Have you ever sat down ready to post some content on your LinkedIn profile and wondered if what you’re about to post will hurt or improve your personal brand and authority on the platform?
It’s not always easy to figure out what content items are best to post and which items you should be avoiding. It becomes harder when certain topics are current and somewhat controversial. While controversial topics often get higher engagement, ask yourself the following question: Do you want your audience to associate that controversial topic with your brand and business?
I run with the motto when in doubt, always keep it professional, and relevant to my brand and avoid all the negativity that can come with these types of posts.
Here are some types of LinkedIn posts you should avoid sharing with your audience!
Political or Religious Posts
If you were to name two topics that are heavily debated all around the world it would be hard to go past politics and religion. These topics have been the cause of many heated arguments at the family BBQ so I’d suggest steering clear of these types of posts on your profiles. These types of posts can alienate some of your audience and as LinkedIn is a global platform your post may not be relevant in other countries.
Look at posting industry-related topics that add value for your clients and explain what you do and how you can solve your client’s needs.
Controversial Topic Related Posts
One of the quickest ways to lose potential clients and your audience is to post topics that polarise the audience. Certain topics might be current and trending around the world but any topic with a controversial and negative connotation is not appropriate for LinkedIn as it’s not the correct platform to have these discussions. These discussions put your audience on one side or the other and can ultimately hurt your business and your brand.
Some examples of controversial posts could be:
- Sexuality and Gender Identity
- Science
- History
- Celebrity News
- Media & Culture
- Environmental Issues
Unless any of the above are directly related to your industry then I suggest steering clear and sticking to content that adds value and is relevant to your audience.
Sales Pitch Posts
While LinkedIn is an amazing platform for B2B promotion, it’s more effective when used as a platform to build relationships, authority and a following rather than to pitch your products and services in sales types posts regularly.
While businesses are making sales on the platform, for most of us we need to build a relationship with our audience and clients so we can build their confidence and move them to the next phase where we can book a sales conversation which usually happens offline.
Keep in mind your audience is not following you to see advertisements or sales pitches, these types of posts will likely be ignored by your audience as they come across as spammy and if continued will likely hurt your reputation and following with many likely to unfollow your profile.
LinkedIn is a great place to share your knowledge about your industry, make sure you are sharing valuable insights that focus on relevant content that solves a problem for your target audience. This is the best way to grow your influence and following on the platform.
In-Depth Personal Information Posts
LinkedIn is not Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat so please remember not to use it that way. Your audience is not following you to see dog memes, pictures of what you had for lunch, or your weekend activities (unless these things are relevant to your profession). That’s not to say you can’t be social on the platform, posting things that enhance who you are as a leader for example is a great way to connect with your audience, posting photos of work events, photos of your team and pointing out successes for your business are all great ways of being social but in a highly professional manner.
Negative or Unprofessional Comments
While posting valuable content is a great way to build your following, interacting with other people’s content on the platform is also a great way to build more relationships and generate more interactions on your profile. When commenting on other people’s posts make sure you are not being over-critical, hostile or rude even if you disagree with what is being posted. Having healthy discussions and debates on LinkedIn are great ways to interact on the platform but always keep them professional and courteous as other members will be able to read the comments and anything negative or rude is certainly going to ruin your reputation and brand.
The platform is a great way to connect with your audience, build authority and grow your business, just remember there are certain things that should be left of the platform if you want to maintain that level of professionalism and authority with your audience.
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