LinkedIn is the most well known and used professional social media platform on the Internet today. With more than 175 million members, they claim that works out to just about 2 new members per second. It has become the ‘go to’ site for anyone wishing to promote their business, look for new customers, look for a job or for qualified employees. Your LinkedIn presence can play an important role in your social media marketing plan.
LinkedIn members span the globe, so building an international network of business contacts is ridiculously simple. With both paid and free membership levels, it is short sighted to not take full advantage of it’s many features to leverage the time and effort you spend there. Below are six easy, actionable tips about how you can get more from your LinkedIn membership. It’s time to leverage your LinkedIn presence.
6 Ways to Leverage Your LinkedIn Presence
1) Get your Professional image posted
If you don’t have your image on your Profile page, stop reading right now and go do it. Nothing makes you less interesting than using those awful default ‘egg-head’ icons. People do business with people, not egg-head icons. Don’t use your logo, or your latest family picture, you as a cute toddler or your dog. People what to know what you look like. LinkedIn is the professional social media platform, so present yourself as a professional business person.
2) Fill out that Profile page
If you want people to connect with you, give them some reasons. Fill out your business experience history, education, links to your website(s) or blog(s). Write your Summary from the point of view of a potential customer or employer. Why should they connect with you, much less hire you or buy from you? Make a compelling argument on why you are the best person to meet their needs or solve their problems and challenges. Convince them you are someone worth connecting with and knowing. Do you have any Publications you want people to know about? Even if you haven’t written a book, perhaps you’ve contributed to a magazine or newspaper column, write and publish your own newsletter or blog.
3) Add some specialized applications
There are a number of applications that can enhance your Profile page to make you even more interesting. Connect your blog to your Profile page to get it in front of more people. Let people know what books you are reading and recommend using the Amazon.com application. Use the Slideshare application to present your message in a PowerPoint format. Your LinkedIn presence doesn’t have to be bland or boring. Add some ‘Oomph’ and interest through special applications that expand your credentials.
4) Get some recommendations
Nothing sells you better than testimonials and recommendations from satisfied employers or customers. Select those who can best exemplify the message you are trying to spread about your qualifications, expertise and ability to be the perfect fit for anyone looking at your profile. Don’t be afraid to offer suggested content that will best present you. If you are looking for a job selling widgets, get a satisfied customer write something to tell others how much attention you paid to their needs when you sold them golf carts or some other product. Tell them what specific points you’d like them to highlight… if they are willing to write a recommendation. Give your LinkedIn presence a boost in terms of your credibility.
5) Skills and Expertise
One of the newer features of LinkedIn allows users to be more specific about their skills and expertise. It’s a simple to use feature, just point and click on the appropriate skill categories and they will be listed on your Profile page. The newest addition to this feature is the ability of other LinkedIn members to ‘endorse’ your skills… all of them or just one or two that they have experienced in working with you. This is a good back up when someone isn’t comfortable writing a Recommendation, but still wants to add to your credibility in certain areas of the work you do.
6) Edit Your Website Links
Those three links that are provided to your ‘websites’ can be better used as important SEO tools for your LinkedIn presence. They are editable, so don’t just leave them as the default ‘website link’. Change them to direct visitors to your website, your blog and any other locations on the Internet that will help build your credibility. Mine are set to link to my website, my blog and the archive of my e-newsletter.
Treat your LinkedIn presence, especially your profile, as you would your website. Pay close attention to SEO and keywords. LinkedIn is one huge business database. You can exploit to your advantage through the ‘search’ and ‘advanced search’ features. Use the same keywords in each section of your profile that you would expect visitors to use when looking for your web site. Take the time to insert these actions into your marketing strategy today.
