LinkedIn Activity
The recurring inquiry of the week has involved LinkedIn’s Activity.
What is Activity? Activity includes profile updates, sharing/liking/commenting on articles on LinkedIn, or publishing an original article such as this one. Pertinent Activity is different for everyone. The key is to find content that will promote your brand.
Where is Activity found? Activity is found on your profile page before your professional experience.
Who can see your Activity? Anyone on LinkedIn who visits your profile page can see your Activity.
Why should you engage in Activity? There are 3 primary reasons:
1. Activity increases your search engine optimization (SEO),
2. It allows you to demonstrate your expertise about a topic, and
3. By engaging in Activity around your brand / expertise, it can demonstrate your thought leadership.
If you’re either an active or passive job seekers, engaging in Activity is a must-have.
As career management thought leaders, we recommend you either share or comment on relevant posts pertaining to your area of expertise (in your branding wheelhouse) at least once a week.
It’s important to comment or share thoughtfully, as interviewers may ask you to back up your Activity. Think of this as a way for you to shine, get noticed, and demonstrate your unique skills.
As a word of caution, don’t engage in Activity about topics related to the job search process. The last thing you want is to be known as a serial job seeker.
How do you complete Activity?
ï€ After reading an article take a few minutes to add a comment.
ï€ When you run across an article on other sites that you think would benefit others you need to share it.
ï€ You can like an article after you have read it. Remember that this isn’t Facebook, and others see a running list of the things you’ve liked. We’d recommend you challenge yourself if you’re about to select like. Do you like it well enough to share it? If not, then you might want to consider avoiding the temptation to like it.
ï€ You can write your own article and publish it. If you write White Papers as a part of your professional life, or a published author, this might make sense. If not, consider carefully the investment of time compared to the return on the investment (ROI) of your time.
How much time does Activity take? You should try to share once a week. This can take as little as 5 minutes or much as 15 minutes.
What are the benefits of Activity? When you start to share (also called curating) good content, or write an article, others will follow you and look to you as a thought leader. For beginners, the first place to look for content to like or comment on is on your homepage and in the groups you belong to. Both types of Activity will provide the same SEO advantages.
The key is to comment, share, or publish on a regular basis. More isn’t better. And quality is always more important than quantity.
Why not start today and begin building your bright future—one Activity at a time! Good luck.
