{"id":39796,"date":"2020-05-20T08:46:57","date_gmt":"2020-05-20T12:46:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/?p=39796"},"modified":"2024-07-24T09:50:01","modified_gmt":"2024-07-24T13:50:01","slug":"how-i-doubled-my-linkedin-connections-in-90-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/how-i-doubled-my-linkedin-connections-in-90-days","title":{"rendered":"How I Doubled My LinkedIn Connections in 90 Days"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written by: John Tyreman<\/em><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve all seen influencers on social media with thousands of followers getting tons of engagement, boasting about the leads they get on channels like LinkedIn and Twitter.<\/span><\/p>\n

Naturally, seeing other people achieve that level of engagement can trigger the thought, \u201cwhy can\u2019t I do that?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Well you can. It just won\u2019t happen overnight.<\/span><\/p>\n

This article is a story of growth. With slight adjustments to my social media habits, leveraging content-based networking, and the discipline to consistently follow best practices, I found a lever to accelerate my personal branding efforts and generate new business. I will share the results of a structured test, various posting strategies, and my top 10 LinkedIn \u201cplays\u201d you can swipe to build your own personal brand.<\/span><\/p>\n

My intent is to show you the power of social media and the impact it can have when done right.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the Beginning…<\/span><\/h2>\n

In January of 2019, I \u201cquit\u201d Facebook. It was getting too ugly. The politics, the nasty comments between friends and family. I had enough. So I changed my social media habits.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It was a clean break. Instead of logging into Facebook, I logged into LinkedIn and Twitter to consume content more relevant to me as a professional. Instead of scrolling through memes and click bait content, I found myself reading thoughts on marketing, sales, and other topics specific to the industries I serve (accounting, architecture, engineering, consulting, technology).<\/span><\/p>\n

It opened my world to interesting conversations, fresh perspectives and new ways of thinking. I discovered thought leaders like Dave Gerhardt, Matthew Kobach, and James Clear.<\/span><\/p>\n

But my thirst for knowledge wasn\u2019t quite quenched by social media.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At the time I listened to a lot of sports radio on my 3-hour, 106 mile round-trip to and from the office. Since then, I\u2019ve reclaimed that radio time on the morning commute to focus on marketing-related podcasts (I still need sports content after a long day). Listening to podcasts like <\/span>B2B Growth<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Marketing Companion<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>Marketing School<\/span><\/a> even inspired me to launch \u201c<\/span>The Visible Expert Podcast<\/span><\/a>\u201d, but that is a story for another time…<\/span><\/p>\n

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Watch our on-demand webinar – Reboot: How to Rebuild Your Business Development Program for a Virtual World<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The 90-Day LinkedIn Post Marathon\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Over and over again I kept seeing the same message from various LinkedIn coaches and consultants: \u201c<\/span>Just Post!<\/span><\/i>\u201d \u201c<\/span>Press the Damn Button<\/span><\/i>\u201d \u201c<\/span>SMM Doesn\u2019t Work if You Don\u2019t Post!<\/span><\/i>\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So I drank the Kool-aid. In January of 2020 as a New Year\u2019s resolution of sorts, I challenged myself to a 90-day LinkedIn post marathon. The rules were simple. All I had to do was post one original post to LinkedIn every single day, 7-days a week, for 90 days.<\/span><\/p>\n

I essentially repurposed those 2-3 hours per week and focused nearly all of it on LinkedIn. Toward the end I was spending 3+ hours per week on social media, but not much more. Most was on my own time.<\/span><\/p>\n

The main goal of this test was to prove that LinkedIn could be a viable lead generation channel. I also had the personal goal of growing my professional network.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The strategy was straightforward. I posted around a core message: \u201c<\/span>using original research as marketing content.<\/span><\/i>\u201d I walked all around this issue: why using research in content is important, where it can be used in the marketing funnel, how it can be packaged, what channels it can be delivered on\u2026\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ultimately, I took most of the content that I posted to LinkedIn and repurposed it into a white paper: <\/span>Research as Content: A Guide for B2B Marketers.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

As I reached the end of my 90-days, I was shocked by some of the results I saw. My efforts were clearly beginning to pay off.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Results of the Test<\/span><\/h2>\n

I\u2019m a data-driven marketer, so I knew tracking available analytics was critical. That was how I was going to prove the business impact of this test.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I used the 90 days prior to the test as a baseline. In that time period, I posted seven times. Those seven posts had a combined 4,267 views in the LinkedIn feed, with 132 engagements (reactions + comments).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Compared to this baseline, I was able to\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n