If you’re looking to find the best social media channel for professional networking, LinkedIn should be your go-to. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles or visual attraction as some of the other platforms, but it’s a game-changer for networking. If you’re ready to learn some trade secrets about navigating the world of LinkedIn, listen to this episode of Wingnut Social!

Sarah McIntyre joins Darla and Natalie to deliver some expert advice about marketing on LinkedIn. Sarah boasts over 20 years of experience in Australia and is the founder and chief strategist of BRIGHT Inbound Marketing. If you’re a designer and wondering if your time is wasted on LinkedIn—listen to this episode. It might just change your mind.

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• [4:00] LinkedIn with Sarah McIntyre

• BRIGHT Inbound Marketing

• Is TikTok the Next Instagram?

Designers tend to gravitate towards the social media platforms that are on the visual side of the spectrum—Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, etc. When it comes down to utilizing LinkedIn, they can be at a loss. It isn’t just a place to “get recruited”. It’s networking on steroids. 

Sarah recommends optimizing your personal profile because the business pages don’t perform as well. Make sure you have a professional profile photo and background while giving viewers a clear picture of who you are and what you do. You can even provide examples of your work.

So who do you network with? Connect with contractors or other people you interact with to source products. You can also reach out to people who fall under the umbrella of your ideal client. Join groups and interact with people, answer questions, and focus on giving them something of value. 

The LinkedIn algorithm is similar to any other platform: the goal is to keep you on the news feed. Outbound links won’t get routinely featured. What is a designer to do? Post an update, video, image or go live. Tag people you work with (which can increase your reach).

Sarah recommends using hashtags, but keep them limited. Don’t do anything over the top like you might on Instagram. Remember that most people are looking for professionalism and don’t want the updates to be spammy. 

Darla attempted creating an ad on LinkedIn and felt it was clunky and expensive. In Sarah’s experience, it’s better to shoot for organic traffic on LinkedIn vs. paid advertising. Large companies with endless budgets pay top dollar for that traffic. Your budgeting bucks are better spent elsewhere. 

To get the complete scoop on LinkedIn, listen to the whole episode! Sarah has some stellar insight about the platform you don’t want to miss. 

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