What did I notice? Many people simply just hit like to something they read or a picture they see vs. engaging with the poster. Is this just a matter of habit, laziness or just a true lack of interest in what they are ‘liking’ to begin with? What triggers hitting the like button vs. a quick comment or positive accolade? What posts are worthy of a share?
After carefully analyzing my thoughts this week on the aforementioned subject, and looking at LinkedIn content I stopped and asked myself; are LinkedIn users missing the real purpose of this platform? Is LinkedIn just becoming the ‘Facebook’ of business?
According to numbers from LinkedIn , 6 out of every 10 LinkedIn users are interested in industry insights—the most-demanded type of content among LinkedIn members. Insights, in general, are quite popular among users. Second to industry insight, company news appeals to 53 percent of LinkedIn members. (New products and services are the third most popular content, with 43 percent interested in this kind of update.)
What really impacted my thoughts was seeing a very inspiring video and post of a well-respected landscape company who’s company was performing a day of service at a veterans home. The company’s 500 employees working together, giving back to those who served this country, blending employee pride, company culture and philanthropy into one. It was an inspiring video, the message was powerful and while it caught my attention, it garnered very few likes and no comments. I did comment, and did so for the right reasons. In fact, my response was noticed as the company said ‘thank you’ for taking your time to comment.
The Value of commenting…
I have found that when you comment on someone’s post you have the opportunity to do several things. You might want to thank the person for sharing or ask the person a question or even add value to the conversation by providing your knowledge and experience. You can even do all three at the same time! Your comment doesn’t have to be “earth-shaking”, however it would be nice if it was relevant so you might want to give it a little thought before you pull the trigger on that comment button.
The Value of Sharing…
I have found that sharing a post shows other that the original post has content of value and that I liked it and perhaps maybe you would to. In order to drive further engagement you must add content to your share. Remember, we are not on facebook, we are on a social platform that really requires content for engagement purposes relating to ones business activities or interest.
Why Sharing Content Doesn’t Work
The act of sharing knowledge via a LinkedIn post or update is passive. In most cases, it cannot compare to having lunch with or speaking on the phone with — your customer or prospect. Just sharing a post is relatively impersonal. There’s nothing personal about it to your audience. While I’m not saying it cannot help you and your strategy adding a comment might increase your goals of getting on someones online radar screen.
The Impersonal ‘Like’ Button…For me, hitting the ‘like’ button is nothing more than a reflex saying, Hi, I was here…a simple acknowledgement that I saw what you posted but you did not capture my attention enough and warrant the worthiness of a comment. So what is the value of a ‘Like’? Well nothing!
Careful what you say…I found this interesting;
Lawyer accused of sexism after complimenting a barrister on a ‘stunning’ LinkedIn picture. Alexander Carter-Silk messaged human rights lawyer Charlotte Proudman on LinkedIn to say she would “win the prize for the best LinkedIn picture I have ever seen”
Keep your comment; post or industry related, honest but remain polite if your viewpoints differ and always end it with a thank you for taking your time to share your picture or thoughts. Don’t forget if you think its worthy, share with others.
Please add your comments or thoughts!
About the author; Steven Cohen is a landscape industry entrepreneur & Chief Innovation Officer at GreenMark Consulting Group; a Landscape-Snow Industry Business-Consulting/Advisory firm that specializes in helping small-medium sized growth oriented companies grow from under one million dollars to over five million dollars. You can reach Steven Cohen by phone at 610.905.3637. Email Steven at scohen@greenmarkgroup.com or visit our website at www.greenmarkgroup.com to learn more about our services.
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