What if I only have 20 minutes a day to spend on LinkedIn? This is a question that I get asked a lot and I reached out to my network on LinkedIn to understand more about how much time people are spending on LinkedIn.
The question I asked in my poll, was: "How long are you spending on LinkedIn each day?"
The results were:
10 minutes - 14%
20 minutes - 38%
An hour - 14%
More than an hour - 33%
Please note: I have a mix of people in my LinkedIn community, including those of you who are just starting out with LinkedIn to those who work full-time with LinkedIn so are on LinkedIn all day, so please don't let the responses scare you if you are just starting out and don't have alot of time available.
So, if you have just 20 minutes a day to spend on LinkedIn, this is a routine that you can use to help you be successful.
It can be really easy to get distracted and all of a sudden, you’ve spent your 20 minutes and get disheartened with your efforts.
If you’re new to LinkedIn or haven’t been using it much, having a routine will be something new, and it may take you a little bit longer to start with and that’s fine.
We all start somewhere, and we all do get distracted, so remember you are not alone when this happens.
I don’t want you to be discouraged because, as the more you do it, the quicker you will do it, and it will become a habit.
The KEY activities for 20 minutes a day on LinkedIn.
Here's a breakdown of what to include in your 20 minutes for an effective LinkedIn routine:
🔷 Engage with content: This isn’t just liking posts and thinking that’s it! That is not engagement. This is where you need to spend time reading content (posts, articles, newsletters) and engaging - like (other emotions) commenting and sharing.
There are a few ways you can do this:
You can start by checking your ‘All’ notifications, this is where you will see everything that is going on with your existing connections if they have posted, shared or commented on content.
You can also go to your home feed and select ‘Following’ to see content from those you are following. (This will also include promoted content)
🔷 Share content: Post content for your audience and be there to reply to comments. It's often a good idea to break up the time you are spending on engagement and create content in the middle of that engagement time.
🔷 Review connection requests: You can see who has reached out, whether they have included a personalised message.
(There is a limit for free users on the no. of personalised messages. Remember you can see their headline. If you’re not sure you can always reply and ask what prompted them to connect with you.)
TIP: When you connect with someone, make sure you send a welcome message to them. It’s just good manners frankly.
🔷 Direct Messages: Check and reply to your DMs:
Respond to messages to continue to nurture your networking and build relationships.
Remember that you can star messages that are important to you, and you can sort them.
TIP: When keeping in touch with your network, remember that you don’t just need to type a message, you can use a voice note or a video message they are a great way to keep in touch and letting them see your face. And a great way to stand out from other people!
Will you give it a go?
🔷 Make connections to grow your community: Proactively make some genuine connections with your ideal customers. If you have a limited no. of personalised connection requests then engage with their content first before connecting.
No spamming with a sales message until you have built a relationship.
🔷 Review your notifications: Add in my network notifications (birthday, job changes, anniversaries etc.) this is a great way to keep the connection alive.
TIP: If you find that there are too many notifications for you to work through, you can adjust which ones you see in your notification settings.
What to focus on in 20 minutes
So, let's cut the activity list down into what is achievable in 20 minutes.
Engage - review your notifications for who has posted or commented and get involved with your community.
Share - aim for a least twice a week (remember you won’t need to include this in your daily routine if you’re posting once or twice a week).
Connections: and choose who to accept/ignore as you grow your community.
DMs - respond to your DMs, this is where the magic really happens
Proactive Growth - find people that you want to add to your LinkedIn community.
My Network - add in further notifications to increase the depth with your community.
TIP: Remember to delete the notifications once you have dealt with them as that means when you come back you are only working through new ones.
Tips for success
Be consistent: Aim to post regularly, even if it's just twice a week, to stay visible and relevant. Make sure it’s the same time each week so that your audience know to expect it.
Focus on delivering value: Share content that is valuable, informative, and engaging for your audience. Think about the same with your comments, make sure you are adding value and that someone will come and find out more about you.
Be Human, Be you, Be authentic: Share your thoughts, experiences, and insights to build trust and credibility.
Recommended reading.
What if I only have 60 minutes a day?
In summary.
It's important to understand that everyone on LinkedIn is following their own path and will be a different stages of their business journey to you.
You need to understand your "why" behind being on LinkedIn. This means you need to know what are you trying to achieve?
Brand Awareness
Business Leads
Something else
Once you know what you are aiming for, you will find it much easier to prioritise which of the activites to focus most of your time on.
The time that you have available will vary, depending on what else is going on in your business and your life.
The best advice I can give you if you're limited with time for whatever reason: go and comment.
The more you do it, the easier and more natural it will become. Think about adding value to the post, showcasing your expertise and make each comment stand on it own.
So don't wait: get active on LinkedIn today!
Final thoughts.
The amount of time you spend will vary, BUT your time will increase as you start to see the results.
My advice is to not over-commit and to remain consistent. If you have 20 minutes, use 20 minutes. Set a timer if you’re like me and can get distracted.
Your questions answered
Do I need to post to LinkedIn every day?
No you don't. You will see people post every day, some 5 or even 7 days. They key is to work with a schedule that suits you and that is sustainable.
You need to be CONSISTENT. So if you can post twice a week, then stick to that.
Should I post more than once a day?
No. You should focus on sharing valuable and engaging content and to make sure that each post has time to "breathe" (be shown) on LinkedIn.
If you post more than once a day, you are diluting your message and impacting engagement opportunities.
Should I engage with content every day?
If you only have 10 minutes available, spending time engaging is really valuable.
Even if you only manage 7 added-value comments, that will make a difference to growing your personal brand.
How often should I be checking my analytics
It depends. As a minimum you should be reviewing your analytics when you are planning your content to know what worked and to see if any adjustments are needed.
If you are planning a week ahead, then check weekly. If monthly, then check monthly.
Many people will schedule time specifically for this.
If you have further questions about how to get the best of your time on LinkedIn, then please reach out to me.
Simply click below to get in touch and we can have a chat about how best I can help you with LinkedIn.
Share this post: