It’s official, I am a LinkedIn junkie. I’ve known it for a while, but I just got this email from LinkedIn saying that I’m in the top 5% most viewed profiles! Ok, granted the top 5% out of 200 million is one in 10 million, but I’ll take it! Maybe part of it is because my name is so ordinary, but the other part is because I’ve invested time on LinkedIn keeping my profile up-to-date, following what is trending in the groups I’m in, and connecting with people I meet all over the country.
If you want to leverage LinkedIn to work harder for you, here are a few simple tips:
- COMPLETE YOUR PROFILE. To get your profile to be 100% complete you need recommendations. Don’t be afraid to ask those that you’ve worked with (co-workers, managers, clients, partners, vendors, etc.) to recommend you. LinkedIn makes it easy with a pre-populated message that you can customize. Those that recommend you may want a recommendation in return so be ready for that.
- MAKE CONNECTIONS. As you meet people at conferences, seminars, business meetings, etc., look them up on LinkedIn and invite them to connect with you. Customize the message to them to make it personal, like “Great meeting you today! I’m looking forward to working with you, in the meantime I’d like to add you to my LinkedIn network.”
- JOIN GROUPS. Find groups that will help you or keep you informed about topics that are important to you. Participate in the groups as much as you can.
- POST UPDATES. Post updates to your profile about things that are happening with your business– awards, new products or services, new hires, etc. You’d be surprised at how many of your colleagues see your activity even if they don’t comment on it.
- BACK LINKS. Use the back links feature in your profile. Link to your company site, blog, twitter account, etc.
I just gave a presentation on Social Media yesterday. It included LinkedIn as one of the key platforms to consider, because it really can help when you are trying to grow your business. For me, personally, it has kept me connected to people I’ve met at one company who then left to join another company— sustaining relationships has been a huge part of our success.
Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/carolynwalker