As avid Twitter users, our #TwitterSmarter community members are always up to date on best practices, recent changes, and news about getting the most out of the platform. However, a successful business is one that uses multiple social media channels cohesively and effectively. And we realized that LinkedIn, as a medium of conversation, has long been rather a mystery to many business owners. So we decided to talk about it on our chat last week.
We invited Judi Hays, LinkedIn strategist and consultant, to share some information about leveraging LinkedIn and Twitter together to expand reach.
Here’s a summary of our chat.
Topic: How to augment Twitter and LinkedIn
Guest: Judi Hays
Format: Eight questions directed at the guest. Everyone’s welcome to share.
According to Judi, connecting LinkedIn and Twitter refers to having the same people in your network on both social channels.
A1: Connecting is when you are a first-level connection on LinkedIn.
On twitter it's a follow and if they follow you back, then you are "connected" #twittersmarter https://t.co/2r6uU0xTvv— Judi Hays, Inc. (@askjudihays) October 3, 2019
This means not only do you get more interactions with these connections, but it’s also interesting to see how your followers and friends from one channel use the other. You can even learn a few tricks from them on how to get the most out of either platform.
A1: It’s interesting to see how your LinkedIn connections are utilizing Twitter. Sometimes they are totally different depending on the platform #TwitterSmarter
— Judi Hays, Inc. (@askjudihays) October 3, 2019
Being connected on both also helps you expand your network. Since LinkedIn is largely identified as a professional forum, you’ll have a lot of opportunity to find and converse with second and third-level connections. After all, the more people you know, the better you’re off.
A1. You’ll likely grow your network and engage more if you are connected on both platforms #TwitterSmarter
— Judi Hays, Inc. (@askjudihays) October 3, 2019
As our friends from GrowVisibility pointed out, connecting on both platforms lets you cross-promote your content as well. That way, your network can still benefit from your knowledge even if they miss it on one.
A1: Benefits of connecting LinkedIn and Twitter are reaching more of your audience for engagement. You can also cross promote your content. #TwitterSmarter
— GrowVisibility (@growvisibility) October 3, 2019
That said, be careful not to re-share your posts verbatim. Both LinkedIn and Twitter are fundamentally different and you will have to tailor your content accordingly to get the most benefit.
The general consensus is, yes, you should conduct yourself differently in Twitter and LinkedIn.
As our guest mentioned, both platforms are so different from one another that how you behave depends on your audience, what they need, and your business strategy.
A2: They are almost polar opposites so your conduct will be different depending on your strategy and your audience #TwitterSmarter
— Judi Hays, Inc. (@askjudihays) October 3, 2019
For instance, Twitter is a more light-hearted network and you have a lot more leeway to engage in contrasting even controversial conversations. However, with LinkedIn being a more professional platform, you wouldn’t want to say something that might affect your reputation. LinkedIn can also be less forgiving since it’s often a gateway to new jobs.
A2: It depends on how you conduct yourself – are they the same audience or different
I'm more likely so engage in politics on Twitter but would NEVER do it on Linkedin#TwitterSmarter
— Judi Hays, Inc. (@askjudihays) October 3, 2019
Our guest also shared some advice and best practices about using LinkedIn. Always send a personal message to new connections, thanking them, and opening up conversations. And if you’re making a post, remember that three hashtags is more than enough.
All that said, you also don’t want to project completely different personalities on these platforms. As Tamara pointed out, that might work in the negative. Even though your tone and content should vary, who you are as a person shouldn’t.
A2: You shouldn't be a completely different person on both. However, listen to your audience and see what tone they best react to on both. I would say you can vary it slightly, but don't have two drastically different tones. #TwitterSmarter
— Tamara (@itstamaragt) October 3, 2019
A good rule of thumb is to remind yourself that you’re representing your company and adopt an appropriate tone.
Our guest’s advice is to check and respond to notifications on both platforms every day. She also suggested sending a friendly (non-creepy) direct message on whichever platform your audience is most active on. Oh, and if you’re not sure which platform they use, just ask.
A3: Direct message on the platform (LinkedIn or Twitter) that they will likely respond to. When unsure, ask them…#TwitterSmarter
— Judi Hays, Inc. (@askjudihays) October 3, 2019
Aside from responding to notifications, Judi also gave us something of a ritual for continued engagement:
A3: Daily, pick at least 10-20 connections who meet your “target client” and send them a direct message via LI and/or Twitter #TwitterSmarter
— Judi Hays, Inc. (@askjudihays) October 3, 2019
A3: Weekly, track your content metrics so you know what type of content your audience responds to most. Post more of what works and Less of what doesn’t. Test it. #TwitterSmarter
— Judi Hays, Inc. (@askjudihays) October 3, 2019
A3: Monthly, download your LinkedIn connection database and track engagement in a spreadsheet or google sheet #TwitterSmarter
— Judi Hays, Inc. (@askjudihays) October 3, 2019
Most of our community members agreed with Judy about following up on notifications daily. Although, for many of our folks, Twitter feels more natural and easy to engage on than LinkedIn. Some, like Lance and John, said they make a LinkedIn post once every week or so and check industry news, and yet are almost always on Twitter.
#TwitterSmarter A3: I'm on Twitter all day every day. I check LinkedIn once per week, maybe… I really only use LinkedIn for networking/professional connections. Whereas, I'm using Twitter for professional, personal, music discovery, etc. To me, LinkedIn is for industry news.
— Lance A Schart (@LanceASchart) October 3, 2019
A3: For LinkedIn, I check notifications a couple times per day and do any responses I'd like to do. I also curate a couple posts daily.
Twitter tends to be more involved for me. I'm here more frequently and update more often. #TwitterSmarter
— John Cloonan (@johncloonan) October 3, 2019
Ah, the million dollar question. The short answer, as Joe said, is to focus your strategy on building quality relationships with your audience.
A4: Build relationships with people that have a common interest and add value #twittersmarter
— Joe Morris (@jspeedymorris22) October 3, 2019
Find users who share a common goal and value—they are your target audience. Connect with them, understand their requirements, and consistently offer valuable content.
Judi also offered a bunch of great advice.
A4: On your tracking sheet, note their Twitter handle and LI profile link. Track the number of followers to determine influence sphere #TwitterSmarter
— Judi Hays, Inc. (@askjudihays) October 3, 2019
A4:Include your Twitter handle in your LI headline and in your LinkedIn contact info like this: #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/oAhfTNTqXu
— Judi Hays, Inc. (@askjudihays) October 3, 2019
A4: Follow your LinkedIn connections on Twitter; use a boolean search string to target and filter who you want to reach #TwitterSmarter
— Judi Hays, Inc. (@askjudihays) October 3, 2019
The first, and most important, thing to remember is that everything about them is different—the needs and mentality of audience, as well as the algorithm of the platforms themselves. That’s why it’s essential to tailor your message for each.
Here’re a few nuggets of wisdom from Julie:
A5: If you post status updates simultaneously to both Twitter and LinkedIn be sure that the key information is showing on both platforms #TwitterSmarter
— Judi Hays, Inc. (@askjudihays) October 3, 2019
A5: Your LinkedIn audience is clearly professional. Your Twitter audience may vary so it’s important to know the compatibility of your content specific to the platform #TwitterSmarter
— Judi Hays, Inc. (@askjudihays) October 3, 2019
A5: If you have global audience, there is no true "Best Time". https://t.co/efrVg86T1I
— Judi Hays, Inc. (@askjudihays) October 3, 2019
And of course, as Bernie reminded us, no matter what you do, however often you tweet, don’t ever spam. Social media is about being social—don’t make it all about you. Share the space and have fun.
A5: When connection on both platforms…don’t spam, don’t make it all about you, don’t come out selling and beware of others you don’t trust. #TwitterSmarter
— Bernie Fussenegger #Digital360Chat (@B2the7) October 3, 2019
Get the basics right first. Add your Twitter handle to your LinkedIn profile and vice versa. Make sure all of your online material—website, newsletters, email signatures—contain your Twitter handle.
If you’re sharing a post in LinkedIn, consider auto-sharing it on Twitter at the same time. When you automate it, you don’t have to remember and manually share each post.
If you’re at an event, live tweet. Share quotes, pictures, and anecdotes, along with the official event hashtag.
A6: Tweet quotes from speakers at conferences you attend, using the conference hashtag . Live Tweeting is the best #TwitterSmarter
— Judi Hays, Inc. (@askjudihays) October 3, 2019
Save your notes and put them up on LinkedIn Slide Share. If you speak at conferences, share your presentations as well. You can then tweet a link to them.
A6: Every time you attend or present a conference/workshop/seminar presentation, put your slides/notes online (using LinkedIn’s SlideShare) and tweet them #TwitterSmarter
— Judi Hays, Inc. (@askjudihays) October 3, 2019
Consider joining relevant LinkedIn groups. That’ll help you get in touch with industry experts and build a strong rapport with influential people in your niche.
A6: The only real benefit of joining a LinkedIn group is that it gets you closer proximity to all members of the group. This then allows you to connect with them. Think 6-degrees of separation…#twittersmarter https://t.co/GqPmJn7eZJ
— Judi Hays, Inc. (@askjudihays) October 3, 2019
Our community members also insisted on authenticity. Don’t be afraid to be who you are. Be genuinely interested in people and focus on developing your relationships. And to do that, you need to be consistently present. Be available to your audience, and as Christine suggested, share your expertise in the form of thought leadership. Offer value to your network.
A6. THOUGHT LEADERSHIP!
Both platforms have great opportunities to showcase your expertise and connect with the right people, both the leaders in your industry and prospective clients.#TwitterSmarter— ✨christine gritmon✨ (@cgritmon) October 3, 2019
Judi’s success came from knowing what she wanted to get from each platform. Having a clear goal and target audience is essential. You save a lot of time and effort when you know who you’re talking to and why.
A7. Having a real STRATEGY as to WHAT you want to get out of time on the platform and WHO you are trying to reach is a starting point. #twittersmarter https://t.co/66HfrpbIui
— Judi Hays, Inc. (@askjudihays) October 3, 2019
Our #TwitterSmarter members spoke about their successful strategies too. The most common one is the most straightforward—being sincere. When you genuinely take an interest in your audience, share value, and engage consistently, you will become a go-to problem solver.
Rachel from Express Writers pointed out how their monthly Twitter chat, #ContentWritingChat (great for marketers!) has helped them boost their Twitter presence and build a community of engaged audience. And just like chats, lists can also be a great way to build conversations.
A7: For Twitter, our monthly chat has been a key element of our strategy. It helps us build our community and make new connections. #TwitterSmarter
— Express Writers | Your Content Writing Team (@ExpWriters) October 3, 2019
Our friend Ganesh emphasized the importance of making sense. We all like a good laugh, but unless done well, witty pranks can easily turn into offensive content that might even affect your brand.
A7: Communicate Sense. Even sharing a joke or a prank is sense when done appropriately. Express Value. #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/QlSZD6rHjG
— SG ?? (@Ganesh_Sabari) October 3, 2019
Janice brought up the value of community and how you should learn from your analytics.
A7 Best Twitter strategies: 1) learn from analytics 2) focus on engagement vs. reach. Same for LI where I also take advantage of the additional space there and the fairly recent addition of hashtags. Also recognize you're trying to build a community (not go viral) #twittersmarter https://t.co/4F5XktpW71
— Janice Mandel (@janicemandel) October 3, 2019
And finally, our own expert Madalyn left us with thought provoking advice. Listen to your audience. Don’t talk just for the sake of talking.
A7: Listen first. Talk second. #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/0FBMY0VbNT
— Madalyn Sklar ? Digital Marketing since 1996 (@MadalynSklar) October 3, 2019
Judi vouched for Hootsuite, Sprout Social, and Buffer for sharing and scheduling social media content. She also likes Canva for images, Google Sheets for tracking, and text expander apps on Chrome.
A8: Platforms like @hootsuite , @SproutSocial , @Buffer help for evergreen content sharing as long as the posts are customized for each platform #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/B9T1XLX7yI
— Judi Hays, Inc. (@askjudihays) October 3, 2019
As for what he’d like to see, Matt hoped to have time limits for pinned tweets. It’s a great idea too—how often do you pin a tweet (about an event, a webinar, or a promotion) and forget that it’s even there?
A8: For real, I want to have the ability to set time limits to pinned tweets.
Say I'm promoting a contest (I work in radio) or something time-sensitive, I would love to have it un-pin the second it's no longer relevant. #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/jbKZ5qBc3Y
— ?JMatt (@JMattMke) October 3, 2019
Our chat regular and LinkedIn consultant Chaim told us how LinkedIn should bring back some of their old, super nifty, features like email syncing, tags, BCC emails, and keyword search.
Correction: Keyword Search AND BCC Emails #twittersmarter
— Chaim Shapiro? I'll Help You Maximize LinkedIn!? (@ChaimShapiro) October 3, 2019
What about you? Do you have any specific LinkedIn or Twitter features in your wish list? Tweet them out to Madalyn or myself.
And if you have some time to spare on Thursday, join us at 1 pm ET for our next #TwitterSmarter chat.
About me, Narmadhaa:
I’m a writer of all things—technical and marketing copy to fill the pocket; haiku and short stories to fill the soul. A social media enthusiast, I’m a member of the #TwitterSmarter chat crew, and always happy to take on writing gigs.
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