Optimizing your LinkedIn presence requires gaining visibility among your target audience.
Here are five ways to attract attention to your LinkedIn content:
Be strategic.
Your content should reinforce your brand and areas of expertise/interest. Think about why people would follow you. What is your edge? What do you want to be known for? Use this as a guideline for the type of content you post or share.
Post frequently.
Post at least once a week but not more than once per day. You can comment on content, share others’ content, or create your own.
Reach your target audience.
Use relevant hashtags in your posts but not more than three in any one post. Tag others, especially people who are likely to share your content and comment on your post.
Encourage interaction with your posts.
Take steps to ensure early engagement; having at least five comments on your post within 60 minutes will increase its visibility. Post when your network is available to respond. Respond or react to each comment that is made on your post.
Drive engagement with your posts.
Posts with images are twice as likely to get comments as text-only posts. Ask questions of your audience, and encourage them to share their opinions. Put a limit on the number of links you have to content that originated outside the LinkedIn platform.
Additionally, consider making these tweaks to your profile:
Customize your LinkedIn URL.
Click on the edit icon next to “Public profile & URL” on your profile page to do so. Make the URL more search-engine friendly by removing unnecessary numbers and letters at the end.
Include a headshot and background image.
Profiles with photos are 21 times more likely to get views. Choose a photo with a professional tone for your industry. Pick background photos that give your profile a pop of color without distracting from the content.
Use relevant key words, but avoid overused words.
The LinkedIn algorithm searches for key words in your “Headline” (the words directly under your photo) and “About” section. For ideas, analyze the responsibilities section of target job descriptions.
Add connections.
The more connections you have, the more likely recruiters will be to find you. Aim to have more than 500 connections.
Select to “follow” target companies.
Doing this will allow you to learn more about what is happening at companies of interest while also signaling interest to any recruiters looking at your profile.
We also recommend following Get Hired by LinkedIn News for informative and timely job search–related posts. For example, a recent post highlighted the Forbes article “How To Use Emotional Intelligence To Be More Confident In Interviews,” in which career strategists offer ways to handle your nerves and communicate with clarity. In another post, titled “How to Ask About Inclusion at an Employer”,” two career experts discuss ways of identifying diversity, equity, and inclusion red flags during the hiring process and of asking the questions that matter to you.
The bottom line is this: LinkedIn has more than 930 million members across 200 countries, with 58 million companies on the platform, making it the place to be seen if you want to invest in and advance your career.