As a young entrepreneur and a LinkedIn Youth Editor, Manu “Swish” Goswami has grown his network of followers on LinkedIn to more than 69,340! A disrupter, curator, and a builder, Swish is an expert on personal branding, how to get noticed, and how to build a community based on authentic relationships and meaningful connections.
So, what’s his LinkedIn secret? Much like any social platform, he said collaboration is key to growing your network. Here are a few of his top strategies to get you started:
- Collaborate on an article or video.
Join forces with another person on LinkedIn and write an article or create a video together that you can each publish to your page. Pick a shared interest to explore or do a Q&A with each other on an area of expertise. Pro video tip: Make sure to keep it under two minutes.
- Comment on other people’s posts.
Content doesn’t have to be limited to a post! Commenting on other people’s posts are a great way to engage with existing and potential connections, plus get your profile noticed. Make sure you post quality comments though that add to the conversation.
- Tag people and/or companies in your posts.
If you write a post that is quoting someone or highlighting an organization, use the “@” sign to tag them in your post to encourage them to check it out. Likewise, if you’ve written a post that you think a few people would be specifically interested in, tag them in the post to let them know you’re thinking about them. Try to keep this to under five people though and really consider whether or not the content is truly relevant to them or if they would actually comment on it.
- Create or join a collaboration group
Many people are starting to create groups where they can share their posts to get some early engagement. Swish says he wouldn’t rely on these groups, but they’re worth having especially if you’re looking to increase your engagement on really important posts such as a company announcement.
- Be consistent.
People don’t want to follow others who only surface once every five months. If you want to build your community, you need to be there for them. This doesn’t mean you have to start creating daily content. Find what works best for you and stick to it so people know you’re here to stay.
- Consider targeting your content towards a specific audience.
It’s unlikely that your posts are going to attract everyone’s attention at first. To make the most of them, create your content with a specific target audience in mind. For instance, Swish made his early content immediately relevant to college students, posting articles on time management, procrastination, finding your passion, etc. - Attend/host a LinkedIn meetup.
I started the LinkedIn Local meetup with four other people and now it’s in over 150 cities and has people from all walks of life hosting their version of the meetups in their own city. LinkedIn meetups are a great way to meet people! If you’re interested in hosting your own, follow these steps: develop a theme for a three-hour event (usually they run 6-9 PM), find 1-2 people to co-host with you, secure a venue (promise exposure via LinkedIn to secure a lower fee), book speakers, and promote the event via Eventbrite or Picatic and push it on your own page, as well as your co-hosts.Alternatively, if there’s already a LinkedIn meetup in your city, there’s no point in competing with them. Attend their next event, meet the host, and express your interest in getting involved.
Interested in learning more about Swish and what he can bring to your next event? Email us at [email protected].
