LinkedIn is a great resource for building your personal brand and attracting new customers and clients to your business. Here are seven ways you can grow your LinkedIn audience in 2023.
[Read more: How to Build a Great LinkedIn Profile as an Entrepreneur]
Optimize your LinkedIn page
Before you begin posting on LinkedIn, you should start by optimizing your page to ensure you’re attracting the right people. Choose a profile picture and background photo that will stand out and grab people’s attention.
You also want to edit your headline, summary, and skills so they create a compelling picture of what you do and how you bring value. Utilizing relevant hashtags will make it easier for the right people to find your profile.
Start connecting with people you know
If you’re new to LinkedIn, start by connecting with people you know first. Look for family members, friends, and current and former colleagues you can connect with.
Once you have more than 500 connections, your profile will look more legitimate. Plus, as your network continues to grow, LinkedIn will be able to recommend new people for you to connect with.
Give endorsements and write recommendations
One of the perks of using LinkedIn is that other people can endorse your skills and leave you recommendations. But how do you get other people to do this? Start by looking for opportunities to endorse other people’s skills and leave them positive recommendations.
Every time you leave someone a thoughtful recommendation, that person’s connections and followers can see your comment on their profile along with a direct link to your LinkedIn page. And many people will be happy to return the favor, though you shouldn’t expect it.
Make it a goal to spend time every day leaving thoughtful comments on posts you find interesting.
Turn on creator mode
Creator mode is a profile setting on LinkedIn that’s designed to help you grow your reach and influence. Once you turn it on, you’ll have access to additional tools and features to help you create content for your LinkedIn audience.
Once you’ve turned on creator mode, if someone sends you a connection request, they’ll automatically follow you, and they’ll continue to follow you even if you deny their request (unless they manually unfollow you). You’re also eligible to be featured as a suggested creator to follow, which will help more people discover you.
[Read more: How to Livestream on LinkedIn]
Respond to comments
The best way to grow your LinkedIn following is by engaging with people on the platform. People want to engage with like-minded professionals on LinkedIn — you can encourage this by asking questions and responding to comments. Plus, the more comments there are on your posts, the more visible they will be in the newsfeed.
But engagement is a two-way street, so you also need to read and comment on other people’s posts. Make it a goal to spend time every day leaving thoughtful comments on posts you find interesting.
Join LinkedIn groups
Joining LinkedIn groups is another good way to connect with the right people. When you regularly show up in groups and provide value, you increase the odds that some of those people will want to follow you. You can also consider starting your own group and inviting members to join.
[Read more: 10 LinkedIn Groups for Entrepreneurs]
Promote your LinkedIn profile
Finally, a simple way to grow your LinkedIn audience is by sharing a link to your profile in your email signature. You can also promote your profile on your website, blog, and any other social media profiles you have. Including a direct link will make it easier for people to connect with you.
If you have the budget, you can also run LinkedIn ads to promote your profile to generate more leads and build brand awareness. LinkedIn ads are helpful because they can help you reach people in a specific industry and improve your conversion rates.
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