The idea of being active on LinkedIn has been known to induce eye rolls from those who view anything other than having a complete LinkedIn profile as excessive, pushy and/or needlessly self-promotional.
While during the early years of LinkedIn a static profile more than offered a competitive advantage, with hundreds of millions of users and counting, this is no longer the case.
WHY YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO WAIT TO GET ACTIVE ON LINKEDIN
The greater your engagement (i.e. activity) on the platform, the higher you will rank in search and the greater the chance your profile will appear in the feeds of your connections.
Furthermore, studies have shown recruiters are more likely to reach out to a candidate who is active than one who is passive.
Below are 3 steps — ranked in size from small to large — plus a behind-the-scenes step — to help you get outside your comfort zone, expand your network, increase visits to your profile and elevate how high you show up in search.
Small Step: Like It
If you wish to start small, begin by “liking” articles and posts of interest to you. If you feel so moved, LinkedIn also lets you celebrate, support, love and indicate that a post is insightful.
Thanks to LinkedIn’s newsletter functionality and hashtags, content is plentiful and searchable based on topic of interest.
Medium Step: Comment on It
Engaging in a conversation about a post or article is the next small step after liking it and is equally simple to achieve. Just click on the “comment” icon at the top of the story to ask the reader a question, thank them or offer additional thoughts.
Large Step: Author It
Many people discover, after months of reading the posts of others, that their perspective is unique, their voice worth sharing and their comfort level with engaging on this platform has grown.
Give it a shot — maybe 2-3 posts per week. You might be pleasantly surprised to discover how quickly you can amass a community.
Behind the Scenes Step: Connect & Respond
Building a network of quality connections on LinkedIn not only provides you with a launch pad from which to hold meaningful offline conversations (to learn more about companies, referrals and opportunities) but actively making, connecting and conversing with connections makes the search algorithm happy.
Below are 2 scripts to help you connect with strangers:
SCRIPT #1 TO CONNECT WITH SOMEONE YOU ADMIRE
Your work over the past few years has been impressive, and I’ve found your journey inspirational.
I was particularly fascinated with your (list accomplishment) which I learned about through (name source). Congratulations! I welcome the opportunity to add you to my LinkedIn network.
SCRIPT #2 TO CONNECT WITH SOMEONE YOU ADMIRE
I came across your profile while looking for people who [Insert Angle]. I hope you don’t mind me reaching out to connect, as I’d love to learn more about your experience.
Recognizing your time is valuable, if you have a few minutes to chat, I’d be appreciative. If not, no worries at all.
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