How to use and manage your LinkedIn account
LinkedIn is no longer considered just a tool for job hunting and professional networking and has in excess of 200 million active users! LinkedIn now features a collection of business-friendly functions and features including company pages and sponsored updates. LinkedIn is a prime target for businesses looking to expand their social presence.
Our LinkedIn top tips!
- LinkedIn is all about networking with other colleagues, clients, customers, so it is worth finding others that you work with or supply your services/products to.
- Nearly 50% of LinkedIn members have decision-making authority for their companies, so if you want to approach companies at a higher level, LinkedIn is one effective method of being able to reach those in higher positions, therefore it is easy to see why LinkedIn is considered the world’s largest audience of influential, affluent professionals in one place.
- Like all forms of internet marketing, using LinkedIn to market your business is relatively inexpensive and provides a lot of bang for your buck. If there is a market you are trying to reach, you really do need to get onto the LinkedIn bandwagon.
- Make sure that you take full advantage of your profile and present it well with appropriate and relevant keywords to your service, product or expertise – others searching will gauge you based on your experience, working history and fields of expertise – in a sense LinkedIn is almost like an online CV so make sure you put your best foot forward.
- Include a professional photo on LinkedIn – people like to see who are they are dealing with, or at least include a good quality image of your company logo.
- Make your profile worth reading – include links to photos, web pages and other social media networks you use.
- Get your contacts to recommend you – people always like to see a working history and that you have a trail of happy customers or clients. Simply go to your profile, click on the arrow next to ‘Edit Profile’ and then choose the top option ‘Ask To Be Recommended’ from the drop-down menu – simple!
- Keep your LinkedIn profile up-to-date with regular status updates – share information, news, views and links to interesting articles and blogs. Include updates that will be of interest to your target customers and clients.
- Actively participate in groups for increased exposure by joining groups that are related to your business and interests. Discussion participation can help to establish you as an expert in your field and increase your credibility. Don’t spam groups with advertising posts as you run the risk of getting booted out and you’ll also tarnish your LinkedIn reputation.