This guide will help you develop content that is industry-specific and motivating for your audience. By creating content that is tailored for LinkedIn, you will improve your engagement on the platform.

Change the way you think about LinkedIn engagement

Some social media influencers are helpful, but many are harmful to the way business is done, especially for small businesses.

Here’s a healthier, people-first approach to LinkedIn (and all social media) when viewing engagement:

• You don’t need hundreds or thousands of likes and comments – In fact, small and midsized businesses should be concerned about fake accounts, and other problems, if your following gets this big.
• The value is in your VIPs – Having maybe five or ten of the same LinkedIn connections engage with you on every one of your articles is ideal. You don’t need thousands of people who read your headline, hit the Like button, and move on.
• Make for a smarter network and self – It’s important to find connections that actually read, or view, your content. There’s an epidemic of people who read headlines and nothing else. Your goal is to get industry insiders, like yourself, who want to improve themselves and do business with you in the process. This makes for smarter business and smarter business partners.
• Spend time on your content – Whether this is outsourced or done yourself, sharing your own pictures, articles, and videos is ideal. People will begin to see you as a leader, as opposed to another person sharing other peoples’ links.
• Get rid of the “influencers” in your network – It’s human nature to feel self-conscience about your own online performance when you see these people with thousands of likes and comments. Cut them from your network and connect with leaders with more “human” numbers.

When it comes to social media networks, LinkedIn is very similar to others in terms of what you can expect to get out of it. If you don’t set your expectations accordingly, you’ll likely feel frustrated and fail to get the same level of engagement (measured in likes, etc.) as other users.

It would be beneficial for you to stop following influential figures who will not have a positive impact on your business and instead create a smaller community of business leaders that you have actual business dealings with. Richard Branson may have some innovative ideas, but he will not be helpful to your business. If anything, if you attempt to emulate his LinkedIn strategy you are likely to see very limited success.

What type of content should you focus on?

What sort of content should you regularly post on your business’s social media accounts? Is it best to stick to one or two types of posts, or is it better to have a mix of images, videos, text posts, and other types of content?

Based on several studies and testing, here are the content types to use to boost your LinkedIn engagement, ranked from most important to least important:

1. Images

We’ve found that images generate a 98% higher rate of comments on posts than text-only posts.

2. Images with links in the post

Links are important for SEO, but copying and pasting links from other sources often doesn’t have the same effect as an original, well-thought-out article.

Posts with links see around 200% more engagement, so we recommend including links with your images to articles or more information about the image. For example, a real estate agent may post pictures from an open house, but people would also like to see the full listing online.

3. Videos with links in the post

Videos are the most popular content to share on LinkedIn. The default way to post a video is by uploading it from your computer.

This is a great way to improve engagement, but I would also suggest including a link. This way, viewers can be sent to a familiar platform, like YouTube, where they can read comments, share the link, and see more information in the description.

How to research and repurpose content that’s bound to get traction

Small business owners may feel that they do not have the time or resources to design their own images or write lengthy articles, but this may help their business.

Many business owners face the dilemma of whether to use their smartphone cameras for content or to hire a professional. While we suggest utilizing your smartphone cameras for shots and taking the time to write thoughtful descriptions, more “professional” content, like infographics and detailed articles, may not be feasible for small businesses.

It’s important to research and find articles to share with other professionals so that you can stay up to date with what’s going on in your field. Just remember to make the content more shareable on your end before you share it.

1. Pick from your feed

As long as you get rid of any LinkedIn connections that are not industry associates or experts, scrolling through your feed will give you a lot of content that you can share.

Try not to write about job openings or information that would only be useful to people at one particular company.

It only takes a few minutes to find interesting posts.

Connection sharing finished home improvement projects is great for many industry professionals such as real estate agents and hardware store owners.

2. Write and post consistently

If you want to engage followers on any platform, be consistent in posting and writing articles. Your posts should show the work you do and serve as information for your followers. In addition to sharing your own work, engage with others and comment thoughtfully on their posts to show your knowledge and expertise.

3. Find active new people and businesses in your industry

If you want to find content to repurpose, it’s a good idea to go to user profiles. Sometimes you only need to look at a few profiles to find what you need.

To find someone on LinkedIn, type in a relevant keyword into the search bar and click on the People button. Follow and connect with active users who post high-quality content to see what makes them successful on social media.

The Groups tab on LinkedIn can be used to connect with professionals who have similar interests, which can then lead to business relationships and content ideas.

4. Become a value-add

LinkedIn is a great way to increase your engagement by sharing valuable and insightful content. Furthermore, it is crucial that you treat everyone in your network with the same respect you would want to be treated with by promptly responding to comments, feedback, and questions.

5. Build relationships beyond likes

If you want to develop deeper relationships with your followers, go beyond just liking and commenting on their posts. Email them and chat with them offline to get to know them better. When people see that you’re interested in them as individuals and not just as numbers, they’ll feel more personally attached to you. As a result, they’ll be more likely to share your content with others, which will help you expand your reach even further.

6. Be interested in others first

If you want others to be interested in you, show interest in them first. This can be done by commenting on and engaging with their content. In the long term, this builds awareness and trust, which will pay off tenfold. Of course, your content must also be engaging to invite ongoing conversation. So start the dialogue and avoid one-sided monologues.

7. Show your face

Use yourself as a branding tool to connect and engage with your audience on a deeper level. Post pictures and videos of yourself to show your authentic passion for your brand. Include a call to action so your audience knows what to do next. Have fun with it and don’t forget to be authentic!

8. Be educational and promote others

If you want your posts to be successful, make them educational and promote other people and organizations. Tagging them is also extremely effective.

Remember to “give, give, give!”

9. Identify what sets you apart

To be successful on LinkedIn, you need to identify what sets your business apart from others and share it honestly and authentically. A great way to connect with your followers and engage them is to share stories, even if they are vulnerable.

10. Invite others to contribute

Before publishing a post on a topic, identify people who are experts on that topic and send them a message asking for their thoughts. This will show your followers that you respect their insights and value their opinions. You can simply ask them about their biggest frustration or their top tip for handling the topic.

11. Participate in LinkedIn groups

If you can be a source of valuable information, you’re more likely to increase your engagement on LinkedIn. A great way to increase your engagement on LinkedIn is to participate in LinkedIn Groups. This is a great opportunity to connect with people who share common interests or backgrounds. Find groups with your target audience and add value. Comment on other people’s posts and share valuable content. If you can be a source of valuable information, you’re more likely to increase your engagement on LinkedIn.

12. Be curious and seek feedback

If you want to have richer conversations, start by being curious and contributing relevant content. Then, reach out to someone you’d like a response from, and ask them about their background, experience, and points of view. Finally, ask them what matters most to them and what issues would be valuable to explore.

13. Ask questions in your posts

One way to get people to engage with you is to ask them questions. Another strategy is to set up a “pod” on LinkedIn. Invite people who target your customers, but who have different products and services. Agree to post and comment on each other’s posts every week. That way, their followers will see your posts and engage with you as well.

14. Optimize your business page

You can make your business page on LinkedIn more effective by making sure your content is aligned with your customer profile and segmentation. Updates to your images, content, buttons, and links will give your followers different ways to engage with your brand on LinkedIn, lay the groundwork for launching a follower campaign, and encourage followers to recommend your business.

15. Don’t be afraid to show vulnerability

If you want to better engage your followers, show vulnerability in your work and posts. Being vulnerable is key for effective leadership, and admitting that you’ve made mistakes and learned from them will make readers more interested. Keep in mind that this only works if you’re being authentic—if you’re not, people will figure it out.