A different post this week: one related to running your own business, rather than (1) management & leadership or (2) communication at work.
12 months ago, I decided to see if LinkedIn was a good way to build my business. Several people said, “If you want to expand your network and get more work, LinkedIn is the way to go.”
I committed to writing one post a week. That’s all. None of this every day, or every second day nonsense. Also: a “proper” post. One that tries to be interesting, or enjoyable to read, or genuinely useful. Not a cheesy motivational quote set against a pretty background. Nor just a few lazy lines designed to grab your attention but offering little else. Nope, a proper post. One involving effort, taking time to produce, to come up with the right content, wording, and suitable photo. With no AI doing the heavy lifting in the background.
52 posts later. Enough time to ask:
👉 Has it worked?
If your definition of “worked” is: I got enquiries and work from people I’ve never met before in person, contacting me directly via LinkedIn. Then the answer is a resounding: No. Nothing. Zilch. Crickets.
If your definition is: my existing network of supporters have engaged with my posts and either given me more business themselves, or referred me to other new contacts where I then landed some work. In that case, the answer is: Yes. Hurray! Success.
Did I hope to land new clients via the first definition? I did. Ah well. In that case, you have to be blunt with yourself and ask: is your content good enough / often enough / appropriately “sell-y” / controversial enough? Or, are you simply expecting too much?
I’m not whingeing or moaning, by the way. It is what it is. I’m just sharing with you what has happened, along with my decision about what to do next. Which I’m hoping will benefit others running their own business and facing similar challenges.
👉 What next, then?
A few (trusted, highly valued, successful business) people have told me to stop writing my posts here. “They’re not worth your time and effort. You’re giving away valuable stuff for free.” Others disagree: “Keep at it. I like them. They’re good for your credibility and reputation.”
My decision?
Change is needed. A new angle. A different approach.
And so: yep, like millions of others I’ll now be (belatedly) jumping into the world of videos. Let’s see if YouTube, Instagram, (the dreaded) TikTok can yield better results. After all, we all recognise that these platforms are where the bulk of human attention currently is, right? I’ve been avoiding it because part of me doesn’t want to do videos. But as for anyone who has to work for a living … needs must.
And LinkedIn? It isn’t great. But it also isn’t (too) bad. Some people are smashing it on here; it can clearly work. Be more patient and check my expectations, perhaps.
So … see you again next week.
We’ll take it one post – and shortly, one video – at a time.
