Maximizing Your Brand Impact on LinkedIn by Blogging

How do you keep people coming back to you for more information? Consistently provide top quality, useful, and relevant content that is truly insightful, right? LinkedIn recognized this by adding long-form posting (or blogging) directly onto their platform. This shifted many professionals attitudes about the purpose of networking and use of time on LinkedIn, where the majority of users previously visited only when job hunting or recruiting. Initially, this feature was rolled out through influencers, but now this powerful tool is available to all users. Get ready to see LinkedIn as more than a living resume; it’s now a comprehensive marketing platform with the potential to impact your brand significantly.

Effective use of the LinkedIn blogging feature allows you to:

Increase your visibility
Demonstrate your thought leadership
Engage regularly with your network
Expand your network to those who attracted to what you have to say

LinkedIn has a built-in audience totaling 330 million professionals, which is a wider audience than nearly any single blog can boast. While this massive audience means there have already been over a million LinkedIn blog posts, that doesn’t mean that you can’t make an impact. As with any marketing platform, you’ll need to make an effort to stand out from your peers.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Define your purpose.

As with all things related to your networking and marketing, blogging on LinkedIn requires a strategic plan to maximize your impact. Consider these elements:

Topic. Stick to relevant information. Choose wisely; this is a cornerstone of your brand.

Format. How will you differentiate your LinkedIn content from your blog?

Voice. How will you speak to your audience? Be yourself, but be conscious of your language style.

Length. How much content is needed to convey your message?

Frequency. Make a schedule and be consistent even if that means starting with a monthly article.

2. Focus on compelling content.

Consider your business and your audience and create a few evergreen articles. We each have a few topics and ideas that are so fundamental that they stand the test of time. Don’t assume that because you know something to be basic, that your audience knows it, too.

Choose an appropriate and appealing title. Please, skip the click bait. It may get a few extra looks, but it hurts your brand in the long run.

Always include a visual element. Photos, memes, and videos get more interaction than plain text.

Use your relationships. Don’t be afraid to quote other people.

3. Share your posts.

Share your post in groups, with specific contacts, on your company page, etc. Don’t forget to share it via your other channels. Include a “read more” link to your full blog. Post to Twitter, Google +, Facebook, Pinterest, or wherever your audience is consuming information.

4. Engage your tribe.

Don’t forget to check back on your work and respond to any comments and thank people for sharing or reposting your work.

5. Measure your results.

High-quality, relevant posts are organically distributed by LinkedIn based on feedback such as views, likes, comments, and shares. Posts with high engagement sometimes get picked up and shared via LinkedIn Pulse, which matches content with the LinkedIn users likely to be interested in the topic.

You can view stats related to all of your posts to determine their relative popularity. Evaluate which topics get the most views and which type of posts receive the most social actions ie shares, likes, and comments. Check your data from your website and social media to see how much traffic you’ve generated and where. Use this data to refine your strategy over time and improve the effectiveness of your work.

Now that you have access to one of the best tools for increasing visibility, nurturing your network, and demonstrating your thought leadership… What are you going to write about?

If you think that blogging on LinkedIn sounds fantastic, but you need more practical help register for our upcoming live workshop, Blogging for LinkedIn, which can be attended from the convenience of your computer on March 10th.

Be part of the conversation. Share!











Laura Pence Atencio

As Founder and CEO of Social Savvy Geek, LLC., Laura Pence Atencio is passionate about helping entrepreneurs and business owners meet and exceed their goals. She is committed to providing the most engaging and effective strategies in online marketing by combining traditional business networking and marketing fundamentals and best practices with current and engaging online marketing methods and tactics. Laura has worked with some of the top names in Internet Marketing and has consulted with entrepreneurs, businesses, and nonprofits in the US and abroad. She is the author of the popular article, 10 Tips to Build Your Twitter List Now, which has been published both online and in print in the US, Australia, and New Zealand. A lifetime student herself, Laura has achieved certification as a Computer Administrative Specialist at Beta Tech and has studied Art Education, History, Art History, and Criminal Justice at Virginia Commonwealth University. She is fascinated by learning, sharing and growing, not just in business, but in life. She participates in US Masters Swimming and has ranked in the top 25 nationally in her age group in both the 50 and 100-yard backstroke. She served in the VA Army National Guard as a Combat Engineer in the 229th Engineer Battalion. She never meets strangers, only friends not yet made– an attitude that serves her extremely well in the networking world, both online and off. She currently lives in Denver, CO with her husband, 3-year-old daughter, and German Shephard.