Starting out on LinkedIn can be a daunting task. You know your clients are on LinkedIn and you also know you have a great service to offer. However, you’re struggling to work out how you’re going to get your voice heard above all of your competitors.
Working with entrepreneurs and small business owners who don’t have a presence on LinkedIn, I am well aware of how important it is to be able to position yourself as an expert in your industry.
I’d like to share with you 4 ways that you can position yourself as an industry expert when you’re starting out on LinkedIn without having thousands of followers.
1. Establish your authority in your posts
People scrolling through LinkedIn are looking for information that will help them. Deep in their minds, they’re thinking ‘what’s in it for me?’, ‘how can this person help me?’.
If you can help people either add something positive or take away something negative in people’s lives, you will be seen as an expert and you will start to position yourself as a ‘go to’ authority in your field.
Your audience will soon realize that your content can help them in some way. Consistency is key here as this is what will bring the trust. So, by regularly posting valuable posts that help your audience, you will start to build a growing and loyal following of ‘fans’. These fans are potentially not only your customers but also your ambassadors. Keep them engaged and they will help you grow an engaged and relevant audience on LinkedIn.
2. Add value when commenting on other’s posts
If you don’t have a large following on LinkedIn, you can still get your views read by commenting on posts of people who do. When commenting on other people’s posts, you are introducing yourself to their audience. (See https://sarahclaysocial.com/how-to-increase-your-influence-on-linkedin-by-commenting-on-other-peoples-posts/).
When you comment on someone else’s post, add value in your comment – don’t show off but work it so you can showcase your knowledge in a friendly and conversational way.
People will soon begin to recognize you as an authority in your own right and they will begin to come over to your feed and follow you too. You will then start to build your own loyal following and people will want to come over to your posts and comment on them for the same reason.
3. Show social proof of your expertise
Testimonials and reviews are extremely valuable when you’re trying to establish your authority to a new audience. People feel safer when working with people who already have a successful track record.
By requesting and showcasing recommendations from previous clients and colleagues, you can establish yourself as a trusted business partner. Recommendations on LinkedIn are a powerful tool, and they will help position you as an experienced professional in your industry.
See https://sarahclaysocial.com/how-to-ask-for-recommendations-on-linkedin/
4. Make yourself available to your audience
While you want your audience to know you are busy and that you’re not sitting around ‘waiting for the phone to ring’, by being present on LinkedIn, people will grow closer to you.
By responding to comments on your posts you will not only trigger the LinkedIn algorithm which will help the ‘reach’ of your posts, but you will also begin to build deep relationships with your audience.
People work with people they know, like and trust. Your potential leads need to get to know you before they start doing business with you. By being active on LinkedIn, you can start to create relationships that could turn into long and lasting business relationships.
Establishing yourself as a reliable and knowledgeable expert in your industry doesn’t have to be difficult on LinkedIn. If your audience really believes that you understand them and that you can help them, they will start to come to you for business. Keep an eye on your DM’s as people will start connecting with you if you follow my advice.
If you found this article helpful, please subscribe to my newsletter, thank you.
