LinkedIn is on fire. And the user base is taking notice. With a few upgrades to the LinkedIn mobile network, the publishing platform, and better usability, LinkedIn is no longer a resume holder, but instead a robust network of professionally minded individuals looking to further their careers, grow their business and make money. And that right there is exactly why I love LinkedIn.
According to a new survey, over half of LinkedIn users are spending 3 hours a week. This time is used consuming content, building relationships with potential customers, generating business opportunity and collecting leads and connecting with other members.
How Can You Take Advantage Of LinkedIn
Before you can take stick your fishing pole into the LinkedIn waters, you need to make sure you have proper equipment. After all, you are going to be a lot more successful with a solid fishing line, than a tarnished one right. Right.
Profile
The first thing you need to do is make sure your profile is complete. If you have a bare bones profile go back and add some meat to it. Remember, people are spending more time that they were last year connecting with people. That means they are using the search feature more often than before to find people. You need to have relevant keywords in your profile to make sure you get found by the types of people you want to be found by.
Keywords take top billing on LinkedIn search. They need to be present in your bio, about section, experience, and through your skills. I like to include a list of relevant keywords that make sense to me and my business and keep them handy after you add them to your profile. When new things come up, I sprinkle that in where it fits. To come up with your initial list start very broad and then narrow it down to the exact words that fit what you do.
For example on the broad side, I’d use “Social Media” and from there I’d break it down to social media marketing, Facebook marketing, Twitter for small business, small business social media marketing, etc. The more exact I can get, the more targeted and niche I’ll become. This is a good thing.
Another thing you want to make sure you have on your profile is a good picture. You don’t want to use a group shot, nor do you want to use a shot of you in a bikini. You want this picture to represent you at your finest. It should be approachable because you want people to feel comfortable connecting with you.
Share
Now that your profile is up to speed, it is time to start attracting attention to yourself. The best way to do this is to share relevant content. Of course I will always say it is best to share your own content. You want to become a thought leader and this is the best way to do it. However, if you don’t have your own content, you can share from other credible sources.You should share on your profile, within groups and if you have a company page set up, then there as well.
The more you share, the more you come up on people’s radars. Now, let me take a moment and explain what I mean by that. If you share crap, you are going to get crap in return. You need to share value driven content that answers your potential customers questions, educates your audience and gives them something to think about. This is not Facebook. Unless it is somewhat business related, a meme isn’t going to get you very far.
Company Profile
Company profiles have been pretty stagnant in my opinion. However, that is changing. More people are getting information through company pages which means you need to be updating yours. Make sure it isn’t a skeleton, but rather a place where people can go to learn more about what you do before they engage in any conversation with you.
Lastly, if you are willing to spend 30 minutes a day on LinkedIn, I have a strategy that is perfect for you. It will help you increase your reach, network and traffic back to your site. You can learn more about that here.
How are you using LinkedIn?
