Use the force Reader,
LinkedIn really sucked back in 2012.
It was humblebrags, pitches, and made up BS, all the time (not just sometimes like it is today).
Every now and then I'd try use it. Write up a post with some generic website or conversion tips, post it, and get nothing. So I'd hibernate my account. Rinse and repeat every couple of years.
Which brings me to January 2025. I'd just lost my largest source of revenue, when the agency I was white labelling my services to sold their business without warning. $150k+ a year, gone overnight.
After a mild panic attack, I decided to start taking my own marketing a bit more seriously. I started networking again, and decided to dust the cobwebs off my old LinkedIn account for shiggles (shits and giggles).
Changing things up
Up until this point, every time I'd tried to "LinkedIn" before, I'd just matched what I saw on the platform. Posting clever insights, or case studies, or tips on making your website better. I was super "professional" - just like everyone else.
But that approach sucked.
It was boring and lame, and didn't feel right.
Since I was never actually expecting to land any work from LinkedIn (everything was from in-person networking and referrals), I decided I'd change things up. Channel the whole "idgaf" approach I bring to everything in life.
Stop trying to get leads, and have fun instead.
So I started being a smart arse in comments and posting jokes. I never pitched anyone, never begged for work (beyond making little jokey signatures at the bottom of my posts), wasn't "professional" at all.
And surprise surprise, I started getting people asking me about building them a website.
Why did this work out?
Easy answer: everyone else was boring, I wasn't. I stood out by showing my personality.
Which is AWESOME, cause then:
My network grows.
People get to know me.
I get remembered.
Not everyone needs what I do all the time. But when they do need it, it's pretty helpful if they think of me.
And pushing my personality more than just being "professional" made that happen.
"But I'm not funny"
Almost every time I talk about showing personality with people, I'll hear "but I'm not funny."
First of all, I don't actually think I'm that funny. I just like to have fun.
But more importantly: being funny isn't the only option.
Yes, you could be funny or witty or sarcastic, orrrrr:
You could be opinionated, rebellious, contrarian, or provocative.
Maybe you're more the warm and nurturing type?
Or you embrace the vulnerable, earnest, or wholesome part of yourself.
You might be geeky, nerdy, quirky, or eccentric instead.
You could show your passion, how much you care or how fired up you get about a topic.
Or straight up be direct, blunt, no BS.
There's SO MANY different directions a personality can go in. And nothing says you need to be just one thing either!
So what now?
When you figure out who the hell you are, you can start using that in your messaging.
Whether it's a post on LinkedIn, or the words on your website, or an email you're sending, or a video you're making; ask yourself two questions:
Does this show my personality?
How can I inject my personality into this more?
Sometimes, you might just need to change a word or a phrase. Sometimes you might need to scrap an entire piece of content and start again (with a different angle).
I can tell you that doing this has worked for me and heaps of others. My friend David Smoak posted about it recently. Nicole Ramirez is pretty huge on LinkedIn, and she posted about this recently too. It's not just me.
Shit, half the stuff I say would be boring as hell if I didn't put my personality into it.
So if you're not getting traction with your content, try showing more personality. It might actually work out better than you thought.
🤘
Cowabunga,Nick Gulic
