If you’ve been on Linkedin, even for a brief moment, you’ve probably seen a lot of your network sharing many of the same posts, written by the same individuals. Every industry represented on Linkedin has its own list of “top voices” or a LinkedIn thought leader. They are the thought leaders with a highly engaged audience who use their experiences and ideas to educate their followers.
Whether you’re a CEO, entrepreneur, or professional, improving your online presence is beneficial to your growth and success. Joining the ranks of those “thought leaders” gives you more eyeballs within your industry. If you’re trying to increase your online presence, becoming a Linkedin thought leader can do that for you.
What Is A LinkedIn Thought Leader Anyway?
Dictionary.com defines the term ‘thought leader’ as: noun whose views on a subject are taken to be authoritative and influential.
Thought leaders and influencers are all across the internet, on every platform. This article will focus on LinkedIn thought leadership. That term, in reference to Linkedin, is similar to the dictionary definition. A Linkedin thought leader establishes him or herself as an authority or expert in their field. This is done by presenting information in a way that is easily understood by their audience.
Who Are You?
The industry you’re a professional in does not necessarily define your entire area of expertise. Maybe your knowledge in early science fiction and cooking rank equally with that of your profession. You could brand yourself where those intersections meet. Finding a niche will set you apart from other industry thought leaders.
Who Are You Talking To?
Once you have a grasp on who your audience is, structure your thought leadership pieces to resonate with that group. Your target audience is dependent on what you’re planning to achieve through building your thought leadership platform. Are you selling a service or looking for speaking engagements? Once you determine what you’re doing on Linkedin, you’ll be able to narrow down your audience.
What Do You Mean?
What is your brand headline or tagline? To determine that, you must first understand what your message is going to be and who it is you want to share that message with. When you have refined your headline, use it in your Linkedin profile along with other brand marketing assets. Once this step has been completed, it will be much simpler to complete the rest of your Linkedin profile, and you’ll have consistent messaging.
What Are You Saying?
It’s not just about what you’re saying over on Linkedin, but also HOW you’re saying it. Video is huge right now, and Linkedin’s algorithm will boost video before text. Your video doesn’t even need to be shot by a professional, the camera on your phone will suffice.
Topics to write about can be your professional achievements, industry news, or whatever you find interesting.
Using the Linkedin Publisher platform:
- Your article titles should be 40 – 49 characters
- You need to include up to 8 images depending on the article length
- Use subheadings (H1, H2, H3, etc) to make your article easily digestible
- The sweet-spot for article length is 1900-2000 words
- Shorter articles are ok, too
- Thursdays are allegedly the best day for posting on Linkedin Publisher
- Publish something at least once a day, whether it’s content you’ve written or simply sharing another author’s work.
What Are You Doing To Become A LinkedIn Thought Leader?
The point of any social networking platform is to be social. You can’t just assume people will engage with you just because you’re creating some kickass content. You’re going to need to put in the work to nurture relationships, just like real life. Comment on other people’s posts, respond to comments left on your posts, and return private messages (as long as they’re not spam).
Be social.
To position yourself as a thought leader, you don’t even have to write your own articles, which is nice for those who don’t particularly enjoy writing. Being a curator of other thought leader pieces and sharing your thoughts on the topic can open up a conversation just as easily.
Bottom line: Establish yourself as an authority on a topic, assert your opinion, and encourage discourse within that posts comment section. Tag other subject matter experts and have them weigh in on the subject.
Becoming a thought leader on Linkedin doesn’t happen overnight. You will need to put in the work and stay consistent.
To learn more about using Linkedin, check out our article here:
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