No one will deny that social media platforms have become indispensable tools for professionals and businesses alike. LinkedIn, with its 930 million members, stands out as the main professional networking site. However, this does not necessarily make it the best platform for your specific goals.
Could you be wasting time on LinkedIn when another platform could be your golden ticket?
LinkedIn’s strengths for professionals
Since LinkedIn is designed for professional networking, job searching, and industry news, it excels in creating genuine connections that facilitate B2B marketing with one profile per person and providing a space for thought leadership through articles and posts.
It is, most notably, harder to build a following on LinkedIn of millions, such that the gauge of success considers lower numbers and greater quality engagement than we expect on platforms like TikTok and YouTube.
When LinkedIn might not be the best fit for your brand
In the following situations, I might advise against LinkedIn as your primary sales and networking platform. Do take this advice in the context of your recent success and previous data, nonetheless.
1. You're in a creative industry and create visual content
If you work in creative fields like photography, fashion, art, or design, platforms like Instagram and Pinterest might serve you better. LinkedIn is simply not built to prioritise beautifully made content.
Lean into platforms that prioritise visual content instead, allowing you to showcase your portfolio to a broader audience. While LinkedIn allows images and videos, the visual appeal and engagement level on Instagram and Pinterest are far superior for creatives.
2. You're a consumer-focused businesses
For B2C companies, LinkedIn’s professional audience may not be the ideal place to market yourself. Platforms like Facebook and TikTok allow you to reach people you're not connected with, with ease and without the trust barrier that needs to be built on LinkedIn in order to sell effectively.
Diverse user bases and advanced advertising tools found on Facebook and TikTok are more effective for reaching potential customers. Facebook’s detailed targeting options and TikTok's influencer marketing capabilities can significantly enhance consumer engagement and conversion rates, as long as you can create engaging visuals.
3. You need to offer real-time engagement and customer service
Added to the fact that people are less likely to complain on LinkedIn, a platform attached to their professional profile, is the fact that you want to serve and connect with those who do need to share their opinions with you. LinkedIn is not ideal for this as the customer tools are underdeveloped. Moreover, few clients will gravitate toward it anyway, for the above reasons.
If real-time engagement with existing customers is paramount, Twitter and Facebook excel in engagement tools like easy, open messaging. This makes them better suited to customer service and immediate interaction. It's also worth noting that Twitter’s concise format and hashtag system facilitate rapid information dissemination and engagement.
4. Primarily, you sell to younger audiences
If your target demographic skews younger, platforms like TikTok and Snapchat might be more suited to your business. These platforms are popular among Gen Z and Millennials, and offer ways to connect with people through short-form video content, a format that builds trust much faster than writing, in general.
TikTok’s algorithm promotes viral content, making it a potent tool for brands seeking to capture younger audiences’ attention, as long as you have excellent hooks and truly interesting content to offer.
Experiment with different platforms and track your results. Analytics tools can help you measure engagement, reach, and conversion rates, guiding you to the most effective platform.
If you're set on it, how to maximise LinkedIn’s potential
Even if LinkedIn isn’t your primary platform, it can still complement your broader social media strategy. And if you are keen to grow there, I'll set you up for success with what I do every day.
1. Grow on LinkedIn like a marketer: Ship, then iterate.
Post before you're ready. Use the data you collect on what works and what doesn't to build your next few posts. In short, try different formats, topics, tones, and engagement styles until you find the sweet spot between what you can enjoy to do every day, and what your audience enjoys.
2. Do not aim to impress with your seniority but your reliability.
If people know they can rely on you to protect your quality and your brand, then you're more likely to be memorable than if you lean into your experience. This is counter-intuitive because most of us use LinkedIn as a place to find jobs so our entire CV is listed there. However, selling on LinkedIn is more about trust and reliability, than your years in the industry.
I'll add, do not explicitly praise yourself. Let others do that for you in the comments! This is more endearing and provides an easy response to posts if you share positive news or a story that sheds a good light on you.
3. Expand your skills: If you can master TikTok, you will impress the LinkedIn crowd.
It doesn't have to be TikTok, it can be a totally different platform like Reddit or podcasting, but it's sound advice to learn how to present your ideas in different formats. This will provide variety in your LinkedIn content, and also allow you to test other platforms, to see where your audience is.
Don't put all your time into LinkedIn's basket.
While LinkedIn is an invaluable tool for many professionals, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. Evaluate your goals, audience, and content to identify the most effective platform for your needs.
Most importantly, strategically select where to invest your time and resources, to ensure you’re not missing out on the platform that will be your golden ticket to success.
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