8 Key Insights I Wish I Knew When Building My LinkedIn Presence
In the competitive world of LinkedIn, leveraging expert advice can make all the difference. This article compiles essential tips and strategies from industry leaders to help you build a robust LinkedIn presence. Discover the key insights that will transform your networking and engagement efforts.
- Document Problem-Solving Process
- Start Building Your Presence Sooner
- Prioritize Engagement From Day One
- Collaborate With Other Members
- Just Start and Be Consistent
- Focus on Authentic Engagement
- Engage With Your Network
- Express Yourself Fully
Document Problem-Solving Process
My advice would be to stop creating general business content hoping someone notices. Instead, document exactly how you solve specific problems.
I spent my first year on LinkedIn sharing broad tips and motivational quotes when I should have been showing decision-makers precisely how I help companies achieve results.
Here's what works that helped me grow to over 28,000 followers: Share real examples of problems you've solved, break down your actual process, and demonstrate your proven approach.
When you show people how you think and work, rather than tell them you're an expert, they naturally see your value.
Start Building Your Presence Sooner
The biggest piece of advice I would have given my past self, as well as what I would have done differently, would be simple. I would have started sooner. I joined LinkedIn in 2008, and did virtually nothing for 12 years. I accepted connection requests but rarely initiated them, and I never posted content or engaged with others.
Fast forward to 2020, in the heart of the pandemic. I had lost my job (with an organization that I had been with for over 11 years), and had lost a huge piece of my sense of self along with it. I turned to LinkedIn as there was no way to network in person. I became instantly enamored with what I found - a platform that was more professional but no less social than the others. People were genuinely interested in helping one another, and in sharing insights both professional and personal.
I soon found myself looking forward to spending time on there. I began commenting on people’s posts, and having conversations. I swallowed my fear, and shared my own first post.
Today, I am a LinkedIn Top Voice, and I teach others to build their brand, find their voice, and build community on the platform. My aim is to pay forward all of the gifts that LinkedIn gave to me and teach others how to reach their goals there, as a job seeker, business owner, or wherever they are in their lives.
There is simply no better avenue for networking, knowledge sharing, and building community. It is a platform of generosity and opportunity. LinkedIn has given me an entire new career, and an entire community of people who I look forward to spending time with, both virtually and in real life when possible.
My advice? Start leveraging the opportunity now. You will be glad that you did.
Prioritize Engagement From Day One
With an audience size of 54,000 followers on LinkedIn, if I were to start again, I would prioritize 'engagement' on the platform from Day 01. It is the best growth hack to build your reputation and expand your network.
If I could offer advice to my past self, it would be to identify active profiles in my industry: those consistently posting valuable content and receiving significant engagement. Create a list of these profiles and make it a habit to engage thoughtfully in their comment sections.
This strategy not only helps you build rapport with industry leaders but also makes you visible to their audience-an already active and interested network. By consistently contributing insightful comments, you can attract profile traffic from their followers and redirect it your way.
Engagement is more than interaction; it's a deliberate effort to position yourself as a valuable voice within your community. Start early, stay consistent, and watch your influence grow.
Collaborate With Other Members
Having a great profile with valuable information is key on LinkedIn, but building influence comes from engaging meaningfully with others.
I have always networked on the platform, but knowing what I know now, I would have sought to collaborate with other LinkedIn members and would have spent more time commenting on posts from other professionals in my industry, asking questions, and sparking dialogue with my network.
Networking on LinkedIn is easier when we intentionally and mindfully spend time engaging in valuable conversations.
Just Start and Be Consistent
If I could give advice to my past self when building my LinkedIn presence, it would be: don't wait for perfection, just start and be consistent.
- Post Regularly: In the beginning, I hesitated, thinking every post needed to be perfect. But sometimes the most authentic, spontaneous pieces stand out. Don't overthink it!
- Show Personality: I focused too much on being professional rather than sharing my story. People connect with people, not just resumes. Be yourself and share your experiences.
- Engage: It's not just about posting, it's about engaging. Commenting on others' posts, sharing insights, and being part of the conversation helps build relationships.
- Quality over Quantity: I would've posted fewer, but more thoughtful updates, reflecting my expertise and interests, rather than posting just to be seen.
Focus on Authentic Engagement
If I could go back, the best piece of advice I would give my past self is to focus on authentic engagement early on. In the beginning, I was too focused on trying to build a large network, but what truly made a difference was engaging meaningfully with the right people. I should have taken more time to connect with individuals who shared common goals and values, rather than just trying to grow numbers.
By building deeper relationships through thoughtful comments, sharing insights, and being genuinely interested in others' work, I would have created a more loyal and engaged network from the start. Looking back, I realize that quality connections matter more than quantity, and if I had focused on nurturing relationships early, my LinkedIn presence would have been even more impactful and beneficial.
Engage With Your Network
The one piece of advice I would give my past self when first building my LinkedIn presence is to focus more on consistency and engagement rather than just creating content. While it's important to post regularly, engaging with others' posts, commenting thoughtfully, and building relationships with your network can create a stronger, more authentic presence. I would have also made sure to personalize connection requests more often and participate in relevant groups to build a more engaged, targeted network from the start. This approach helps grow a more meaningful, long-lasting presence on the platform.
Express Yourself Fully
When I first started out, I was reticent to fully express myself, to perfect my brand, with my differentiators, and my credo morphed into "why I do what I do." I learned that being in a constant state of changing, that my readers were themselves changing too, and were thirsty for my views on best practices to use LinkedIn well, especially if it was not delivering the ROI they expected.
My collected viewpoints became a weekly/daily blog, now over 2,750 posts in total, which is my voice to the global business community: how to be your very best and impress others who are referred to you to make them want to know more about how you can help them.
Another lesson I have learned: at first I did not encourage commentary on my posts, not seeing my ideas as useful enough, but with time, I found I was thinking ahead of my colleagues in my areas of expertise, now I openly engage in conversation around my posts with a global readership, teaching others at the same time as I continually develop from my experiences, which they can interpret to their own personal branding.
Win-win for all.
