LinkedIn has a 645 million global user base. The platform attracts ‘record levels of engagement’. But LinkedIn’s algorithm is underrated in spite of these impressive statistics. The professional social network has updated its algorithm over the last two years. As a result, viral activity has increased by over 50 percent. So, consider LinkedIn’s unique algorithm when marketing your business or developing a brand in 2019.
What’s So Special about the LinkedIn Algorithm?
LinkedIn does not want users to repurpose viral content. They upgrade their algorithms to combat the same and increase member engagement. Thus, the goal is not to penalize you but to encourage new users to share their voice. Focus on your story, what happened and why it matters so followers understand you better.
Deciphering LinkedIn Content Filters
The LinkedIn algorithm powers the newsfeed and focuses on native, organic content. You are more likely to find engaging, relevant content instead of recent content. Your content ranking depends on your account reputation and past user engagement. The following filters come into play:
Filter #1
The LinkedIn feed algorithm categorizes your posts into low quality, spam, or good to go.
Filter #2
If your content is good to go, it will show up in the feed temporarily. During this stage, the algorithm monitors how users engage with your post. If your content receives many likes, shares, and comments, it will pass the next filter. But if it gets hidden from your audience’s feed or marked as spam, expect a penalty.
Filter #3
LinkedIn determines if your content will keep showing up in your audience’s feeds. LinkedIn rewards unique, engaging content and accounts with viral visibility. So if your network enjoys your posts, it will stick around for further review.
Filter #4
Editors review the content to figure out the future course of action. They either display it more or include it elsewhere. They also use insights for future product development or algorithm modifications. So, your post continues its algorithmic journey as long as it receives engagement.
Show Up in the LinkedIn Newsfeed with These Ranking Signals
The LinkedIn algorithm ensures your post stays in the feed as long as the performance is strong. But maintaining ‘good performance' requires effort, strategic decision-making, and luck.
Focus on Personal Connections
Remember, people love to share their opinions. So, you should give users something to comment on or try to get their opinion on your business. Develop a strong yet approachable personal profile and pay attention to your summary. Share who you are, why you do what you do, what your business has to offer, and how to get in touch. This will convert users of the platform.
Consider Engagement Probability
The cornerstone of the algorithm’s success is interaction. Ranking for this component happens in two stages.
First, the LinkedIn algorithm decides whether you will comment, share, or like a post. They measure this on the basis of your past likes, shares and frequent interactions. LinkedIn refers to this as multi-objective optimization.
LinkedIn also monitors how fast your posts get interactions after publication. The quicker your content racks up the numbers, the greater the possibility of featuring in other users’ feeds.
Pay Attention to Interest Relevance
Personal connections don’t mean other users enjoy the same content as you. The algorithm compares a post’s affinity to someone’s interests. This depends on the groups they join, and the people, pages, and hashtags they follow. It also considers the language of the post and the topics, companies, people mentioned therein.
Use LinkedIn Algorithm to Boost Your Business
Optimize Your LinkedIn Posts
Follow the same tactics as other social media channels but tweak them for LinkedIn’s algorithm:
- Pay Attention to Tone: Adopt a semi-professional tone with a bit of humor and personality.
- Go Mobile: Add interesting images and compelling messages to your posts. This promotes mobile viewing.
- Remember Diversity: Keep your content diverse by mixing up opinions, tips, quotes, images, videos, and links to other posts.
- Avoid Generic Keywords: Adding many keywords and hashtags is a good practice. But avoid sounding like an SEO spambot.
- Use Proper Hashtags: Consider LinkedIn hashtags as labels or categories. Use them for visibility in this professional network.
Always Stay Current
Relevance is crucial for content creators. And it all starts by understanding your target audience. Get data and analytics from other platforms or competitors. Use it to generate personas, track interests, and understand your audience’s interests. Relevance is important when it comes to formats as well. For example, LinkedIn users engage more with rich media. So, posting videos on LinkedIn earns you thrice the engagement of text-based posts.
Expand Your Network
LinkedIn prizes useful or inspiring content. The platform reviews the relevance of your content by monitoring your audience’s careers. It works with that demographic information, which is why you should:
- Request employees to follow the company and mark it as their place of work in their profiles.
- Follow influential industry people to showcase your industry affinity and interests.
- Add links to your LinkedIn profile on the company website and careers page.
- Comment on posts relevant to your niche.
- Mention people with @ when posting something.
- Take part in relevant groups and share suitable content.
Get Your Timing Right
Optimize interactions and secure faster likes and comments by posting at times when most LinkedIn users are online.
- Try to post at 7:45 AM, 10:45 AM, 12: 45 PM, and 5:45 PM EST.
- B2C brands should post on Wednesdays and Mondays.
- B2B brands should wait for Wednesdays or Tuesdays to post their content on LinkedIn.
Find Your Niche
LinkedIn knows what content it wants to display on the feed. The professional network focuses on content that is relevant to your brand and audience. It ensures that posts are useful to users’ careers, have industry relevance, and come from a reliable source.
According to LinkedIn, the conversation flows better when it involves niche ideas. Pick niche hashtags that connect your brand to enduring customers. But, do not avoid generic hashtags. Strike the correct balance. Remember, LinkedIn recommends the use of three hashtags at most.
Take Advantage of LinkedIn’s Bias
LinkedIn favors specific formats over others. Share long-form content with LinkedIn Publisher. Apply conference frames in your videos. This appeals to industry people. Upload videos natively and often go live.
Harness the Power of LinkedIn Analytics
LinkedIn Analytics helps you understand users who connect and engage with your business. The free data helps you make strategic business decisions, both offline and online. LinkedIn analytics covers:
- Visitors: Offers metrics about LinkedIn page traffic for the past 30 days. This helps create targeted content and provide value to your audience.
- Followers: Provides metrics related to your followers. Use the information to create trustworthy user personas. Also, compare your performance to the competition.
- Updates: Involves posts and post metrics for the last 30 days to show what works. This helps you create similar posts.
Understand LinkedIn Content Marketing Score
The Content Marketing Score of your business profile impacts your content performance. The platform’s algorithm evaluates and adjusts this score based on four factors:
Content
LinkedIn analyzes the frequency, quality, and relevancy of your content. Good audience engagement means your business shares useful content within the network.
Partnerships, Employees, and Influencers
LinkedIn focuses on specific areas of influence compared to others. It monitors the number of likes, shares, and comments your posts receive from influencers, employees, and partners.
Employee Shares
LinkedIn tracks the number of employees who tag your business page in a post. High employee engagement gives you an advantage.
Paid Efforts
Pages that invest in the platform get rewarded. So, devise a smart, effective paid campaign on LinkedIn to boost your organic posts.
Come up with suitable strategies for each of the four factors to improve your business page’s Content Marketing Score. Even if you post high-quality content, LinkedIn will never promote it in the organic feed if no one shares it. Encourage key influencers or partners to engage with your brand or content. This improves the score.
Concluding Remarks
LinkedIn wants more user engagement and pushes content that promotes the same. LinkedIn will reward your content as long as your business or profile offers something valuable and keeps people talking. The LinkedIn algorithm provides the attention you need to grow your business in 2019.
Author Bio
The Times Group recognized him as a legendary entrepreneur and published his biography in the book I Did IT (Vol 2) when he was just 30!