LinkedIn is a powerful platform for networking, sharing ideas, and building professional relationships. One of the tools that can significantly boost engagement on LinkedIn is the poll feature. Polls allow you to ask questions, gather insights, and engage your audience in a more interactive and conversational way. Whether you’re looking to gather feedback, spark discussion, or simply engage your network, LinkedIn polls offer a great opportunity to do so.
In this guide, we’ll walk through how to use LinkedIn polls effectively to engage your network, increase visibility, and create meaningful conversations.
1. Why Use LinkedIn Polls?
Before diving into how to create and use polls, it’s important to understand why they are so valuable:
- Engagement: Polls are highly interactive. They encourage your network to participate by providing their opinion with just one click. This type of engagement often leads to higher visibility and more interaction on your posts.
- Simplicity: Polls are simple for both you and your audience. You can create a poll in minutes, and your audience can vote in seconds.
- Insights: Polls provide immediate feedback. You can gain insights into your audience’s preferences, challenges, or interests, which can inform your future content or business decisions.
- Broaden Reach: When someone interacts with your poll, it often appears in the feed of their connections. This means your poll can reach beyond your immediate network, increasing your visibility on LinkedIn.
2. How to Create a LinkedIn Poll
Creating a poll on LinkedIn is straightforward. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
Step 1: Start a New Post
On the LinkedIn homepage, click on the “Start a post” button at the top of your feed.
Step 2: Choose the Poll Option
After clicking to start a post, select the “Create a poll” option from the available icons below the text box (you’ll see icons for images, video, etc.).
Step 3: Write Your Poll Question
Think carefully about your question. It should be clear, concise, and directly relevant to your audience. A good question sparks curiosity or addresses a topic your network is already thinking about.
Examples:
- “Which social media platform do you find most effective for business networking?”
- “What’s the biggest challenge in remote team management?”
Step 4: Add Poll Options
LinkedIn allows you to add up to four options for respondents to choose from. Make sure these options are relevant, distinct, and cover the range of possible opinions or answers. If necessary, consider adding an “Other” option to accommodate outliers.
Example for Social Media Question:
Step 5: Set Poll Duration
You can set the duration for your poll to run—24 hours, 3 days, 1 week, or 2 weeks. The duration should depend on how much time you want to give your network to engage and how timely the topic is.
Step 6: Add a Caption or Context
In addition to the poll question, include a short caption or explanation that gives context to the poll. This could include why you’re asking the question, or what you hope to learn from the results.
Example: “I’m curious to hear from my network! Social media has become a vital tool for networking, but which platform do you find most effective for your business? Cast your vote and let’s discuss!”
Step 7: Share Your Poll
Once everything is set up, click “Post.” Your poll will now be visible to your network, and they’ll be able to engage with it directly.
3. Best Practices for LinkedIn Polls
To make your LinkedIn polls as effective and engaging as possible, follow these best practices:
a) Ask Relevant and Thought-Provoking Questions
Your poll should be designed to spark interest. Think about the type of questions your audience would be excited to answer. Consider asking about industry trends, personal preferences, or challenges people face in their professional lives.
Examples:
- “What skill do you think will be most important in the next 5 years?”
- “How often do you attend virtual networking events?”
b) Engage with the Results
Don’t just post a poll and forget about it. Engage with the results! Comment on the findings, respond to users who provide additional insights in the comments, and use the poll as a conversation starter.
Tip: Once the poll closes, share a follow-up post summarizing the results and what you learned from the experience. This helps further the discussion and gives your network the opportunity to reflect on the poll’s findings.
c) Encourage Discussion
Encourage people to explain their vote in the comments. This can lead to meaningful discussions and insights beyond the poll options. A simple prompt like “Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!” can work wonders in generating engagement.
Example: “Voted for LinkedIn? I’d love to hear why you find it the most effective platform. Drop your thoughts in the comments below!”
d) Keep Polls Simple
While it’s tempting to create complex polls, simplicity often works best. Avoid asking multi-layered or overly complicated questions. Stick to a single, clear topic.
e) Use Polls to Gather Insights
Polls can help you gather data and insights from your network. You can use this information for various purposes, such as understanding client needs, generating content ideas, or making business decisions.
Example: If you’re a content creator, you could ask, “What type of content do you prefer? Blog posts, videos, or infographics?” The results can guide your future content strategy.
f) Incorporate Polls into a Series
If you’re exploring a broader topic, consider running a series of polls over time. Each poll can cover a different aspect of the topic, keeping your audience engaged and eager to see the next installment.
Example: If you’re discussing digital marketing, you could post a weekly poll on different strategies (SEO, social media, email marketing, etc.) and then compile the results into a broader report.
4. Use Polls Strategically for Business Growth
Polls aren’t just about engaging your network—they can also help with strategic business goals:
a) Market Research
Use polls to gather insights about customer preferences, challenges, and needs. For example, a company looking to launch a new product might ask, “What feature would you find most valuable in a project management tool?”
b) Content Creation
Poll results can provide inspiration for blog posts, white papers, or social media content. If you find that a significant portion of your network is struggling with a particular challenge, you can create content that addresses those pain points.
c) Product Feedback
Polls are a great way to gather feedback on a product or service. Ask your network for their opinions on your latest offering, or use polls to gauge interest in potential features or services you’re considering.
Example: “If we were to offer a new service, which of these would be most helpful to you?”
d) Event Planning
If you’re planning a webinar or live event, a poll can help you gauge interest and determine the best time or format for the event.
Example: “Would you prefer a webinar on Monday morning, Wednesday afternoon, or Friday midday?”
5. Measure Success and Learn from Results
After your poll closes, it’s important to measure its success. LinkedIn provides you with insights on how many people voted, how they voted, and how many viewed the post. Use this data to learn more about your audience’s preferences and engagement patterns.
a) Track Engagement
Review how many people voted, commented, and liked the post. High engagement means that your poll resonated with your audience.
b) Analyze Comments
Pay close attention to the comments. They often provide deeper insights than the poll results alone. Users might elaborate on their choice, offering valuable feedback.
c) Refine Future Polls
Use the insights gained from each poll to refine your future polls. If certain topics get more engagement, create more polls around those areas.
Conclusion
LinkedIn polls are a dynamic and interactive way to engage your network, gather insights, and spark meaningful discussions. By following best practices, asking relevant questions, and analyzing results, you can build stronger connections, enhance your personal brand, and generate valuable feedback from your network.
Incorporate LinkedIn polls into your social media strategy to keep your audience engaged and informed while building a more active and interactive LinkedIn presence.