LinkedIn is an important tool for professional branding and the job search. Maintaining a relevant, active LinkedIn account is key, but with so many social media sites to keep up with, LinkedIn can feel like a burden. Luckily, LinkedIn is relatively easy to keep updated with a few tools and strategies.
Schedule Posts
In social media scheduling tools, it is easy to set up a posting schedule, add and edit posts, and re-arrange previously scheduled posts. One recommendation is Buffer, which has a simple, easy-to-understand interface. In addition, Buffer will suggest relevant posts to share based on the content you share.
After setting up an account with Buffer or another similar social media scheduling tool, setting up a few posts per week for your LinkedIn profile is simple. You can save links as you find them, adding them to your post queue, or spend 10-15 minutes once a week finding and saving articles. If you write blog posts about your industry, be sure to share them on LinkedIn as well!
Don’t forget to comment on posts by your connections and reply to any comments others make – that’s the “social” part of “social media, ” after all.
Utilize Groups
One of LinkedIn’s most valuable features is access to other professionals in your area or field. Using LinkedIn groups, it is easy to stay up-to-date on current issues facing your industry, meet other contacts, and add your voice to these discussions.
A few times a week, make an effort to check on your groups and add to any interesting discussions.
Form New Connections
Finally, one of the biggest ways to get the most out of LinkedIn is to continually form new connections. Through your groups, searches, and finding mutual contacts, reach out to new connections regularly. This will keep your profile full of fresh, relevant content and serve you well professionally.
Give yourself a goal of meeting at least one new person on LinkedIn per month – or, better yet, per week – and you will be surprised how much more interesting the platform becomes.
By growing your network, reaching out, and staying active on LinkedIn, you will soon find your profile growing and the platform itself becoming more and more useful to you.