I’ve been preparing to make the move into self-employment for some time. As part of my preparations I’ve increased my visibility on LinkedIn, publishing posts each week since launching my blog three years’ ago. Posting regularly and having an active presence on LinkedIn has been a game-changer for me. My connection numbers have increased significantly. The number of people I now consider as professional friends has been an unexpected bonus.
Here I share my experiences and suggest how you can maximise the benefits of LinkedIn for your own professional development.
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Only connect
The number of followers and connections I have has increased significantly over the past 3 years. But more importantly, by engaging with others’ posts and commenting on them, I’ve expanded my circle of meaningful connections. I’ve exchanged thoughts and ideas and in a number of cases arranged an online call to get to know a contact better. I’ll often arrange a call with someone on a Friday. I’ve nicknamed these calls ‘Feel good Fridays.’ Sharing ideas and discussing particular topics is a great way for two people to become energised at the end of a long week. These conversations have sometimes led on to other opportunities, but there are no expectations that they do.
2. Collaborations and consultations
I had a chat with one contact around our shared interest in Strengths. We agreed to collaborate and wrote a joint article on the subject which was subsequently published in a careers journal.
I’ve invited a number of my contacts to contribute a post to my blog, helping to raise their profile and on occasion helping to promote their new book or work they’re engaged in.
I’ve contributed to others’ webinars as a guest or as a double-act which has been fun. I’ll shortly be taking part in my first podcast, which I’m looking forward to!
3. Celebrating and supporting others
Where I’ve come across a book or post that interests me, I’ve written a blog post to promote it or re-shared the author’s post with my comments. On occasion I’ve been asked to review a book or chapter or attend a book launch. I’ve been acknowledged in some books and sent a free copy as a ‘thank you’ for my time.
4. Bonus free publicity
Sometimes contacts have reached out to compliment me and included a link to one of my blog posts in one of theirs, which is always a delight.
When I announced in one of my posts that I was moving into freelance work I was approached by a freelance publication and featured in their online magazine.
5. Tapping into others’ expertise
Early on in my blogging journey, I read a book by a copywriter which had been recommended by one of my contacts. I was so impressed by the book that I contacted the author on LinkedIn to schedule a 1-1 session to tap into her expertise. When she published a second book I was only too happy to invite her to write a guest blog post and to promote her second book to others.
6. Paid work
As a result of following the advice of the same copywriter, I contacted an organisation promoting women’s development in HE to see whether they would be interested in my blog posts. They were- and they were also interested in me supporting the training programme they’d developed, and paid me to do so.
I was also approached by a professional body and invited to deliver 3 paid lunchtime webinars on job-related topics to their members.
As a result of just one post on the topic of AI, I was invited to take part in a panel webinar on ‘AI and the Future of Work’- more paid work.
Each of these opportunities arose without me actively seeking them.
7. More than contacts
A number of the connections I’ve made have evolved into professional friends- good people you know you could call on- and they you- should you need insights, support or advice. That’s what makes using a platform like LinkedIn such a rich experience. I’ve had some great conversations. Where contacts have been local, we’ve met up in person, which has been great! I’ve also worked directly with several of my contacts as part of a training team.
When I announced I would be moving into freelance work, I received several kind offers of support and advice, which I’m very appreciative of and which I’ll be following up!
My top tips.
- There are those who use LinkedIn principally for self-promotion and who are more interested in transmission, gaining followers, making sales and developing a presence than in actively engaging with followers or connections.
- Then there are those who consider what they might usefully share with others and who reach out in a more organic way, following their interests and curiosity.
- Regular posting, engaging with connections with shared interests and supporting others is, in my opinion, a better way to develop meaningful exchanges and make valuable contacts.
What are you waiting for?
If to date you’ve only been a LinkedIn Luddite or Lurker, why not take the next step? Start to show up. Post regularly. In no time you’ll find your own community of like-minded and supportive contacts and only wonder why you hadn’t done it sooner.
