LinkedIn® Thought Leadership Checklist: Practical Next Steps
A practical checklist covering positioning, profile evidence, content, professional participation, measurement and consistency.
ByFox Tucker- LinkedIn® Coach & Marketing Director
6 Min Read
This is the practical checklist within the thought-leadership cluster: positioning, profile evidence, content, professional participation, measurement and consistency. Use it after the main How to Become a Thought Leader on LinkedIn® guide to turn the strategy into an operating routine.
Everything else will built on this foundation. The stronger it is, the more solid your structure will be.
Ensure your LinkedIn® Profile is complete, professional, and up-to-date.
Out-of-the-box, your LinkedIn® Profile only has about 30%-40% of the features activated. You’re really going to benefit from activated many of the others. It doesn’t take long. Do not skimp! It’s worth every minute.
Create High-Quality Content:
Regularly post insightful articles, case studies, and thought-provoking updates.
Share your experiences, industry news, and personal perspectives and reflections.
Utilize LinkedIn®’s publishing platform to write in-depth articles on topics that are relevantt to your sector and audience.
Grow Your Network
Don’t be passive about growing your network. Don’t wait for people to follow you and send you connection invites. Get out there and follow people within your target audience. Send connections requests to relevent people only. Quality of quantity is your new catch-phrase. Trust me… if you just chase numbers in the early days, you’ll end up with a feed full of dog shit that you have to trawl through to get to quality stuff. It’s a waste of your valuable time.
Engage with Your Network
Actively participate in discussions by commenting on and sharing others’ posts.
Sharing others’ posts is an underused easy win. You can’t build a quality presence on LinkedIn® just by sharing others people stuff, but two or three a week are a great way to keep your feed active in the early days while finding your own groove.
Respond to comments on your own posts. Aprreciate their time. They’re fueling the algorithm.
Join and Contribute to relevant LinkedIn® Groups
Join a few of the big number groups in your sector. Sure, many will be full of nonsense fodder, but being part of groups will flag up others in your sector that you can follow.
If you discover a group is rubbish and contributes nothing to your thought leaders, BE RUTHLESS. Leave it. No regrets!
Join Webinars and Live Sessions
Get in to the habit of partcipating in at least one Webinar or Live Session per month. These are a great source of network growth and you can reshare these sessions for wider reach and engagement on your feed.
You may also get a taste for hosting your own or being on a speaker panel. No pressure.
Stay Informed and Relevant
This is probably already part of your day job, but be intentional about continuously update your knowledge on industry trends and innovations.
Attend real-world industry conferences and networking events.
Share your learnings and observations from these events.
Build a Content Calendar
Over time, learn to plan your content ahead of time to ensure regular posting because when we fail to plan, we are planning to fail.
Include a mix of articles, videos, infographics, and polls.
Schedule your posts to reach your audience at optimal times.
Measure and Adjust
Use LinkedIn® analytics to track the performance of your posts and engagements.
Identify what type of content resonates most with your audience.
Adjust your content strategy based on these insights to improve engagement.
Collaborate with Other Thought Leaders:
Partner with other industry experts for joint content, interviews, and discussions.
Share each other’s work to expand your reach and credibility.
Engage in meaningful conversations to build strong professional relationships.
ALWAYS Provide Value
As a thought leader your role is to lead the thoughts of your audience right?
Provide either insights, practical tips, or valuable resources to your audience.
Focus on ideas for solving problems and addressing the needs of your industry.
Position yourself as a trusted advisor and resource in your field.
Be Consistent and Patient
Building thought leadership takes time and consistent effort.
Stay committed to providing value and engaging with your network.
Be patient and persistent as you build your reputation and influence.
By following these steps, you can effectively establish yourself as a thought leader on LinkedIn®, driving meaningful conversations and making a significant impact in your industry. Start your journey today and become a key player in shaping the future of your sector.
Getting Help
No man or woman is an island. You’re going to be awesome as some things and not so awesome at other things. Consider whether you need help with:
LinkedIn® Profile Optimization: Getting that rock solid foundation laid
Thought Leadership Support: Short term help with getting started
Fox Tucker is Digital Marketing Director at Outlook Publishing and founder of Leaders Social. He specialises in LinkedIn® Company Pages, company newsletters and the connection between organisations and the people who represent them. He has created more than 120 Company Pages, optimised more than 265 Pages and helped improve more than 300 LinkedIn® profiles.
