Is LinkedIn a part of your content strategy in 2020?
If it is, you’re in luck because there are 675 million monthly users in search of good content on the platform – so it’s crucial that your content really hits the mark for the people looking for your services.
With an increase online as people work from their home offices (or kitchen tables) as a result of the COVID crisis, I’ve seen more and more people rushing online as a “quick-fix” to pivot or change direction in their business.
And it hasn’t been without many faux paus.
According to a study, there are 9 billion content impressions in the LinkedIn feed every week. (LinkedIn)
If the content in LinkedIn feeds is seen 9 billion times every week, this adds up to 36 billion impressions per month and 468 billion per year.
LinkedIn presents many opportunities to be seen, viewed and valued by potential customers, but only if you’re putting out really helpful and useful content. So check in with your content and see if you are making these mistakes.
Top 10 content faux pas you are definitely making on LinkedIn
The internet is fraught with content faux pas. A lot of these can be resolved by knowing your audience and prioritising their interests over yours. If you are still guilty of any of these, it is time to re – evaluate your LinkedIn ways.
1. It is just designed to create engagement for numbers
You create a post, share it and you know it was a good one when you have quite a few likes, comments, shares or messages. But if numbers was all that you are looking for – LinkedIn is not the platform for you. Here, it is about offering valuable content, exploring the next steps and taking meaningful actions that benefit both parties.
2. Posting multiple times each day
Oversharing can make things tricky on LinkedIn. LinkedIn suggests 20 quality posts a month is enough to reach 60% of your audience. You would only share more than this if you had incredibly valuable updates to share.
Think about this for a moment: What results would you prefer? A few likes on your 5 average posts offering very little value, or 1 -2 amazing pieces of content that have the power to go viral?
3. Off-topic content
Irrelevant or off-topic content is one way to tarnish your brand’s reputation. Irrelevant content doesn’t question, provoke thoughts and opinions, entertain or add value. It is a waste of your audience’s time.
The best thing you can do is stick to what your audience loves and give them what they want.
4. Misused, overused or misplaced hashtags
Do you have a hashtag etiquette? It’s not a trick question! Yes, hashtags are a great way to show up on fellow users’ LinkedIn feeds. But that does not mean you add hundreds of them or hashtag “#every #word”. Use them carefully and to your advantage.
Tip: Don’t overdo it. Keep it to a maximum of 3-5 hashtags in each post or risk your post being flagged by LinkedIn as spam.
5. You are repurposing content incorrectly
Repurposing content takes the load off if you struggle to produce quality content day in, day out.
But are you repurposing content the right way? If all you do is add a sentence ortwo and change the images-that’s not repurposing.You need to change the postby 30-50 per cent.
You can also repurpose a written post into an infographic, SlideShare or video.
6. The content experience is inconsistent
Do you wish you were a LinkedIn thought leader? Just as posting too much is not healthy for your presence, so is not posting enough!
If you want to position yourself as thought leader, like the
top influencers, be there for your audience, show up every 1-2 days with value, engage with them and give them reasons to remember you. With consistency, you can grow your connections and reach, and get your desired results more easily.
7. Posting and sharing without a goal
What are the end goals of your content marketing strategy? Are you seeking to:
-Just educate your audience
-Generate more leads
-Drive more traffic
-Improve client retention
-Increase brand awareness
Many businesses fail to create content that supports their objectives. What about you – does every article, video or update on LinkedIn cater to your bigger business goals?
8. No call-to-action
It’s not just about a good read. What is the next step your audience should take? Lead them to it. What if your reader wants to know more about your business, you or the products and services you offer?
There are 3 ideal ways to add a call-to-action on LinkedIn:
-On your personal LinkedIn profile in the “Summary” section.
-Custom call to action buttons on LinkedIn company pages (available since 2019).
-At the end of every post, you can ask people to leave a comment, read your blog and so on.
TIP – Post your links to landing pages and blogs in the first comment – then you won’t be penalised by LinkedIn for trying to take their members off the platform.
9. A pointless introduction
Are your introductions and headlines powerful enough to pique your readers’ curiosity? When your content starts off on a weak note, if it does not get your reader excited and make them want to know more – you need to change your ways and learn how to write better content.
10. If your content is making strong claims not backed by data
Imagine this: You have just written a blog on your company’s website with some strong claims, thousands of people have already read it but you later find out your information was inaccurate or you are making claims without your content backed by data, facts and doing your research. How does that make your credibility look?
After reading these mistakes, I have two questions for you:
-How many content faux pas have you committed?
-How many of those do you plan to fix?
You are killing any chance of growth for yourself and your business…
Many of us are filtering out the content that we read every day – if it’s not valuable-to such great extent, that one of our followers, Bronwyn, said: “I think we have all made these mistakes at some point while we are learning, but I agree – it has been relentless lately. I have been unfollowing so many connections in an effort to refine and curate my feed a little bit more!”
This type of content does more harm than good for those sharing it, wouldn’t you agree?
Whatever your content strategy is, think about whether you want your business or brand to come off as:
1. Desperate and vying for attention at the cost of your reputation.
2. Someone who shares quality and authoritative content to attract high-value clients.
“The real secret to great content marketing is a focus on creating meaningful and mutually beneficial content that inspires, entertains and informs.”—Lee Odden
Remember, there are thousands of users out there who are on the platform so they can read your awesome content, learn something new and be challenged with a different view.
So, are you ready to produce great content and blow your readers’ minds every chance you get? If you want your audience on LinkedIn to stop ignoring you, start engaging with your posts and eagerly wait for the next update, stay consistent and offer value to your audience, and before you know it you will be securing leads, customers and sales. Do it the right way and get genuine results.
Other ways we can help you
P.S. Here are 5 ways we can help you accelerate your Lead Generation results:
1. Grab our free 4-Week LinkedIn Profile Optimisation Course
It’s the road map to positioning your profile in the top 5% of the 700 million LinkedIn users
currently active – Click Here
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It’s our Facebook community where smart entrepreneurs learn to get more leads and smart
ways to scale using LinkedIn — Click Here
3. Register for our FREE LinkedIn update webinar
Every 12-Weeks you can join us for a free update on all the latest news, ninja tips and
outline of new features released by LinkedIn – Click Here
4. Join our LinkedIn Inner Circle Solo Program on our Free Trial Click Here for more details
5. Work with our team privately
If you’d like to work directly with us to create new marketing opportunities send us a quick message Click here … tell us a little about your business and we’ll organise a time for a deeper chat