Are you a female business owner who feels a little terrified of using Linkedin?
I hear this regularly from my marketing coaching work. In particular I hear it about Linkedin, which I am pretty sure is down to the perceived nature of the platform and it’s users. And those two points exactly have driven me to write this blog.
Yes the platform has a roughly even split of male and female users (57% identify as men, 43% as women), and 4 out of 5 people drive business decisions on Linkedin, meaning you’re reaching decision makers with your content.**. But see the positive in those user demographics, because honestly, this is a really good thing for your business!
Despite my sales background, even I sometimes have a hard time persuading people of the benefits this network can bring you. So I decided to reach out to a few business women that I know and ask them to share their thoughts with you as well, so that collectively we can persuade you that Linkedin is a fantastic business tool if you know how to use it well.
Introducing some fellow women in business…
First up, I’ll introduce the ladies that I asked for support with this blog. They are, Sarah Townsend, freelance copywriter and author of best selling title “Survival Skills For Freelancers”, Samantha Harman, a fabulous style coach helping women leaders, coaches and founders to feel confident in their style, and Padma Knowles, a career coach for women.
I know each of these ladies personally, and each of them told me that Linkedin is ranked Very Important in their small business marketing priorities. Obviously it’s also very important to me too, but you know that, as otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this!
The first question I put to them was..
What did you honestly think about using Linkedin before you learnt how to properly optimise the platform?
Samantha’s reply is the most poignant here for me. She said – “I had Linkedin for YEARS as a newspaper editor, but my account was dormant because… Linkedin was a stuffy place for suits, right?! I was also a bit scared to stick my neck out and say certain things for fear of judgment. I assumed that Linkedin posts had to be very business-focussed and serious.”
Sarah confesses that because she’s been using it for so long she probably just thought it was a professional version of Facebook…(which isn’t that far off the truth really now)..
And Padma just found it pretty dull, and felt it was a place only for very professional content.
Then we explored how Linkedin has helped their small business grow….
So that’s what these ladies thought before they started optimising it, (and also adding that I genuinely just thought it was an online CV site..). But what about what happened when they did start using it professionally?
Here’s what they said…
Samantha told me “I’ve made genuine connections who’ve helped my business grow. Whether they’ve introduced me to someone they think I should connect with, or invited me to an event, or suggested my services. It’s also helped women who would like the kind of support I offer to find me. What I do is still a relatively ‘new’ service so to have those former clients on Linkedin talking about how I’ve helped them is invaluable and means the world to me.”
Whilst Sarah highlighted how important her community and network on Linkedin was in the launch of her book – “on the launch day of Survival Skills for Freelancers, you couldn’t set foot on LinkedIn without tripping over someone’s post about the book! If you consistently provide value through interesting, entertaining and thought-provoking posts, you’ll soon attract attention from potential colleagues, collaborators and clients.”
I couldn’t agree more with Sarah. Just 1-2% of Linkedin users are content creators, so if you are sharing and creating content in a professional and engaging way, you are absolutely going to stand out in what you do.
I can also vouch for the fact that even though Linkedin is a professional network, it is also very friendly too! I recently posted that I had (finally) caught covid, and was inundated with a sea of messages and well wishes to get well soon from my community. How nice is that?
If you are still feeling intimidated about using Linkedin though, here’s some helpful tips on getting started..
Sarah says, “start small – perhaps with just one post a week. Don’t worry about your first post having to be groundbreaking – it doesn’t! You’ll soon learn what works and what doesn’t. Again, take inspiration from people in your field who you admire, and who do LinkedIn well. And don’t stress about LinkedIn being “the professional platform”. It’s changed a lot since lockdown and is far more approachable. Be yourself!”
Samantha makes a brilliant point if you’re feeling an element of comparisonitis – “one bit of resistance a lot of people have is ‘but someone else is already doing what I’m doing.’…. true but also false. Yes they might be in your industry, but they’re not YOU. They’re not offering the same service as you to the same person. They don’t have your unique way of looking at the world, or communicating, or carrying out that service. And if you don’t show up, you can’t help that person who needs you. So actually, you’re being unfair! They need and deserve your help, and the reason you have the skills you have, is to help them.”
Advice on getting started on Linkedin…..
Finally I asked them what one piece of advice they would share with another business owner starting out on their journey with Linkedin. Here’s what they told me…
- Being consistent and adding comments is just as valuable as posting your own content – something I never really realised until I started using the platform! (Padma)
- Take the time to optimise your profile so it helps you get found even if you don’t start posting right away. Upload a professional headshot and cover image, use a compelling headline (take inspiration from people who do this well) and fully complete your about section. Don’t think of it as a CV – it’s not that formal! Instead, picture your ideal client and write as if you’re having a one-to-one conversation with them. (Sarah)
- Just post it! The reason you have that (content) idea is because someone else needs to see it. And just because they don’t take the action to ‘like’ it… doesn’t mean they aren’t reading or watching and taking it in. When you create content from a place of service (i.e, what does one person need to hear from me today that just might help them), business feels so much better than ‘oh I need to post, no-one liked it and where are the sales coming from…’ Just remember WHY you set up your business in the first place. Who is it that needs you, and what do they need to hear from you? (I love this advice from Samantha!)
And my final piece of advice would be to make sure you learn how to use the platform properly. Don’t fumble around making mistakes and making yourself feel uncomfortable, it’s much better to get started with confidence and ease. My Level Up Your Linkedin sessions are a perfect way to find your feet with the platform and to get up and running, and I’ve helped hundreds of women this way.
I hope you found this blog helpful to hear first hand from other women in business. If you’d like to come and connect with me, you can find me on Linkedin here.
You can also connect with the wonderful ladies who supported me with this blog, Sarah Townsend, Samantha Harman and Padma Knowles. Many thanks to you ladies!
Source ** Hootsuite January 2022
