While the average user spends approximately 2 hours 24 minutes per day on social media sites such as YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, the same cannot be said for LinkedIn. This is a B2B platform where people browse fast and efficiently, which is exactly why you should not approach your content marketing strategy on LinkedIn the same way you would do with other social networks. Creating engaging content on LinkedIn may appear daunting at first, but it is a powerful way to establish your personal brand and reputation as a thought leader in your industry, as well as share your company culture with potential new customers. Here are some tips on how to create engaging, compelling content on LinkedIn.
Audience understanding
First things first, understanding your audience is key, and keep in mind that each demographic interacts with content differently. For example, millennials prefer content that educates, inspires, or helps develop their skills, while Gen Xers are more likely to seek content to stay up to date on relevant trends. It’s up to you to know who your audience is, and what type of content they prefer to see in their feed.
What makes people engage?
In order to create engaging content, it’s important to consider the type of content users actually want to engage with. According to a LinkedIn study, here are the top 5 reasons that members engage with content on the platform:
- It’s educational or informative: 62%
- It’s relevant to me: 61%
- To stay on top of the latest trends: 48%
- It helps with skill development: 38%
What type of content should you share?
Give your audience content they’ll find compelling. When you create or share content on LinkedIn, ask yourself if informs, solves, educates, or entertains. If it doesn’t tick any of these boxes, it’s best not to share it.
Here are some topics that drive the most engagement:
- Industry trends/news: 89%
- Tips / best practices: 86%
- Jobs / skills: 79%
- Leadership: 78%
- Industry events: 75%
- Products or services information: 72%
- Employee perspectives: 67%
Tips and Best Practices
Use a content aggregator
Consider using a content aggregator such as AllTop.com for third-party content, which can provide you with a host of daily news and articles from across major websites you can share. This shows that you are relevant and up-to-the-minute on industry news and trends, boosting your credibility and trust within your network and beyond.
Company content
For content support, look into whether your company has a blog or content curation site. If so, it can provide a wealth of content to share with your audience. However, be careful not to only share company posts, as this can undermine your professional brand credibility by being too salesy and promotive of your company. Strive for a mix of 80% personalized or third-party content with your point-of-view attached in the headline and 20% company posts, showcasing relevant technology or products that show what you can do to help your audience succeed.
Add a teaser
Any time that you share a third-party article, make sure you include your insights or perspective in the form of a teaser or even a particularly compelling one- to two-paragraph excerpt in the headline to display your own expertise for the greater good of your network while proving that you are not just a content re-sharer who posts a simple hyperlink and image.
Make it snappy
The maximum length for a LinkedIn post on the news feed is 1,300 characters, which is around 200-250 words. However, since most users tend to scan through their feeds, aim to make a compelling point in fewer words where possible.
#DontForgetTheHashtags
Aim for three relevant hashtags to accompany your post. Don’t use tags such as comment, share and like.
Final Thoughts
Creating and sharing content doesn’t guarantee results – it’s all about ensuring the right content meets the right audience. Successfully using LinkedIn requires a strong understanding of your target audience and what makes them tick, along with consistently creating or sharing authentic, useful and inspiring content that sparks engagement.
If you are ready to step into Social Selling and create your own content, make sure your profile is up to date first! Read our best tips on how to develop your LinkedIn “About” section here.
