I’ve spent tons of time over the past few weeks studying LinkedIn influencers and trying to get insights into their success. Like why does everyone seem to hang on their every word? How did they get thousands of followers? And why does one great post have 5 likes, when theirs has 647?
Well the good news is, I’ve spent hours researching this so you don’t have to. Here’s are the top 3 themes I’ve discovered when studying the bigwigs of LinkedIn:
They focus on giving value WAY more than making an ask.
I know it’s tempting to use social media to promote your amazing business. You just want to get the word out so people can benefit from what you offer. But if there’s one thing I’ve noticed about these influencers, is that 75% of their posts are for no reason other than to give a valuable piece of insight to their audience. And that gives off the impression of a genuine, kindhearted person that people actually WANT to help when they DO decide to make an ask.
But it doesn’t stop at just the value of knowledge they can give. They also provide entertainment to their audience. Their videos are fun, visually appealing, and easy to follow. (They use captions, music, and even sound effects!) Sometimes they break up the information into digestible bullet points in the caption for those who prefer reading. They make it as easy as possible for the viewer to grasp the information.
They often tell relatable stories.
Stories have been used for generations to pass down knowledge and traditions. Today, stories still hold so much value because they activate areas of our brains and enhance our understanding and memory. They allow us to empathize with characters and situations which, in turn, creates strong, emotional connections with the storyteller. In other words, storytelling bonds us to the listener in powerful ways.
To add onto this, one great strategy of these LinkedIn influencers is that they create story SERIES. So they might tell one part of a story, and the next day tell more of the story. This keeps the audience wanting to come back for more and visit their page. It’s like when you can’t put a book down…but in the social media world, the listener can’t stop clicking onto your page!
They encourage dialogue, and they constantly respond to it.
How much more likely would you be to comment a post if you knew you would get a response? LinkedIn influencers not only encourage dialogue, but they also make a point to respond to as many comments as they can. They also reach out to people outside of their network and engage.
At the core, people deeply value relationships with people they trust. Think about it. Would you rather go on social media to see an advertisement, or to connect with a friend? These influencers are masters at developing relationships through dialogue, networking, and collaborating. This helps them build a rich audience of followers that hang on to their every word!
So what is the first step to having the success these influencers have?
I know it’s hard to be consistent with everything competing for your attention.
I know how frustrating it can be to put so much effort into a post and not get the engagement you had hoped for.
And I know how overwhelming it can be to keep up with a constantly changing algorithm.
But if you can cut out just 30 minutes a day to make genuine connections with people, you can’t go wrong. As John Maxwell says, “dreams don’t work unless you do.”
So just keep showing up. Keep being your authentic self. And keep caring genuinely about the people who visit your page. You’ve got this!
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