How active on LinkedIn are you? The active you are, the more you offer to your network.
Keeping your LinkedIn profile active is a lot like owning a baseball glove. And keeping it worn-in and ready to use. Or any piece of sports gear, for that matter.
When I was growing up playing baseball, my dad always told me to oil up my glove and use it every day. Otherwise, it would get stiff and make it hard to catch fly balls and grounders. Catching these balls and grounders would be critical in a game to maintain my teammates’ favor and friendship! Contributing at the right level. Little did I know my dad was teaching me a LinkedIn lesson in the 1970s!
An active LinkedIn profile is like that glove. If you don’t keep it active, then you will not be regularly connecting with your network and, therefore, might fall out of favor of your constituency!
Here are five easy ways to keep your LinkedIn profile “oiled” up to you can catch all your opportunities!
5 Steps to Stay Active on LinkedIn
1. Post a daily update on your LinkedIn profile
Update your LinkedIn status at least once daily, at the beginning of the day and another at the end of the day. Onalytica reports influencers who post between 10-30 a month get the most engagement per post. And, in my book, engagement is a proxy for posting relevant messaging!
If it sounds like this, scheduling and updating is a lot of work, it’s not. Use a tool like HootSuite to schedule your twice-daily updates. Source these posts from relevant publications that support your expertise. This tool makes it easier to plan your communication strategy from the comfort of your couch! No. Two daily updates are not too much. No one has EVER complained about my volume of updates! Just add value to the bigger conversation.
2. Participate in 3-5 relevant LinkedIn Groups 2-3 times a week
LinkedIn reports hosting over 2 million groups. However, you can only join 50 of them. Even with 50 groups to join, you will never engage in all of them. So, pick the most relevant ones and maintain a contributing and consultative presence. Your contribution formula should be ten consultative posts for every 1 “sales-ish” post. Participating in 3-5 LinkedIn groups can get hectic, too. You don’t have to log into LinkedIn every time you check on a group since you can use Flipboard and HootSuite to check the activity.
An active LinkedIn profile is like that old baseball glove. If you don’t keep it active, then you will not be regularly connecting with your network.
Gerry Moran
3. Own the conversation in one key LinkedIn group
It’s easy to commit to being an expert, thought leader, or active participant in one group. Hopefully, one that is thriving and full of other great contacts. And potential business. Active participation in a group like this will increase the likelihood of a growing LinkedIn network. And we all know that a bigger relevant network is a better network!
4. Refresh your LinkedIn profile’s headline, summary, and job experience quarterly
LinkedIn reports that a complete profile increases your chances of being found by 40%. So, if yours is not done, then get that part finished today. LinkedIn is keyword driven. So running your profile like a PPC campaign will help you get found and make you more relevant when located. Use keywords when refreshing your high-profile LinkedIn profile. Rethink everything. Using words that are being searched for today. Instead of how others searched them last year or last quarter.
5. Like, comment, and share your network’s updates daily to stay active on LinkedIn
By regularly engaging with your network’s updates, you demonstrate that you are an active and invested community member. Like a news update, share an interesting post or comment on someone’s new promotion! This activity is visible by your network and your contact’s secondary network. Being active with your community will open you up to endless connections and possibilities!
3 More Ways to Be Active on LinkedIn
- 9 Ways to Measure Your LinkedIn Networking Success on LinkedIn
- 5 Ways to Get Your LinkedIn Invites to Work Harder
- 10 Rolling Stones Songs to Inspire Social Media Strategy
Do you have another way that you use to keep your LinkedIn profile vibrant and relevant? If so, please share below. Or, contact me at [email protected].
Keeping an active and alive LinkedIn profile is much easier than keeping a glove in a ready-to-catch fly ball state! It’s a lot more comfortable, too. My dad used to make me put my glove under my mattress and sleep on it to help keep it broken in! Here’s to you catching more LinkedIn opportunities with an active network!
NOTE: This post originally appeared on October 19, 2019 as 5 Ways to Keep Your LinkedIn Profile Active and Relevant. It was updated on February 7. 2021.
