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Education

How to use LinkedIn to spark meaningful

discussions in payments

The LinkedIn algorithm

Once you're active on LinkedIn, you will hear rumblings
of the LinkedIn algorithm. This is the formula LinkedIn
uses to decide how many of your followers and extended
network (connections and followers of your connections)
to display your content to.
No one really knows the magic formula that makes the
algorithm lean in your favor, and you shouldn't believe
anyone who tells you that they do. But there are some
certainties: LinkedIn rewards engagement on its own
platform. The more you engage with the content of others,
the more engagement you should expect to see with the
content you share.
Engaging on the platform

The easiest way to get started on LinkedIn is to connect
By Elaina Smith with a few other professionals who are active on the
platform and start engaging in their posts. What does
Secure Bancard engaging mean? You can like their posts, comment on
their posts, or even share their posts on your own timeline.
n the payments industry, we are fortunate to have
several great publications that help us stay current The worst thing you can do on LinkedIn is only scroll.
with the latest trends. The Green Sheet is no excep-
I tion. These publications are great for disseminating Scrolling is like walking into a networking event, standing
in the corner of the room and staring at the crowd. If you
information, but not as much at sparking conversation only like posts, that's just like waving from across the
since most articles offer the viewpoint of an individual. room. Instead, comment on a post and start a conversation.
Then watch the magic unfold.
But what happens when that article is shared on a social
platform and perhaps introduced through the lens of Even if you don't know the person who shared the content,
another person's perspective? Then, we can open the they'll be flattered that you took the time to read it as well
dialogue to engage in meaningful conversation and, even as offer your feedback. The best way to turn a LinkedIn
more exciting, easily reveal opportunities for potential stranger into a possible networking connection is to start
collaboration.
engaging in their posts.
Social platforms like LinkedIn can be the medium If you immediately start with a message to someone asking
that publications can use to transition an article from for a meeting, you'll likely be declined. But if you send a
print on the page into a meaningful, open dialogue. A similar message to them after you've engaged with several
social platform like LinkedIn can also be a productive of their posts, they are much more likely to accept your
networking tool for professionals whether they're working invitation or at the very least respond to you personally.
independently or for a big company.
Sharing content
LinkedIn
If you've spent a fair amount of time on LinkedIn, you
LinkedIn is most likely the appropriate social platform for might notice that there is a lot of sales-driven content
professionals in the payments industry. At the time of this on the platform. If you're scrolling through your feed
writing, LinkedIn has nearly 740 million users and over 55 and seeing ads for a free POS program day after day,
million registered companies. However, it's estimated that chances are that you will never do anything to act on that
only around 1 percent of LinkedIn users actually create advertisement. Indeed, you might just become so annoyed
content. There is tremendous potential for professionals that you unfollow that person completely as well as avoid
in the payments industry to unleash the full power of this them at the next tradeshow.
platform by sharing content.
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