The 5-3-2 Rule of Social Sharing

You may know that you have to publish consistently on Linkedin in order to build visibility and credibility, but here’s something you may not know.

Only 50% of your content needs to originate with you in order to establish your expertise on Linkedin.

(Did I just hear a big sigh of relief?)

Your credibility will flat out make you or break you on Linkedin. And it doesn’t happen overnight. It’s earned one interaction at a time.

The 5-3-2 Rule of Social Sharing (TA McCann, 2011.) states that out of every 10 pieces of content:

5 should be content from others that is relevant to your audience,
3 should be content from you that is not “salesy.”
2 should be nonwork-related content that tells people a little more about you and reinforces your brand.

It seems counter-intuitive, but it does make sense.

In order to be seen as an expert in your field, you need to provide the best information available that is relevant to the needs of your ideal clients. By balancing your own material with that of established and up-and-coming thought leaders in your field,yougrow your own reputation as a “person in the know.” (Don’t forget to cite your sources!)

The key here, is to add your own point of view to what you postand make your comment something more than just “Great article.”

So, what kinds of comments can you make? Explain why you’re sharing theinformation, agree or disagree with the writer’s premise, add your own insights. There are lots of options, just be sure to express your point of view and customize your comments with your target audience in mind.

To express your point of view, you have to stick your neck out a bit, and that can feel uncomfortable. Just remember this. Whether people agree with you or not, you’ll be more memorable if you express your point of view.

Resources

Content-curation tools are an easy way to keep your feed filled with trending content that is relevant to your audience. The five listed below are relatively easy to set up and have free subscriptions.

Check them out and let me know what you think at dumont@dumontowen.com.

Follow me on Linkedin at https:/ linkedin.com/in/dumontowen. To follow someone on Linkedin, go to their profile and click the More icon to the right of the blue connect button. Select “Follow” in the drop-down list.