Now originally I had planned to publish this as a post over on my BobWP site but, instead, was thinking this might be a good place as any, especially since so many of the people I have chatted with about this have been either in the WordPress and/or WooCommerce ecosystem, and even more, specifically builders.
Before I go into the depths of this, let me share with you that I am not a networking or social media expert. But I have used a lot of different platforms over the last decade or so for my businesses. Currently I am building up my activity on LinkedIn and figure it will likely turn more into platform of choice, or where I put the most energies in. Yes, I am on X still, have a page on Facebook, occasionally post on Mastodon or, more recently Bluesky, but where I go with any of these are yet to be seen. So you can take my thoughts and advice lightly.
Exactly what is LinkedIn, really?
What I have discovered is that there are a few things that really stand out around any conversation about LinkedIn.
Social doesn’t exist on LinkedIn.
Well, guess what? LinkedIn does not sell itself as a social network. No, people are not sharing their latest meals time and time again. They aren’t talking about how they have Covid yet again. Or a number of other social topics. I have always thought of it as a more professional networking and business site. I got curious what ChatGPT would say.
LinkedIn is a professional social networking platform designed for business professionals and job seekers. It was founded in 2002 and launched in 2003, and it has since become the largest and most widely used professional networking site in the world. LinkedIn is available in multiple languages and is used by individuals, businesses, and recruiters across the globe.
Then it went into the features of the site including profile creation, networking, job search, content sharing, groups and communities, messaging and company pages.
It ended with this.
LinkedIn is an essential platform for professional networking, job hunting, and business development. It’s a valuable tool for individuals and businesses looking to connect with others in their industry, share their expertise, and explore career and business opportunities.
Now just from that maybe I am seeing the problem. It’s too business oriented, right? And why would WordPress businesses need that?
But I’m not hear to argue with anyone on whether you should use LinkedIn or not. What I am here to do, is what a lot of people have asked me.
Why do you like LinkedIn and how are you using it?
Well, as I said before I am not an expert, and certainly don’t pretend to be one on LinkedIn. But I have had an account there since 2007. Likely that is the longest I have been on a platform like this … maybe Twitter is close, or X. In any case over the years I have used it off and on for various reasons. But comparing with with Twitter, Facebook, etc I feel like it’s been a solid, growing network, without a lot of surprises that the “social” platforms have introduced over the years. There’s been a certainty with LinkedIn that others lack.
Now over the last year or so, give or take a few months, I have been taking LinkedIn more seriously, from a business standpoint. I slowly lose faith in the social platforms, all them, from the oldest to the newest with which I can say as “all the crap that fills my timeline”. And by that I mean worthless information that is often more me-centric and learning way more about people I know that I ever needed to know.
What has LinkedIn brought to the table for me?
Focus on business – I am on LinkedIn to share what I am doing with my business, learn more about other businesses and even the overall spectrum of the business world. Of course I pick and select what interests me. But what I really like is knowing that when I follow someone for the sake of learning about their expertise or knowledge, it isn’t filled with what they ate, where they travelled or general, worthless thoughts that leak out of their brains through their fingers onto the keyboard. It’s strictly business. All that other stuff I can find elsewhere.
Solid content – this is also part of the focus, but I do know when I am wearing my business hat, I learn a hell of a lot more from the content that is shared on LinkedIn vs anywhere else. Plus I don’t have to see one of those CTA’s on every single post they do.
Colleague celebrations and accomplishments – I like to see what others that I know are doing in their businesses. The wins they are making without interjecting the fact that they work up today and feel like going back to bed.
Connections – when I connect with someone, I can choose to follow or not follow them. When I connect with someone I can actually learn more about who they are, where they come from, and what they have done all in the perspective of their work and business. Unlike a X profile that may read, “husband, good person, loves apples, like the smell of a dirty car engine” okay, that was an exaggeration but you get my point.
Articles – I have found some really good articles on LinkedIn. Not threaded posts like on Twitter that just fill my timeline. I have to make the effort to go read them, which is that I have found them possibly interesting. Not thrown in front of my face without any choice.
Now let’s get down and dirty
Now you may be asking yourself, but Bob, isn’t there anything you dislike about LinkedIn. Well, yes there is. Or maybe dislike is too strong of a word. Maybe more things I find uninteresting or a little annoying.
For example, I have not found the groups on LinkedIn to be any more favorable than groups on Facebook. Yes, they will have more of a business focus, but generally they are the same old thing and, personally, they do not interest me.
But what about the spam?
This I believe is the biggest gripe and excuse for people who use LinkedIn. All the messages that come through for people wanting you to hire them, go to their next webinar, read their very special post. Well, I’ve never seen spam anywhere else. Seriously? It’s all over. Email, phones and on other platforms. Yes it is intruding in some cases, but not always, which I’ll get to in a minute.
With this comes the complaint that “I don’t use LinkedIn because it’s just a bunch of people selling their goods and services, or wanting work.” Mmmmm, sounds like the description that ChatGPT gave me of LinkedIn, right? For anyone that has belonged to a Chamber of Commerce, a BMI group or numerous business groups that meet physically, well, join the club, right?
So back to the spam. The messaging. Now I am going to tell you a secret. Maybe it’s not a secret but its what I do. I would say I ignore a good amount of the messages I get, just like I ignore spam everywhere else. Some of them I simply give them a reply, No thank you. Sometimes I feel a little explanation of why I’m not interested worth the less than a minute it takes for me to type it. And then there are messages that, although may seem trite, do have value to them. In fact, I can safely say that any kind of reply I have given, there have been instances, enough to make it worthwhile, where the conversation did play out very well, or I simply made a new contact that grew into something of value, if not just getting to know another person in business.
At this point in time, a little light has gone off in your head. Or you have been nodding to yourself off and on. Or you are simply saying Bob you are full of it. The fact is there are so many options out there and I hope to see us go back to some of the simpler times, like comments on a blog. Will that happen? I’m not sure, but I can be optimistic. In the meantime I am going to find what works for me and make it work even more for me.
I have poked at social and have poked at other platforms. They all have a place and you need to know where you fit in for what your needs and goals are. But I will say this one final time. If you run a business, and are serious about it, do give LinkedIn another try or a try if you haven’t already. Business is unfortunately not all about fun, game, recipes and cat pics. Those have their place and it that is what really drives you, find where they flourish. I didn’t mention TikTok or Instagram, but again, if they work for you and your potential reach.
In the end, LinkedIn is a business networking site, not a social media site. Remember that.
For now I’m going to go deeper into LinkedIn because at this point in time, that is what is good for me and my business. And if you dare step into the murky waters with me, and we haven’t connected, let’s make sure we do.
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