So, you’re considering blogging on LinkedIn. You’re ready for your voice to be heard on critical topics affecting your industry. You want to build relationships with new connections and enrich your existing ones. To help you on the path to becoming a thought leader, here are four reasons to blog on LinkedIn, a platform that is ideal for developing business, nurturing relationships and raising your profile.
1. Free organic traffic (and analytics)
First – and maybe most compelling – blogging on LinkedIn is completely free. You don’t have to invest in a domain to get started or pay fees to maintain access. And while the analytics LinkedIn offers on blog posts (impressions, engagement, reactions) are minimal, they are also free. Publishing on LinkedIn provides access to cost-free organic traffic, too – articles published on LinkedIn are searchable through the platform and in search engines, like Google. Google also favors content from LinkedIn because of its high domain authority and is more likely to index the platform’s content faster than content from other sites.
Plus, published LinkedIn blog posts are found in one central location. This can help reduce drop off rates and increase engagement.
2. Exponential reach
If you plan to post to LinkedIn and LinkedIn alone, know that your articles have the capacity to reach countless readers outside of your own network. For instance, when you post a blog, some of your connections will see the content in their timeline. If they share it or comment on it, your article then appears in the newsfeeds of some of their connections. LinkedIn users can also view your blog posts by “following” you, meaning they don’t have to be a first degree contact or ask permission to connect. They can simply follow you and have your updates appear in their timelines.
This isn’t to say that all 500-some of your connections are checking their LinkedIn newsfeeds every hour of the day, so there’s a chance your blog won’t ever cross their screens. Still, on LinkedIn, your content has a built-in audience. LinkedIn also offers a nifty feature that allows you to alert your network with a push notification when a new blog goes out.
Helpful tip: if you’re curious whether potential clients, business partners or recruits are checking out your content, you can view any second or third level connections’ engagement with your articles in your notifications. If you notice someone reading your posts, consider reaching out to them and starting a conversation.
It’s worth mentioning that if you have an existing blog on another platform and decide to also start publishing on LinkedIn, know that Google penalizes duplicate content, so make sure the language you use on both sites is unique and varied. Further, you can leverage the reach of LinkedIn to promote your non-LinkedIn content should you wish. For those who consistently maintain a blog on another site – or vlog on YouTube or TikTok – your LinkedIn articles can include a link to a platform outside of LinkedIn. Directing engaged readers to more information about your business or other social networks you actively update can result in more reach in more places.
3. Access to two-way conversations
Publishing on LinkedIn provides an opportunity for a two-way conversation: followers can comment and respond to your articles, and you can (and should) reply back to them. You can obtain additional reach through hashtags, too, as LinkedIn users can follow not just people, but hashtags. Blogging about healthcare? Make sure to tag #healthcare to amplify your reach.
4. Credibility
Primarily used to network and nurture professional relationships, LinkedIn is an ideal site to share your thought leadership. Post regularly – and consistently – about topics that are important to you, your business, your clients and your broader network. Sharing your knowledge through thought leadership content will help you position yourself as an expert in your field and, hopefully, as someone other leaders want to work with.
Have I convinced you to check out LinkedIn’s publishing features? Do you have additional questions? Reach out to The Agency at Sikich for guidance on your LinkedIn and content marketing strategies.
