Ping, ping, ping. That notification noise seems to never stop. If you’re finding it difficult to keep up with your emails, your meeting requests, your messages…you’re not alone. We live in an always-on 24/7 world now, and maintaining your professional relationships in the digital age can become quite taxing. I’ve seen it happen to many people, where trying to keep up with their LinkedIn activity just becomes too much. LinkedIn slips off their radar, as they have to prioritise other communications and channels. I’m here to help!
Set a schedule
It’s all too easy to fall into the bad habit of feeling like you need to respond to every notification the second it arrives. That way is a bad way towards burnout, leaving you feeling stressed, and overwhelmed, and you’ll probably not be your best self in your communications. That’s why I always recommend to my clients that they set aside time in their schedule to give their LinkedIn activity devoted attention. Put it into your diary, and set it up as though you’re attending a meeting. Sure, that meeting might be with yourself, but in reality, you’re really meeting with potential clients, and nurturing relationships, albeit digitally. When you’ve set yourself a scheduled time slot to manage your LinkedIn activity and notifications, you’ll be calmer, think more clearly, and communicate more effectively. Now that you’re ready to pay devoted attention to your LinkedIn activity on a regular basis, let’s move on to the finer details of how you can manage your professional digital relationships.
Your LinkedIn profile
Your LinkedIn profile is the first impression people will have of you. This is the space where you set the bar when it comes to your professional etiquette. Let’s run through a quick checklist so that you know your LinkedIn profile is on point. Ask yourself these questions:
- Is my headshot up to date, professional, and appropriate?
- Is my banner image a good reflection of my personal brand?
- Does my headline effectively tell people who I am and how I can help them?
- Is my About section up to date?
- Have I listed my relevant experiences and roles?
- Am I posting consistently and regularly?
When you’ve got these aspects of your LinkedIn profile right, and are comfortable that it portrays you in the correct professional light, you can move on to the next priority in managing your online professional relationships.
Your LinkedIn connections
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it every time: when it comes to your LinkedIn connections, quality trumps quantity every time. I’ve seen too many business owners fall into the trap of trying to amass as many connections as possible, without considering the value of those connections. LinkedIn is not a popularity contest. LinkedIn is a tool you can use to nurture meaningful relationships and find new clients. Don’t let comparison be the thief of your joy. While a peer in your industry may seem to have many more connections than you, how often do you think they’re keeping in touch with them? They can’t be curating and maintaining meaningful relationships with a massive audience unless the only thing they do is spend time on LinkedIn…which means they’re not working on their core business. You want to build a thriving community and engaged audience, but remember again: quality trumps quantity, every single time. It’s far more effective and important to spend your time building authentic relationships and connecting with the right people.
Your LinkedIn connection requests
If you’ve spotted someone you’d like to connect with on LinkedIn, take the time to personalise your connection request. Draft your connection request note carefully, referring to common ground you may have with this person, or referencing a meaningful point. Perhaps you came across them during your time spent in the comments field of someone else’s LinkedIn post. Refer to that in your connection request note, and establish some level of common ground before you hit “send.” The more you can effectively communicate your reason for wanting to connect with them, the more likely they are to accept your connection request. Simultaneously, you’re doing your future self a favour, laying the groundwork for a positive, engaging conversation that will move forward with your new LinkedIn connection. And, of course, don’t launch yourself into an immediate sales pitch.
Your new connection hasn’t invited you to their inbox to be sold to. Instead, focus on building a relationship. Engage with their content, offer valuable insights, and look for opportunities to help them before asking for anything in return.
Your LinkedIn notifications
Let’s move on to how you spend your time on LinkedIn, beyond your posts and adding new connections. This is where the time slot you set aside for your LinkedIn activity is so important because you can devote proper attention to how you interact with other people’s content on LinkedIn. First, of course, check your notifications and inbox, to respond to people, comments, and other messages. Be sure to continue the conversations you’re having in authentic ways and, if you have slipped a bit in getting back to people timeously, don’t forget to apologise. Failing to respond timeously to a thoughtful message is the equivalent of ignoring someone who’s speaking to you at a networking event. Even if you’re not interested in the opportunity presented, a polite response goes a long way in maintaining professional relationships.
Your LinkedIn feed
Next, move on to your LinkedIn feed. This is where the LinkedIn algorithm does you a favour, and you can do another back to yourself by the way you interact with it. LinkedIn’s algorithm is tailored towards your interests and your activity. That’s why it’s always so interesting when you log in, because the algorithm has come to understand your preferences and interests, based on the content you’ve posted and interacted with. This is where you can continue to do yourself a favour – when you’re commenting on people’s content, don’t respond with a generic “Great post!” Instead, focus on adding value to the discussion. Reflect on your experiences and try to add valuable insights that build on the topic. If you’re battling to find something insightful to say, ask a relevant question that will spur the conversation on. This positions you as a thoughtful industry leader rather than a shameless self-promoter. Lastly, don’t abuse the LinkedIn tag function. While tagging relevant people can increase the reach of your post, overusing this feature or tagging people who aren’t directly related to your content can come across as spammy. Only tag people who are mentioned in your post or who you believe would find genuine value in the content.
What you talk about on LinkedIn
Let’s address the elephant in the room: LinkedIn is not the place for political debates or controversial social commentary. We live in an increasingly polarised society. The time you might be tempted to spend commenting on controversy is far better spent building your LinkedIn community in authentic ways. Yes, you may not agree with someone you’re interacting with, but it’s better to keep your conversations on point and within purpose. Your posts and comments should reflect the image you want to project in your professional life. If you wouldn’t say it in a client meeting, it probably doesn’t belong on LinkedIn. If you find yourself unintentionally spilling into a debate you don’t want to be in, politely excuse yourself. It’s just better that way.
Remember, your presence on LinkedIn should be ever-evolving. The best way to maintain professional etiquette is to balance authenticity, professionalism, and respect for others. After all, you may be interacting on a digital platform, but you’re speaking to another person on the other side of it. Treat every interaction as an opportunity to build meaningful professional relationships, and you’ll always see positive results.
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