Using LinkedIn requires the consumption of time. And, we all know that time is money. It does not however have to overwhelm you.
The best way to get meaningful value from your investment into LinkedIn is to commit time every day using this Business tool.
I developed a LinkedIn Weekly Activity Template for those who only want to invest time on a weekly basis.
Years ago @ACJandler shared ideas for weekly LinkedIn activities. Adrienne (Ade) suggested spending at least 15 minutes a day on LinkedIn, connecting, posting relevant content, participating in discussions, and doing research can create value for any individual and their relevant business. I fully agree with Ade that routine use of LinkedIn as a business tool is how we create real success using this tool.
If we use this recommendation, what do 15 minutes a day cost us individually or as an organization? Is this LinkedIn Investment worthwhile? Can the investment create meaningful results?
I adjusted Ade’s sample schedule some based on the new LinkedIn User Interface & features. Here is my 2017 LinkedIn Investment Template:
LinkedIn Investment Template
Monday (15 Minutes)
- Review your Feed – Don’t spend too much time here, however, look at your network’s activity.
- Comment on posts that are relevant to who you are and what you do (a little bit of what you like in general as well).
- Share posts that are clearly relevant to who you are and what you do.
- Make a few new connections – look over the People you may Know Page.
- Connect with new prospects/clients that you have new business cards.
- Do some research on your target list of companies, markets, industries, individuals.
Tuesday (15 Minutes)
- Review Group Activity in your top 2-3 LinkedIn Groups.
- Comment on a discussion in one of your LinkedIn Groups.
- Start a relevant discussion on a LinkedIn Group.
- Say hello to a few members that may be relevant to what you do or who have shared new content.
- Accept new LinkedIn invites and say hello to these new connections.
Wednesday (15 Minutes)
- Request focused recommendations.
- Endorse a few LinkedIn connections where you can.
- Make a LinkedIn Status update publicly thanking your network for engaging with you, where you can.
- Share links to books or other website articles that are relevant to who you are and what you do.
- Review the Who Has Viewed your Profile Page.
Thursday (15 Minutes)
- Give Recommendations (requested or not).
- Ask more professional connections to connect on LinkedIn (Search your client and partner LinkedIn company Pages for people you know).
- Invite friends to lunch thru LinkedIn – be specific and focused on members you need to build your relationship with.
- Send private messages to direct contacts and group contacts and engage in relevant conversations.
- Introduce your friends to others on LinkedIn – This is a powerful give feature. (FYI – I often include the LinkedIn Public Profile URL in my emails to my contacts when introducing them to other contacts who are on LinkedIn.)
Friday (15 Minutes)
- Peruse New Connections and reach out to those you have not said hello to yet.
- Check out competitor LinkedIn Company Pages and Individual Profiles.
- Learn something new about your primary LinkedIn connections.
- Build a list of companies, industries, markets, etc for your Monday research.
- Read a few of my Articles on LinkedIn.
- Write a new LinkedIn article or your own.
Be deliberate about your LinkedIn Investment
I recommend that you use this template for your LinkedIn Professional Investment. Adjust it to fit your specific needs and stick to it. Only adjust it to get more value.
If you want help putting together your LinkedIn Investment Plan or help Mastering LinkedIn as a Business Tool, let’s talk.
info@BurrissConsulting.com or 336-283-6121