Business Social: getting the best out of LinkedIn without getting into trouble!
Originally published on LinkedIn.
Are you one of those people that admire how others use social media for business purposes and also maybe cringe at how others mistake it for Facebook? Afraid to make the same mistakes or fear oversharing and falling foul of work social media policies? Are you a passive reader rather than an active contributor of the online community? If you are then I think you are missing out - but you probably need to think before you switch from "broadcast receiver" to "interactive user" mode…
Caveat - I am not saying I get this right all the time (who does?) but I was discussing this with one of my colleagues Ralph a quite while back and they said they'd love to see an article on this topic. So here goes…!
LinkedIn is about much more than just jobs
Why?
Firstly I think you need to recognise that LinkedIn and other professional social media sites are more than just looking for jobs or looking to hire people. I see professional success as a team sport - you don’t get very far on your own - and LinkedIn offers a great platform for connecting, collaborating with and learning from others. Yes it is about projecting a "personal brand" - but don't think of that as just another channel for your CV. For me it is all about connection. I've found some of the best ways to connect are to share insightful content or points of view and open up a dialogue. Some of that dialog happens off platform - in fact some of the best conversations happen in person - "that was interesting lets talk about it". This is why I don't care too much about metrics such as likes - for me it is about quality rather than quantity of interaction.
Be insightful but don't overshare
Getting the balance right between sharing something insightful and oversharing can be tricky. By this I mean if you work in tech you might want to discuss lots of detail about what and how you are building and for who. You need to think about whether this is appropriate - are there NDAs in place related to what you are doing? Or embargos about a new product you are working on? What could a competitor do with this information? I generally avoid this by abstracting what I am doing into the general themes. The advantage of doing this is it makes the content more relatable as its not as specific to your company or workplace.
It is about internal as well as external connection
On the topic of connection - unless your company has really taken to something like Workplace or Yammer or similar then actually it’s another way of connecting with an internal audience as much as an external one. Of course you need to be more careful of the content of the dialog as it’s a public platform. But I find it’s a great way of sharing external thinking industry thinking and building communities of like-minded colleagues.
Be authentic and avoiding #Humblebrag
I like the phrase "be appropriately memorable" when it comes to professional interactions. So that means be authentic, honest, insightful and yourself (and that includes being a bit whacky and showing your character) but avoid showing off.
If you want examples of how not to do this - or you want a chuckle take a look at this twitter feed: https://twitter.com/stateoflinkedin
Consider the optics of what you like, share and post
If you work for a large multi-national particularly in the services sector - there is a chance that a news story that is being shared is about a client or a supplier. Even liking a particularly sensational story could get you into hot water with the account manager for that client. Additionally for firms that do Audits you have to be even more careful with any information about audit clients - as it could be seen to be impacting the independence of the audit relationship. An example of this might be sharing something that promotes an audit companies products or services - or something that might affect their valuation. Don't over think this but do give thought to - "how would this look if a work colleague or client quoted it back at me".
Don't sweat too much about likes
If an article goes viral great - it’s a sign you've done something with broad appeal and/or done a great job explaining something clearly. But don’t let the lack of reaction to your initial posts put you off - it takes time to build an audience / following. As I mentioned earlier - many will be reading but won't actively respond (you can tell this from the view stats vs the number of interactions). As stated earlier its healthier to think of this as being about quality rather than quantity of interaction.
But I shouldn't be doing this in work time…
Of course this varies depending on your role; but in many cases if you are helping build the online brand of your company by being authentic then you are helping to promote [the culture of] your company to potential clients, partner companies and hires. If you are just using it as an excuse to avoid work then of course that’s not on; but if you are using it to stay current with industry trends and make useful connections then that is different. In the modern business world I think it is (or will become) part of most folks jobs. Especially if you are in a leadership position. Bear in mind as it’s a work related platform most other people will be using it when they are working. That said I do tend to write most of my articles (like this one) in the evening and weekends - but it depends on the article.
Think about what your profile and content says about you
You are far more likely to be found in searches if you have a photo on your profile - particularly if you have a common name! Think about your headline - does it align with why you are on the platform? Don't be surprised if you get sales or other requests that aren't what you are looking for if it isn't! Also think about your writing style - do you need to brush up on grammar? Do you need to think about how to write for the reader to make your content flow better?
Use follow as well as connect to build your network
When you come across someone sharing interesting content you can simply follow them rather than requesting a connection (as generally connections are for people you know - or will get to know). You can do this for companies as well. It can also be great way to find content you can re-share with your network.
Don't forget to review your social media policy!
As I mentioned at the start of this article - watch out for your policies. Most companies will now have a social media policy - or a social media section of an internet usage policy. Naturally make sure you read it and think about what it means! Even if the policy is pretty restrictive - unless you are working in a top secret / classified role or something then it is usually possible to operate in a way that complies. If you think the policy is draconian and needs an update find out who wrote it and maybe buy them a coffee and see if it can be tweaked to encourage the use of what has become a day to day tool for most companies! There are some companies that like to very carefully stage manage their social media presence and only certain employees are allowed to engage on social media - or be branded as thought leaders (in this case contact this team and see what the deal is). I get that for some places but generally I think it speaks volumes about company culture when anyone (with the right mindset and support) can engage online and show the true colours of an organisation.
Why not start now? Share what holds you back:
Want to get started? Share your fears or thoughts in the comments below :-) I'd love to know more about what stops people from getting more involved! Or what tips or considerations have I missed?
Thanks again to Ralph Forgeon for his help putting this article together (not only the original concept but reviewing and suggesting a follow up piece on driving engagement!) thanks Ralph!
Originally published on LinkedIn.