When having a profile on LinkedIn, it pays to make a few tweaks to your profile and connect with others in a more personal way. Although it is business based, it is still a social site, much like Facebook in many ways. You can like and share other’s updates and connect with others on a professional but also personal level. On LinkedIn it is not only about growing your network, but connecting with your network as well. Here are a few simple tips to ensure your time on LinkedIn is well spent:
- Use a PROFESSIONAL profile picture. Don’t use the one with you and your dog sitting in the yard (unless your specialty is a Dog Groomer). LinkedIn is primarily for business networking. The more professional your profile looks, the more professional YOU look. Credibility and trust is what keeps your connections engaged.
- When sending requests to connect with others, PERSONALIZE it. ANYONE can send an automatic default connection request. It takes only a few seconds to add their name, your name, a short message of how you met and/or a reason why you would like to have them in your LinkedIn network.
- GIVE recommendations. Everyone says to ask for recommendations and I agree with that, the more recommendations you have, the better your profile looks. However, it may be better to give them first. Most are willing to give you amazing recommendations, faster when you’ve given them the same.
- ENDORSE others. Every time you sign into LinkedIn, you are given the opportunity to endorse others on their key skills and knowledge. If you know which of your contacts are great at what they do and have special expertise, why not let others know? I guarantee that those that know YOU will endorse you for your special skills as well. Be sure you have added the skills you wish to be endorsed for onto your profile to make it easy them. As you help others grow, so will you.
- Use KEYWORDS in your tagline. Whatever the benefits are that you offer; put in front of our audience. You only have a few lines to work with here, so don’t stuff it full of just any keywords, make sure they are RELEVANT. Using your #1 searched keyword or phrase, location of the area you serve and top producing benefit can help draw your target audience to you and connect you with others who will know how to refer. It will also help your LinkedIn profile rank higher in the search engines for those looking for your service or products.
I hope these 5 tips were helpful to you and your LinkedIn network is growing and flourishing. If you have profiles set up on other social media sites as well, you may want to scan through my blog archives for some of best marketing secrets on Facebook and Twitter.
To Your Success,
Sonny Ahuja
