How do you get engagement on your LinkedIn posts?
First, what is “engagement” on LinkedIn? It’s likes and comments, but mostly comments, because likes, while valuable, pale in comparison to the value of comments.
I’ve been seeing a lot of LinkedIn posts lately that are getting zero engagement, and analyzing why that is. Here are a few of my findings:
1. They don’t ask a question.
If you want comments, ask a question at the beginning of your post, and ask the same question at the end. Yeah, notice how I did that above?
2. They don’t invite discussion.
Reading a lot of these posts, my response is “Ok, so what?” Even if I want to comment on the post, I can’t figure out what to say beyond “Great post!” I want to have meaningful discussions but many posts make that difficult.
3. The author doesn’t know his/her audience.
Because they don’t know their audience, these authors miss using triggers that would get the audience to respond.
Maybe, like Jacob Forbis, a video marketer, you’re thinking, “How would I learn what good triggers are to get my audience to respond? I try to look and see what they are commenting on – but a lot of it is stuff that seems hard to replicate.”
When Jacob asked this question, here was my response:
If I asked you which small business customer is more ideal, one who wants to grow and market her business and is looking around for ideas, vs. one who already thinks video might be a solution, can I assume you’d rather talk to the one that’s already considering video, perhaps has even already tried it, but recognizes the need for expert help? If that’s the case, what are the key frustrations small business owners have when they start trying to do video? What questions do you get from owners about how to use video for marketing? I know for myself the frustrations are:
- time
- money
- not knowing exactly what I should do
- trying to edit myself and realizing this is not where I want to spend my time
- fear of being on camera
I’m sure you could add a few things to that list.
If you start listing of the key frustrations and questions your ideal audience has, how many can you come up with? Could you create a video addressing each one? Can you make it obvious, right at the beginning, that your tips are for small business owners who want to use video to grow?
Your audience has questions, you have answers. Answer their questions, and you’ll find their triggers.
4. The author doesn’t appear willing to listen.
Asking a question helps to show you want to listen, and also shows you’re open-minded with your tone. Sometimes demonstrating uncertainty can be a great tactic, using phrases like “it seems” or “it appears” or “sometimes” rather than making definitive statements 100% of the time.
5. When readers engage, the author doesn’t.
If you want more comments, respond to comments on your posts. When someone comments, this is a golden opportunity. Your reader has bestowed upon you not only the gift of a comment on your post, but the opportunity to add one more yourself, and then perhaps they’ll respond again, and you can respond again, and soon you have 20 additional comments you wouldn’t have had. Aside from the learning and relationship building that comes from such a discussion, this is pure gold for attracting attention on LinkedIn.
What have you found works for you?
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