In this series on using LinkedIn to our advantage, we’ve focused on several major areas on a profile.
This last article shows some ways we can then use all that to be successful in building a network that gives us client, knowledge, and often a wonderful group of other professionals who can help us and who can become friends.
Building YOUR Linked Network
- Create posts: Posts are limited to 3,000 characters, including spaces, so your writing skills may be
challenged. The picture you choose will go at the bottom of the post (no choice). - Comment on others’ posts: Be visible without creating original content.
a. Be sure to say something specific about the author’s piece, perhaps mentioning a phrase or idea you liked and why
b. Do NOT just say “Great post!” Although that’s positive, it’s essentially meaningless.
c. Do NOT post a link to one of your own articles in your comment, especially as a newbie.
d. If appropriate, reply to someone else’s comment. Remember to tag them!
e. You can also “like” someone else’s comment … or respond to it.
- Tag others
a. When you’re sharing, tag one or two others, if appropriate, so they can see the article, too.
b. Don’t tag a mob. Inevitably you’ll leave someone out who may get hurt. But tagging one or two colleagues who are known to be interested in the topic is fine. - How to tag: Use the @ symbol right in front of their name, and put a space in front of the @. After the @, simply start typing the person’s name; you’ll usually get a dropdown menu with folks whose name is the same or similar. (Why we don’t automatically get the most logical one is a mystery.) If the person you’re tagging isn’t a first-degree connection, you may not see their name at all.If you comment, type something like this: Love the article, @John White, especially the part where …
It’ll look like this: Love the article, John White, (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jwhiteblogger/ ) especially the part where …
If you share, type something like this: @Melissa Hughes! You’ll love this article by @Dennis Pitocco!
It’ll look like this: Melissa Hughes (https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissahughesphd/)! You’ll love this article by Dennis Pitocco! (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennisjpitocco/)
- Use a post to link to a full article you (or someone else) wrote: Why? If we read enough in the post
to whet our appetite, we’re likely to click to get the rest. And for the strongest reach, it’s best to link to something already on LI; otherwise, the algorithm may not spread it as widely.
Even easier: Click on “repost” and either add some info of your own or just repost without it.
- Use hashtags: Hashtags are words that start with the # symbol, and they help you organize your posts. You can and should create your own to help you stand out (I created #RooksRocks because so many
commenters actually write that! I also use #Humor, #Laughing, #RooksRocks, and #Jokes for my daily fun memes, and, of course, #GrammarGoddess where it seems like the right one to use.
You can also just use ones that are already in use such as #Life, #Business, #Relationships, or #Marketing, but you’ll be mixed in with everyone else who is using those hashtags. Of course, you might also be seen by those not even looking for you!
They look better at the end of the post, not in the post itself. Please limit yourself to just a few; seeing too many takes our eyes away from your thoughts.
Something to know: It’s critical to use a capital letter to start each word in a hashtag, for several reasons.
First, it’s easier for anyone to know exactly what the hashtag actually means.
Another reason is that words are read more legibly by screen readers and it using capital letters can assist people with low vision.
They are generally more legible to sighted readers, too, especially on a small screen like a smartphone. And, of course, even those who have no vision issues might find a long hashtag difficult to read:
@thisissometingtolearn
@ThisIsSomethingToLearn
Over the 20 years that I’ve been using LinkedIn, I can say that I never imagined such a platform could or would exist, or that I’d enjoy being a part of it as much as I have been.
I hope this series on LinkedIn has helped you to continue finding new ways to succeed here, no matter what your goals are.
And as always, if you have any questions on this topic, please reach out to me. I’m happy to help!
