LinkedIn may be one of the oldest business platforms, but it operates with a youthful enthusiasm, constantly upgrading its core service and embracing new and exciting ways for its over 400 million world-wide subscribers to network and stay informed. In 2014, the popular platform announced members could begin to use its publishing platform, LinkedIn Pulse, a move many marketers cheered. With 100 million unique visitors doing a monthly check-in, it’s a powerful way to have your message seen and heard.
For those who haven’t yet dived in, Hubspot recently released their beginner’s guide to publishing on LinkedIn. Here are a few of the highlights:
- Take a Look Around
LinkedIn likes to define itself as the "working world in one place." One of the most important points to understand about publishing on Pulse is that the platform is distinctly different from your everyday blog posts. The overall orientation, the audience, and the tone are all unique to LinkedIn. Those hundreds of millions who make up its audience are valuable, but you want to zero in on those who fit your brand’s niche. As in most things, if you try to be everything to everyone, your message will be diluted and get lost in the crowd. - Write What You Know
LinkedIn offers some great tips for successful Pulse publishing:
- Tap into your top areas of expertise.
- Write with an authentic voice and keep your writing focused.
- Keep your posts professional and respectful, but express your opinion.
- The best received posts are more than 3 paragraphs long.
- Posts with pictures, videos and documents help showcase your experience.
- Best Dates and Times
Pay close attention to when you publish. Remember that LinkedIn is geared towards business professionals, so it’s best if your publishing schedule aligns with the platform’s usage patterns. Imagine you’re in your reader’s shoes. Monday mornings may be too hectic for involved reading, and Friday afternoons find most people planning their weekends. Keep your time zone in mind and track the analytics of your posts. From there you’ll be able to gauge your best publishing times.
LinkedIn Pulse offers a powerful opportunity to reach your target market as well as generate promising new leads. It not only gives you greater exposure to your current network, each like and share on LinkedIn and other social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter increases your exposure that much more. Stay focused on informing, entertaining and even inspiring others - because when you keep the spotlight on your audience they reward you by making sure your content gets seen, read and shared. And that’s what Pulse is all about.
