LinkedIn just released their Top Voices Lists. These are the members whose posts, articles, videos and comments are driving engaging conversations in their industries and countries.
Over 2 million posts, videos and articles are shared each day, resulting in tens of thousands of comments every hour — all generating tens of millions more shares and likes. So how do you stand out in a noisy newsfeed? According to Daniel Roth, you need to have consistency, depth of insight and a desire to deeply engage with others.
Who are the Top Voices this year?
There are 15 lists, totalling 342 members included, out of all the 590+ million members around the globe.
- Influencers
- Data Science & Analytics
- Economy & Finance
- Education
- Healthcare
- Management & Workplace
- Marketing & Social Media
- Philanthropy & Global Development
- Retail
- Sales
- Startups & Entrepreneurship
- Technology
- Australia
- China
- India.
Note: Additional categories have since been released such as the UK.
What is Measured?
These are the key metrics measured during mid-September 2017 to mid-September 2018;
- engagement, including comments and re-shares (These members are 2X times more likely to respond to comments or reply to another member’s post.)
- follower growth in their particular sector
- quality and diversity to reflect the world we work in
The Reward: In return for investing effort into their LinkedIn network these members received an average 7X more comments, 10X more likes and 5X more shares on their posts, articles and videos, compared to other members.
How Can This Help You?
Take inspiration by looking at what these members are doing well.
- What are they sharing
- What are they engaging with
- How are they interacting?
Go to their profile, and scroll down to the Articles and Activity section. Hit See All Activity to get an insight into how they are using LinkedIn and what their visible metrics look like. How many likes and more importantly, comments, are they getting on each post? Which type of posts are working best, such as text only, short posts, longer posts, image posts, native video posts?
Look at the people who are always in your own home feed. What is working for them. What content do you enjoy seeing? What engages you?
A metric you can’t see posts views, and their LinkedIn Social Selling Index. This number out of 100 is only visible to the member and their team (if they have the team license). Check yours to see how you score out of the four key areas.
What if LinkedIn isn’t Working for You?
A set and forget approach – content on autopilot is not a strategy. If you find LinkedIn doesn’t work for you, could it be because;
- You are not using it?
- Your content is scheduled?
- You are using the platform to promote and sell?
What Will You do More of?
It is about being present and engaging with your network, replying to comments, having conversations.
- Start a conversation using insights and your fresh perspective
- Use video to speak with your network
- Ask questions and seek information
- Use original vibrant images
- Bring people in through @mentioning other professionals
- Use relevant hashtags to reach a wider audience interested in the topic
- Be consistent – share and engage daily
You can turn your own ideas into powerful conversations, through consistency in insightful, valuable content and engagement. Every member has a personal brand, a virtual stage and a microphone. What will you say?
Your Top Voices
These lists got me thinking about who are MY Top Voices, the people I love to see in my home feed, who are engaging, entertaining, insightful, informative and inspiring. I’m sure others will spring to mind after publishing, but this is just a selection of fabulous people whose content I enjoy, who aren’t LinkedIn experts. Of course some touch on LinkedIn, but it isn’t their core business like most on my LinkedIn Experts List.
Here is my curated list of people that spring to mind in no particular order:
- Sarah Cooper – Topics: corporate & leadership issues Tone: entertaining
- John Espirian – Topics: copywriting & technology Tone: informative, down-to-earth
- Daniel Disney – Topics: sales insights Tone: entertaining & witty
- Michelle Sandford* – Topics: shining the light on women in tech Tone: inspiring & celebratory
- Chris Bates – Topics: finance & wealth Tone: informative & insightful
- Jennifer Holloway – Topics: personal branding Tone: insightful & friendly
- Amanda Gore – Topics: EQ & Leadership Tone: informative and & uplifting
- Anna McAfee – Topics: Community #LinkedInLocal. Tone: insightful & collaborative
- Kate Lister – Topics: connection, acknowledgment & celebration Tone: friendly & fun
- Lachlan Burr – Topics: project management & youth leadership Tone: insightful & genuine
- Brian Fanzo – Topics: Using tech & digital strategies to engage Tone: inspiring & down to earth
- Duncan Wardle – Topics: creativity & innovation Tone: Insightful and inspiring
- Kate Toon – Topic: SEO, copy & business. Tone: witty, down-to-earth
- Cathy Hackl – Topics: women in tech, innovation, futurist, VR, AR Tone: informative
- Paul Telling – Topics: creativity & visual storytelling Tone: informative & inspiring
- Violet Dhu – Topics: Assertiveness, difficult conversations & vulnerability. Tone: informative and uplifting
- Shari Levitin – Topics: women in leadership & sales Tone: insightful
- Angela Raspass – Topics: next chapter women in business & self-leadership Tone: uplifting and inspiring
- Chris Smoje – Topics: world-class customer service Tone: insightful
- Andrew Pickering & Peter Gartland – Topics: content marketing using video Tone: fun & likeable
*LinkedIn excluded LinkedIn and Microsft employees from their lists, but I don’t have to do the same 🙂
Who do You Enjoy and Want to See More of?
One way to send a positive signal to LinkedIn is to engage with those people that you do want to see more of, which helps shape the algorithm.
If you aren’t seeing them in your home feed, then go to their profile and engage with their activity.
Tidy up your home feed, to unfollow the people, companies and content that you are no longer interested in, to make room for the content you do want to see.
Be More YOU
LinkedIn is the professional social network, but it doesn’t have to be boring. Liven up the feed by sharing something heartwarming or funny.
Stop selling, promoting and shouting about your latest offering. Make us stop scrolling…. Make us smile, laugh out loud, consider, ask questions or even ask ‘WTF in our head’ and pull our heartstrings. And mix it up so it’s not the same old predictable content.
Share your photos rather than stock images, or stolen images from google images! Take us behind the scenes and under the covers. Use your smartphone or engage a professional to get vibrant high-quality images, but do something bold.
Jo Saunders captured by Peter Dancewicz of Good Good
Attention is the new currency. We want to connect. We know when are not actually there. But we can’t connect with your trumpets and town criers.
Stop talking AT and start talking WITH.
Connect with your connections.
Who are the Top Voices in your network / industry? Share them (and @Mention them below)
#LinkedInTopVoices