One of your colleagues recently asked:
I’ve been posting content consistently and, I don’t want to sound like I’m chasing numbers, but I’m not seeing any traction. Can you give me any tips?
Great question! But before I could give this reader insights into why their posts weren’t working, I had to ask them where they were posting.
Turns out, the person was posting long text posts on their LinkedIn account.
If you’re not using LinkedIn, don’t worry. While each platform has their other nuances, this advice can be tailored and used across multiple mediums.
LinkedIn is home to more than 950 million professionals. If you get into the headspace of the people using the platform, they’re likely consuming content and scrolling when they’re:
- Taking a short break from work
- Waiting in line to pick up coffee
- In an elevator or on the train
- Laying in bed or on the couch
You can think of these users as “window shopping” and scrolling mindlessly until they find something that catches their eye.
And that leads to my first point.
You Have to Stop the Scroll
Everyone mindlessly scrolls on social media – you do, too. When you stop scrolling, it’s because someone spent the time to hook their readers in. Movie trailers do this perfectly by showing you something “juicy” to grab your attention.
You need to do the same when posting content.
Let’s say you want to post three tax strategies for real estate investors in 2023. Two example posts that you may be considering are:
- These 3 tax strategies have saved my clients millions of dollars over the years.
You might have heard of strategy 1 and 2, but I doubt you’ve heard of strategy 3 before.
Here are the 3 strategies. 👇 - 3 tax planning strategies you should consider this year.
Of course, number 1 is going to perform better. Did it hook you in? If so, it’s because it’s intriguing and piques the reader’s interest by teasing that the third strategy is something they may not know about.
It’s a post designed around a hook.
And it will help stop people from mindlessly scrolling and encourage them to actually pay attention to what you have to say.
Also, notice that the post is short and not comprised of clunky blocks of text, which reminds me…
Stop Posting Blocks of Text
Whenever clients talk to me about creating social media content, I always remind them that this is NOT your high school English class.
And you shouldn’t write like it is.
Be short and snappy with your text.
People have short attention spans, so don’t bombard them with blocks of text.
Make it easy for them to give you your time.
Consider this post by David Barbeito, CPA.
See how he breaks up his text into short lines? Consider taking a similar approach when formatting your own content.
Post Content People Want to Read
Your goal is to reach your audience and help them. Your content should lead to achieving that goal.
But it should also focus on your readers, whether you’re looking to inspire, educate, entertain or motivate.
If you’re struggling to get traction with your account, you may be posting content that doesn’t appeal to your audience.
The solution? Figure out what does appeal to them.
What kind of content do they like best? Create more of it!
Does this mean you should avoid posting personal stories or updates? Of course not. But see if you can find a way to present this information in a way that provides a lesson or relates to your community.
Be Consistent and Patient
When you’re trying to build a following on social media, it can feel like it’s taking eons to see results. But the truth is that it takes time to grow your account.
The reader who asked this question has been posting a few times a week for about two months.
Two months of consistent posting is a great start!
But it’s important to remember that for many of us, it took a lot longer than two months to see traction.
Keep going and doing what you’re doing. The general consensus is that you should post 1-5 times per week on LinkedIn, so you’re already on the right track.
And if you follow the tips above, I bet you’ll be much further along by month six. Good things take time, so be patient and consistent.
And, that’s a wrap on this Dear Katie question.
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Now I want to hear from you. Do you have a question?
Until next time, cheers to your success!
Katie
