LinkedIn is a mainstay social media platform for business owners and professionals. No news flash there. But while most of us understand that having an engaging LinkedIn presence can bring tremendous value, many feel that the effort involved can be overwhelming. Business owners are very busy people, so the argument is, “Who has the time?”
The answer is, in all likeliness, you do.
Maintaining an active LinkedIn presence is easy and should really only take you a maximum of 5-10 minutes a day – even less if you are already an online news reader. That’s it. Just a few minutes to engage with your audience, enhance your opportunities for connection, and remind your contacts (and potentially others) that you are an expert in your field with worthy opinions and insights.
Mornings are probably the best time to get a jump on your LinkedIn activities for a few reasons – the algorithm tends to favour earlier posts, current news is fresh and breaking, and it is the time of day when many users are checking in on the platform.
So what exactly does a simple and sustainable LinkedIn campaign for busy business owners look like? It boils down to four straightforward actions:
Read. Relay. Respond. Repeat.
Read
A great way to create interesting LinkedIn content is to share current articles on the topics that pertain to your business. If you do not already have noteworthy online articles that you want to share, curating one can usually be accomplished in a snap.
- Go to your Google search engine (or whatever search engine you prefer)
- Search a key term that interests you that day. Generalised terms tend to garner more diverse results.
- Click on the “News” tab at the top of your search results to hone your search to news stories.
- Click “Tools” in the search engine menu bar.
- Just beneath the menu bar, click the dropdown menu that starts with “Recent.”
- Select either “Past 24 Hours” or “Past Week” for the most recent news stories.
- Find and read an article that interests you, preferably one that includes an interesting image.
- Copy the URL.
Relay
Now it is time to share that article with your LinkedIn contacts.
- Go to your LinkedIn Profile.
- In the “Start a Post” field, enter a few sentences about why you found this article fascinating, why you agree or disagree with it, maybe pose a question related to the article. Encourage people to respond.
- Paste the URL beneath your sentences.
- Click “Post.”
Respond
It is important that you acknowledge those readers who have taken time to comment on your post. Some might add their own insight, some might simply thank you for sharing, and some might actually reach out to you in the Messaging tool.
Regardless of how they communicate, recognise their engagement with a “Like” or a “Reply” in the comment section. Of course, if they message you, that is a next-level engagement and sometimes a ripe opportunity for business development.
Repeat
Make this your routine. Duplicate this process 3-5 times a week, which can equate to as little as 15 minutes a week. By maintaining your LinkedIn presence, you will open direct lines of communication with your potential target market, demonstrate your commitment to the subject matter related to your business, and establish yourself as a thought leader in your sector.
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