Everything You Need To Know About LinkedIn
Social Media Marketing

Everything You Need To Know About LinkedIn

18th March 2014

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LinkedIn is one of the best networks out there.  Honestly, I mean it.  Whether you are trying to brand yourself or your business, LinkedIn is the place to do that.   And if you are a B2B business, you are really missing the boat if you aren’t active and engaged on LinkedIn.

First let me get a few things straight.  No, it’s not just a resume holder. And no, it’s not only a place for recruiters. Need some convincing on why you should be on LinkedIn?  Here are some hard cold facts.

LinkedIn Stats For B2B Companies

  • There are 200 million users on LinkedIn.
  • It’s great for International businesses with 64% of users outside the US.
  • 84 million Americans are on LinkedIn.
  • 35% of LinkedIn users access their account daily.
  • There are 1.5 million groups on LinkedIn.
  • 81% of LinkedIn users belong to at least 1 group.
  • LinkedIn users spend 17 minutes a month on the site.
  • People trust LinkedIn and brand experiences on LinkedIn.
  • LinkedIn helps you get leads, which can increase sales.

[Stats from visual.ly, ExpandedRamblings.com, Punch Media, and TheUndercoverRecruiter.com]

From a business perspective, LinkedIn gives you the opportunity to promote your services, increase your traffic and capture leads.  No other network does that so organically. Here are some of my best tips on using LinkedIn to maximize its potential and stand out from the other 200 million users on the platform.

How To Optimize Your Profile

Your profile is the first step to becoming a prolific LinkedIn user.  Only half of LinkedIn users have complete profile.  By completing yours you are automatically one step ahead of half its users.

The next thing to think about is the content you add to your profile.  Before you go about adding resume style content, think about this.  LinkedIn is a massive search engine and you want optimized content on your profile to get you found.  Think about including keywords throughout your profile.  These should be super targeted and broad.  They should relate to you and your business and be the keywords you want to get found for.  Keywords in your name, headline, skills and experience rank highest, so that means you want to populate those areas with keywords.

Now it’s time to come up with a catchy headline.  Your headline is one of the first things people see about you besides your photo.  Sales professional is probably not going to make that long lasting impression that you were hoping for.  Something creative and catchy will go a lot further.

Next, you need a solid photograph.  First impressions are important, remember that.  So you want to make sure you give off the right vibe.  Whether you are laid back and casual or super formal doesn’t matter.  What does matter is that you represent you in the best light.

Lastly, showcase your achievements, work and portfolio.  Visuals are highly important on this text heavy network.  So, if you can add a visual portfolio do it.

How To Optimize Your Company Page

While the company pages don’t receive as much attention as your personal profile, it is still important to have a good presence.  You never know, things might change, and you want to be ahead of the game.

First and foremost, make sure you have a company page and that it is linkable to your profile and your colleagues or employees profiles.  Cross traffic promotion is key here and this can really help you achieve your goals.  And since your profile rocks now that you’ve updated it, you can be sure that people will notice you, check you out and then head on over to your company page.

LinkedIn company pages are actually more visually appealing than your personal profile due to the ability to add a cover photo.  You can also upload images within your updates to add more flair.

Beyond that update your page with your products and services.  That’s what this is all about after all right?

Overall, the most important aspect is updating your page regularly.  Just as you would share content to your Facebook page, you need to be sharing content to your LinkedIn company page.

How To Engage On LinkedIn

Now that you have something to show for yourself and your business, it’s time to start engaging. Sharing is the backbone of social media and that goes for LinkedIn too.  With that said, you need to be sharing.  I always think it is best to share your own content first because it helps brand you and helps drive traffic back to your site.  So, if you don’t have a blog, now is the time to get on that.

Groups are extremely engaging on LinkedIn, so you should join as many as you can (which is 50 by the way).  Share your content there and engage with active users.

Lastly, you need to change the way you connect with people.  That means when you reach out to make new connections and when you respond.  Every time you reach out, you need to change the default messaging.  It’s very impersonal.  Change it to why you want to connect with that particular person and add context to the relationship.  Once you do this you will see a big improvement in the amount of people who accept your request.

Next, every time someone connects with you accept them and immediately send them a personalized letter back.  Your letter should introduce yourself, talk about your business, and ASK them about theirs.  This is the best way to start a relationship on LinkedIn and your chances of generating leads will increase heavily.

How To Use LinkedIn As A Guest Blogging Platform

LinkedIn just launched it’s publishing platform to the public.  This is great news for any content creators.  By using this platform as a guest blogging platform you will be able to increase your reach, grow your following (yes, it’s different than connections) and brand yourself as a thought leader.   The platform is great and allows you to connect and engage in a completely new way.

Well, there you have it.  My best tips for turning your LinkedIn presence into one that works for you and your goals.  Don’t forget to connect with me!

What are your best LinkedIn tips?

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Written By
Stephanie Frasco is a leading social media marketing consultant. Over the past 7 years, she has worked closely with clients from all over the world to help each of them get more results from online social networks. Through experience, Stephanie has mastered some of the most powerful social media websites....
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