15 things you should be doing with Linkedin but probably aren’t.

 

 Podcast: 15 things you should be doing on Linkedin but probably arent: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Last month, I wrote a blog post about Linkedin and interviewed the very well-connected Iggy Pintado about how to get the best out of the social networking platform.

This month, I want to expand on that and share with you the 15 things you should be doing with Linkedin but probably aren’t. 12 of the 15 things are absolutely free. Let’s start with the free stuff:

>

1. Complete your profile.

I know this sounds kind of obvious but when I search for someone’s Linkedin profile who I have just connected with or who has just become a client of mine, I very rarely find a profile that is 100% complete. If Linkedin is prompting you every time you log in that you still need to do something to complete your profile, do it! It will help you in the long run and often the bits you are leaving out could be the exact thing that someone is searching the platform for.

2. Include your past – warts and all.

I can understand the temptation to omit something in your professional past you might not be all that proud of – maybe a failed business or working for someone you are now in direct competition with or something similar. However, it is exactly this kind of thing that adds depth to your profile and makes you more like someone who others would want to be connected to. Transparency and honesty are still among the most valuable assets you can have as a small business owner, and by including absolutely everything, you will be doing yourself a favour.

3. Make better friends with Google.

As Guy Kawasaki suggests, you should take advantage of the fact that the information you include in your Linkedin profile can be indexed by all of the search engines, including Google. “Since Linkedin profiles receive a fairly high PageRank in Google, this is a good way to influence what people see when they search for you.

To do this, create a public profile and select “Full View.” Also, instead of using the default URL, customize your public profile’s URL to be your actual name. To strengthen the visibility of this page in search engines, use this link in various places on the web> For example, when you comment in a blog, include a link to your profile in your signature.”

4. Make your business a Linkedin Company.

Linkedin Companies is an in-built tool that lets you list your business and your employees right there in Linkedin. You can list your business for free as long as you have a registered, company-owned email domain, and it’s simple to set it up:

1. On your Linkedin home page, find ‘Companies’ under the ‘More…’ menu tab.
2. Near the top on the right hand side of the next page, click on ‘Add a Company’.
3. Then just fill in your details and a confirmation email will be sent to you.
4. When you receive the confirmation link and click on it, you can then start to include relevant information about your business. Remember to include lots of information here because you never know what people might be searching for on Linkedin.

5. Keep your consistent message.

I have spoken before about the survey I ran in-house that showed (out of more than 400 respondents) 92% said they trusted a social media account with someone’s face on it, regardless of the content they were promoting, compared to an account with either a logo or generic photo.

So, when you are completing your profile, include the same image or avatar you use on your Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts – keep that consistent message and Linkedin will become just another branch on your social engagement tree.

6. Start connecting.

I don’t mean just start adding hundreds of random people to your network, but there is probably a lot of your current or new contacts who are already on Linkedin but they may not be a direct connection of yours yet.

Again under the ‘Contacts’ drop down from the navigation bar on your Linkedin home page, click on ‘Add Connections’. From there you can add people using their email address, add people who are already a contact of yours on another platform, colleagues of yours in your present position or maybe from your past employment, even people who you went to school or university with. Linkedin will also suggest people who you may already know based on your current direct connections.

Before you can add anyone to your network, Linkedin asks you how you actually know them – this is so you can’t just spam random people – and then you can add a personalised note to the person you are asking to connect with.

7. Join a Group.

There are thousands of groups of like-minded or business connected people on Linkedin. They work much like Facebook Groups where there are administrators and the members of the groups can opt-in to receiving regular updates from the group and/or its members. People can start discussions, ask questions and interact with each other in the knowledge that they all share a common interest or goal.

To search for a group you might like to be involved in, click on the ‘Groups’ menu on the top navigation bar on the Linkedin home page.

>

8. Or start your own group.

Can’t find a group of like-minded people or feel like you have something interesting and engaging to tell other like-minded or business connected people? You can also start your own group. You become the administrator of the group and if your discussions and messages are compelling enough, people will join it – maybe lots of people.

This is a great way to promote yourself and your business and more importantly, establish yourself as the expert in your particular field. It’s also a way to show yourself as a person who is interested in developing other people’s business interests and connections. And it’s free.

9. Random acts of (business) kindness.

A great way to engage people and show a more personalised, human face to your interactions on Linkedin is to surprise someone in your network with a random act of kindness in the form of a recommendation.

Recommendations are basically references for the work of someone in your network. The recommendation appears in the updates as well as on that person’s Linkedin profile page and might be the difference between that person receiving some new business or not.

To recommend someone in your network, go to that person’s Linkedin profile page and just to the right of their picture, click on ‘Recommend this person’.

Recommendations are free to give and great to receive.

10. Keep learning.

The Linkedin Learning Center is basically one big FAQ section all in one place. It contains absolutely everything you need to know about Linkedin, whether you are a newbie or a veteran of the platform. Site features, user guides, even the link to the Linkedin Store (I’m not joking) can be found in the Learning Center.

The link to the Linkedin Learning Center is under the ‘More…’ tab on the top navigation bar on your Linkedin home page.

11. Answer a question.

Similar to Yahoo! Answers, Linkedin has its own Q&A portal called Linkedin Answers. Members can ask, and more importantly answer, questions from anyone on Linkedin – even if they are not currently in their direct network.

The answering of members’ questions can be very valuable in establishing you as the expert in your particular field and it also shows that you are interested in developing other people’s business knowledge which doesn’t hurt either. The answers you provide become part of your profile and demonstrate your expertise to your connections, potential business partners or employers.

By using the ‘Advanced Answers Search’ you can narrow down the questions asked to your local area, your particular expertise or the date on which they were asked.

12. Know your network stats.

On your Linkedin home page, under the ‘Contacts’ drop down menu along the top, click on ‘Network Statistics’. This will bring up your total network stats – how many direct connections you have made on Linkedin, how many are in your indirect networks and how many are on the total Linkedin platform.

It also gives you detailed stats about where your network is geographically located and what industries they operate in. For instance, on my network stats there are currently 230 direct connections, 46,900 people who are friends of my direct connections, and 3,570,200 who are connections of mine three degrees away from me, making the total number of people I could connect with via a single introduction more than 3,617,400 people.

It also shows that in the last 24 hours, 5,356 people have been added to my network – pretty impressive numbers.

Why is this important? Go to number 13.

13. Linkedin Ads.

That huge network could be waiting to hear more about you and your small business!

I work with a lot of my clients producing great copy and putting together great offers to produce compelling and engaging Facebook Ads and this is something that we have had great success with in the last 12 months. You are probably aware of the subtle ads throughout the Linkedin platform as well but have you thought about placing one of your own?

Just like Facebook Ads, the beauty of Linkedin’s DirectAds lies in the targeting available to promoters on the platform. You can target a very specific audience by geography, job function and seniority, industry and company size, and gender and age.

Also like with Facebook Ads, YOU control how much you spend. You can pay for a certain number of times your ad is displayed on members’ profiles, or by how many times your ad gets clicked on. You can stop your ads at any time, and there are no long-term contracts or commitments.

However, just like with Facebook Ads, it is easy to get just a little bit of the copy or headline wrong, or target the wrong audience and you won’t have any success with them. If you would like to know how I can help you connect with your target market by producing engaging Facebook or Linkedin Ads, call me TODAY on 02 4324 2594.

14. Post a Job

80% of companies are now using Linkedin for their recruitment. If you have a position available, and you want to target a specific industry or type of candidate rather than just advertising for everyone to see it, maybe posting a job on Linkedin would work well for you.

Job posts cost $195 for a 30 day spot and the best part is that you have access to applicant’s profiles right there on Linkedin so the chances of any nasty surprises at or after interview are greatly reduced.

>

15. Send a thankyou card.

I know this sounds a bit old-school but trust me, people – even in this day and age (and perhaps especially) – LOVE receiving a hand-written note or thankyou card.

When someone recommends me on Linkedin, or if someone facilitates a connection for me with someone who is in my target market or area of interest, I send them a hand-written thankyou card with a $2 scratchie in it. You might think a bottle of wine or something a bit more grandiose would work better but in my experience, this humble but heartfelt gesture speaks volumes about yourself and your relationship with the person you are sending it to. Not everything has to be over-the-top.

So there it is – 15 ways you could improve your engagement on Linkedin with minimal effort. I would love to hear in the comments if you are doing any of these things with success or if I have missed anything. Please let me know in the comments.

Tagged as: Linkedin, linkedin answers