Contact Sales
Countless articles have been written about how professionals should strategically use social media to gain recognition and bring in business. But what about the completely mindless? You know—actual zombies. How would they use social media?
Zombies don’t think. They lack high-level brain function, so if they post at all it’s in a purely mechanical way. This may work for zombies because, you know, they’re undead. But for the rest of us, sharing great articles in a thoughtful way is a much more powerful strategy for building relationships and being seen as an expert in your field.
Some zombies won’t shut up. They post 10 times per day but the content is irrelevant or uninteresting. Eventually, people zone them out. Of course, others never share at all. Professionals should avoid both extremes.
Research from Bufferapp shows that the ideal number of times to share per month on LinkedIn is 20, or about one share per business day. If you don’t make it every day, getting as close to that as possible is a great goal.
Zombies don’t converse. Look, they’re reanimated flesh—they can’t be expected to hold conversations with people online, unless responding will immediately lead to a chance to feast on the brains of an unsuspecting victim. The big difference between the way professionals and zombies use social media is that the former are real people with thoughts, feelings and opinions. Professionals care about their industry and their community. They care about giving back and aren’t just fixated on consuming human flesh.
Zombies put precious little thought into their appearance online. They don’t post updated pictures of themselves and their LinkedIn summaries lack their most recent relevant experience. (Most also have clothes that have almost completely rotted away and body parts falling off—it’s embarrassing how little effort they put into making a good first impression.)
Experienced professionals with great reputations need to make that clear online. A survey showed that the average managing partner is 10 years older than the average corporate chief executive officer. Older lawyers can’t expect all of their clients to communicate in the way they are used to. That means getting your stuff together online.
Zombies disappear. One day they are posting a picture of their cat on LinkedIn and then they go away for months. Nobody notices when zombies disappear. Professionals use tools like LinkedIn and Twitter regularly because they know business development is about staying top-of-mind with the right people.
Check-in daily on LinkedIn, even if only for 5 minutes. Share an article, add a new connection or read and respond to an article posted by someone you trust.