Photo by Greg Bulla on Unsplash
In the marketing world, everyone’s talking about personal branding. Remember when LinkedIn was mainly for job listings and company updates? Today, it’s where professionals and leaders share insights, tips, and valuable content.
If you’re a founder or executive, building a strong personal brand on LinkedIn can boost your business organically, meaning you might not need to spend on ads anymore. You can simply share educational content, grow your following, and sell your products and services.
So, how do you become a LinkedIn Top Voice? This article will guide you through the best strategies to enhance your branding on the platform.
First, let’s understand what being a “LinkedIn Top Voice” means.
What is LinkedIn Top Voice?
LinkedIn Top Voice is a recognition given by LinkedIn to select professionals on its platform who consistently share insights, drive conversations, and engage audiences in their respective fields. They are the influencers, the movers and shakers, and the thought leaders who set the benchmark for content quality.
There are two types of top voices on the platform—LinkedIn Top Voices and Community Top Voices. What’s the difference?
The Linked Top Voice is an invitation-only program featuring senior-level experts and executives. These professionals are carefully vetted to ensure they meet content standards and are active on the platform.
On the other hand, Community Top Voices are standout members known for their expertise in particular areas, showcased by their contributions to collaborative pieces (like “Top Copywriting Voice”). To become a Community Top Voice, you first need to start contributing your insights to LinkedIn’s collaborative articles.
Here’s what one of the badges looks like on the platform:
Source: Kaleen Stroud LinkedIn Profile
Benefits of LinkedIn Top Voice
Whether you’re a carefully vetted LinkedIn Top Voice or the Community Top Voice, having that badge next to your personal profile on LinkedIn can be beneficial for both you and your business.
Here are some perks of being a LinkedIn Top Voice:
- Boosted Credibility: With the tag of a “Top Voice”, you’re instantly recognized as a thought leader, boosting your credibility manifold.
- Better Visibility: When people who are even outside of your network search for topics, they might find your profile.
- Networking Opportunities: The recognition opens doors to networking opportunities with other industry leaders, leading to business partnerships and collaborations.
- Lead Generation: The increased visibility and trust associated with a Top Voice can drive more organic inquiries from potential clients or customers who resonate with the shared content.
- Enhanced Business Reputation: When a key executive or employee becomes a LinkedIn Top Voice, it casts a halo effect on the entire organization, positioning the business as a leader in its industry. Before visiting or engaging with a business, 76% of consumers check it out online. A strong online reputation can make or break a business.
Understanding LinkedIn’s Algorithm
Before aiming for the top, it’s helpful to understand how LinkedIn’s algorithm works.
At its heart, it’s all about sharing top-quality content. LinkedIn’s behind-the-scenes system checks out your posts to see how fresh, relevant, and original they are.
But it’s not just about sharing any old thing. It’s about sharing bits from your own journey, unique insights, or stories that grab attention.
For example, if you own an agency and want to boost your personal brand to attract new clients, you might share a story of how you recently helped a client succeed on social media or how your strategies led to more leads for them. Whatever that is, share unique insights and stories.
Remember: the best LinkedIn posts get people talking and reacting. So aim for posts that spark a chat and show they matter to folks out there.
5 Key Tips to Becoming a LinkedIn Top Voice
1. Share Regularly
Being consistent doesn’t mean you have to post every single day, but it does mean setting and maintaining a reliable rhythm, whether that’s thrice a week or even once a week.
Consistent posting keeps you on the audience’s radar and helps in algorithmic favorability. For instance, if you’re in the tech industry, consider sharing weekly updates on emerging technologies or your take on recent tech news.
2. Engage with Your Audience
Next up is engagement. Engagement goes beyond just responding to comments on your posts. It involves actively participating in discussions, sharing others’ content, or even starting conversations in relevant LinkedIn groups.
For example, if someone shares an interesting article about digital marketing trends, don’t just ‘like’ it—leave a thoughtful comment or share it with your perspective. This practice helps maintain your prominence on the platform.
3. Prioritize Quality Over Quantity
This is a classic! Pumping out content for the sake of maintaining frequency can dilute your message and even alienate your audience. Instead, focus on crafting well-researched, thoughtful posts that address current industry issues, provide solutions, or share unique perspectives.
4. Use Rich Media
It’s not all about text-based posts on LinkedIn. In fact, rich media, such as images, videos, and carousels, significantly boost your visibility and engagement. Visual content often outperforms text-only posts in terms of interaction.
Take a look at this carousel by Sam Browne that as of 23rd of October, 2023, received over 460+ reactions and 180 comments
Source: Sam Browne LinkedIn Profile
5. Collaborate with Other Industry Leaders
Building professional relationships can amplify your reach. Consider collaborating on content with others in your industry or even in complementary fields. For instance, if you’re in branding, you could collaborate with a content strategist on a joint carousel or an article about the interplay of branding and content in modern marketing.
Essential Tools to Aid Your Journey
Your unique story, tips, and insights ultimately determine your chances of securing a Top LinkedIn Voice badge.
However, that doesn’t mean you can’t use some tools to help you craft better stories:
- LinkedIn Analytics: Understand your audience demographics, post-performance, and trends.
- Canva: Create stunning visuals or infographics to accompany your posts.
- Grammarly: Ensure your content is error-free and well-articulated.
- Feedly: Stay updated with industry news and insights to share timely content.
- ChatGPT: To help you generate new ideas for your content.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Your journey to the top might be fraught with temptations to take shortcuts. Check out these 3 pitfalls to steer clear of.
Being Over-Promotional
Your audience seeks value, not constant sales pitches. So, share valuable and educational content that engages your audience and makes them stick around.
Ignoring Feedback
Comments and feedback can be a goldmine of insights. But, ignoring them can be detrimental. Respond to comments to better understand your audience and their pain points. This also helps to create a dialogue with your audience, further helping you build trust on the platform.
Inconsistency in Posting
While it’s essential to prioritize quality over quantity, maintaining a regular posting rhythm is also crucial. Sporadic posts, even if they’re of high quality, can reduce the momentum of engagement. Inconsistent posting can lead your audience to forget about your insights or look elsewhere for regular content.
Parting Thoughts
The quest to be recognized as a LinkedIn Top Voice is not a sprint, but a marathon. It requires passion, commitment, and a genuine zest for sharing knowledge.
You must see the value in sharing content, and for many, this often translates into business opportunities.
And hey, posting on LinkedIn should feel just as natural as posting on Facebook or Instagram.
To make posting on LinkedIn smoother, check out Gain. With Gain’s all-in-one social media platform, you can craft your content, get it approved by key stakeholders, and schedule it for publishing with ease.
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