How to use the right hashtags on LinkedIn

Have you ever wondered what kind of hashtags can get you maximum views and engagement on LinkedIn? Most users tend to create hashtags that they feel match the content of their posts. Little do they realize that hashtags are a recent phenomenon on LinkedIn and not all hashtags that are popular on Twitter or Facebook might be equally popular on LinkedIn. Moreover, hashtags on LinkedIn don’t necessarily work the way they do on other social media.

The hashtags you follow on LinkedIn are one of the parameters that determine the content of the feed on your LinkedIn homepage. But more often than not, users tend to use hashtags that they think are relevant to their content without realizing that the said hashtag might have very few followers on LinkedIn.

For example, if someone from the academic publishing industry uses the hashtag #academicpublishing in their posts, little do they realize that it has only 443 followers (at the time of writing this post)! This implies that unless someone actually searches for this hashtag on LinkedIn, your post might reach the feed of only these 443 followers.

Now, compare this to more generic hashtags such as #publishing (4,558,030 followers) or #research (460,733 followers), and you’ll realize how important it is to first do a bit of research on the hashtags you’re using on LinkedIn.

It’s highly recommended that you use the right hashtags along with your LinkedIn posts to enhance the reach of your content. LinkedIn has now also introduced the concept of hashtags for company pages. So, company page admins on LinkedIn can now associate their page with hashtags to listen in and respond to conversations about their brand and other relevant topics. Clicking on these associated hashtags from the company page allows users to interact with content related to that hashtag as a company (and not as an individual user). So, go ahead and start using the right hashtags for your postings on LinkedIn.

Found this post to be useful? Do share your views through the comments section, and let me know in case you have any queries.

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3 simple steps to multiply the impact of your LinkedIn profile

Do you know what is the most popular activity on LinkedIn? Yes, it’s viewing profiles! The fact that a huge number of recruiters are on LinkedIn and that they view dozens if not hundreds of profiles each day might be tilting the scales in favor of this metric. Nevertheless, this makes keeping your profile updated all the more important.

In this post, we’ll be covering three simple steps that will help you multiply the impact of your LinkedIn profile.

1. Add a photo to get noticed: LinkedIn says that profiles with photos get up to 21 times more views. Remember to add a professional close-up photograph that makes you easily recognizable.

Power tip: Search for profiles using any relevant keyword, click on “People” on the filters drop-down. View the photos accompanying profiles in your search results to understand how your profile photo will appear in search results. Will it stand out? If not, add a more relevant picture. LinkedIn provides some useful guidelines for adding the right photo to your profile.

2. Add a positioning statement: Refer to the power tip above. What do you see in the search results? Names, designations, and profile photos. You know what? You can simple add a positioning statement to your profile header. Just click on view profile on your LinkedIn profile and then click on the edit icon. Then, add a positioning statement alongside your designation. For example, “Senior Manager – Customer Care | Delivering enhanced value to our valuable customers.” This Hubspot blogpost has some very good examples and guidelines to help you write a very effective headline.

Remember that this positioning statement will help to draw more prospects and customers to your profile, help them understand your role and responsibilities at one glance, and make your profile stand out in search results. The snapshot below presents a good positioning statement.

This is a good example wherein a recruiter can use an image to add branding value.

3. Add a powerful background image: This is one aspect a lot of people miss out on. Anytime someone visits your LinkedIn profile, what they see at first is your photograph, your designation (plus your positioning statement as mentioned above), AND the background image. More often than not, users leave this blank, which then leads to the default LinkedIn image being showcased. Remember that the background image presents a very good opportunity to make a quick and lasting impression on the viewer thereby giving them more reason to read on further details on your profile.

The background image here gives a very good overview of how Don works at an important intersection of scholarly communication.

The examples I’ve showcased above are simply indicative of the potential of strong header images for making positioning statements. You can even choose to communicate certain aspects of your role or company using this background image.

Once you have completed these three simple steps, just begin engaging with updates and watch your profiles views shoot up! 🙂 Share your views through the comments section below.