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- Check the Expertise Requests option in your profile.
- Complete your profile as thoroughly as possible, and include interests, an avatar, and business information.
- Connect with as many business associates as you can, since they will help you to network with like minded individuals and companies.
- Learn from others and gain new knowledge, so you can become an expert in other subjects and topics.
- Ask questions.
- Answer questions. Use your knowledge to your advantage by answering peoples’ questions thoroughly and expertly, and you’ll gain other users’ confidence.
- Check your home page on LinkedIn fairly often. It contains industry updates, news, and postings from associates.
- On company profiles, the top five most popular other profiles are displayed on the home page. This is important since it will show others who you associate with, so be aware of who your top five are.
- Choose the top 5 who will link back to you, so there is a reciprocal benefit.
- Be sure to explain your work experience in as much detail as possible. Don’t just list employers or experience, but instead expand upon it by showing others’ what you’ve done in detail.
- Comment in the discussion forums as much as you can so your profile gets noticed.
- Update your status with useful content and information as much as possible.
- Feel free to implement keywords in both your profile and your content, so that your information comes up in search engine results.
- Do not forget to include your LinkedIn profile link in other places like Twitter, Digg, and other social media websites.
- LinkedIn is also a useful employment tool, so if you’re hiring, use it to find good employees.
- Customize your buttons. This will make your profile look more professional and give you more control.
- Include your skills and specialties and be sure to expand upon your current business.
- Obviously, include your company URL somewhere on your profile.
- Have a plan in place when you begin to build your network, otherwise you may end up getting some contacts you don’t want, and not enough of the ones you do.
- Do not just be friends with people because they ask you to. It looks a little odd for a professional member to be friend with their partying buddies from college. Leave the casual online friendships to Facebook.
That leaves you wondering what all the fuss is about. Who are all these people who claim they have gotten new, profitable business on LinkedIn?
Bad news: It’s not LinkedIn. It’s you.
To drive business on LinkedIn, you need an action plan and a system, just like any other business strategy. You’re only going to get back what you put in. Without a plan, you’ll waste a lot of time being sociable, with no real business to show for it.
This is the biggest complaint I hear about social media marketing…it takes a lot of time and results never seem to materialize.
I agree, it is time-consuming. But when done correctly (which means planning SMM into your day, maximizing that time, and maintaining a narrow focus), the results can be astounding.
It’s kind of like cleaning your house. You start out enthusiastically enough. Two hours later, though, you haven’t moved from the bedroom. You end up sidetracked, going through closets and drawers and…“ooohhh! What’s this? My high school love letters!”
Before you know it, you’ve walked so far down Memory Lane you’ll need to catch the bus back to the corner of Main & Reality.
8 Steps to Optimizing Your LI Connections
1. See the future: How much new business can you comfortably handle? Be realistic. One new client a month is 12 for the year. Not bad.
2. Choose a target market and do not stray from this focus
3. Join groups for those markets and actively participate in a meaningful way
4. Educate yourself on effective LI search…there are ways to search and findspecific information about specific people
5. Stand out: Be active! Be proactive! Be visible! Get out there and get involved. Create a highly compelling profile; not a resume rehash.
6. Answer questions to highlight your subject expertise
7. Accept connections and request connections. People want to connect with you!
8. Talk to people. I mean, really talk. Show an interest, look for ways to help each other…seeking connections isn’t only about having lots of connections!
Remember…this is social media marketing. You wouldn’t walk into your neighbor’s BBQ, announce your arrival, then sit in your neighbor’s favorite chair and start dominating the conversation, would you? The beauty of social media marketing is the opportunity to use natural, social strategies of communicating, connecting and collaborating to build your online visibility and attract the attention of companies you really want to work with.
What LinkedIn strategies have worked well for you?
