. Steve reached out to me with a great question: “Is LinkedIn just about sending people connection requests?”
A great question! In my honest opinion, LinkedIn is THE most undervalued social media platform currently. But, it is also SO much more than sending connection requests. Networking is how most people find their next job, net sale or next client. But most importantly, networking is ALL about conversations with another human. Yes, I said conversations! Having a genuine conversation with a person or persons either in person or on the internet or via email or even on the phone are all types of networking.
So, Steve, YES LinkedIn is way more than just sending people connection requests. However, what you should be asking is… “what do I do once I have made the connections?” OR better yet, “how can I attract connections that are interested in me and what I do?”
In essence Steve, you want to show your expertise and give value to attract those that need your services. So, exactly what does that look like?
Let’s dive into the 3 steps to “market yourself” on LinkedIn (and Create Engagement):
✅ In order to get the notice of others, you must first notice others. Action step> once a day for 5 days find 10 people (industry or job relevant to you) and comment (of value with at least 4 words or more) on one of their posts (yes also asking a great question would be double awesome). Pick 10 different people each day for 5 days.
✅ Find 2–3 relevant hashtags to your industry or job, then pick 10 posts that used 1 of those hashtags and leave a comment of value with at least 4 words or more (yes also leaving a great question would be awesome). Comment on 10 different posts (found thru relevant hashtags) everyday for 5 days straight.
✅ Create posts of your own for 5 days straight that give value, show off your knowledge and experience. End each post with a question or ask for feedback of some kind (always include an image to give your post value in the LinkedIn algorithm). I.e. “3 things I would tell my college self about being a reservoir engineer”, “The hardest day in my work history”, “why i became an executive assistant”.
Try the above steps for 5 straight days. Don’t spend all day, but at least try. The hardest part is actually getting started, just start.
TIP: please, please, please respond to each and every comment left on your posts, and even better if you can keep that conversation going. BUT, do not stress about the # of likes and comments, just keep posting and showing up to push for conversations.
I want to serve you well, so if there’s something you want more of feel free to reach out to me here in the comments or send me a private message on Instagram.
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Sandy Adams 