Stefanie Marrone advises law firms of all sizes, professional service firms, B2C and B2B companies, professional associations and individuals on the full range of marketing and business development consulting services designed to enhance revenue, retain current clients, attract new clients and achieve greater brand recognition and market share. Stefanie has worked with a broad range of law firms of all sizes over her nearly 20-year legal marketing career from Big Law, to mid-size firms, to boutique firms to solo practitioners. She also works with accounting firms,…

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Mastering the LinkedIn Algorithm: A Guide to Amplifying Your Content

Wednesday, September 13, 2023

LinkedIn is no longer just an online portal for job seekers; it’s a hub for professionals to connect, collaborate and share their expertise. But how do you ensure your content shines bright amidst the competition? In this article, I’ll explore the intricacies of the LinkedIn algorithm and how to use it to your advantage to achieve maximum visibility for your posts.The Essence of LinkedIn

While many misconstrue LinkedIn as merely a job board, it’s far more than that. It’s a networking powerhouse where professionals find contacts, expand their brands and share their business stories.

While other social platforms may have seen stagnant growth, LinkedIn continues to flourish. It has evolved, transitioning from being a repository of corporate content to a platform where users confidently share personal tales and insights.

The power of LinkedIn lies in its trustworthiness. Most content is anchored with credible data, making it a reliable source of information.Common Pitfalls on LinkedIn

Why aren’t all LinkedIn aficionados thriving entrepreneurs? Let’s explore some frequent missteps:Generalizing Social Media Strategy: LinkedIn isn’t Facebook or Instagram. Its algorithm is unique, prioritizing relationship-building over corporate broadcasts. Your content should resonate, be genuine and human-centric.Misaligned Goals: Chase brand awareness, not just leads. Given that a meager 2% of LinkedIn posts are from organic company content, it’s pivotal to prioritize awareness, letting the sales team follow up.

Demystifying the LinkedIn Algorithm

LinkedIn’s emphasis is on the quality of interactions, not just volume. The user base comprises:Power users: Those who post at least monthly but often much more than that.Content creators: Individuals who post at least once quarterly.Content ambassadors: Active engagers but passive posters.The silent community: Passive consumers of content.

The silent users on LinkedIn are the vast majority. They scroll through the feed and consume your content, but choose not to interact with it. It takes long-term, consistent posting to convert them into active leads or followers.

The algorithm weighs factors like dwell time, initial post engagement and user behavior, both positive and negative. While dwell time gauges user engagement duration, early post performance analyzes initial reception to decide broader visibility.

LinkedIn also factors in negative engagement indicators to enhance its data analysis. These are signals that people are choosing to ignore or navigate away from your content such as pausing a video, unfollowing you or untagging themselves from a post. These will all downgrade your post and negatively affect the visibility of your content.

Dwell Time

Dwell time is a vital measure on LinkedIn. It gauges the duration a user dedicates to viewing your content or the amount of time it remains visible on their screen. Do they pause their scrolling? Do they fully engage with a post or view an entire video?

LinkedIn’s design is inherently geared towards maximizing dwell time. As an illustration, LinkedIn initially displays just the beginning lines of a post, followed by a “See More” link. This approach is specifically tailored to gather relevant data from the passive users for its algorithm.

To enhance your LinkedIn performance, focus on crafting posts that encourage extended dwell time. Endeavor to compose more extended posts that span at least eight lines. Incorporating additional lines and spaces in your content can further amplify this effect.Initial Post Performance

Upon clicking “Publish” on a LinkedIn post, the content isn’t broadcasted to a random audience. The LinkedIn algorithm employs a distinct method to evaluate its efficacy and prospective dissemination.

During the initial 60-90 minutes post-publication, LinkedIn scrutinizes your newly shared post among the core members of your network, roughly equivalent to 7% of your entire followers. These individuals are those who consistently engage with and appreciate your most outstanding content.

If this central group of users positively engages with your content, the algorithm broadens its reach. Conversely, if they display a lack of interest, the content’s visibility diminishes.Use of Links in Posts

One pivotal factor in your LinkedIn success is the management of links. External links in your posts could stifle your reach by up to 50%. To navigate this:Share links only if they’re paramount to conversions.Otherwise, add links in the comments of your post, guiding users there.

Exercise caution when incorporating a call to action in LinkedIn posts. A few months back, LinkedIn indicated that posts explicitly soliciting engagement would be adversely affected by its algorithm. Requesting shares, likes, or prompting users to comment specific phrases could lead to diminished visibility of your post in the feed.

Personal vs. Company Profiles

While the algorithm behaves similarly across profiles, personal ones have an advantage. Immediate responses to comments can amplify your content’s reach. Engaging with others’ content can also bolster your profile’s visibility.

For company pages, the approach leans towards consistency and quality, as immediate engagement might not be as impactful.Six Highly Effective Content Types for LinkedInPersonal Narratives: Tales told from personal experiences resonate deeply on LinkedIn. Audiences appreciate authentic insights into a brand’s evolution and its driving forces.Expert Opinions: Disseminating expert knowledge helps cement your position as a thought leader. While these posts might primarily captivate the less vocal LinkedIn members, consistent quality will ultimately lead to tangible results.Event Spotlights: Share your participation in events – whether you’re a guest, host or speaker. Providing updates pre-event, live and post-event can elevate your content’s interaction, especially with other event attendees.User Contributions: While user-generated content (UGC) is often associated with B2C sectors on platforms like Instagram, it’s invaluable everywhere. Celebrate your brand by showcasing client success stories, testimonials and interviews.Curated Insights: Not every post requires original content. Positioning yourself as a content aggregator helps fortify your authority. However, personal profiles are better suited for this than business pages to avoid unintentionally promoting competitors.Celebrating Your Team: Highlighting your team’s achievements and perspectives is pivotal. It not only provides a human touch to your brand but also underlines your company ethos. As a recruitment strategy in a tight job market, spotlighting satisfied and involved employees gives businesses an edge.

In Conclusion

Understanding the LinkedIn algorithm isn’t about exploiting loopholes; it’s about fostering genuine connections and sharing valuable content. Align your actions with this philosophy, and you’ll amplify your presence on this dynamic platform.Crafting LinkedIn-Friendly Content

Here’s a roadmap to create content preferred by the LinkedIn algorithm.Narratives: Share your brand’s story or personal journey.Expert Insights: Build your reputation with insightful posts. Though engagement might be subtle, consistency will yield results.Events: Chronicle events at which you’re speaking, attending and/or sponsoring, leveraging the collective engagement.User Contributions: Use testimonials, case studies, success stories and the like.Third-Party Content: Occasionally, curate and share high-quality content relevant to your audience.Employee Engagement: Promote posts from your employees, showcasing company culture.

Copyright © 2023, Stefanie M. Marrone. All Rights Reserved.National Law Review, Volume XIII, Number 256

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3 Important New Tips for Networking on LinkedIn

While the LinkedIn platform is a great way to build your online presence, market your skills and learn from others (in the military or civilian sector), there’s more to it than just setting up a profile and expecting opportunities to flood toward you. LinkedIn — the premiere business-related social network — is changing the way we interact and network on the platform, giving priority and importance to valuable and engaging conversations between users. These insights will assist you in networking successfully on LinkedIn. 1. The New Way to Network: Meaningful Comments

Although sending connection requests is still the primary way of building your network on LinkedIn, experts recommend spending about 15 minutes a day commenting on other people’s posts. 

The reasoning behind this strategy is that by adding meaningful comments to other people’s posts, you engage in a conversation with the author of the post, along with others in their network — bringing together people with similar interests and opening the possibility of generating new connections.

For example, if I’m following a thought leader in my industry, and they post about a topic that’s related to my profession, I can add a meaningful comment to their post — showing my skills and knowledge — and contribute to the conversation. From my comment, most likely the author of the post will reply, and some of their followers might, too. This gives me more visibility and reach, and can start an engaging conversation.

Then, I can see who engaged with my comment, and if I spot someone I’d be interested in networking with, I can follow up with a connection request and a personalized message. One response to a comment on a post can be a great conversation starter when making a new connection.

Start this as an intentional habit to nurture and create new quality relationships.2. Always Personalize Connection Requests

LinkedIn is not Facebook, where you invite someone to connect with you and then you’re both “friends.” LinkedIn is a tool to socialize, network and engage with other professionals. 

When you log in to your LinkedIn account at the top of your home feed, you’ll see a section called My Network. In this section, you’ll see recommendations of other professionals you might know, or you might want to connect with. When you see someone with whom you would like to network, and you don’t personally know them yet, make sure you include a personalized message with your request.

LinkedIn research shows that sending a personalized message increases your response rate by 30%.

Think about it this way: You wouldn’t go to a networking event and ask somebody if they want to be in your network before properly introducing yourself and letting them know why you think you will both have a beneficial networking relationship. Then why would it be OK to do this online? Online or in person, we are humans. And humans connect with other humans. Add a personalized message, mentioning why you’d like to connect and introduce yourself. For example:Do you share common work experience and want to learn about their career?Did you serve in the same branch, deploy to the same area or work the same type of job in the military?Do you see a potential business collaboration or opportunity?

3. Don’t Initially Ask for Favors or Endorsements

Just because someone accepted your connection request doesn’t mean you are lifelong friends. First, you’ll need to establish a win-win relationship. 

Nurture your networking relationships by offering value to them. Share articles or interviews that might be interesting to them, offer a recommendation on LinkedIn if you know the person or make an introduction to another professional, etc., before asking if they can refer you or for other favors. 

LinkedIn is a powerful, fun and informative tool for your career toolkit. Use it right, and opportunities will flow.

The author of “Success After Service: How to Take Control of Your Job Search and Career After Military Duty” (2020) and “Your Next Mission: A personal branding guide for the military-to-civilian transition” (2014), Lida Citroën is a keynote speaker and presenter, executive coach, popular TEDx speaker and instructor of multiple courses on LinkedIn Learning. She regularly presents workshops on personal branding, executive presence, leadership communication and reputation risk management.

A contributing writer for Military.com, Lida is a passionate supporter of the military, volunteering her time to help veterans transition to civilian careers and assist employers who seek to hire military talent. She regularly speaks at conferences, corporate meetings and events focused on military transition.Want to Know More About Veteran Jobs?

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