10 (Pretty Easy) Steps to Becoming a Thought Leader on LinkedIn

​It doesn't have the beautiful visuals of Instagram or the witty snark of Twitter, but LinkedIn is a great platform on which you can be discovered by individuals, agencies, and brands looking for specific experts, also known as thought leaders.

In our case, that might be an expert in Instagram influencer marketing.

Being a thought leader in your field ​can lead to jobs, earned media placements, cool event invites, and other great opportunities.

Here's the 10 (relatively painless) steps you can take to build your credibility on LinkedIn.   

This professional headshot looks a bit different from my Instagram avi, but on LinkedIn, it's more appropriate.

1.  Think about your brand

You are a brand. All actions you take on LinkedIn should coincide with that brand. Think about how you want to be perceived.  Clever and well-liked? Innovative and adventurous? Intelligent and diligent?  Obviously you should choose qualities that reflect your own personality, and then ensure that your posts keep that same tone.

2.  Think about what topics you want to be an expert in

You must choose your niche. People don't want to hear about everything you like unless, of course, you're Oprah. Focus on a few curated topics. I promise you will not appeal to more people if you cover a broad range of topics; instead, you'll get lost because you won't stand out.  Answer the question: what am I an expert in? Stick to that.

3.  Build out your profile

You need a professionally-taken headshot of you looking at the camera.  No selfies, no dark or grainy shots, no photos of you with sunglasses on. 
  
Write a catchy headline that sums you up in a few words (120 characters).  This is your slogan for your personal brand.

Fill out your summary, experience, publication, education, etc. sections. It's not just a laundry list--try to show how each experience has made you an expert.

Proofread!  Also, have a few friends or colleagues read it and give feedback.

4.  Join targeted groups and add interests

Your areas of expertise should be apparent to anyone visiting your profile; seeing what groups you are a part of and what interests you've identified helps show that.  Joining groups also keeps you up to date on latest trends, and they are a good forum in which to be recognized for your expertise by peers.

5.  Post consistently

Post consistently. Once per day is best.  A few times a week is OK. More than two posts a day is probably too much. Less than once a week is too infrequent.

6.  Post quality

Curate your posts - post on the topics you want to be a thought leader in.  If you share articles, make your own comments on it, don’t just share them.  Any photos posted should be very high-quality.  It’s OK (and even good) to share some personal content -- but not too much, especially on LinkedIn. A personal post once in a while to give people “a peek” into your daily life is what you’re aiming for.

7.  Write articles

Thought leaders have something to say.  Write longer-form articles on experiences or advice to show your professionalism.  Try to post an article a week, or even biweekly. This gives you loads of credibility.

8.  Engage

Engage with any comments you get. Make comments on others’ posts. This helps more people to find you (and then consider you an expert).

9.  Make connections

Grow your network strategically.  Connect with other people in the industry you're in (or want to be in). Link with people at companies you admire and want to work with. Link with agencies who work with influencers.     

10.  Don’t:

• Get too political (unless your area of thought leadership is politics)
• Get too personal. Keep albums of parties, vacations or pets on Facebook.
• Get into any internet fights. Ignore negative comments or respond very professionally.
• Ask for too much from your followers.  Thought leaders are not trying to sell something; they are trying to share knowledge.
• Be too safe. You can and should have strong opinions about topics in your industry. Speak about what’s wrong, how to fix things, or where you see the future headed.

Let me know if you have any other tips, or if you've had any success with these!