When it comes to best practices, social media can be tricky to navigate, especially when the platform is used predominantly for networking in a professional environment like LinkedIn.

Specifically, it can be hard for users to decipher what content to share, when to share it, who to engage with, and how to represent their best professional selves.  

Below I have outlined engagement, content and reposting dos and don’ts for LinkedIn.

Engagement & Interaction with Others

• Do: Engage with your following. Follow your company, colleagues and the partners you would like to engage with on LinkedIn. Like, comment or repost other accounts’ content when the post is relevant to you, your work or your industry.
• Don’t: Like or comment on content from spam accounts or accounts posting inaccurate information. LinkedIn displays your engagement of likes and comments on your profile; anyone can access your history of likes, comments and reposts. You do not want to be associated with the wrong type of content.

Content Creation

• Do: Create content with a conversational yet professional tone. Keep posts concise. If possible, aim for 25 words to avoid the “See More” button so viewers can read the entirety of your content. Shorten URLs with tools like Bitly. Do add visual content such as graphics to drive engagement. Do include hashtags and tag relevant individuals or companies. Posts with one to three hashtags earn the most engagement.
• Don’t: Use slang or acronyms you do not fully understand, because if you are unsure, your audience will be unsure of the intended message as well. Do not be too salesy – constantly pushing your product or service will seem unauthentic. Avoid posting outside of regular work hours. LinkedIn is most active during the regular work week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Reposting or Re-Sharing Other’s Content

• Do: Your background research. Make sure the content you are reposting is from a reputable account, and read any articles that may be linked to the post. Your audience will associate your reposted content with you. When reposting articles, be sure to add your own commentary to the repost to make the post unique. Your commentary can include adding your perspective, a summary or hashtags. When appropriate, it can be a good idea to tag authors or other people mentioned in the original post. Do repost a variety of content from different, relevant accounts, and do have a variety of original posts and reposts. Try a 3:1 ratio with three reposts for every original post.
• Don’t: Only repost content without adding a description or caption. Your audience may not understand why you are reposting the content. Do not repost content that many people from your organization have already shared. This can be repetitive content to your following. Make sure the reposts do not consume your LinkedIn feed.

Leveraging your LinkedIn for professional purposes does not need to be overly complicated. By keeping these dos and don’ts in mind, you can build your personal brand, support your company and increase your engagement with your network.