If you are an entrepreneur, subject matter expert or business professional and your goal is to lift your profile, grow your influence and build your personal brand and reputation, at the very least you need to:
(a) maintain a content-rich blog, and
(b) be active on LinkedIn.
The good news is, you can now ‘kill two birds with the one stone’ because LinkedIn is in the throes of rolling out its new blogging platform (THINK: ‘Tumblr for LinkedIn’). *
For some reason I’ve just been selected to be among the early group of LinkedIn members to be invited to publish long-form content to the new platform (I don’t think it’s that big a deal, it’s probably because I am pretty active on LinkedIn and somehow they know that!).
Anyway, I gave the new platform a quick test-drive on Friday and here was the result:
MY OPINION? I think LinkedIn’s new blogging platform is an awesome idea, a very welcome addition to an all-important social platform! Indeed, I believe it’s a GAME-CHANGER for professionals wanting to drive their own thought leadership and personal branding efforts.
A couple of issues: I struggled with the pic uploading function – it doesn’t seem to be working for some reason, and how the post is featured on your LinkedIn profile could be improved – but all up it’s a pretty powerful new feature for what is a critical platform for entrepreneurs and professionals.
While this initiative by LinkedIn is not ‘new’ (it was originally announced in February), expect to see it gain serious traction over coming months.
If your goal is to grow your influence and credibility by publishing original content, when you get the opportunity consider giving ‘Tumblr for LinkedIn’ a crack!
MORE:
- Official announcement
- LinkedIn Opens Publishing Power to All Users (Mashable)
- LinkedIn Opens Its Publishing Platform To All Members (TechCrunch)
NOTE: LinkedIn first unleashed its ‘INFLUENCERS’ initiative with high profile thought leaders back in late 2012. These ‘influencers’ included Richard Branson, Tony Robbins, Sallie Krawcheck, Craig Newmark, Barack Obama, Mitt Romney and more.
The LinkedIn strategy is pretty pronounced. The brand wants to to create a ‘content play’ that makes the platform a ‘must-visit’ website/social network. If you’re a professional and are visiting LinkedIn regularly, it’s happy days for LinkedIn! Of course, this also means it provides excellent opportunities for individuals to increase ther visibility and influence!
* While I think the LinkedIn blogging platform is a great initiative and it’s certainly an opportunity I will be availing myself of, I am still very steadfast in my view that if you want to be seen as a genuine thought leader and key influencer in your space, you really do need to own your own platform, and that means having your own blog on your own domain name!
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