How to make you and your business stand out on LinkedIn

When to post on LinkedIn

The age-old question on social media: which day and at what time will your posts get the most attention? While there are some metrics available—Tuesday through Thursday are the most active LinkedIn days, in early or mid-morning—but Brodeur says consistency and regularity are more important than sticking to a rigid schedule.

“If you want to stay top-of-mind, it’s helpful to post at least three times a week from your business page. Entrepreneurs can also post from their own profile to stay in the conversation.”

How to build and maintain a thriving network on LinkedIn

Like most social media platforms, LinkedIn is all about community engagement. It’s not enough to regularly share your own posts—you’ve also got to demonstrate that you’re an active participant in professional discourses on issues important to your industry or business.

This means taking time each week to scroll through your feed and comment on or react to other people’s posts, plus send a few direct messages to stay in touch. Examples include:

• Congratulating a contact on a work anniversary or an announcement of an achievement
• Adding an insightful comment, asking a question or sharing a similar experience on other people’s posts
• Sending a personal message with a link to a resource that may be useful
• Checking in via direct message to say hello and invite a contact to a coffee meeting

“Being active on LinkedIn allows you to stay on the radar of people in your network. People appreciate ‘likes’ and comments, and they pay attention to who engages and how,” says -Brodeur.

She recommends checking in with LinkedIn daily and leaving a few likes and comments. “In addition, you might make a goal of finding two to three new connections every week, and sending them a message.”

Check out your social selling index

You can find out how well you’re performing on LinkedIn with the platform’s Social Selling Index (SSI). Every profile has a score that measures a user’s effectiveness in social selling on the platform. For entrepreneurs, the SSI can act as a roadmap, helping you understand how well you’re building your brand, finding leads and engaging with potential customers. The SSI score ranges from 0 to 100, based on four core pillars:

1. Establishing a professional brand (0-25 points)

This pillar measures how effectively you present yourself as an industry expert. A high score means you’re sharing valuable content and your profile is optimized.

How to improve your score: Optimize your profile and regularly post insightful content.

2. Finding the right people (0-25 points)

This is an indication of how effectively you identify and connect with relevant people, like potential customers or business partners.

How to improve your score: Use LinkedIn’s advanced search filters (or Sales Navigator) to connect with people who align with your business goals, such as decision-makers in your target market. 

3. Engaging with insights (0-25 points)

This metric evaluates how often you engage with content from your network and the relevance of your interactions.

How to improve your score: Regularly react to posts from connections or industry leaders by liking, commenting and sharing. 

4. Building strong relationships (0-25 points)

This pillar reflects the strength of your network and the quality of your relationships.

How to improve your score: Focus on building genuine connections. Personalized messages, follow-ups and meaningful engagement can help foster long-term relationships and trust with potential clients.

Brodeur adds, “LinkedIn is a powerful tool. If used to its full potential it can help entrepreneurs find and nurture leads and develop a strong professional reputation.”

Next step

To plan your social media activities and simplify post management, download BDC’s free Social media calendar template.