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Using LinkedIn More Effectively Part I

Many of the world’s most successful business people are on LinkedIn; whether you are looking for a new career or just to make connection for your current career, LinkedIn is the place to do it. But just like Facebook, Google+ and Twitter, there is a right and wrong way to use it and, if done properly, LinkedIn can be a very effective tool for your business.

 

You can search online for hours to try and find the best, most effective way to use LinkedIn, or you can just read out two part series, How to Use LinkedIn More Effectively. In the following articles, we will show you how to take your ho-hum LinkedIn page and turn it into something that will get you noticed for all of the right reasons. Let’s get started.

 

Treat your LinkedIn profile like a website

Go through every aspect of your profile to make sure it is formatted properly, looks good and is free of any spelling and grammatical errors. It helps to create all of your LinkedIn content in a Word document so you can catch any errors BEFORE they go live on your profile. This also enables you to use the same content across your social media channels to keep them unified.

 

Use proper keywords

Keywords are important everywhere online and choosing the right keywords helps LinkedIn’s internal search engines weigh your keywords and place your profile more appropriately. Be strategic with your keywords and place them throughout your profile including in your:

 

• Professional Headline
• Title Fields
• Specialties
• Interests
• Recommendations
• Education (Activities and Societies)

Keep your photo professional

Remember, this isn’t a Facebook profile pic for your friends. Avoid pics of yourself and your family, you on the golf course or you doing anything that could be deemed unprofessional. Remember, your online reputation is important; close up and smile is all you need.

 

Don’t ignore the “post an update” function

With users having the ability to “like” and “comment” on your updates, this feature is even more important when trying to build professional relationships. Be sure to take some time to “like” and “comment” on the updates of network as well.

 

Personalize your public profile URL

Make sure your public profile provides your name, business name or your area of expertise. This seems obvious, but we have seen many LinkedIn profiles where people have skipped a lot of the more important information and a blank profile won’t get you noticed at all.

 

Customise your page

When creating your LinkedIn profile, you will be offered many dropdown menus that give you more than enough options to customise your page. Look for the one that says “Other” and click on it. It will ask you to type in your company name; instead, take the opportunity to type in a business motto, personal message or (my favorite) a clickable link that leads to your business website.

 

This article should give you some valuable tips that will get you started. Be sure to watch for Part II of this series where we will look at some more useful ways to make your LinkedIn profile work for you.