Welcome to the final phase of learning how to use LinkedIn as an influencer!
To recap: you now know how to get started, how to set up your profile, what content you should be creating, so it’s time to put it all together and leverage it for success.
How to use LinkedIn as an influencer
Like I mentioned in this post, LinkedIn is for working professionals so you want your content to be tailored to them. Topics like transitioning from corporate to start-up, office etiquette, workouts before work, market trends, etc. do well there.
LinkedIn is also a place to share personal and professional accomplishments. Maybe that’s sharing exciting campaigns you’ve worked on (i.e. a collaboration with Revolve), goals you’ve reached (i.e. hit 100K followers on Instagram), launched a service or new business (i.e. NAB Media Group), or articles you’ve been published in (i.e. a feature in Cosmo).
The pros to being active on LinkedIn are you can book a job, get published, sign a deal, or become connected to the right people that will help further your career. So if you can’t prove your worth or rub elbows with CEOs in person, the next best thing is to get their attention on LinkedIn.
Connect with the right people
Once you’re consistent on LinkedIn and become an authority in the space (you’re somewhat well known with a decent following), you can begin to go in for an “ask” from certain people you’re connected to. You can be connecting to CEOs, influencer relations managers, founders, etc. as you’re building your credibility, but I don’t recommend sliding in their inboxes until you have a clear vision of what you can offer and what your goal is from the connection.
Are you simply trying to expand your network? Are you trying to raise capital for a new business venture? Are you looking to get a job at a specific company? Do you want to land more brand collaborations? Are you looking for talented people to grow your team? The answers to these questions will help you determine what people are the right people for what you want to accomplish.
So where do you find these people to connect with? Groups, using the search tool, other people you’re already connected to, etc. And how do you know if you’re successful or connecting with the right people? By looking at your weekly views on your LinkedIn dashboard. If your views go up you’re doing something right.
Remember, in life it’s not always about what you know, it’s about who you know.
Go in for the ask
Here’s the deal: “you don’t get what you don’t ask for” – that’s one of my favorite quotes from #girlboss Sophia Amoruso. I live by this quote! I mean, think about it, if you’re at a restaurant and you want ketchup but you don’t ask for it, you ain’t gonna’ get ketchup. The waiter/waitress is not a mind reader.
If you want something in life and it’s not implicitly implied that you want it, you have to ask for it. You can come right out and ask, but I like a more strategic approach which is…
Jab, jab, right hook (adopted from Gary Vee).
I interpret this technique as having the majority of your content, on LinkedIn or any other platform, add value (jab) and give more than what you’ll get, then throw an ask (right hook) in every so often. So the jabs add value and the right hooks ask. Make sense?
If you right hook all the time people will lose interest and none of your asks will seem important. And if you jab all the time people will expect that level of work or service at no cost to them. Whether you’re an influencer or a personal trainer, the working relationship between you and your customers/followers/clients has to be equal.
For example, let’s say you regularly share fashion industry insights on LinkedIn. You spend about an hour each day compiling a list of all the latest fashion news from acquisitions to new ventures to bankruptcies, etc. These would be your jabs because they’re adding value and you’re giving more than you’re getting. Then, at the end of every week you ask people to join your newsletter for even more updates, latest trends, deals, and events. That is your right hook because it’s an ask… an irresistible one at that!
I can’t tell you what your ask should be but I can tell you you need one. After all, what’s the point of LinkedIn if you’re not going to use it to get more business?! And the only way to get more business is to ask for it.
Did you like this LinkedIn series? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
I truly appreciate all your feedback.
xx
No Comments