by Carla Howard

I don’t mean “Do you have a profile and a picture? Do you scroll your feed a few times a week and add a ‘thumbs up’ (like) to posts by your colleagues?” That’s not engagement.

The word engaged is all about building relationships, adding value to each other’s lives, and showing up on a consistent basis.

If you’re thinking, “Seriously? I don’t have hours to spend on social media!” I’ve got great news for you! Being engaged on LinkedIn can take as little as 30 minutes a day. Yep, just 30 minutes.

And changing the way that you interact on the platform.

And being consistent.

Here are a few tips that will have you engaginginstead of scrolling:

Know the Brand You Want to Create

What do you want to be known for? Your posts, comments, likes, and shares should be related to the brand you are creating. Thought leaders post and comment about their niche, with a few “just for fun” posts included to show their personality. Follow their lead!

Engage! Every Day

Even 15 minutes makes a difference! Make your time count by having a deliberate plan. An example might be: Post 1 article, comment/like on 5 posts from other people, re-share 1 piece of content. That’s totally doable in 15 minutes or less!

Go Beyond “Liking” Content

Focus on adding value through thoughtful comments. Remember, when you comment on an influencer’s post it will appear on the feed of their 1st connections, and anyone else who has responded will receive a notification. Adding value is a great way to grow your connections!

Create a LinkedIn Content Library

Have articles, blog posts, TED Talks, quotes, and other resources ready to share. Create an excel sheet where you will save links to content that you’ll share. Add the name of the author, publication, and one or two sentences about what you liked best in the piece.

Tag Authors

When you post an article, tag the author!! Include a line or two about what you loved about their article. They will typically like and/or reshare your post—that puts you in front of their audience too!

Tag Publications

If the piece you are posting was found in on online publication of Fast Company, Forbes, The Washington Post, or any other major publication—tag their business page. Most large online companies (and many smaller ones) have pages that you can tag and, you guessed it, they may like your article or share your post.

Share Your Favorite Business Books AND Tag the Author

Share a short description of why the book resonated with you. Include a link to where the book can be purchased and tag the author.

Send LinkedIn Requests to Authors You’ve Tagged

As soon as you hit “post” on your share of an author’s article or book, send them a LinkedIn request letting them know that you’ve shard their content with your community. Here’s an example of a request I sent to Dori Clark, one of my favorite business authors:

“Hi Dorie, I just finished your book “Entrepreneurial You”, and I found soooo many great tips to move my business forward! You’ll find my Audible review under Jeff Howard (my husband and I share an Audible account). Thank you for the great info! I’d love to connect with you on LinkedIn, Carla”

And—(drum roll please)—she said yes!

Re-share Content

Read a post that resonates with you and is in alignment with your brand? Share it with your community! Be sure to tag the person and add two or three sentences about the post.

Thank People for Connecting

My favorite to do this is through a voice message. Simply access LinkedIn on your phone, click on your new connections profile, click “message,” and tap on the microphone to the right of where you would typically type a message. A box will open with a large blue circle that has a microphone image inside. Now, press and hold the microphone image and start recording your thank-you message. It’s that simple! You only have 60 seconds, so be concise. When you’re done you will have the option to cancel or send. People love this because it is unexpected and personal!

Make Introductions

Do you know people who should know each other? Perhaps they work the same field, have similar interests, or one of them is in need of a service the other provides. Connecting your connections is a great way to provide a benefit to your community—and you can do it easily by sending a joint message on LinkedIn.

The easiest way to create engagement is to focus on the value you are bringing to the people in your LinkedIn community. Think of your posts, comments, connection requests, and shares as gifts.

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Carla Howard is a professional speaker and mentor. Her passion is helping professional women become more influential and promotable so they can rise with confidence and grace. You can learn more about her and the services she offers by visiting her website at TheProfessionalWomansMentor.com. Carla would love to answer your questions in future articles, so please email them to Carla@TheProfessionalWomansMentor.com.