When you’re thinking about your own goals and successes on LinkedIn, why not aim high? I’ve talk a little bit about my own success with LinkedIn, and how I was able to grow my B2B service business from $12 million to $47 million annually in just a few short years. But today I am going to share 3 LinkedIn lessons from one of the most popular LinkedIn users of all times….Sir Richard Branson!
In the past few years some of the world’s most successful and well known business people are using LinkedIn to grow their brands and drive revenue. When it comes to social media, fewer leaders are more heralded than Richard Branson. His genuine, creative take on social media has led to applause, recognition and evaluation to inspire tomorrow’s billionaires.
While Branson has done extremely well on Twitter and Facebook, it’s his approach to LinkedIn where I have learned the most. Sir Richard is notably the first LinkedIn user to reach 1 million followers. As he closes in now on 10 million, now’s a good time to take a closer look at what he’s doing right (and to see how you can mimic his success to nurture your own).
Here are 3 LinkedIn Lessons from Billionaire Sir Richard Branson
LinkedIn Lesson #1 – He writes original content consistently. As a billionaire, it’s pretty natural that people want to hear what Branson has to say. But his LinkedIn Pulse Posts generate an impressive amount of traffic — and most importantly — conversation. Tens of thousands of views, plus likes and comments are on every post. Sir Richard knows how to start a conversation, most definitely. He is also famously quoted as stating he writes his own content – this is especially impressive considering he’s writing posts for his Virgin blog in addition to his LinkedIn Pulse posts (let’s not forget that he’s also running one of the world’s most successful businesses). Branson knows that one of the keys to his success as an entrepreneur is helping people by delivering strong content. He displays knowledge and authenticity through his LinkedIn Pulse posts. The best part about this strategy? You can easily do the same thing using LinkedIn’s free capabilities. While you may not have 10 million followers, your content has the potential to be read thousands, if not millions, of LinkedIn users. Craft Pulse posts with great advice (like Sir Richard) to get your expertise in front of an entirely new audience while staying top of mind with your current network.
LinkedIn Lesson #2 – He reads the comments on his posts. So often our content strategy revolves around what we want to say, rather than what our audience wants to hear. We should always aim to help our network, solve a problem or provide value and sometimes despite our best efforts, our content misses the mark. The comments on your Pulse posts (or your daily updates) can provide valuable insight into which topics are hitting a chord with your network. Although he has a bit of a full plate (that’s an understatement), Branson has publicly stated that he does, in fact, read the comments posted by his followers. He understands the value in unsolicited market research. Take his lead — then go a step further. Branson may have time to read all the comments on his posts, but he doesn’t necessarily have the time to respond to them all. This is where you can step up your game and go above and beyond even a billionaire. Read the comments on your posts and updates every day and respond to everyone who comments, even if it’s simply to say “Thanks.”
LinkedIn Lesson #3 – He offers real value. Branson posts multiple status updates every day. At a minimum, I recommend posting once per week day between 8 and 9am (do this, and you’ll increase the chances of reaching your connections exponentially after a month). But if you have the resources to post multiple times per day, by all means do it. Posting high-quality content more often only helps to solidify your brand, nurture your connections and provide value for your network. Now Branson posts content almost entirely from the Virgin blog. Unless your personal (or corporate) blog is as robust and dynamic as the Virgin blog, you’re going to need to bring in some content from third party sites. This is important. Gary Vaynerchuk touches upon the notion of providing value several times before asking for anything in his bestseller, Jab, Jab, Jab Right Hook (an excellent read). Balance out the posts sending people back to your blog with great articles from respected sites like Entrepreneur, Inc. or Success. Your network will soon come to see you as the authority on topics that help their business.
LinkedIn offers unparalleled potential to grow your business. The path toward real results using the tool begins with the basics.
Did this blog help you? If so, please take a moment to comment below and SHARE on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn!
Cheers,
Dennis Brown
“Stop the madness. There’s a better way!”
LinkedIn Marketing & Social Selling Consultant, Trainer, Speaker
Connect with me on LinkedIn!
Follow me on Twitter!
Do you Facebook?
