Social media, without engagement, is just media.
Unlike traditional media channels, where once the content is published, it is set in stone, unchangeable. Social media is far more versatile, allowing people to engage with a business’s marketing efforts, commenting on them, sharing them with friends and loved ones, or providing feedback.
What began as a way for people to socialise with friends online has evolved to become a place where brands can engage in a meaningful way with their audience. Social media offers an opportunity for businesses to build a community around their brand, which will hopefully turn into leads and customers.
What is engagement, and why is it critical to your LinkedIn success?
LinkedIn, in particular, is especially good for building a community around your brand. It also offers an opportunity to shape your brand’s voice and identity. Ideally, the content you post on LinkedIn should do both, as well as create positive brand perceptions that ultimately lead to conversions.
Engaging posts will also increase the number of people your content reaches. The more people interact with your posts, the more the LinkedIn algorithm will prioritise your content. You may be wondering what precisely constitutes an engaging post.
In a broader perspective, engagement means interaction. It measures how many people interact with your LinkedIn content, whether it be liking, commenting, sharing, saving, clicking etc.
Engagement is a great way to measure whether the content you’re producing is actually resonating with your audience or not.
Whatsmore, engagement is key to building long-lasting relationships with your audience. Having a direct line to your target audience will be incredibly beneficial, enabling you to develop relationships and ultimately deliver a better service to your customers.
How to engage effectively on LinkedIn
Before we begin, it’s important to note that there is no set formula for success on LinkedIn. There will be an element of trial and error to find out what works best for your audience.
That being said, there are certain things you can do that will boost your engagement on LinkedIn.
Post Quality Content
The LinkedIn algorithm prioritises relevant and valuable content, which means businesses must put considerable effort into the content they promote. This involves using a variety of different media and providing as much value as possible for your audience.
You have limitless options when it comes to creating content:
- Blogs
- Vlogs
- Video
- Infographics
- Case studies
- Testimonials
- Third-party content
- Plain text
- Photographs & illustrations
- eBooks
- Research and thought leadership posts
Encourage interactions.
It may seem cliched or perhaps a little desperate, but encouraging people to do something will make them more likely to do it.
End all your posts with a call-to-action encouraging the reader to like, comment or follow your LinkedIn Page. Perhaps ask a question, inviting them to comment below. This will result in more comments on your post to boost it up to the top of the feed.
Reply to comments.
It is more than a mere pleasantry. Replying to comments will significantly boost the reach of your posts. Ultimately, there are threads of comments on your post, which are seen as more valuable by the LinkedIn algorithm.
It also offers the opportunity to discuss the topic in your comment section, which could catch the attention of those who may have otherwise scrolled past.
Use relevant hashtags
A few years ago, hashtags on LinkedIn were frowned upon, so much so that when they were initially introduced, you were unable to search them. But LinkedIn has changed its mind, focusing more on hashtags by introducing a search feature. Opening an opportunity for complete strangers with similar interests to see your post on LinkedIn.
The more specific the hashtags you use, the better. But be careful, don’t fall into the trap of using hashtags that are so specific they are rarely searched for.
Encourage employee advocacy
Celebrate the people who work for you by featuring them on your company page.
You can feature employees by using:
- Personal stories and quotes
- Testimonials
- Celebrating careers achievements
- Showcasing staff at events
Aside from boosting employee morale, employee shout-outs attach real faces to your business, making customers more inclined to trust you. Attaching questions to these posts can also spark conversation and boost engagement. For instance, you could have a catchy line like “Coffee and 90’s R&B keep Jess going on Monday mornings. What is your Monday motivation?”
Whatsmore, the LinkedIn algorithm prefers posts from personal profiles rather than company pages. So, if you want to boost your engagement and build your presence on LinkedIn, turn your employees into brand advocates by encouraging them to share your company posts.
Complete your LinkedIn profile.
Whether you are administering a company page or a personal profile, you must fill in all the relevant sections. This has many benefits. It helps people who land on your company page know they are where they want to be and helps improve your page ranking on Google search.
Your page should include a high-quality profile photo and a detailed description at an absolute minimum. Ideally, though, you would fill out every section with any up-to-date and necessary information.
Final thoughts.
Improving your engagement rates on LinkedIn is much more than the number of likes or new followers. It’s a measurement of how many people are interested and interact with your brand regularly. By focusing on improving your LinkedIn engagement, your business will benefit from a better marketing reach, greater brand awareness and an improved ROI.