During the first month of Content Strategy Hub I used LinkedIn as a huge source of self-promotion. I did this by promoting my content to industry-related groups. This lead to a lot of traffic, subscribers and even some leads…all in the first month! (Website Launch Webinar)
But promoting your content on LinkedIn can do so much more. It can give you authority.
And authority means trust, interaction and customers.
Earlier this week I published an infographic describing the power of SlideShare. This was a curation effort on my part. the infographic wasn’t even one that I created myself. It exists thanks to the efforts of the great people at Column Five Media.
But simply sharing this post provided several benefits (including authority).
Discussion
Sharing content (even if it’s not completely your own) on LinkedIn serves as an ice breaker. It gives others the opportunity to respond to you with a comment, and you can respond right back.
At the very least this gives you the chance to introduce yourself to others that are interested in the same subject area.
If you take it to the next level you can make this an opportunity to be helpful.
Best case scenario this turns into an ongoing conversation and relationship with someone in the same industry.
Above the Fold
Participating in LinkedIn discussions keeps you above the fold in two ways.
In LinkedIn groups, popular discussions get brought above the fold on the group page.
This gives you instant exposure to anyone that visits the group page. And the more members that are in the group, the more exposure you get.
Of course, in order for you to be the one getting the exposure, you need to be the one that started the discussion.
Also, the latest updates section in the sidebar of the group page gets updated with the latest comments. So the more frequently you respond in a group, the more often your face will show up in the latest updates section.
When you take advantage of these facts in a large group, there is potential for a lot of exposure.
The particular group I am talking about currently has 5,299 members!
I don’t expect that all of them will log in to see my face. But I’m sure a good amount of them will. Especially if they get email updates from the group.
Influencer status
Ok, so this may not be a permanent “influencer” status. But even temporary influencer status is great in a group that is directly related to your topic.
LinkedIn groups have a sidebar feature that shows “Top Influencers This Week.”
Starting and interacting in a popular discussion catapults you near the top of this list.
As you can see, I am second in line for the week. A few more comments on other people’s posts and I may have reached the top spot – in a group that has over 5,000 members!
Build Your Own Group
If you didn’t know, Content Strategy Hub has it’s on LinkedIn Group! Go join now 
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Exposure on LinkedIn groups can, obviously, be leveraged to make personal connections. But it can also give exposure to your own group if you run one. And running a LinkedIn group gives you an extra opportunity to communicate with others.
Your Two Cents…
Have you used LinkedIn to promote your content? Have you had any success with it?
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I haven’t actually used LinkedIN to promote my services. I do have an account, but I haven’t actually used it. However, your post does help me think about using it as a strategy to building my business. It sounds pretty interesting and I’m wondering how to used LinkedIN when I have three different aspects in my business. Great Post though! It’s an eye opener.
Hi Elmer, thanks for leaving a comment. If your have a B2B focus in your business I don’t think you’ll find a better network than LinkedIn to focus on.
All good points you made here Eugene. Linkedin groups is a tremendous way to build your visibility, credibility and gain important connections.
I enjoy educating business owners, entrepreneurs and professionals about the features of Linkedin and how they can be incorporated into their strategy business planning. So I appreciate you sharing your experience.
Thanks Lynn. I feel like LinkedIn is gaining a lot more popularity (especially after Lewis Howes released his product), but it is still very underrated in terms of effectiveness.
Hi Eugene,
Linkedin is one of those resources i have used for a long time but on a personal level. To network for jobs, part time consulting gigs etc.
I used it to network with other mom businesses when i had my sleeping mask business.
I can defenitely see the value of promoting a business to other businesses.
But i’m struggling to picture it. Do you have any case studies or examples of ways individuals are using it across different industties. i.e. not just b2b. I ask because when i scanned linkedin there seemed to be a lot of business related promotion for businesses. Could say a herbalist or someone promoting their language learning product equally benefit from linkedin. What do you think?
I have often wondered about which places are best to promote which type of business or service. like facebook is best for …. and twitter is best to promote and connect with …. etc etc.
Hmm. That’s a good question Annie. I feel like LinkedIn really has a much more b2b focus than the other social networks (or employer2employee). Facebook is obviously a good resource for any business just because of the shear number of users. But that is also why LinkedIn is more effective (there is more focus). I don’t have any case studies on hand, but if I find one I’ll be sure to let you know.