AI tools like ChatGPT are changing how people discover businesses online. The good news is that you don’t need a tech degree to take advantage of it. You just need to know where to show up – and right now, that place is LinkedIn.

Something worth knowing is happening to the way people find businesses online – and LinkedIn is right in the middle of it. Not LinkedIn the corporate networking platform where people post about being humbled and grateful. The actual LinkedIn. Your profile. Your posts. Your newsletter.

When you type a question into Google these days, you often get an answer sitting right at the top of the page – no clicking required. That’s AI search. It’s been rolling out since 2024 and it’s changing how people discover businesses, services and expertise online.

Why AI search tools are increasingly citing LinkedIn as a source

AI tools need to pull their answers from somewhere credible. For professional queries, they’re increasingly pulling them from LinkedIn – and the numbers from marketing platform Profound back this up.

Profound tracked millions of AI queries between November 2025 and February 2026. LinkedIn’s citation rate in ChatGPT responses doubled in that time. It is now the number one domain cited for professional questions – ahead of news sites, ahead of most business websites.

2x LinkedIn’s AI citation rate doubled between Nov 2025 and Feb 2026

#1 Top domain cited for professional queries in ChatGPT

35% Of LinkedIn citations in ChatGPT come from posts, articles and newsletters

So when someone asks an AI “who should I hire to help with my accounts” or “what should I look for in an award-winning digital marketing agency,” the AI is reading LinkedIn profiles and posts to shape its answer. Your LinkedIn profile is, effectively, your CV for the machines. And unlike a human reader, the machines actually read the whole thing.

Worth knowing: AI tools can only surface publicly visible LinkedIn content. If your best thinking lives entirely in your head, in private messages, or in the verbal explanation you give every new client – it doesn’t count. Write it down.

What small businesses can do to improve their AI search visibility on LinkedIn

LinkedIn’s own response involved three things: correcting inaccurate information appearing in AI answers about their brand, publishing content structured for AI to understand and cite, and checking whether their LinkedIn activity was actually showing up in AI results. They called it an AI Search Taskforce. We’d call it doing your digital housekeeping – just with a better job title on it.

Here’s the version that doesn’t require a 24-person taskforce.

• Start by searching for yourself. Google your business name and ask ChatGPT about what you do. Do you appear? Is what comes up accurate? Most business owners are surprised by what they find – or don’t find.
• Rewrite your LinkedIn profile in plain English. A clear, specific description of what you do, who you help, and what makes you good at it. Not keywords, not jargon – the kind of straight answer you’d give someone who asked a proper question at a networking event.
• Answer the questions your clients actually ask you. Posts, articles, newsletters – format matters less than content. Specific, useful, written in your own voice. That’s what AI quotes.
• Consistency beats volume. One well-written post a week is worth more than five thin ones. AI tools build a picture of credibility over time – the same logic that’s underpinned good content marketing for the past 24 years, as it happens.
• Close the gap between what you know and what you’ve written down. That gap is exactly what AI can’t fill for you. Nobody’s going to do this bit except you (or us).

How AI visibility fits into a long-term marketing strategy for small businesses

This isn’t a new strategy. It’s the same strategy – clear positioning, genuine expertise, consistent communication – with a new audience added to the mix. One that doesn’t scroll past the first paragraph, doesn’t care how many followers you have, and isn’t swayed by a selfie at the gym.

“Professional visibility is no longer only about how people present themselves to others. It’s increasingly about how machines interpret them first.” – Erin Lanuti, co-founder, Lilypath

The businesses showing up well in AI search are largely the same ones that have always done the basics well. That’s either reassuring or annoying, depending on where you’re starting from – but either way, LinkedIn is the most practical place to begin, and the investment is smaller than most people assume.

Not sure what your AI visibility actually looks like right now? That’s a good place to start. Come and have a chat.

 

SOURCES

Profound / Axios: LinkedIn domain rank based on ChatGPT citations, Nov 2025 – Feb 2026

LinkedIn / Search Engine Land: How LinkedIn Marketing Is Adapting to AI-Led Discovery, Feb 2026

Lilypath: Erin Lanuti quoted in Axios, March 2026

Right, gather ’round everyone – LinkedIn’s decided to stop being quite so polite about automation tools. After spending what feels like 24 lifetimes pretending engagement pods and comment bots were just “enthusiastic users,” they’ve finally drawn a line in the sand.

And honestly? About bloody time.

The Big News: LinkedIn’s Actually Doing Something About Fake Engagement

LinkedIn has officially updated its documentation to state: “if we detect excessive comment creation or use of an automation tool, we may limit the visibility of those comments.”

Translation: Your bot-generated “Great post! Thanks for sharing!” comments are about to get the visibility treatment they deserve – which is to say, virtually none at all.

This isn’t LinkedIn suddenly discovering automation exists (they’ve known for years). It’s them finally acknowledging what every legitimate user has been saying – fake engagement is making the platform feel about as authentic as a three-pound note

How It Actually Works

What LinkedIn’s targeting:

• Comments generated by automation tools
• Excessive commenting from single accounts
• Engagement pod activity (those mutual back-scratching groups)
• AI-generated generic responses

What happens when you’re caught: Your comments get shadowbanned – they appear normal to you, but everyone else sees tumbleweeds. It’s the digital equivalent of being invited to a party where nobody can hear you speak.

The detection method: LinkedIn’s algorithms look for patterns that scream “robot”: identical timing, repetitive language, suspiciously high comment volumes, and engagement that follows predictable patterns. Basically, if your commenting behaviour looks like it was designed by someone who’s never had an actual conversation, you’re in trouble.

The Business Reality Check

Let’s be honest about what this change can and can’t do:

What it will fix:

• Reducing the spam-like “Amazing insight!” comments cluttering every post
• Making engagement metrics slightly more meaningful
• Giving genuine users a better chance of being seen

What it won’t magically solve:

• People still gaming the system with manual engagement pods
• The fundamental challenge of building authentic professional relationships
• Your content being brilliant just because fewer bots are commenting

Think of this as LinkedIn finally admitting what we’ve all known for about 24 months – when half your engagement comes from automation tools, the emperor’s got no clothes.

Smart Implementation: What You Should Actually Do

If you’ve been relying on automation for LinkedIn engagement, here’s your wake-up call disguised as helpful advice:

1. Audit your current tools immediately Check every LinkedIn automation tool you’re using. If it promises to comment automatically on posts, it’s probably about to become as useful as a chocolate teapot.

2. Pivot to manual engagement Revolutionary concept: actually read posts before commenting. We know, we know – takes about 24 seconds longer than having a bot do it, but the results are infinitely better.

3. Focus on publishing over commenting LinkedIn’s still relatively relaxed about automated publishing. Channel that automation energy into scheduling quality content instead of generating meaningless comments.

4. Build genuine connections Shocking thought: try building real professional relationships. Comment when you have something valuable to add, not because your automation tool hit its daily quota.

The Strategic Context: Why LinkedIn Made This Move

This isn’t LinkedIn being randomly vindictive – it’s a calculated business decision.

The platform’s dilemma: LinkedIn makes money when people actively use the platform. When users feel like they’re drowning in automated noise, they disengage. Fewer active users means fewer premium subscriptions and less advertising revenue.

The timing factor: With AI tools becoming more sophisticated, LinkedIn needed to act before automated engagement became completely indistinguishable from human interaction. They’re playing defence against a future where every comment is AI-generated.

The credibility angle: LinkedIn’s positioning itself as the “professional” social network. Hard to maintain that reputation when every post feels like it’s being engaged with by chatbots having conversations with other chatbots.

Quick Action Steps: Your 24-Hour LinkedIn Recovery Plan

If you’ve been caught in this automation crackdown, here’s how to recover:

Hours 1-2: Immediate damage control

• Disable all commenting automation tools
• Review recent automated comments and manually engage where appropriate
• Check if you’ve received any warnings from LinkedIn

Hours 3-8: Strategic adjustment

• Audit your LinkedIn automation stack
• Identify which tools are now risky vs. safe
• Plan a manual engagement strategy for key connections

Hours 9-16: Content pivot

• Shift focus from comment automation to content scheduling
• Develop templates for genuine, personalised comments
• Set realistic daily limits for manual engagement

Hours 17-24: Long-term planning

• Set up monitoring to track engagement quality vs. quantity
• Plan a 30-day manual engagement experiment
• Or just call us and we’ll lend a hand.

What This Means for Different Users

For small business owners: Stop treating LinkedIn like a numbers game. One genuine connection is worth 24 automated comments that nobody reads.

For sales professionals: Your automated commenting strategy just became as effective as a screen door on a submarine. Time to learn actual relationship building.

For content creators: This is actually good news – your genuine engagement will stand out more when the bot comments disappear.

The Bigger Picture: What’s Coming Next

This move signals LinkedIn’s broader strategy shift towards quality over quantity. Expect similar crackdowns on:

• Automated direct messaging (already heavily restricted)
• Connection request spam
• Profile visiting bots
• Fake endorsements and skills

LinkedIn’s basically saying: “We want humans talking to humans, not robots talking to robots while humans watch in confusion.”

Alternative Strategies That Actually Work

Since automation is becoming riskier, here are legitimate strategies that won’t get you shadowbanned:

Content scheduling: LinkedIn’s fine with you planning posts in advance. Focus automation here.

Audience research: Use tools to find relevant people, but connect and engage manually.

Analytics tracking: Automate data collection and reporting, not human interactions.

Follow-up reminders: Set alerts to remind you to engage genuinely, don’t automate the engagement itself.

CRM integration: Automatically log LinkedIn interactions, but make those interactions real.

The Bottom Line

LinkedIn’s automation crackdown isn’t the end of the world – it’s the end of pretending that fake engagement was ever a sustainable strategy.

Yes, building genuine professional relationships takes more effort than letting a bot spam comments. Yes, you’ll have to actually read posts before responding. Yes, your engagement numbers might drop initially.

But here’s the thing: quality engagement has always been more valuable than quantity. Now LinkedIn’s just making that official policy.

If you’ve been relying on automation to prop up your LinkedIn presence, consider this your 24-hour notice to develop some actual networking skills. The professionals who adapt quickly will find themselves with a significant advantage as the bot-generated noise finally starts to fade.

This change might feel disruptive now, but six months from now, you’ll realise it was exactly what LinkedIn needed. Sometimes the best thing a platform can do is remind users that social media is supposed to be, well, social.

Need a hand building a LinkedIn strategy that actually works for your business?

Instead of chasing the latest automation hack, we focus on sustainable approaches that build real professional relationships and generate genuine business results.

LinkedIn has become the professional equivalent of that awkward work Christmas party where everyone’s trying too hard. You know the one – Dave from accounts is telling everyone about his “disruptive” spreadsheet methodology whilst Karen from HR shares inspirational quotes about Mondays.

Most businesses treat LinkedIn like it’s Facebook wearing a suit. They post the same recycled content, chase meaningless metrics, and wonder why their “engagement” consists mainly of the office intern and that one person who likes literally everything.

Meanwhile however, some companies are quietly building proper businesses on LinkedIn. Not by following the standard playbook of corporate waffle and motivational nonsense, but by remembering something revolutionary – there are actual humans behind those profile pictures. Who knew 😉

The Professional Context Everyone Misses

When someone opens LinkedIn at their desk, they’re not looking for entertainment. They’re in work mode. Their brain is switched to “solve problems” rather than “kill time until 5pm.”

This changes everything.

Your Instagram followers want pretty pictures and quick dopamine hits. Cats. Your LinkedIn connections want solutions, insights, and industry updates. They’re already thinking about business challenges, budget decisions, and strategic planning.

Gen Z Brings Different Rules (And Bigger Budgets)

Gen Z professionals are flooding LinkedIn with actual buying power. According to LinkedIn’s own data, Gen Z is now the fastest-growing demographic on the platform. These aren’t fresh graduates sending desperate connection requests – they’re 24-year-old decision-makers with budgets, and they can spot corporate BS from orbit.

The polished, committee-written content that worked for previous generations bounces off them completely. They want transparency, genuine expertise, and actual personality. If your content sounds like it was approved by legal, compliance, and three marketing directors, you’ve lost them.

Building Trust Without Boring People Senseless

LinkedIn’s professional environment lets you build long-term credibility with people who actually matter to your business. But this isn’t about collecting endorsements or posting inspirational quotes over sunset photos.

LinkedIn users actually trust what they see on the platform. The platform consistently ranks as the most trusted by B2B marketers and decision-makers. When someone shares your post, it carries professional weight. When they comment on your content, their network pays attention.

We’ve watched clients land amazing gigs purely from their LinkedIn presence. Not from aggressive selling, but from building credibility over months of being genuinely useful.

Real Thought Leadership vs. Generic BS

Everyone wants to be a thought leader. Most of what passes for thought leadership has about as much insight as a weather forecast from Michael Fish. Real thought leadership is sharing genuine insights from actual experience.

The businesses building credibility are solving real problems through their content. They share what they’ve learned from mistakes, explain complex concepts simply, and offer advice people can actually implement.

Research shows that businesses who lead with credibility and rely on trusted voices report stronger brand lift, better lead quality, and clearer impact on revenue. This isn’t just feel-good marketing – it’s measurable business impact.

Documents: The Strategy Everyone Ignores

LinkedIn’s document sharing feature is criminally underused. Whilst everyone fights for attention in the news feed, smart companies share valuable resources as downloadable documents.

Industry guides, practical checklists, templates, research summaries – these get saved, shared, and referenced long after regular posts disappear. They position you as a resource rather than just another vendor trying to get attention.

The Trust Advantage

LinkedIn research shows that 98% of Fortune 500 CEOs use LinkedIn as their primary or only social media platform. When buyers hear from trusted voices – customers, experts, or creators – they’re more likely to engage and take action.

This trust translates to measurable business impact. Companies using LinkedIn for B2B marketing consistently report stronger brand lift and clearer revenue attribution compared to other platforms.

Content Strategy That Actually Works

After analysing content performance across dozens of industries, the patterns are clear. The content that drives real engagement (and business results) consistently falls into specific categories.

Educational Beats Promotional Every Time

The highest-performing LinkedIn content is educational. Not motivational, not promotional, but genuinely helpful content that solves real problems.

Industry insights, process explanations, trend analysis, practical tips – content that makes people think “that’s actually useful” rather than “here comes the sales pitch.”

Behind-the-Scenes Content Builds Connection

People want to see the humans behind the businesses. Behind-the-scenes content consistently outperforms polished corporate posts because it shows personality and builds genuine connection.

This doesn’t mean sharing your lunch (save that for Instagram). Show your team solving problems, explain your processes, share the human side of professional expertise.

Case Studies: Evidence Without Ego

Nothing builds credibility like proof of results. Case studies and client success stories (anonymised appropriately) demonstrate expertise and show real-world applications of your services.

Make these educational rather than celebratory. Focus on the problem, solution process, and lessons learned rather than just highlighting your brilliance.

Video Content: How To Do It Right

The biggest myth in B2B marketing is that professional audiences don’t watch videos. That’s just not true. According to LinkedIn’s internal data, video creation on the platform has jumped by 27% in just the past year, with views rising 36%.

But here’s the thing – most businesses are approaching video backwards. The mistake is treating LinkedIn like television – big budgets, scripted messaging, and zero personality. Meanwhile, the videos actually driving business results look like they were filmed during a coffee break.

LinkedIn’s own research shows that 78% of B2B marketers are already using video, with 56% planning to increase usage in the next year. The opportunity isn’t just in creating video content – it’s in creating video content that actually helps people.

Simple Beats Slick Every Time

The best-performing videos are conversational, not promotional. Behind-the-scenes content, quick problem-solving tips, client success stories (properly anonymised), and industry insights delivered with actual human personality.

The most successful video content we see consistently follows a simple pattern – conversational rather than promotional, authentic rather than overly polished. Companies switching from high-production promotional content to genuine, helpful videos report significantly better engagement and business results.

The Creative Factor Most B2B Companies Miss

Here’s something that’ll surprise you: nearly half (49%) of B2B decision-makers say they’re more likely to explore a company if its advertising is creative. The days of boring B2B content are numbered.

LinkedIn data shows CEO posting has increased by 52% in the past two years alone. These aren’t just vanity metrics – executives are recognising that authentic, personal content drives real business results.

Creativity Doesn’t Mean Chaos

Being creative on LinkedIn isn’t about viral memes or flashy graphics. It’s about presenting your expertise in ways that are engaging, memorable, and genuinely helpful.

The most successful B2B content we’ve seen combines professional credibility with personality. It’s informative but not dry, expert but not intimidating, helpful but not patronising.

Strategic Networking vs. Connection Collecting

LinkedIn networking fails when people treat it like collecting business cards at a trade show – quantity over quality, pitch over relationship.

Quality Connections Over Impressive Numbers

Your network size means nothing if none of your connections know what you do. A smaller network of genuine professional relationships outperforms a massive list of strangers every time.

With 1.2 billion members and 69 million companies on the platform according to LinkedIn’s data, it’s not about reaching everyone – it’s about reaching the right people.

Connect strategically – industry peers, potential collaborators, complementary service providers, and potential clients, but only when there’s genuine reason to connect beyond adding another number to your total.

Follow-Up That Builds Rather Than Bothers

Most LinkedIn networking dies after the initial connection. People connect and then nothing – no conversation, no relationship building, no genuine professional engagement. Nada.

Successful networkers follow up systematically. They send personalised messages, engage regularly with connections’ content, and look for ways to be helpful before asking for anything.

Lead Generation Without the Sleaze

Most LinkedIn lead generation resembles aggressive door-to-door sales. Connect with someone, immediately pitch your services, get ignored, repeat. Next level cringe and tends to lead to people steering clear.

Relationships Before Revenue

Companies generating consistent LinkedIn leads invest in relationship-building over months, not sales pitches over minutes. They comment thoughtfully on prospects’ posts, share relevant content, and offer value without expecting immediate returns.

It’s professional dating – you wouldn’t propose after one conversation, so why pitch your services after one connection?

The Tracking Gap That Costs Money

Most businesses can’t prove LinkedIn ROI because they’re not tracking properly. Without CRM integration, you’re essentially guessing which activities drive results.

The winners track everything – which content generates qualified leads, which connection strategies convert, and how LinkedIn activity translates to actual revenue. They treat LinkedIn like any other marketing channel and measure accordingly.

Measuring Success Beyond Likes and Follows

Counting likes and followers as LinkedIn success metrics is like measuring business health by office plant survival rates. The numbers that matter are the ones connected to actual business outcomes.

Engagement Quality Over Quantity

Comments and shares indicate genuine interest more than likes. Profile views and connection requests suggest growing awareness. But the real measure is whether LinkedIn activity translates to business conversations and opportunities.

Attribution: Connecting Activity to Revenue

This is where CRM integration becomes essential. Track which LinkedIn activities lead to conversations, which conversations become opportunities, and which opportunities convert to clients.

Without proper attribution, you might be building a great personal brand whilst your business struggles. Entertainment doesn’t pay the bills.

Your Implementation Roadmap

Ready to build a LinkedIn presence that actually drives business results? Here’s your practical action plan:

1. Profile Audit and Optimisation Review your current profile against successful competitors. Update everything to focus on client outcomes rather than company features.
2. Content Strategy Development Create a content calendar focused on being helpful rather than promotional. Plan one educational post weekly minimum.
3. Engagement Foundation Comment thoughtfully on 5-10 industry posts daily. Share relevant content with your own insights added. Respond promptly to comments on your posts.
4. Strategic Network Building Connect with 5-10 relevant professionals weekly. Send personalised connection messages. Follow up within 48 hours of connecting.
5. Value Creation Develop downloadable resources related to your expertise. Share anonymised case studies. Offer actionable advice people can implement immediately.
6. Performance Tracking Set up proper attribution through your CRM. Monitor which content generates business conversations. Track conversion from LinkedIn activity to revenue.
7. Systematic Optimisation Review performance monthly. Double down on content formats that work. Adjust strategy based on business results, not vanity metrics.
8. Scale and Systematise Document your successful approaches. Train team members on effective LinkedIn strategies. Build systems that maintain consistency without burning out.

The Sales Cycle Reality Check

Here’s something most businesses forget: B2B sales cycles average 211 days according to LinkedIn’s research. Yet marketers expect instant results from their LinkedIn efforts. This mismatch in expectations kills more LinkedIn strategies than algorithm changes.

The companies winning on LinkedIn understand this is a long-term relationship game, not a quick conversion sprint. They’re building awareness and credibility over months, not chasing immediate sales over weeks.

The CMO Pressure Point

78% of CMOs say proving campaign ROI has become more critical than ever. LinkedIn’s advantage isn’t just in reach or engagement – it’s in attribution and measurable business impact.

When properly tracked, LinkedIn activity connects directly to revenue outcomes in ways that other platforms struggle to match. This isn’t just about marketing metrics – it’s about proving actual business value.

Avoiding the Common Traps

The Immediate Pitch Problem Connecting with someone and immediately promoting your services destroys any chance of building genuine professional relationships. It’s presumptuous and ineffective.

Generic Content Syndrome Sharing motivational quotes and industry clichés might generate likes, but it doesn’t build credibility or demonstrate expertise. Your audience wants insights, not inspiration.

Inconsistent Presence Posting sporadically then disappearing for weeks makes you forgettable. Consistency builds recognition, which builds relationships over time.

Vanity Metric Obsession Optimising for likes whilst ignoring business outcomes is like optimising for applause whilst your company struggles. Focus on metrics that actually matter to your bottom line.

The Long-Term Approach

LinkedIn success isn’t about viral posts or overnight transformation. It’s about building professional capital – establishing credibility, creating meaningful relationships, and developing a presence that opens doors rather than closes them.

Think of LinkedIn strategy as long-term investment. Every valuable post, thoughtful comment, and genuine connection deposits into your professional capital account. Over time, this pays dividends through referrals, opportunities, and business growth.

Companies winning on LinkedIn understand this is about compound growth, not quick wins. They build relationships, share value, and establish expertise with patience and consistency.

Time to Become LinkedIn Royalty

LinkedIn doesn’t have to be another social media obligation draining your time and sanity. When approached strategically, it becomes a business development tool that works whilst you focus on serving clients.

The difference is treating it like professional networking rather than social media marketing. Be genuinely helpful, build real relationships, share authentic expertise. Business results follow naturally when you focus on being valuable rather than promotional. Your future clients are already on LinkedIn – they’re just waiting for someone genuine to connect with.

Ready to stop posting corporate waffle and start building professional relationships that actually matter while your competitors are still Googling “how to LinkedIn good” at 3am on a Tuesday?

If I had 24 seconds spare today to work on my personal brand, this is what I’d do 👇

 

Here’s your step-by-step guide:

1. Log In to LinkedIn:

Begin by logging into your LinkedIn account. If you’re reading this, you’ve done that one already ✅

2. Go to Your Profile:

Click on your profile picture or your name at the top of the LinkedIn homepage to navigate to your profile page. Lovely pic, btw 😄

3. Edit Your Profile:

Once on your profile, look for the “Edit public profile & URL” link on the right-hand side of the page. Click on this link 🔗

4. Edit Your Custom URL:

On the right side of the page that opens, you will see a section titled “Edit your custom URL”. Click on the edit icon (it looks like a small pencil) next to your current URL ✏️

5. Choose Your New URL:

Enter your desired custom URL in the text box. LinkedIn will suggest a URL based on your name, but you can customise it as long as it’s between 3 to 300 characters and isn’t already taken by another user 😭

6. Save Your Changes:

Click on “Save” to update your URL. If the URL you’ve chosen is available, it will be saved immediately. If not, you’ll need to try different variations 🙄

7. Do Some Housekeeping:

Once you’ve successfully customised your URL, consider updating it on your CV, business cards, and other professional materials to maintain consistency across your personal branding 😇

You can now tick that one off your list 📝

Don’t forget to press subscribe for more ways to improve your digital marketing in just 24 seconds 🚀

“How often should I post on social media in 2023?” That is the billion-dollar question.

If we had a pound for every time we’d been asked that question we’d be…well, we’d probably still be looking after people’s social media. Because that’s what we love doing.

But anyway, we digress: if we had a pound for every time we were asked, “How often should I post on social media in 2023?”, we’d probably have the billion dollars required to know the answer.

However, knowing the answer isn’t as simple as us telling you to post three times a week, on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Nor is it as simple as us advising that our clients post every day. It’s much more nuanced than that. Here’s why:

Social media isn’t one size fits all 

If you’ve come here looking for a magic figure for how often you should be posting on social media, we’re sorry, because you’re likely to be disappointed. Yes, we could tell you to post once a day on Instagram, and three times a day on Twitter, but we’d be doing you a disservice.

Firstly, as a small business, would you even have enough content to post that regularly? If the answer to that question is no, then the answer to how often to post is less frequently than this. The frequency that you post needs to be able to match your content creation capacity, and when you run a small business and are CEO, head of marketing, the accounts department, HR, and the chief cook and bottle washer to boot, we appreciate that you may not have the time to create content 24/7.

Quality over Quantity

Going hand in hand with posting frequency, there’s a reason that content is always king: it’s much better to put out good quality content twice or three times a week than putting out post after post which doesn’t hit the spot because it’s of inferior quality. If you’re posting just for the sake of it, then you’re actually likely to lose followers through the use of poor quality content.

Remember to keep your target audience in mind at all times when creating content, and follow your brand’s guidelines: keep your tone of voice consistent, use your brand’s colours throughout, choose high quality images and perhaps an infographic or two.

Consider the type of content you’re posting

Key for 2023 is choosing the right type of content in order to reach your goals. Different types of content will give different end results.

• Want to build your engagement and your community? Use Instagram Stories.
• Looking to connect with other B2B brands? Choose LinkedIn.
• Ready to see your followers grow? Instagram Reels, carousel posts and TikTok are great for reaching new audiences.
• Want to drive conversions? Make use of User Generated Content.

Knowing what your social media goals are will help you determine what type of content to use*, and this will then lead you to how often you post.

For example, Stories can be used every day, and more than once a day, as they’re great for behind-the-scenes and getting to know your audience. But Instagram Reels take time and a lot of effort (and sometimes, a swear word or two) and so you may wish to use these more sparingly, maybe once a week. Getting to know what works for you and what works towards your goals will help you to decide when to post, and what.

*And then the social media experts like us creep in and whisper “and actually, you should really be posting a mixture of all of the above, at regular intervals, to really make the most of your platforms.” It’s a juggling act. It really is. But that’s where your friendly social media agency steps in. Get in contact with us if you’d like to hear more about that.

Keep it consistent

Above all else, keeping it consistent on your social media is the best thing you can do. If you only have enough content to post twice a week? Then make sure you do post twice a week, every week. This way, you won’t upset the algorithms too much, and your followers will get to know when to expect content from you.

Need more help with how often to post on social media in 2023? Get in touch with 24 fingers

We get it. We really do. It’s difficult to know how often to post to keep your brand in your followers’ minds, and how not to be the brand equivalent of that annoying person that you can track their every move via their Facebook posts because they share EVERYTHING.

And this is where 24 fingers steps in: we can help you to create good quality, consistent content. We will know which types of content will help you to reach your social media goals. And we can even help you to manage your feeds and post consistently.

Get in contact today and we’ll help you with how often to post on social media in 2023.

As the temperature drops and we find ourselves huddled under blankets and glued to our small screens in the comfort of our ‘working from home’ homes, we might ponder over what could be next on the horizon for social media in 2023?  Zoltar, take it away…

Chatty Business Messaging 

E-commerce paved the way for social media selling in 2022, and this trend shows no sign of slowing down. Instagram and TikTok have become established go-to platforms for e-commerce in the last 12 months, and for 2023 we will be able to add WhatsApp to the mix.

At the recent WhatsApp Business Summit in Brazil, Meta announced that it was working on ‘bringing a whole shopping experience’ to WhatsApp chat. This will include features such as searching for a business by category, and allowing businesses to create ‘click-to’ messaging ads, so expect to see updated business-friendly WhatsApp features on your mobile very soon. 

Keeping it Reel

No surprises here, but it looks like short-form video content is here to stay for 2023 and increasing in popularity. TikTok is still king with over 1.5 billion active monthly users in the last quarter of 2022, and Reels on Instagram are still getting prime-time with the algorithms.

YouTube have recently clocked on and launched their own ‘Shorts’ platform. ‘Shorts’ is proving lucrative for influencers as YouTube pays top-performing videos a percentage of all ad intake based on views, unlike TikTok’s less profitable Creator Fund.

Could YouTube take the crown from TikTok in 2023 as the top short-from video platform by attracting the most talented creative folk? 

The Designer Avatar

2023 will also see the rebirth of the avatar. Avatar integration is high up on Meta’s priority list as it envisions avatar identities as the key proprietors of the Metaverse. This digital form of identity has no limits and will incorporate sponsored items, customised costumes, and new ways to connect digitally. Luxury fashion brands are already selling designer avatar clothing in the Meta Store.

Gone are the gimmicky basic caricatures of 2020, and in their place are more sophisticated, multi-dimensional characters with interchangeable features. Apple has already done this with their Memojis, and WhatsApp have just launched theirs following on from Facebook. Meta’s reasoning behind the new feature is both fun and privacy. Eliminating the need for one to share a personal photograph, but also a fun way to create an expression, a step up from the standard emoji.

Expect to see avatars popping up on all Meta platforms in 2023 at a screen near you.

AI Creativity

Following on from the emergence of avatars is the rise of Artificial Intelligence on social media. With a focus on creativity, new tools for generating mind-boggling landscapes, sensual selfies and even cuter pet portraits will soon have full integration onto social media platforms with an aim to increase engagement.

Only last week the Lensa.ai app caused a storm through the creation of dreamy selfies and ‘Magic Avatars’, though not without its criticism. AI editing programs such as Midjourney enable the creation and sharing of digital art on an incredible level that would give Salvatore Dali a run for his money, and can be an impressive way to attract attention for your business or brand.

Virtual Reality will also be making an appearance, alongside Augmented Reality functionalities. Keep an eye out for Meta’s Ray Ban Stories AR-enabled glasses, which are due to be released at the end of 2023. Hopefully they will be more stylish than the cardboard red and blue 3D-TV specs from the nineties.

Multi-Sensory Multi-Tools

Multi-sensory experiences in general seem to be the flavour for Social Media in 2023, and aside from the aforementioned entertainment platforms, LinkedIn will be having its moment by creating and integrating video connection tools such as introduction video snippets, video chat features and Zoom-like meetings. It also plans to enable users to host professional audio events in the form of interactive podcasts.

New for LinkedIn in 2023 will also be a focus on allowing more data insights for jobseekers, building on its learning platforms for upskilling, and creating intelligent pathways for landing that  ‘dream job’. After having record levels of engagement for 2022, we are excited to see how LinkedIn continues to thrive in 2023. 

Whether or not these predictions manifest into reality remains a mystery, but we hope we have given you some sparks of marketing inspiration. Now time for eggnog. 

Variety is the spice of life – well so they say 🤪

With LinkedIn’s new and improved in-app experience, the update gives users the opportunity to customise their posts with a range of templates, enabling different text and background options. Whilst LinkedIn believe this is an effective way to ‘move with the times’, is this really what their users want?

Unlike Facebook, which mostly attracts all the local gossip and yummy mummies, LinkedIn centres itself around business and helping individuals to manage their ‘professional identity’. This update will arguably cause the app to stray away from its usual style, attracting a more casual audience, and decreasing engagement for those who are using the app with intentions to grow their clientele.

Success or not?

The platforms last attempt to ‘jump on the trend’ was its introduction of Stories – rings a bell, eh? 

But after little over a year, this feature was scrapped and it was back to the drawing board. It seems that LinkedIn don’t quite have the power to knock Insta off its perch!

With most of their insights displaying limited reach and click-through rates, they seemed to be getting desperate to boost their Story views,  attempting themed LinkedIn Stories to fill people’s top-of-feed, but it just wasn’t enough.

It’s taken long enough for us to finally see something like this appear in the app, so its worth using these features to their full potential and playing around with the new templates, and seeing whether your engagement skyrockets or plummets.

3 Top tips to boost yourself on LinkedIn 🚀

1. Follow hashtags – Keep an eye on hashtags used by people you’d like to interact more with, by looking at what they’ve included in their post. Particularly more broadly adopted ones that may give your business more exposure.

2. Interact with your personal connections – The more LinkedIn sees you interacting with people, the more those people will see your posts.

3. Visuals 👀 – Posts that contain images can get up twice as many comments as just plain, boring posts. Maybe it is about the looks after all 🙄

We can hardly believe it’s time to look ahead to the social media trends of 2022 as 2021 draws to a close. It’s been a busy 12 months, from lockdowns at the start and Freedom Day in the middle, to Omicron at the end. 

During it all, countless small and medium-sized businesses hitched a ride on the e-commerce rocket, fuelled – of course – by social media. 

That trend, at least, doesn’t look set to change any time soon, as over 50% of customers in a recent survey said they wanted local businesses to use social media more, with 58% keen to hear about offers via their favourite platforms. 

That’s great news for business owners, but what else can we expect for the coming 12 months? Let’s take a look at what we think will be the social media trends for 2022… 

Social selling – what is it and does it work?

Social selling is a buzz phrase for good, old-fashioned customer service, and it’s all about building a relationship and trust with your customers. 

Social selling is a growth sector, particularly for businesses or entrepreneurs looking to elevate their brand presence, and Instagram is the social selling marketplace. 

If you’re planning to launch a new business in 2022, it’s crucial you connect your online store and your social media presence to create an unrivalled marketing tool. Talk to us about how to become a master social media marketer.  

Craft your content to entice and excite potential customers, then engage personally with them to create a rapport and watch those conversions skyrocket. 

Make it easy for customers to communicate online 

We’ve all lost minutes (in some cases hours) of our lives hanging around on customer service phone lines while trying not to listen to the worst muzak in the world. 

E-commerce has the potential to change all that. In 2022, consumers will be looking for direct, online communication methods for support and after-sales service. 

It’s up to you to make it as easy as possible for your clients to get in touch, whether via a WhatsApp number, sliding into your DMs on Twitter, or messaging you on Facebook. 

Ensure your customer experience is as stress-free as possible and, if it’s appropriate, don’t forget to add a dash of fun. 

TikTok: one of the biggest social media trends for 2022

In the past couple of years, we’ve watched TikTok blossom from a teenager’s toy to becoming a fully fledged business platform. It’s added profiles, ads and a creator marketplace. 

Search demand for TikTok grew by 173% in 2021, compared to 22% for Instagram Reels and a 33% slump for Stories. 

A recent survey found 24% of respondents thought TikTok was the most effective for reaching their business goals, a massive 700% increase on 2020 figures. If you don’t have a TikTok presence, make 2022 the year you get one. 

Short videos will be king in 2022

The king is dead, long live the king. If YouTube is the home of the longer-form video, 2022 will see the rise and rise of bite-sized video content popping up across a range of platforms. 

While ephemeral content – ahem – such as Twitter Fleets and LinkedIn Stories came and went in 2021, TikTok’s popularity fed consumer appetite for video snippets that were smart, eye-catching and informative. 

With almost 40% of businesses preferring short-form videos too, the stage is set for a boom in the ad form. Start brainstorming now for ideas or read on for more social media trends for 2022. 

Take social media trends for 2022 and make them yours 

Social media is awash with all kinds of content, and nothing makes us smile more than when we come across something really smart or original. 

That’s why, in 2022, keeping an eye on what’s trending on social media will be crucial for entrepreneurs and business owners, because they’re brilliant bandwagons to jump on. 

If a trend lighting up social media fits with your brand message, what better excuse to hop on and use it to amplify your business? It’s a fuss-free way to generate potentially viral content. 

Should I pay for social media ads?

It’s a very good question, and something we can help with if you’re not quite sure. Business-to-business (B2B) ads are a potential growth area for paid social media ads in 2022, and Facebook is still the daddy when it comes to getting the best return on investment. 

Partner up with an influencer in 2022

Relationships are the glue that binds society together and it’s no different in business. The pandemic years have demonstrated that the UK’s small and medium sized businesses are a resilient, innovative bunch, and even more so when we join forces. 

In 2022, that trend will expand as increasing numbers of businesses partner up with influencers to spread their brand message to the widest possible audience. 

For example, teaming up with a top TikTokker could open up a whole new customer base, or partnering with a local Instgrammer with a solid following could boost your brand no end. 

The creative and revenue possibilities are endless, and you don’t even have to pay for a Kardashian (thank goodness). 

So there you have it – our pick of the social media trends for 2022. As always, we’ll keep our fingers on all the platforms’ pulses. In the meantime, all that remains is for us to raise a glass and wish everyone a happy and prosperous New Year. 

We’re 24 fingers, a digital marketing agency and a proud member of the Brentwood Chamber of Commerce, Excel Business Networking Group, the Trusted Business Community, the Organisation for Responsible Businesses and the Rotary Club of Brentwood à Becket. We help companies who are all fingers and thumbs with their social media grow their business and brand. Book your free strategy call here.

Fans of superb 1986 film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off will be familiar with the line: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Even the smartest of American teenagers would be hard-pressed to keep up with the comings and goings of social media, particularly Linkedin’s Stories shenanigans. 

In case you haven’t heard, the platform will be suspending the feature from 30th September. If you’ve bought ads that will run between Stories, they will be shown on the Linkedin feed, but in slightly more irritating news, an business owners promoting or sponsoring Stories directly from their page will have to remake them. 

Linkedin Stories just about lasted a year, and was launched at the same time as Twitter’s equally ill-fated Fleets, which were kicked to the kerb almost as soon as they were launched. 

In a blog post, LinkedIn’s senior director of product Liz Li said: “In developing Stories, we assumed people wouldn’t want informal videos attached to their profile, and that ephemerality would reduce barriers that people feel about posting. 

“Turns out, you want to create lasting videos that tell your professional story in a more personal way and that showcase both your personality and expertise.”

Li also revealed users wanted more functionality in Stories, as well as “more creative tools to make engaging videos”, not just stickers and prompts. Who said social media doesn’t listen? 

The good news is that Linkedin looks set to follow Instagram and Snapchat in taking inspiration from TikTok, and create its own feed that’s strikingly close (but not too much) to the ByteDance-owned platform. 

Given there are growing numbers of users on TikTok posting hints and tips about putting together CVs, interview and career advice, as well as kick-ass dance moves, we can see where Linkedin’s heading and why it would be a smart move for small businesses to stay ahead of the short-form video curve.  

Will we see the corporate equivalent of TikTok’s epic editing popping up on Linkedin? If Emma can find some dancing shoes that may well be a yes… 

We’re 24 fingers, a digital marketing agency and a proud member of the 42 Club, Brentwood Chamber of Commerce, Excel Business Networking Group, the Trusted Business Community, the Organisation for Responsible Businesses and the Rotary Club of Brentwood à Becket. We help companies who are all fingers and thumbs with their social media grow their business and brand. Book your free strategy call here.

Never let it be said we don’t appreciate the value of choice here at 24 fingers (just ask Emma about shoes) but – and we can barely believe we’re about to say this – there are times when having too many options is bad, especially when it comes to using social media platforms for marketing your brand.  

When it comes to advertising your business, it pays to be precise. There are lots of platforms that entrepreneurs can use to showcase their wares or services. However, like butter scraped over too much bread, trying to hit them all can be exhausting and do your bottom line no favours. Instead, try the following: 

Where are your people?

Any small business needs a marketing strategy and underpinning every single part of it is a deep knowledge of your customer. As well as their needs and pain points, you must also know which social media platform they spend their time on. 

If your market is Gen Z, then you should be hitting Instagram with both marketing barrels, because that’s where 73% of them hang out. On the other hand, 78% of baby boomers prefer Facebook. Target your marketing accordingly and you’ll save time, money and reap the sales rewards. 

How’s that content coming along then?

It’s all very well knowing where your ideal customers are if you don’t know what content they’re consuming. Do your younger audience members on Instagram want to wade through a blog post about the latest news in your sector, or will your older, Facebook-loving clients be keen on a funky video backed by a hard house soundtrack?

Alternatively, you can ask for feedback: 

• Look at your metrics to see who is consuming which content and on what platform
• Poll your customers and social media visitors to find out what they want to see/read
• Talk to your customers as they interact with you – direct questions work

Pick your platform carefully

So, you’ve established your ideal customer and found out what they want. Now all you have to do is match it to the appropriate platform – simples. 

One of the best starting points is a social media site you’re either familiar with or have had a positive experience with in the past. Use it as a test bed to try new ideas, then use your customer feedback to see how well this content performs on other outlets. 

A Facebook video could work well on YouTube and Instagram, for example, while a link to a blog post could engage on Linkedin and Twitter. Play around and see what happens. 

Act on your results

The great thing about social media is, even if you’re only operating on one or two platforms, they come with insightful analysis so you can see for yourself what’s happening with your content. 

Use those figures to more accurately target your audiences with content you know they’ll lap up and enjoy, and planning your next ad campaign will be a breeze, because you’ll know exactly where you need to be. 

If you’re still feeling more scattergun than surgical tool, drop us a line and we’ll help sharpen up that focus. 

We’re 24 fingers, a digital marketing agency and a proud member of the 42 Club, Brentwood Chamber of Commerce, Excel Business Networking Group, the Trusted Business Community, the Organisation for Responsible Businesses and the Rotary Club of Brentwood à Becket. We help companies who are all fingers and thumbs with their social media grow their business and brand. Book your free strategy call here.