Whether you are looking for a job, more customers, or business alliances, LinkedIn can prove to be an invaluable resource – provided you take advantage of its full capabilities.
While many simply use LinkedIn as their digital business card, it offers capabilities that can transform that business card into a multi-media website for accomplishing business objectives.
The following video walks you through 7 secrets for getting more from LinkedIn. It is just over 4 minutes and moves pretty fast, so the checklist below with additional information will also prove to be helpful in implementing these specific techniques.
#1 – Use Appropriate Keywords – In your heading and title.
When it comes to searching LinkedIn, most people consider their heading to be synonymous with their title. However, you can creatively use keywords in your heading to be more findable for multiple skills, areas of expertise, and audiences.
#2 – Be Diligent About Updating Your LinkedIn Connections
To maximize your benefit from all of the social networking sites you have to accurately describe who you are to create an accurate social graph. This means effectively mirroring your offline and online networks.
#3 – Link to Your Websites with Anchor Text Keywords
LinkedIn gives you a link to up to three websites or pages, and most people easily comply by filling in the blanks with their company websites, personal website, or blog. However, those links can be modified with keywords that make them much more valuable. The trick is using the “other” category to enable that option.
#4 – Add Video to Your Profile to Make it Come Alive
There are two applications for adding video to your LinkedIn profile. In 3 Powerful LinkedIn Profile Tips I show how this is done with Google Presentations. This worked very well for a period of time, but then issues developed. For that reason, I switched to using the Slideshare App. The only problem is Slideshare shows your most recent presentation, so you may have to reload to keep the one you want on your LinkedIn profile.
#5 – Tag Your Skills and Expertise
While tagging your skills and expertise does not seem to make a significant difference with LinkedIn search, it certainly can’t hurt to keep them current. It may be the deciding factor for someone who has already found you on LinkedIn.
#6 – Tag and Filter Connections to Build Relationships
Asking for a favor when you just meet someone is not smart networking. Thus, tagging connections so that you can share useful information when it presents itself is a great way to build mutually beneficial relationships over time.
#7 – Make Notes to Remember Important Details and Opportunities
In The Start-Up of You, LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman makes an important point: “It’s better to be the best connected than the most connected.”
Virtually everyone has more than 500 LinkedIn connections, but how well are you using them to advance your career or business? Take action – make notes of those relevant opportunities and follow up.
As a bonus, I also describe in 3 Invaluable LinkedIn Tips how I acknowledge ever new connection. It takes a few extra seconds, but its one more way to differentiate yourself from others who are just collecting more connections.
Which one of these 7 secrets will you use to get more from LinkedIn?
Leave a comment below and share this with your community using any of the share buttons below – or on the little red bar at the bottom of this page.
Until next time, Jeff
Great tips but “Virtually everyone has more than 500 LinkedIn connections”???
I don’t think so.
That’s an extreme over assessment. While I personally have way more than that, when I look at my network less than half would have more than that.
Mark – Thanks Mark.
The 500 comment is a generalization, but one that is for the most part true. If someone hasn’t gathered 500 LinedIn in connections its fair to say they aren’t really trying.
Naturally, the exceptions are those that intentionally keep a tight circle of professional connections or are just getting started.
@Jeff,
ooh so harsh.
I should point out that I’m speaking from the Australian perspective. While Linkedin has certainly become popular downunder it did take awhile for it to gain traction. Many Aussies probably aren’t close to the 500 level yet, so 250 may be a kinder benchmark.
But check back in a year and we’ll all probably be at the 1k mark.
PS I really like your blog.
Mark – Ah, good point – local norms play a big part in this.
Come to think of it, my daughter did a marketing internship last year while studying for a semester abroad at the University of Sydney, and the folks she worked with were just getting started with the basics of social media.
Thanks for the kind words – it’s one of the reasons I keep doing what I do.
LinkedIn is undoubtedly one of the best tools to promote your business and build your social influence. However, I think that many smaller businesses still lack the clear knowledge of what techniques to use. Almost everyone has a personal profile and a company page however they fail to look at it strategically.The techniques in your post will certainly help to overcome this.
Thank you KS. I’ve been studying LinkedIn more thoroughly the past few days and I’m coming up with all kinds of ideas.
For example, when you get a new connection – take the time to view their complete profile, especially the groups that have joined.
It’s a great way to learn new groups and expand your network further.
If you are low on connections or new to LinkedIn I found it really handy to use a website like:
http://rocketconnections.com
It will find all your existing Facebook friends on LinkedIn. Works get all the missing people you have on Facebook but not on LinkedIn.
And they are contacts that actually already know you!
I have just joined linkedin. This is a great study for me. I found much more things I was searching for. I thank Jeff to share this article and to find it in the Google first page.