Hey {{first_name | there}},

“People keep telling me LinkedIn likes it best if you post 2x/wk, but it feels like you do 5x/wk. Are ‘they’ all wrong?”

This was a message I got a few years ago from a coach I know, and it really summed up the way I see many service-based founders approaching marketing.

I read that THIS is the way to do THING. So I’ll try that. And if it doesn’t work, then it must just not be a good tactic for me."

Because this is such a common thought process, there are tons of snake oil salespeople selling us “fool-proof” and “recession-proof” formulas to approach every. single. thing. in our business.

We all want answers—but unfortunately (as my therapist constantly reminds me), the world isn’t that black and white. And often, you’ve got to find the approach that best works for you and you alone.

That’s why today, I’m talking to Marika Luneau, a LinkedIn strategist for purpose-driven solopreneurs. She teaches solopreneurs how to turn their values into visibility, and I don’t think you’ll ever hear a one-size-fits-all approach come out of her mouth. We met where all good people of the internet meet, The Co-Promotion Club, and her enthusiasm for her work is infectious!

If you’ve been on the fence about joining LinkedIn, or just trying to understand if it’s still the right place to spend your valuable time and energy, keep reading!

I feel so cheesy saying this, but I feel like it has to be a golden retriever. Super friendly and warm vibes. Earnest. I’ve also been called a lamb more than once, which feels like an odd number of times to be called a lamb. Especially when I don’t even feel like a lamb.

But whatever. I guess we’re a little bit lamby.

I feel like LinkedIn is really our chance to shine through the boring resume, without selling our souls to Meta. I personally don’t want to be dancing on Reels to promote my business. LinkedIn feels like a good middle ground. And honestly, LinkedIn is the place to be now that Elon killed Twitter. We’re having fun over here now.

About 1% of LinkedIn users post weekly. 99% of LinkedIn users are consuming, not creating.¹ So the barrier to entry is truly so low. Your “competition” in this space is… silent. Just by posting once a week, you’re in the top 1% of posters. It’s genuinely pretty easy to become a top voice in your industry! 

As an example of its impact, when I think of a “web designer”, I immediately think of Emily Court. I wouldn’t even know she existed if it weren’t for LinkedIn, and now I think of her as THAT girl. She’s open about the fact that she’s making great money as a direct result of her LinkedIn presence. To be so top-of-mind as a web designer (a space that is VERY crowded and competitive) is incredibly impressive! If you scroll through her page, you’ll see that a lot of her content isn’t even about web design. It’s just her being herself and sharing her opinions. By being authentically herself on LinkedIn, she’s built solid demand in her business, with clients that truly align with her values. 

All that to say: it doesn’t matter how saturated or niche your industry is. If you’re willing to show up consistently on LinkedIn, you can become the person people associate with that thing. And that association can open up so many doors for you. 

You don’t need to go viral. You just need to be visible enough that when someone needs what you do, your name feels familiar.

Well, my journey actually started with opening a tiny social media agency, where we managed accounts across allll channels.

The agency was called Design Bend, and we primarily served women-owned small businesses. Our clients included a shadow yoga studio, an organizational development consultancy, an independent public speaking coach, a nutritionist, an activist group, and a sustainable cleaning company.

At the time, we were truly doing it all. Reels. Shorts. Facebook. Instagram. LinkedIn. Interviews. Clips. Articles. Blogs. Thought leadership. Curated feeds. Aesthetic photos.

I saw that lighthearted content on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok could perform beautifully and make absolutely no difference in the actual business. It felt like on those platforms, the audience wanted to be quickly entertained and then move on. With our more long-form, thought leadership-esque content on LinkedIn, people actually wanted to take action.

I feel like on the other platforms, you have to disguise your professional intentions. You have to be so dripped out in entertainment that you can hardly see the actual business underneath. On LinkedIn, you can be more straightforward about the fact that you’re here to grow your business. It’s literally a professional site. On the other platforms, entertainment comes first.

The bubbly short-form content felt very… fleeting? It didn’t seem to actually build relationships or book clients. But the LinkedIn content actually was. So, that’s what I decided to go all in on.

Once I narrowed down on LinkedIn content, I could work as a solopreneur. I didn’t need to contract out work for on-site shoots, video production, etc. I could just write. That wasn’t my intention at all when I narrowed down, but it ended up saving my sanity. The social media agency was very rapidly burning me out.

I think it depends on the business. For solopreneurs with a full roster of clients, a high-visibility personal brand provides a safety net. If you’re ever in search of new opportunities, you’ve got the connections.

For solopreneurs and businesses that need new clients, you’re going to want to make that known. You can’t lurk in the shadows and hope that someone will come pluck you out of your hiding, somehow keenly aware that you’re the Perfect Fit.

Okay, first of all, I genuinely love your LinkedIn. 

Upon first glance, I noticed that the very first line of your Experience section says, "I help service providers build a brand without the burnout.”

But in your About section, burnout isn’t mentioned. This creates a tiny bit of conflict and confusion in my mind, because I go, “Is burnout THE #1 thing we’re tackling? Or is it so irrelevant that we’re not even addressing it?”

Overall, I think there could be more synergy between your current Experience section and About section. At the end of the day, they’re kind of the same thing!

All of your posts are amazing, though. 

I’m constantly trying to convince everyone I know to lean into signature series. I feel like you’ve already done it with your dog photo threads, and you could lean into it even more. I have two ideas for you there:

Explicitly tie your brand into every dog photo thread. I know it feels like an annoying LinkedIn move to plug business into unrelated things, but that is the name of the game—ha! Right now, I think your dog threads are bringing in visibility and happiness, but they might not be moving the needle in terms of actual business outcomes. With some subtle tweaks, we can make them do both.

This could totally be something humorous, playing into the whole LinkedInifying thing. Like, “Here are some cute dog pics, but this is LinkedIn, so I am obligated to make this about Brand Advising. Did you know that I have 3 spots open for consultation calls in March?” 

Or, you could start a whole new series (just don’t announce a cadence so you aren’t overcommitted). For example, you know the underwear post? You could totally start a series on brand strategy mishaps. And again, you could tie it into, “This is why you need to work with an advisor like mwahhhh.” 

All in all, you have such a strong voice, and I think if you brought a little bit more intention/organization to tie all of your content together, you could build on the next level. I picture you hitting 10k followers in the next year (not that you have to, it’s just what I picture), and then you could even make a little bit of cash from sponsored posts, too.

I like to say that the signs your LinkedIn strategy is working happen off the platform. Are you having to explain everything about your work in every coffee chat? If so, your content isn’t doing enough work. Your content should create clarity that makes long-winded explanations unnecessary. 

And then, of course, there’s whatever metrics you’re aiming for. This is why it’s really important to determine ahead of time how you’ll measure success. Some people want more coffee chats, while others want direct sign-ups. What happens if you get 100 leads, but none of them are really aligned? Do you consider that a success? It’s up to you.

Me, personally? I’d see that as a sign that my content is too vague. 

The only wrong way that I can think of to approach this work is chasing vanity metrics that do nothing for your business. You can post memes 20 times a day in hopes of a viral hit, and you might even get one! But for what? Did any of that time and effort actually pay off in your business?

You know what’s so funny, Jamie? I’m curious if you experience this as well, but sometimes people will casually mention months later, “Oh yeah, I signed a $5,000 contract from that post you encouraged me to make,” and I’m like, were you not going to MENTION that??

I feel like people assume that I know the benefits they’ve gotten from working with me, but I actually don’t until they tell me. I remember in the final session of my first LinkedIn Sprint cohort, I wanted to spend a few minutes celebrating wins, but I was so scared to even ask because I thought maybe nobody had any. Turns out, they all had huuuugeeee wins that they just hadn’t thought to share. Like, new clients, new income, record-breaking post-performance, exciting inquiries, etc.

To be completely honest, I see cool opportunities popping up for so many of my clients, but I feel the most accomplished when I actually help them make real money.
I have a free 10-post Visibility Challenge, which is post prompts and reminders, but people have made thousands after completing it. I find that so cool. Especially because I primarily serve women, and I love to see women make money. It soothes my soul.

just like magic by Ariana Grande.

It’s full of positive, girlie affirmations. Good karma, my aesthetic / Keep my conscience clear, that’s why I’m so magnetic / Manifest it, I finessed it.

That very much gives the LinkedIn Girlies Lounge to me!

LinkedIn! I know that must come as a huge surprise.

I also have a podcast called Ask a LinkedIn Girlie on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube. The best way to work with me at the moment is by joining us in the LinkedIn Girlies Lounge, a lovely lil community for support in aligned visibility.

And thank you for reading,