Spending as much time on LinkedIn as I do, I notice how often my network contributes . Some are consistent and strike an even balance, others do not. In this post, I’m going to address the five types of Linked contributors.
I’ve always asserted that there are three components of your LinkedIn success:
connecting with LI members ; and
engaging with your connections .
It’s the third component that can be as important as the other two. By engaging with your connections , it keeps you top of mind. I use the familiar cliche when I explain the importance of engagement by saying, “Out of sight, out of mind.”
The five types of LinkedIn contributors
1. The non-contributor .
Some of you might relate to this. You were an accountant until recently laid off. While you were working, one of your colleagues—maybe your colleague—said, “Hey, you should join LinkedIn. I hear it’s important to be on it.”
So you joined, not quite sure why, and let your profile sit. You accumulated 10 connections, because these were the 10 people you knew at work. You would get invitations, which sat in your My Network queue.
Now that you’re looking for work, you have no activity to speak of. In other words you’re nonexistent. You’re not getting any hits from recruiters, have no endorsements, not getting invites, don’t know how to share an update.
There’s a lot of work ahead for you.
Read why LinkedIn might not be for you .
2. Enough to be dangerous.
If this is you, I want to say it’s almost worse than not contributing. You’re trying to do what you’ve been told by someone who was kind enough to give you advice. Perhaps your heart just isn’t into it.
Your profile is strong. There’s no problem here. In fact, you hired someone to write it for you. You were pumped when it was done. The person who wrote your profile mentioned numerous times that you have to 1) connect with ten quality connections a week and 2) engage with them.
The problem is that you are forgetting the last piece. You’re hoping that optimizing your profile with keywords will draw recruiters to you. However, optimizing your profile with keywords only works if you’re active and well connected.
You have potential, though.
Related: The Success of Using LinkedIn Depends on Knowing Why You're Using It
3. Busting your ass to catch up.
Someone managed to get it through your head that being a contributor on LinkedIn is crucial to being found. Your profile is strong and your network in good shape.
You’ve been contributing, which includes: sharing articles, mentioning industry trends, giving sage advice, asking questions, sharing news about your colleagues. All good stuff, but it’s gonna take awhile before your getting noticed like you want.
I see you on LinkedIn contributing like a fiend. I see you six times a day. I won’t say your engagement reeks of desperation, but…. Here’s the thing, there is such thing as contributing too much.
It will take time to establish yourself, so be patient.
4. Addicted to LinkedIn .
This is a bad thing, but you can’t help yourself. The worst thing you did was install the LinkedIn app on your phone. Just like people who are constantly checking their Instagram or Facebook accounts, you’re opening your LinkedIn app.
In fact, you’re posting updates and answering questions while you’re waiting for your son to get out of school, your wife to get off the train, during family gatherings. Yes, you’re concealing your phone underneath the table.
What’s alarming is the number of times you’re sharing updates. Ten times a day is a possibility. Five times a day is a definite. As well, you’re following your connections on a daily basis. You feel you know them as if you met them in person.
I tell my LinkedIn workshop that at minimum they should be on LinkedIn four days a week. Their jaws drop. After pausing, I tell them that the optimum amount should be every day; yes, this includes Sunday. And I finish by telling them not to be like me.
Perhaps you should seek professional help.
5. Strike a nice balance.
I’ve seen people who’ve disappeared for months, if not years , only to return with enthusiasm. This isn’t you. You are on LinkedIn almost every day. You share posts twice or three times a day. They are relevant to your LinkedIn community.
You’re also consistent in contributing on LinkedIn. People know when you will share updates and look forward to your posts. I envy you. Yes, I envy you because I am a member of the fifth type of contributor.
Keep doing what you’re doing.
Now that you’ve learned about the five types of LinkedIn contributors, which one are you? Are you barely on LinkedIn to the point where you shouldn’t bother or are you a LinkedIn addict like me. Or, do you strike a nice balance? I would love to hear your story, and I promise not to judge.
How could I judge?