In Content Club, someone recently asked me if she should be creating content for LinkedIn. She believed, as many do, that her content would serve her better on her own blog, or other social media platforms.

This is a great question. Many people do spread themselves a bit too thin on social media platforms, posting everywhere, all the time. Adding LinkedIn can feel like the nail in the coffin and just another thing to do. And because it’s a professional networking site, LinkedIn can also be quite an intimidating place to begin to publish and post. Many people feel more comfortable staying on Facebook or Instagram, for example.

But LinkedIn is different than other social media platforms – not just because it’s the most professional space – but also because it’s set up to make it easy to reach out and connect with others. And that is made all the easier by publishing content.

Why You Should Be Publishing Content on LinkedIn

The model shows the two types of connecting on LinkedIn – creating content for LinkedIn and directly reaching out via LinkedIn. And that intersection between the two is the space where you can create real impact and influence. But you have to create and publish content to get there.

So, when you’re asking yourself whether or not you should publish content on LinkedIn, here are some things to consider.

It’s a massive platform with incredible reach

LinkedIn currently has over 722+ million members. Of those, 303 million are active every month, and a full 40% visit the site daily. More than a sheer number, LinkedIn is the only real social media platform that is designed specifically for connections.

While Facebook and Instagram are designed to have people ‘follow’ you, they aren’t really set up for you to reach out to others directly for connection – not in the same way LinkedIn is. This means you can really tailor your audience without necessarily paying for ads. Your target audience is already there if you’ve taken the time to connect with them.

LinkedIn is a lot like a virtual business conference. You’ve taken the time to get there, you’ve paid your entrance fee and now you’re surrounded by people who may or may not be the right ones for you. But with LinkedIn, you have the ability to walk right up to them and ask them if they’d like to connect. On the other hand, on Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms, you’d walk into the same business conference but to get the attention you’d have to get yourself a microphone and start shouting out hoping to capture the attention of the right people. Unless that is, you pay someone to point you in the right direction (just like ads).

Does your customer hang out there?

Of course, you also have to consider whether or not your customers hang out there. You don’t need to be on LinkedIn unless your customers or clients are there. In fact, you shouldn’t be wasting your time, if they aren’t.

If your customer is there, then you need to think about what you need to do to get more leads. A lot of people don’t like direct messaging potential leads, because they don’t like to receive those kinds of messages themselves. But direct messaging can work really well if done with skill and with a targeted, customised message.

What’s the purpose and outcome?

Before publishing anything on any platform, you should ask yourself what your purpose is for publishing, and what outcomes you’re trying to attain. If it’s visibility, then LinkedIn is a great platform, and ideally, you’ll want to publish every day. Not necessarily an article, but an update for your audience.

In general, updates get more visibility than articles, at least straight away. And they’re easy to pop up and share.

On the other hand, articles have longevity and can be brought forward to your audience in response to searches or when the algorithm sees that it’s something they might be interested in. So, while they might not increase your visibility as much if your purpose is to become a thought leader, publishing a monthly article is a great choice.

LinkedIn is For People You Know

Jay Baer is famous for saying, ‘LinkedIn is for people you know. Facebook is for people you used to know. Twitter is for people you want to know.’

Creating content for LinkedIn will ensure that you’re making connections with people on LinkedIn is a great way to get to know them and to create leads for your business. But publishing content is a part of that picture as well. When everything is working together well, you’ll have the ability to find your audience, grab warm leads and grow your business.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on creating (and publishing) content for LinkedIn….