With so many social media platforms in such volatile states, LinkedIn can be blissfully drama-free. But how can you make an impact on the platform today? I attended Social Media Marketing World 2024 and watched all of the sessions on LinkedIn to learn how to make the most of your time and efforts on the platform. Here's what top experts had to say, plus I give commentary on my thoughts and how these ideas fit into the PAGER method for social media.

What do I need to know about LinkedIn in 2024?

How should I craft my LinkedIn posts?

Should I write a LinkedIn Newsletter?

What about LinkedIn Company Pages?

How can commenting get my LinkedIn account more visibility?

How can I use AI on LinkedIn?

Design Your LinkedIn Strategy

“So pleased to announce…” and “I’m so grateful for the opportunity to…” and “Excited to finally be able to tell you…” are all ways that people usually begin their LinkedIn posts. And my clients often complain that it just gets. So. Irritating. In her session, “LinkedIn Content Magic: Write Your Way to Small Business Success,” Michaela Alexis shared how to break out of that pattern and write posts that will actually help you build a relationship with your connections.

Note: this is an excellent framework to use for your General content posts if you’re using the PAGER method for social media.

The formula Alexis recommends has six parts to it (#6 if gold, make sure you read them all!).

1. Hook - Start off with a question, a statistic, or a quote that will intrigue your connection right off the bat.

2. Put yourself in - Continue with a personal story, touch on a common experience, or offer a personal take in order to connect the personal and professional.

3. Unveil the core lesson - Identify what you want your audience to take away with them. Then be very clear with that in your writing so your connection knows your posts are worth reading.

4. Wrap it up with a bow - End cleanly and succinctly.

5. Tell them what to do next - Keep your call to action conversational, but use words that state what you want your reader to do next: “comment,” “message me,” “read,” or “register" give clear direction.

6. Polish before posting - Once you have your main dish, add some key elements to get it in front of more people: use 3-6 relevant hashtags; optimize for keywords; use engaging visuals to support the text; tag and mention relevant accounts; make sure your posts is readable. Like, can someone skim it while they’ve got a coffee in hand? If so, you’re on the right track.

Here’s an example of one of Michaela Alexis’s LinkedIn posts.

LinkedIn Newsletters have been around for a couple of years and clients often ask if they are worthwhile investment of time and energy. The experts who weighed in at Social Media Marketing World 2024 (including Alexis, Michelle J. Raymond, Richard Bliss, and Judi Fox) are clearly on board with them, although that isn’t a huge surprise. These are experts in the world of LinkedIn, so they are naturally going to be bullish on a major features like that. But if you haven’t taken a look at newsletters in while, they are worth considering. Here is a roundup from the sessions on LinkedIn at Social Media Marketing World 2024:

Benefits of LinkedIn Newsletters

1. LinkedIn Newsletters can be distributed (including via email) to anyone on LinkedIn, not solely your connections, Alexis points out.

2. Your newsletters stay on your account, so they can strengthen your profile to show your knowledge in your industry.

3. Because you can embed other content into them, Raymond recommends using newsletters as a way to distribute your podcast episodes and YouTube videos.

4. Bliss points out that LinkedIn actually helps you promote your newsletter.

5. LinkedIn newsletters provide extra visibility in notifications and in email so that your content outlasts a post or an Article you may publish on the platform, says Fox.

So, should you start a LinkedIn newsletter? Only if you think you can keep up with it consistently. Sometimes more is just more. If you already have your foundational elements of your marketing in place, you have set up your automations, and you’re looking to add in a new form of ongoing content, LinkedIn newsletters are a great way to amplify your content both on the platform and off of it.

Company pages don’t see to get a lot of love on LinkedIn. So naturally clients are reticent to consistently post on there. I attended Michelle J. Raymond’s session, “LinkedIn Company Pages Decoded: Your Blueprint for Business Growth” to get to the bottom of how LinkedIn Company Pages can fit into your strategy.

She gives a solid four step action plan for your page.

Michelle J. Raymond’s LinkedIn Page 4 Step Action Plan:

1. Optimize your page

LinkedIn Company Pages are usually on the first page of Google results. Plus, according to LinkedIn, Pages with complete information get 30% more weekly views. Check for out of date or incomplete information.

2. Implement 3-2-1 Page Content Strategy

Raymond discussed a strategy where your company publishes posts that are based on what would be good for your reader to know (about your industry or topic.) She also talked about putting out feel-good posts about your company or the people within it. And finally, every so often putting out posts that are about what it would be good for your followers to buy.

Note: LinkedIn Company Pages are worth using PAGER content once a week. So, instead of 4-5 posts a week, you could post 4-5 times a month on your Company page.

3. LinkedIn success is a team sport

Use your Company Page to amplify the posts that your employees are publishing. At the same time, use your personal profile to amplify your Company Page’s posts.

4. Reinforce Key Messages

Use tools like LinkedIn Live (which the algorithm is likely to promote) to as a cornerstone piece of content that can be redistributed in other formats and sent out to your followers.

Richard Bliss is a LinkedIn algorithm expert and had so many valuable takeaways about how the algorithm works right now. One key strategy to get more visibility is by using comments strategically. At Downstage, we often talk about commenting on other people’s posts on LinkedIn (in other words, we’re down with O.P.P.) It was great to hear from Bliss on ways to do that and get even more mileage from each comment.

How to structure your LinkedIn comment, according to Richard Bliss:

• tag the author of the original post

• restate the key points (this is important because LinkedIn will show your comments to all of your connections without showing the original post)

• add your insights and expertise

There is great power in commenting on LinkedIn. Richard Bliss issued a challenge with his 3x5 Plan. The idea is to comment on three posts a day for five days. Then look at how many people view your profile on the seventh day. Want an accountability buddy with this? Send me an email.

Artificial Intelligence was, of course, a central topic at a marketing conference in 2024. Judi Fox, though, brought up a refreshing take on it. Instead of bombarding those in her “Unlocking AI’s Potential in B2B Marketing on LinkedIn” session, she pointed out four AI tools that are already on LinkedIn.

The first is collaborative AI articles. These articles are started by AI, and then refined by LinkedIn users. By adding to these collaborative articles, you can earn a Top Voice Badge on Linked In which will increase your authority.

Another AI tool already on the platform is to help you write personal messages. Look for the blue bubbles at the bottom of your direct messages to get an AI jump start on your correspondence.

Your profile can also get some assistance from AI. Use it to enhance your headlines and the About section of your and your company’s profiles.

Finally, Judi Fox talked about a Premium feature where AI will summarize the information for you. As well as give you prompts for what to say in the comments.

Since so many people are talking about AI tools in their marketing - especially in their social media marketing - it was a welcome change to have Judi Fox talk about benefits that the typical LinkedIn user can get from AI without having to download a new tool or learn new software.

LinkedIn was one of the first social media platforms and is still going strong. Some would say that it’s more vibrant today than it has been in years. But you can’t simply put out a few posts on it and think that you’re going to get lots of leads and connections. You want to have a clear strategy to go with all of the tactics that I’ve broken down in this post.

So let’s talk about the LinkedIn strategy for you and your business! Schedule a call today so we can discuss how it will fit into your content mix!