fbpx

5 Top Tips For Using LinkedIn

LinkedIn can be a scary place online connecting to people that you may not know that well or at all.

I think it’s best if you view it as one giant networking event. If you were face to face then It may seem more appropriate but don’t be too concerned. If someone looks interesting and there may be a business relationship to offer in either direction then it could be worth the thumbs up after all is there any point in networking if you only speak to people you already know?

Facebook and Twitter are growing at a fast pace, but LinkedIn is the ideal choice for professionals to make connections that lead to business.

Here are 5 of my top tips for using Linkedin

1) Fill 100% of your profile in

Your profile should be completed 100% in order to properly market yourself.

Most people do background checks on others whenever we want to buy something from them, bring them in to speak, or do anything with them. It is common to Google people to do our research.

LinkedIn is usually one of the top five search results that pop up for anyone’s name (assuming you’re on there). First impressions leave lasting perceptions about people, and you don’t want someone to come to your profile and realise that you make spelling mistakes, you don’t have a picture, no one has recommended you, there is no personal story in your summary, and so on. You need to make sure you complete the profile area 100% and have your profile make you look like the top business guru that we know you are…. Doing so will ensure you’re maximizing your marketing opportunities.

2) Update and Engage Frequently

Think of LinkedIn marketing efforts as you would blog, Twitter or Facebook marketing efforts: The more activity and interaction, the better the results. To consistently engage with your network:

* Sync blog posts to your profile with tools like Blog Link or WordPress LinkedIn Application

* Frequently update your profile with the LinkedIn status feature, much like Facebook status updates

* Leverage the LinkedIn Question and Answer function – participate in others’ questions and ask your own questions

Updates can be interesting and valuable to others reading them. Others can see what you are involved in or who you have been working with and who they are connected to, also improving others knowledge of you and leaving a mental blueprint.

3) Find Top Recommendations

Just like a lot of the directories are doing these days, you can seek recommendations. is a place for your connections to comment about your work. Instead of telling one person how you feel, you’re telling the world that person does good work.

It is important to get good recommendations as this will be a global stamp on your online profile. Think about who know you best (and likes you) maybe someone you work with someone you have provided some good work for. It could be a client or customer if you have developed solid foundations. You may also want to return the favour.

4) Don’t Waste Your Profile Opportunities

For the LinkedIn community, your profile will be this first item they see, so treat it as you would any landing page. To make the most of your profile:

  • Hyperlink using keywords. Include relevant URLs in your profile, and use links with anchor text. For example, instead of “My Blog,” use a keyword to describe it such as “SEO and Online Marketing Blog.” (see image below)
  • Use keywords in descriptions. That includes the summary, specialties, experience and all other description categories.
  • Include an image in your profile. LinkedIn, after all, is a social networking channel. So add as many personal touches as possible to maximize engagement and put a face to the brand.
  • Caption: Include blog or website links in your profile using anchor text.

 5) Check Out the Competition

With the use of LinkedIn, you can see your competitors’ teams, clients, references, plenty of information that is not readily available to you otherwise. You may also see where they’re coming from, or what they’ve been up to recently.

If you’re in B2B, then communication is important and you should be looking to get moving in social media, especially LinkedIn. Maybe you started a while ago and now need to go back to LinkedIn to use it wisely if you haven’t already. The main reason I like LinkedIn for business social media is that it’s very transparent: I know who you are based on your profile and most people have a real photo unlike many more Facebook and Twitter photos on fake accounts (but that’s another article).

These are only a few tips and there are plenty more so please feel free to add your thoughts in the comments area regarding LinkedIn.

Like this article?

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
LinkedIn

Table of Contents