Dos of LinkedIn

• Be yourself – We are all different, with different personalities, and you need to let that shine through. Just remember, people buy from people, especially in the B2B environment.

• Think before you post – Is this the right message? Have I used the correct language? Will my post offend or upset anyone? These are just some of the questions you should ask yourself before posting.

• Write for your readers – It is simple, really. Know who is in your network, what interests them and then write about it. This is the basic recipe for LinkedIn success.

• Be professional – This goes without saying. LinkedIn is a professional social platform so ensure you always act professionally.

• Personalise your outreach – It’s so easy to just send the generic, pre-populated message but for the best responses, personalise all your outreach messages, particularly when asking to connect with someone new. Why should they connect with you? What’s in it for them?

• Take care when posting images – Even the best posts can be let down by inappropriate, inaccurate or misleading images, so please do take extra care when posting images.

• Know your legal obligations – Every company should have a social media policy. Make sure you read it and stick to it, with no exceptions, or you could find yourself in a sticky situation.

• Be unique and engaging – This is a tricky one, as you may have the same message to deliver as someone else. Try and ensure you do it differently, in your own unique way, whilst also encouraging engagement by asking questions, requesting opinions, or asking the reader to do something.

• Try new ideas and have fun – The quote often attributed to Einstein is that ‘the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results’. Social media is the same. So, if things aren’t working, try a new approach or idea, embrace new features and tools. Most importantly, have fun. If you’re not having fun, how do you expect your network to enjoy reading your posts?

So, there you go. A few LinkedIn dos and don'ts. All pretty straightforward, really. And although we have written these specifically for LinkedIn, you can apply many of these rules to most social media platforms. But to really get the most out of LinkedIn, or any social platform for that matter, there is so much you should be doing.

From creating a strong personal profile and company page to growing your network and engaging with the right people, it all takes time. Don’t let that put you off though, because where else can you network with over 610 million professionals, of whom 90 million are senior-level influencers and 63 million are decision makers?