LinkedIn is a powerful tool for growing your business, especially if you’re in the B2B market.
Building connections and engaging with others is one of the primary ways to leverage LinkedIn for your business. But if you go about this the wrong way, your efforts aren’t likely to produce worthwhile results.
Are there protocols you should follow when interacting with others? Are there specific types of comments you should leave on other people’s posts and updates?
We’re going to look at several types of comments to leave on LinkedIn. But first, let’s look at why you should leave comments in the first place.
Why Comment?
Commenting used to be more commonplace – not just as a marketing tactic but also as a means of leaving feedback and connecting with the author of the post or article.
You can build valuable connections this way, and it can lead to opportunities for your business. But these days, it has become a bit of a lost art.
Some popular blogs even shut down their comments sections or no longer track comment count as a metric of success. Commenting tends not to happen on the scale it used to.
A lot of discussions now happen on social media as opposed to blogs or articles. But of course, LinkedIn falls under the umbrella of social networks. So, there are conversations taking place on LinkedIn, and you should be a part of them.
You don’t necessarily need to spend a lot of time connecting with people. Just 10 to 15 minutes per day can go a long way.
Here are several reasons to make this a part of your daily marketing routine:
- To build more connections. If you regularly comment on the same people’s articles or updates they’ll have no choice but to take notice of you. This tactic can be used to connect with influencers or even create connections in other related industries. This can create opportunities for interviews, roundup posts, guest posts, and other collaborative efforts.
- To establish yourself as an expert. You might be publishing on LinkedIn already, and if so, good job. But your influence will extend further if you show yourself as knowledgeable on relevant industry topics and leave meaningful comments on other people’s posts. You’ll also appear more selfless by connecting with others.
- To build your industry authority. When commenting on other people’s articles or updates, you should always be respectful. But you may be able to offer insights into the subject the original author was not able to. This can help make you the go-to person in your industry.
- To tap into new opportunities. While it’s inadvisable to be self-promotional in your commenting efforts, that doesn’t mean new opportunities won’t come your way as a result of commenting. You might generate leads and clients and create other opportunities to expose your brand to a broader audience.
Now that you know why commenting is so important let’s talk about what types of comments to leave.
1. Ask Follow Up Questions
Did the author of the post leave a few stones unturned? Did they mention something that made you go, “Hmm…? I wonder what they meant by that?”
If you came away with any questions after reading their update or post, you should consider asking it in the comments.
If you had this question, there are probably other readers who are asking themselves the same thing. So, by asking the question, you can also add value to other readers.
Typically, authors will respond to well thought out questions and offer additional insights to the readers. They get to show off their expertise, so it’s a win-win.
Generally, you can’t go wrong with asking questions assuming they are relevant to the subject matter at hand.
2. Offer Constructive Feedback
As an industry insider, you might know a thing or two about the subject matter the author is discussing.
Starting an argument would be unwise. But if there’s something you think the author should have covered, you could offer some constructive feedback.
You could say something like, “This was a great read. I was just wondering if you thought about covering _____ because it seems relevant to the topic at hand.”
A comment like that could potentially score you various opportunities – guest posting, interviews, blog features, and so on.
But the main thing to focus on is offering some feedback the author can act on. Maybe they could cover what they missed in a future article. Perhaps they could leave some additional insights in the comments section by replying to your comment.
Again, so long as the feedback you’re leaving is constructive, it should be appreciated by the author. Just avoid being overly critical or negative.
3. Answer Reader Questions
Other readers may leave questions in the comments section you have the answers to.
The author of the post may not get around to answering everyone right away. In some cases, they may not respond to anyone at all.
You can stand out from the crowd by answering questions others have left on the post. This will position you as an expert worth paying attention to.
Don’t offer answers when you don’t know the answer. But if you see any queries, you could personally answer, then feel free to chime in with your two cents.
The only thing not to do here is to take over from the author. They put thought and effort into their post. You should leave room for them to respond too if they wish.
4. Offer a Compliment
Sometimes, the author will have done a great job of delivering on their headline’s promise and addressing all relevant facts.
In a situation like that, it’s quite challenging to come up with a question or offer any feedback.
Your best bet in a situation like that would be to offer a compliment. Building the relationship should be one of your primary goals as a commenter, so a well-placed note of encouragement can do wonders for building rapport.
Just avoid the typical, “great job” or “nicely done” type comments. They’re nice, but because they have little substance, they tend to get ignored. Use the author’s name in your comment, so it looks real (not spam) and genuine. That way, even if your comment is short, the author will know you took the time to read what they had to say.
Don’t get carried away with leaving a compliment on every piece you read. That could have its drawbacks. If other people pick up on what you’re doing, they might be left with a negative impression of you or call you out on it. Vary up your comments.
5. Add Value to the Post
Even if the author has done a great job of addressing every issue in their post, there may be an opportunity for you to add additional value to it.
Authors love it when you reinforce their points through illustration or personal anecdotes.
You could say something like, “You mentioned _____. I know this to be true, because I remember encountering an instance where _____”.
This is an excellent way for you to connect with others and to show your human side. It makes you relatable.
Another thing you can do is leave a link to a relevant article or resource. Be careful when doing this. Authors are generally looking to drive as much traffic as possible on their post. They don’t necessarily want to send people away or have anything deter from their message.
If in doubt, you can always ask, “Is it okay if I leave a link to a resource? I think it’s pertinent to the topic at hand and could add value to your readers.”
Don’t be self-promotional. Only recommend tools, articles, and resources that will indeed add value to the post.
6. Make a Promise
If you’re commenting on an article, and you found value in it, let the author know you’re going to be sharing their article (on Facebook, Twitter, your email list, or elsewhere).
Authors work hard to write great content. They want to reach as many people as possible with their articles. Helping them achieve that goal will no doubt, put you into their good graces. Making a promise like this is a great way to get noticed too.
There isn’t too much that can go wrong here assuming you follow through with your promise. Don’t make any promises you can’t deliver on.
When you do something good for others, inevitably it finds its way back to you. The law of reciprocity will take care of you and ensure that your benevolence is rewarded.
Final Thoughts
A little bit of daily effort can go a long way. Consistency will make all the difference as you’re leaving comments on LinkedIn. If you keep doing it, even if you don’t see anything happening at first, your efforts will eventually pay off. But you will need to be persistent.
Are you commenting on people’s content and status updates on LinkedIn? What results have you seen from your effort? Are there other types of comments worth leaving?
Let us know in the comments below.