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https://thechichestersocial.com/

The Chichester Social, Chichester (2026)

07/01/2026

Advice to take into 2026 ...Let Your Personality Shine Through On LinkedIn (or Instagram, for that matter!)

Stop trying to sound like the "Slayers/Players."

You know the ones who push out advice about their unique algorithm-beating formula: massive gap after the opening line, then two lines of text, then three lines, then a cascading bulleted list, always finishing with a question to "boost engagement"... (exhausted just typing that).

There are so many so-called experts out there sharing their TOP SECRET post template that promises to hack the algorithm and make your content go viral.

But here's what happens when you follow these rigid formulas: your posts feel unnatural and contrived.

You're putting on an act. And that act won't cut it when someone meets you in real life and you're nothing like your LinkedIn persona.

Allow your personality and insight to shine through - that's what makes you brilliant and special.

The posts that perform best aren't the ones following templates - they're the ones that sound like you having a conversation. Get comfortable with it.

Viral shouldn't be the goal anyway. Helpful, interesting, or entertaining - that's where the good stuff is. And you can't deliver that if you're trying to manipulate every post into a rigid set of rules.

You're not going to fall in love with LinkedIn if you're constantly worried about whether you've got the "right" format or hit the "magic" engagement triggers.
Authenticity beats cleverness every single time.

Your potential clients want to work with or buy from YOU - the real you. Not some polished, formulaic version that sounds like everyone else. The quirks, the personality, the way you actually think and speak - that's what makes you memorable and trustworthy.

🟢 ACTION: Next time you write a LinkedIn post, read it out loud.

Does it sound like you? Would you actually say this to someone face-to-face? If it feels awkward or overly polished, strip it back. Write like you talk. Your audience will recognise and appreciate it.

Bonus tip: NEVER use stylised bold/italic text on social media.

05/01/2026

An Easy Company Page Strategy On LinkedIn

"Why bother with a company page when I've got a personal profile?"

Fair question. Truth: it's like wading through treacle to get reach on company pages. LinkedIn prioritises people, not businesses.

BUT think of it as your website within LinkedIn.

When researching you, people check BOTH your personal profile AND company page. What story does yours tell?

The smart strategy? Cross-posting (works both ways):
✅ Post on company page → repost to personal profile = gives it a boost
✅ Emily Perry's great videos on personal profile → reshare to company page = reconnects the dots (she's the founder, knows her stuff)

Got a team? Don't just say "share our last post" - encourage them to repost with THEIR thoughts. When your team adds perspective, it multiplies reach AND shows their expertise.

Employees = 30% of company engagement. Don't leave that on the table!

🟢 ACTION: If no company page yet, do it (I can help). Even solo = adds credibility.

Post weekly (client wins, behind-scenes, insights). Then repost to personal profile to amplify.

02/01/2026

Consistency Beats Feast-and-Famine on LinkedIn

LinkedIn's algorithm loves consistency over frequency. Posting 2x/week regularly beats daily for two weeks then vanishing.

At Last Friday Club, we see it with networking - monthly attendance = greatest return. Sporadic? No impact.

Daniel Priestley, renowned sales & marketing specialist, says 11 touches build trust. Post once/month = nearly a year. Post 2x/week = just over a month.

The secret? SCHEDULING.

When you've got creative energy, batch-create posts and schedule them out. Life gets hectic, but you're still showing up. (I scheduled this back in October).

📍 Finding it: Clock icon bottom right, next to Post button → "Schedule for later"
✅ ACTION: Pick a realistic rhythm (weekly, twice weekly, fortnightly). Stick to it for a month. Your engagement improves, confidence grows, posting becomes habit not chore.

Schedule a few posts in advance for those inevitable busy weeks!

NB all of my LinkedIn tips can be applied to Instagram too.

22/12/2025

📣 Always "Repost + Thoughts" On LinkedIn

When you see a post you want to share, LinkedIn gives you four options under every post: Like (choose an emoji reaction: Like, Celebrate, Support, Love, Insightful or Funny), Comment, Repost, or Send.

The Send option lets you share the post via direct message on desktop, or via email, WhatsApp etc on mobile - handy for sharing something relevant with someone outside of LinkedIn.

But when you want to share something with your wider network, if you just hit "Repost" without adding anything, you're essentially a human forward button. You've missed a golden opportunity to show your expertise and add value.

Always choose "Repost with your thoughts" and add something.

It doesn't need to be an essay. It could be:

- Why this matters to you
- How it relates to your industry or experience
- A question it raised for you
- Your perspective on the topic
- Why your network should care

Think about networking again: if you're introducing two people, you don't just point at them and walk away. You add context: "Julian, meet Emily - she's brilliant at X and I thought you two should connect because..."

Same principle on LinkedIn. When you repost something, you're essentially saying to your network "this is worth your time" - so tell them WHY.

Your added thoughts are where your expertise shines. That's what makes you memorable, not just the act of sharing someone else's content.

🟢 ACTION: Next time you want to share someone's post, pause before you simply hit that Repost button.

Click "Repost with your thoughts" instead and add a sentence or two (whatever is necessary) about why it resonated with you or what you'd add to the conversation. Your network will thank you for the context, and you'll stand out as someone with genuine insights or who reposts valuable content.

21/12/2025

I am taking a wee break over Christmas and the New Year to recharge — and you should too, you've worked incredibly hard this year on marketing your brilliant business.

📌 I'll be finishing at midday on Tuesday 23 December and back quietly in RUME2 on the afternoon of Friday 2nd and more of a bang from Monday 5 January.

19/12/2025

Not every achievement warrants a 22-piece marching band parade 🎺

I hear regularly from clients that they hesitate to share their wins because they worry about appearing boastful or might be judged* by past colleagues, etc — yes, that ol' dirty b'tard Imposter Syndrome rears its ugly head.

Sometimes, a kazoo will do 🎵

I'm often reminded of those "small" successes - a problem solved, a client's grateful message, a project delivered ahead of schedule —they matter, they really do.

And they're worth sharing 👏

Your network on LinkedIn isn't looking for a symphony (or cacophony!) of self-promotion. They're looking for real moments, genuine expertise, and authentic posting.

My best performing posts over the last year have had nothing to do with how I pay my bills; but they have everything to do with me, as a person.

So go on, give your kazoo a little toot and tell me about a little win this year, I'd really love to hear it.

*PS if someone is going to be an ar$e about something you've posted, you'll almost certainly never see or hear it. Crack on and stay on your brilliant path.

18/12/2025

Comments Are Your Secret Weapon On LinkedIn

Here's the secret that most people miss: commenting on other people's posts IS content.

Let me say that again: COMMENTS ARE CONTENT.

You don't need to be creating posts all the time to be visible on LinkedIn. In fact, a few minutes a day commenting on other people's posts can be more valuable than sporadic posting.

Why? Because when you leave a considered comment, you're showing up in front of their audience too. It's like joining a conversation at a networking event - you don't need to be the speaker to add value and get noticed.

But here's what LinkedIn's algorithm knows: it can tell the difference between genuine, valuable comments and lazy "great post!" drive-bys. It's also getting smarter at spotting AI-generated comments that just parrot back what was in the post with zero value added.

What makes a good comment?

- Add value, insight, or a different perspective
- Stay on topic - don't hijack someone's post to talk about your stuff
- Tag @ the author so they know you've engaged
- Be specific - "great post" just won't cut it

Think about it: would you rather read a genuinely interesting or insightful response that adds to the discussion, or just see "awesome! 👍" fifty times?

🟢 ACTION: Set aside 5-10 minutes today to scroll your feed and leave a comment on a few posts.

Not "great post" or "thanks for sharing" - actually engage with what they've said. Ask a question, share your experience, or add your perspective. That's how you build genuine relationships and get discovered in more conversations (feeds) on LinkedIn.

17/12/2025

Oof! I love a DM like this ... 'Thanks so much for the session. It's put a fire in my belly!'

This is from one of the team at the brilliant NASGP - National Association of Sessional GPs, who I delivered my "How To Fall In Love With LinkedIn" session to last week.

It finished up a busy week nicely 💙

16/12/2025

Thank you Beth Carter for the prompt ... 202 days of designing! *faints*

I think we can safely so I'd be lost in my line of work without And yes, it's absolutely true I'm fiercely protective over mine and my client's visual brand elements! 🤪

I use Canva for just about everything from social posts (static and carousel), proposals, slidedeck style presentations, reports, documents, print designs, artwork labels and I've recently created a book using their print services (I'll let you know how that turns out).

Are you a fan of Canva too? Or do you struggle with it?

16/12/2025

I'm such a joiner-inner! My friend Caroline shared her LinkedIn wrapped from .ai, so naturally I had to look at mine.

Comment MAGIC and I'll send you a link to generate yours.

Showing up more consistently has clearly made a difference. The months I was quieter, quelle surprise, my engagement dropped. There's no replacement for actually showing up.

My increased commenting strategy is paying off too. Comments are content - let me say that again: COMMENTS ARE CONTENT. Carving out a little bit of time each day commenting on posts can be more valuable than sporadic posting. You don't need to create posts all the time to stay visible.

596 new followers, a 26% increase. No viral posts, no clever tactics. Just me, talking about things I care about and things you might care about. Authenticity will beat cleverness every single time.

The snapshot says "healthcare" was my top performing theme. What this actually refers to is posts about my dad and his Dementia. There were only 10 posts, but they connected with you more than anything else; there's a lot of us in the same boat supporting elderly parents.

My top performing post (last slide) was me having a rant about spammy emails! 🤬

Sundays work best for me (I need to get out more ...) Going completely against the "weekdays only, business hours" advice that you might've seen. Being present when your audience is, that's what matters.

A couple of final reminders: Carousels are still performing well. I don't use them that often on my personal profile, but Richard van der Blom's research tells us that they're still a top performing format. Something to lean into more next year for me perhaps.

These "wrapped" tools are interesting, but they can't tell you why something resonates. Your own understanding of what matters to your audience - personally or professionally - is what builds your community on LinkedIn.

And as Patrick Brownlee-Smith reminded us recently at measuring keeps your marketing approach fresh for the next best guess.

At the end of the day, it's not about perfection. It's all about showing up, being human, talking about things that matter.

11/12/2025

Connect or Follow on LinkedIn ... what's the difference?

There's sometimes confusion about the difference between connecting and following on LinkedIn - so let me clear that up for you.

🤝 Connecting is a bit like a digital handshake. When you connect with someone (and they accept), you can both see each other's content in your feeds. It also opens up a two-way street for direct messaging, and it's the start of building a relationship.

👁️ Following is more like standing at the back of the room watching someone present - they don't necessarily know you're there. You see their content, but they won't see yours unless they follow you back. It's a one-way street, and it doesn't allow for direct messaging.

Following is actually a brilliant option if you want to gently start a biz relationship with someone - you can comment on their posts or like their content without diving straight in with a connection request.

So, which should you choose?
👉 Choose Connect if you want to build a mutual relationship, network, and have the ability to start a direct (and real) conversation (not just to hawk your services etc!). Perfect if you've met them recently at event like for example.

👉 Choose Follow if you simply want to see someone's content and get a feel for them before connecting or simply to keep track of what they are sharing, e.g. someone you respect in your industry or they share regularly on a particular topic of interest.

💡 Finding the option: Follow is typically the default button you'll see under someone's headline on their profile. If you want to Connect instead, you may need to click on the More button to find that option.

🟢 ACTION: When you do send a connection request, add a short personal note ... and I don't mean a lame duck "we have mutuals" or "great to connect".

"Hi Emily, great to meet you at Last Friday Club - Chichester [or whatever!] yesterday, hope to catch you at the next one!"
- it takes 10 seconds and shows you're a real human, not just here collecting connections.

The Chichester Social

07/01/2026

05/01/2026

02/01/2026

22/12/2025

21/12/2025

19/12/2025

18/12/2025

17/12/2025

16/12/2025

16/12/2025

11/12/2025

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