A sporadic or inconsistent presence on LinkedIn is unlikely to yield the desired results but constantly having to think about what to write, finding the time and having the inclination can make this a challenge.
To truly harness the potential of the platform, consider creating a library of posts and supporting images that not only elevates your current presence but also sustains it over time with your connections.
Establish Your Brand Voice:
Before diving into content creation, define your brand voice. Are you informative and professional, or perhaps more casual and conversational? Align your voice with your brand identity to ensure consistency across your posts. This consistency helps in building a recognisable and authentic online persona.
Identify Your Audience:
Understanding your target audience is crucial. Tailor your content to meet the needs and preferences of your audience – even better is to provide content that discusses their ‘pain points’ and how these can be dealt with (obviously, with your help!). Consider the industries they belong to, the challenges they face, and the solutions they seek. This targeted approach enhances engagement and encourages meaningful reactions.
Create a 3-month Content Calendar:
A content calendar is your roadmap for consistent posting. Our ‘rather direct’ approach and advice is to create a 3-month batch of posts with 26 posts in total (2 per week).
We recommend that you start by writing the headlines of the articles or posts that you would like to share … then write long-form articles of around 500+ words as these can be hosted as EITHER website blog posts or LinkedIn articles (if you don’t have a blog). Then, write ‘teaser posts’ which provide a summary of the full article and a link through for anyone interested.
Quick tip: If you’re stuck, utilise ChatGPT to help you get things moving. You can ask it to provide all the elements described above. As an example, a corporate finance broker might write the following ChatGPT requests:
Request 1: “Provide 30 headlines of articles that a commercial finance broker would write (then discard 4!)”
Request 2: “Write a 500-word article aimed at business owners with the title Navigating Business Loans: A Comprehensive Guide for Entrepreneurs – write the article in UK English and provide actionable advice”
Request 3: “Provide a 60-75 word summary of the above article that could be used as a LinkedIn post to link readers through”
Health warning … ChatGPT is amazing at providing genuinely useful responses for requests ‘similar’ to the above example. BUT … ChatGPT is ‘robotic’ in its content and does NOT provide your voice or style – see the first point above. You MUST edit and amend the content it delivers and find ways to inject your own brand and tone into the text … but at least you are given an incredible head start using this tool.
Quick tip #2: Be aware, as per the above ‘health warning’ ChatGPT is NOT going to prevent you ‘working’ on building up your content library … if you are not prepared to put in the effort then the alternative route is to utilise the services of a skilled and experience content writer / copywriter. Writing and crafting content is unquestionably a skill and ChatGPT helps get the work going but copywriters will inject humour, personality and skill into their work.
The next step in this stage is to build a library of images to support your content and articles. Unless you’re a skilled graphic designer, you shouldn’t try to do this yourself as there needs to be consistency across all the images which results in your connections ‘recognising’ your posts when they appear in their feed. A good graphic designer will have access to image libraries that they can then manipulate with your branding, images, watermarks, consistent fonts, graphical devices, etc, etc.
Share “User-Generated” Content:
Encourage your clients and followers to share their own experiences with your products or services. User-generated content adds authenticity to your page and showcases real-world examples of your business in action. Reposting such content also strengthens your relationship with your audience.
Educate and Inform:
Position yourself as an industry leader by sharing informative content. Offer tips, insights, and educational resources that demonstrate your expertise. This not only adds value to your audience but also establishes your credibility within your niche.
Engage with Your Network:
Don’t just post and disappear. Actively engage with your network by responding to comments, participating in relevant discussions, and connecting with like-minded professionals. Engagement fosters a sense of community and increases the visibility of your posts.
Always take a look at the users who have ‘liked’ your content – when they’re not your 1st degree connections then consider a quick, personalised connection message to say ‘thank you’ for your support – shall we connect?
Think about “where” to Post your Content:
Remember that you can mix things up a little. If you’re going to follow our advice then you’ll likely be scheduling posts twice per week. But you might (should) also frequently have something else to post too as ‘special’ one-off messages … perhaps a ‘thank you message’, perhaps a reflection of something in the news ‘right now’, perhaps to publicise an award or a recently received testimonial? Remember that you could alternatively post your article on your company page or on a group that you might belong to.
Stay Consistent:
Consistency is the key to a successful LinkedIn presence. Maintain a regular posting schedule and stay committed to your content strategy by following our suggestions above. Consistency builds trust and keeps your business on the radar of your connections. Once you have set up your library of content and images, the task of actually posting them is a very simple and quick one that anyone with basic IT / admin skills can perform on your behalf.
Remember, also, that LinkedIn also offers you the ability to schedule your posts in advance – so you can ‘publish’ all your activity for the next three months in one single task, once you have the library to call on.
Conclusion
In conclusion, creating a library of posts on LinkedIn is a strategic investment for small business owners looking to elevate and sustain their online presence. By defining your brand voice, understanding your audience, and consistently sharing good quality, engaging content, you can establish yourself as a prominent figure in your industry and foster valuable connections.
Embrace the power of LinkedIn, and watch your business flourish in the digital realm.