Let's be honest — we humans are fairly simple at heart. We want to see the right things, hear the right things and get confirmation that what we are doing, or about to do, is right. Nothing strange about that. Networking is exactly the same. Before you join a business network, you check who the members are. If it doesn't feel right, you might drop by as a guest once to get a feel for it — but then nothing more happens.
The same is true digitally. We visit the network now and then, we scroll and see a bunch of people. The people you see are usually all wrong — especially if you work in business development, sales or other customer-facing roles. So the digital network ends up like the physical one: full of the wrong people.
Because the screen doesn't deliver what you want, you visit the network only sporadically. We understand why. Why would you spend time on something that gives you nothing? A logical decision in many ways.
At the same time, something nags at you. You know the right people are in the network. Can you beat the screen? How do we — simply — influence things so that we see the right people in our feed? This is where success starts for a person or a company on LinkedIn — seeing and networking around the right audience. If we don't do this, the results won't live up to your expectations.
Whose fault is it that we see what we see on the screen? Well, the truth is what it is …
You are 100% responsible for your feed. If you don't take ownership and shape it around what you want to see — the results won't come either.
// So where do you begin?How do you shape your core LinkedIn feed?
Eight concrete steps — do them once, and the right people will start showing up in your feed.
Pick out 20 people who matter to you — perhaps future customers?
Like and comment on their posts. Show a little interest!
Send a connection request and start following them.
Once you do, a small 🔔 bell appears on their profile.
Click the bell and choose "All".
Now you get a notification whenever that person posts or comments on something.
By staying active around these people, they then start appearing in your feed.
You've now taken basic ownership and reshaped your feed — one step closer to using LinkedIn smartly. 🙂
Taking ownership isn't hard — but it does require that you start. LinkedIn is an individual tool that adapts to what you do. Everything is a reflection of your activity. That means you influence who sees you, what you see, and what the results will be.
Think LinkedIn feels like Facebook, or too boastful? Again — you're the one who can change that, by unfollowing the people you don't want to see.
Remember: it's your responsibility.
You own your feed. When you deliberately choose who you follow, like and track, the screen starts showing the right things — and only then do the results on LinkedIn appear.