Rick's Rules of LinkedIn: Respect Relationships, Conquer Your Fears
What Are The Core Rules To Follow When Posting On LinkedIn?
I have a few core rules for myself when I post on LinkedIn. They might be interesting for others on their journey.
Keep Private Things Private: If You Can't Google It, Don't Say It
Don't Say Something You Wouldn't Say to Someone in Person
Mix Up Your Topics Occasionally
Conquer Your Fear of Posting
Lose Your Fear of Being Wrong
Why is it important to keep private things private on LinkedIn?
If you speak about a topic, never reveal a private conversation. I speak with hundreds of people a year about critical eCommerce plans.
Just because something is not under NDA, doesn't mean the conversation is not in confidence. Without integrity and trust, you have nothing else.
How can one maintain credibility while posting on LinkedIn?
Don’t say something you wouldn’t say to someone in person. This is an excellent rule for e-mail and life.
To be remarkable, your content must have an edge. However, you can do that without being mean-spirited, cheering against something, or being a blind booster for one side.
Credibility comes from a place of honest and thought-provoking questions.
Sometimes, the reason I share my observations is in the hopes my audience teaches me something new, or the company considers my thoughts in some way. Not to cheer against someone. Other times, I observe the current situation - knowing the company will probably correct it soon.
After all, if it's obvious to me, they are probably already working on it!
I've developed some of my best relationships with my most critical pieces of content by those who disagreed with it.
Why is it essential to mix up topics when posting on LinkedIn?
Almost everyone on LinkedIn is looking for something -- usually it is leads, relationships, or a job. However, speaking only about one topic tends to narrow your audience.
Why do I speak about Shopify and Amazon? Simply, most people in eCommerce care about what these companies are doing -- because of how it affects them!
But I mix that up with discussing other eCommerce companies, retailers, consulting, decisionmaking, branding, leadership, technology, and other topics my audience might find interesting where I have something to share.
I avoid getting into a rut this way as well.
How can one overcome the fear of posting on LinkedIn?
If you post something interesting, that might be controversial; it's scary to post. First, if your content approach works, no one reads only one post. Over the long term, people start to learn about the personality of someone by what they post.
If you constantly boost or bash one topic, your posts become advertisements, and your approach will be dismissed.
Credibility is built on authenticity and helping others. Sometimes I try and help by asking questions, other times I run thought experiments in the open, and sometimes I try to say what other people are thinking but can't say on their own.
Frequency helps.
Why is it necessary to lose the fear of being wrong while posting on LinkedIn?
You don't need to be an expert to post about a topic. New people join the field all the time. Help someone else be better than they are today, or think differently.
I've made some huge mistakes posting. Sometimes nice people DM me and correct it! Other times they comment!
How can success on LinkedIn be measured?
A lot of people are looking for simple likes and views. To be honest, I enjoy looking at number of comments and number of times someone said something was "insightful".
Right or wrong, I take "Insightful" to mean, it was much more valuable than most everything else you read today. Which is my goal.
How Will You Grow Your eCommerce Company?
When growth is elusive, I am an expert at asking incisive questions to surface the real issues and then present straightforward ideas that your team can actually implement.
Mistakes are expensive. They cost money, of course. What’s worse is the opportunity cost. I work with investors and management teams worldwide to help them get a handle on their digital business plans to execute a clear path forward.
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