How to define your LinkedIn goals correctly?
Let's be honest - we all want to be successful, liked and perhaps popular, on social media and specifically on LinkedIn. But success on the platform doesn't happen by accident - it requires planning. This is where goal setting comes in. Correct formulation of objectives is needed, because without it it would be equivalent to shooting blind and wanting to hit the target.
Why is goal setting on LinkedIn key?
- To know where you are going - the targets will serve as your GPS. Without it, you'll wander, right? It's like saying you're going somewhere along the coast - you'll probably get to the place, but is it what you're looking for. That's the way it is, and if you set out to be successful in
- To avoid distraction - LinkedIn is a social network for professionals, but it's also a strange universe. It's easy to get lost reading about someone's success from scratch or the next career development webinar. If you don't have clearly defined goals, you'll spend more time searching for post ideas than building your own content.
- To find out when you have "arrived" - if your goal is to "feel successful," how will you measure that? Will you wait for someone to proclaim you a LinkedIn guru? Goals need to be clear - for example, "I will get 1,000 followers by the end of the year." If you achieve it, then congratulations, if you don't, at least you'll know how close you are to the goal.
Before you set a goal, remember - not every dream is a good goal. It's great to want to become the next Elon Musk, until you realize you don't have a rocket plant handy. That's why SMART criteria are here to put things in order.
The SMART criteria are:
- Specific: Instead of "I want to get popular," tell yourself, "I'm going to post content every week to grow my audience to 10,000 people." Specific goals focus attention and make it easier to take action.
- Measurable: your goal should be countable. For example, "I'm going to increase my followers by 20% in six months." When a goal is measurable, it allows you to track your progress with specific metrics.
- Achievable: If you are new to LinkedIn, it will be hard to get 1 million followers in three months. However, 1,000 in the first 3-6 months is another thing. By achieving small goals, you will become more confident and lay the foundation for big successes.
- Realistic: These goals allow you to move forward confidently without wasting time and energy chasing hard-to-achieve dreams. Dreams are inspiring, but goals must be achievable.
- Time-bound: Give yourself a deadline that is realistic and tight to motivate you - "someday" is not one. "I will create and publish five articles in the next two months." You have the time frame here, and it should encourage you to meet your goal.
Purpose is like coffee - if you do it right, it will keep you awake and motivated. However, if you leave it only in your head, you run the risk of being passive and your competition rising up. Don't procrastinate any longer, set your SMART goals and start implementing them.
What is the goal you are trying to achieve? Email me on LinkedIn to find out how you can make it a reality.
In case you want to find out more on the subject, you can read in my book "How do you build a personal brand that sells on LinkedIn?". If you want to help me and this article reach more people, you can share it with your colleagues or friends who might find it interesting. And if you want to learn more for me or for my services, do it yet!
The article was written by Kaloyan Kirchev and Emmanuel Tonev
English (UK) 
Български