Show notes
LinkedIn's 2020 was stunning; more than 60 million+ additional users and its emergence as a truly social platform featuring content, connections, and conversations.
Like a lot of people, Liam Darmody jumped hard into LinkedIn last year. You only have to look at the 530+ posts that he published to understand his enthusiasm.
In this episode of Marketing Spark, Liam and I talk about how and why LinkedIn changed last year, how he approaches the platform from a content and connection perspective, and how LinkedIn will develop in 2021.
It's a high-level, strategic conversation about a platform that many people discovered or rediscovered and, in the process, saw amazing ROI.
If you're on LinkedIn, check out Liam's recently launched LinkedInthusiasts! page.
From the conversation
Why LinkedIn became a social network in 2020
Liam Darmody is director of revenue operations at Homesnap, a real estate productivity tool for agents. He has spent his career in the Washington, D.C. startup scene. In 2020 he published 535 posts on LinkedIn, and he joined Mark Evans to look back at how the platform changed.
Liam says LinkedIn has had something of an identity crisis. It has around 700 million users, but only a fraction are active monthly, and a single-digit percentage create content. A stigma grew up around the platform. People believed they should not post or show emotion, and that a profile was mainly a parked resume.
Liam thinks that changed because people became more comfortable showing a personal side in a professional network. With so many people working from home, the office banter, the chats in the kitchen and the lunches were gone. Liam says people discovered they could have some of that water cooler conversation on LinkedIn.
Why online networking beats in-person events
Mark asked whether this behavior will last once offices reopen. Liam believes it will. Once people have a taste of using LinkedIn this way, traditional networking makes less sense. At an event with 200 people, he says, you might have a dozen conversations in two hours, and maybe two or three turn into something useful.
Liam compares this to online banking and ride hailing. People once feared putting bank details on the Internet, and now few visit a teller. He calls LinkedIn the world's largest networking event, open around the clock, and says the real value is that people can curate their own network and expand it globally.
Mark added that coffee meetings used to eat two or three hours of his day. He now wonders whether he will have one again unless the person is a great prospect. Liam also expects younger professionals, who are used to living online, to drive more conversation on the platform. In his view, those who participate will benefit and those who do not may regret it.
"It has no geographic limitations whatsoever, and you have the added advantage of being able to learn a little bit about somebody before you decide to reach out and introduce yourself."
How Liam built his presence and approaches content
Liam has had an account since around 2005 or 2006 but only became active in 2020. After his daughter was born in November 2019, he spent a month reading and learning on the platform. In January he set a resolution to be more active and build a personal brand. He says he fell out of love with Facebook and Instagram, and found more meaningful information on LinkedIn.
His strategy is a phrase he coined, pace equals growth, which stands for patience, authenticity, consistency and empathy. He struggled early with overthinking and with watching likes. His advice is to be patient, establish your voice and let growth come gradually. His own topics are emotional intelligence, empathetic management, personal branding and LinkedIn connections.
Liam does not use an editorial calendar. He keeps a running list of ideas and writes when inspiration hits. For people intimidated by advice to post daily, he says there is no right or wrong way, because it depends on your goals. They might be thought leadership, showing employers how you think, or simply reading and learning.
"I always advise people to really understand what their why is. Find your why, find your inspiration, find your voice, and then find your tribe."
Lessons about conversations and authenticity
Mark said his biggest lesson of the year was the value of turning connections into conversations. He has had more than 100 conversations through LinkedIn, and simply asking someone for a chat has almost never been refused.
Liam agrees that most people want to connect and talk about topics they care about. He says LinkedIn has a discovery element that other platforms lack. On Facebook people mostly connect with those they already know, though he finds Facebook groups better than LinkedIn's. He credits Brian Schulman with the idea of finding your tribe.
Liam adds a caution. LinkedIn is a business platform, and some people there are only selling or projecting a persona to generate revenue. He suggests judging a person's authenticity and intentions before building a relationship.
"Don't be satisfied with connections because connections are just one way to play the game. It's about the conversations that delivers value."
LinkedInthusiasts and what to expect in 2021
Liam recently launched the LinkedIn Enthusiasts page for people who are passionate about the platform. He cares about tech startups, revenue operations, sales, marketing and customer experience, and he does not want to be known only as the LinkedIn guy. A separate page lets him post about LinkedIn without taking over his personal profile.
Looking ahead, Liam sees LinkedIn as a startup with 700 million users, trying to raise engagement on a platform that was not built for it. He expects more prompts that push people to engage, and he points to Andy Foote's predictions for the year. He also expects monetization, since LinkedIn is part of Microsoft, though he does not know how it will be done.
Mark predicted that monetization, video and analytics for personal accounts will be big opportunities. Liam's concern is that LinkedIn keeps the authenticity of the platform intact.
"I hope that they are able to maintain the integrity of the communication and the relationships that are on the platform because I think that's where most companies that are in the social space fail."