How to Rocketship Your Career with LinkedIn
Although LinkedIn might not feel like the ideal platform for creative professionals, a little strategy can help you advance your career and realize your professional goals. Leveling up your profile and using contacts and conversations to express yourself and showcase your awesomeness is a powerful way to grow your network, attract new opportunities, and elevate your professional brand.
Tackling any social media platform and making it your own is not for the faint of heart. It takes time and nurturing. After 25 years of advising creatives about how to make LinkedIn work for them, I've honed my approach to five bold, brave, and effective steps to own LinkedIn.
Step 1: Follow LinkedIn’s Recommended Profiles
LinkedIn suggests profiles based on your interests and activities. Are you ignoring them? My advice is, "Don't." Paying attention to them can help you find new ways to grow your network with like-minded people.
Of course, you want to follow only some of what LinkedIn's bot suggests. Instead, take a strategic approach to make its algorithm work for you by:
Assessing activity: Click around to see if the suggested contacts are active. Are they regularly posting, commenting, or sharing other people's content? You want to be where the action is. Follow other people who are staying on top of trends and have opinions. Beware of people who are too controversial.
Drop a standout comment: Skip the “Nice post!” and drop a comment that says something memorable. Share an opinion. Find something in the post to agree with or ask a follow-up question. Commenting is a way to be in the conversation and show your expertise on timely topics. Caution: don't ask ChatGPT to write a response for you.
Step 2: Connect with Like-Minded Marketing Creatives
To build a valuable LinkedIn network, you'll need to connect with people in ways that are meaningful to them.
Here are some ways to make better connections and grow an engaging network that adds value:
Find your tribe: When you read a post, pay attention to who else is commenting and engaging with the posts. Look at their profiles and assess their viability for being in your network. When you offer to connect with them, mention the comment that caught your attention, and they will be more likely to accept your connection request.
Expand your perspective: Connecting with people with different insights and ideas is an incredible way to stay informed and inspired and to grow your network further. You'll need to find the balance between connecting with people with different ideas and approaches than you and those who are controversial. I advise, "Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone."
“The most valuable networks are built on shared values and interests—not just job titles.”
Step 3: Personalize Your Connection Requests
The increase in the amount of content generated by AI bots and the number of people working in solitude from home has created a hunger for personal connection. Companies hosting more in-person events and people responding to human storytelling on social media platforms are filling this need. Jump on this trend by making your posts relatable and crafting simple, genuine connection requests.
Here are some tips for making a memorable first impression:
Keep it mutual: Introduce yourself, mention a shared interest, and keep it brief. Don’t make the message about you—make it about the connection. Later, if you're asking for an introduction to someone in their network or another favor, be sure to offer your help. In fact, don't wait until you need something. Offer to help your new connections in any way you can
Throw in a compliment: A specific compliment shows you paid attention. Talking about a post or comment, they wrote goes a long way toward building rapport and showing your connections that you value them.
“It’s not about sending the most requests; it’s about sending the best ones.”
4. Follow and Engage with Target Companies
We all have dream companies—those organizations where our friends have worked, or we've seen their marketing materials and wished we were a part of their team, or just places that have built good reputations as the best places to work. If you have a dream company or two, find them on LinkedIn and start engaging. You will already be on their radar when it's time to hire.
Here are some tips on how to follow them and engage thoughtfully with your dream companies:
Stay in the Loop: Follow company pages on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on their latest news, product launches, and industry insights. Engage thoughtfully by commenting positively or sharing their posts. Find individuals you might be working with at the company if you join their team and connect with them.
Engage with Employees: When looking for people at your dream company, look outside your department and seek out people who post about their company. These folks are often more engaged in the culture and influential within the organization. Build rapport by interacting with these posts; when it’s time to reach out, you’ll already be a familiar face.
Consistency is Key: Don’t just engage once; make it a regular routine without becoming spammy. Check in every two weeks to see what's new and comment appropriately. Familiarity leads to trust, and trust opens doors.
Step 5: Create a monthly LinkedIn action plan
Want LinkedIn to start working for you instead of against you? Add these to your monthly to-do list:
Upgrade Your Banner: Ditch the default and slap up a bold, branded image. Your profile will stand out in seconds.
Feature Career Highlights: Showcase your best achievements in the “Featured” section. Profiles with highlights get 3 times more views.
Track Your Growth: Thoughtful engagement isn’t just for show. It’s how you keep your network alive and opportunities flowing.
Jump into the conversation on LinkedIn with me and get Keva Dine's LinkedIn Connection Tips 2024
Take LinkedIn to the Next Level
Feeling stuck in the LinkedIn maze? Let’s fix that. With KDA LinkedIn Tune-Ups, we’ll:
Optimize Your Profile: Targeted keywords, a killer summary, and visuals that scream “hire me.”
Build a Connection Strategy: No random invites—just meaningful connections.
Create a Custom Engagement Plan: Thoughtful comments, strategic posts, and curated connections that get you noticed.
Get a LinkedIn Tune-Up by Team Keva Dine Agency! With my help, LinkedIn won’t just be another platform you dread opening—it’ll be the career powerhouse you didn’t know you needed. Let’s make it happen.