SMM Short 11: Arik Hanson The Art of LinkedIn

[00:00:00] Well, LinkedIn is a really great platform. We were using it just for job postings and being able to connect with potential candidates, things like that. Now we've been using it much more as a brand, especially recognizing that there's a business consumer out there that's very interested in our content. And I would love your thoughts because you are very consistent on LinkedIn. I think it is important to have that consistency because it also helps garner more followings and more connections. But when you post things as a brand, that's one thing. But then as executives,

[00:00:30] or leaders within an organization, what is the strategy of reposting your brand content, having your own voice, having your own perspective, but then also sharing, celebrating with other people in the industry, their accomplishments and things like that. So talk a little bit about LinkedIn strategy. Great question and passion topic for me, for sure. I think that you and you two are good examples of this too at the mall. I mean, I would argue you two are basically the de facto spokespeople for the mall. Now, some of that is on purpose, just based on the fact that you're going to be a good example.

[00:01:00] You're not elevated, you know, elevated titles that you have. And part of it is you've just been here a long time too, right? So you have all the history and everything that goes with us. People associate you with the mall. Right. A hundred percent. So you are the spokespeople for the mall. So you two specifically posting things as Jill and Dan on LinkedIn are going to carry a lot more weight than what the mall posts. Now the mall's account certainly has its place, but they're going to connect with you because LinkedIn, much like Twitter, is like a person-to-person platform.

[00:01:27] So, you know, you talking about that you're speaking at the U for example, I mean, it has really nothing to do with the mall, but it still confers a certain status or authority on the mall just because you work here. Everyone knows you work here, right? But you could be talking about some of your kids' sporting events at formerly Simley or St. John's, and where your son goes to St. John's.

[00:01:45] And that still connotes, I think, authority and reputation for the mall because people are going to feel more connected to you. They feel more connected to the mall by that consequence. So I think there's a ton of value in people like you. It doesn't even have to be people like you at your level, but you guys have kind of fallen into those spokespeople roles.

[00:02:02] One of the misconceptions a lot of people make about LinkedIn when it comes to kind of leaders and people posting on LinkedIn is that you mentioned the sharing and sharing like the corporate content. And like, I would say five to six, seven years ago, that was totally true.

[00:02:15] But then somewhere along the lines during the pandemic, LinkedIn kind of changed the algorithm and now it doesn't reward sharing, it rewards commenting. So if you're, I just had this conversation with a client this morning. If you're on LinkedIn and you want to share or you want to support the corporate content, your best option really is to either like it or comment on it, not to share it. Like they want you to share your own unique content, right? So for example, let's say the mall was, you had a new opening for like Addicted. Let's say prior to the Addicted opening.

[00:02:44] Like, oh, let's think about what we're going to do with LinkedIn. And the corporate account made a nice post and then everyone was going to share it. Instead of doing that, like you, Jill, go to the grand opening, which I'm sure you were at. You get your own photos at the grand opening and you tell, you storytell about what the Addicted grand opening means to the mall.

[00:03:02] So even sharing it and adding your own content to that share, you're saying just totally outside of that.

[00:03:07] Yeah, don't do that. Share your own content. And then comment to support the corporate posts by liking and commenting on. So that's a big shift.

[00:03:13] And so that goes, like then the cadence of that, how frequent, because I feel like I ebb and flow, like I'll get on a roll and I'll be posting a couple times a week. And then all of a sudden I don't post for a couple of weeks or something. But I know that repetition is important.

[00:03:25] So what is your rule of thumb for leaders, executives within brands? Is there a rule of thumb?

[00:03:31] I think for me there is, because it's number one, start small. So you guys are past this, but it would be once a month and consistently once a month, right? Every month, once a month. So you've got 12 posts in a year or 12 months in a year, you've got 12 posts.

[00:03:42] You start there and then you try to work up to once a week.

[00:03:46] I don't think you guys, especially people like you, you're busy, you have day jobs, this is not a primary focus for you. You don't need to post more than once a week. That's plenty. And you have plenty of opportunities at the mall of things to talk about. So I don't think it would be a shortage of content opportunities for you. Once a week would be more than enough and a good cadence to shoot for, I would say.