LinkedIn is where professionals connect with other professionals, join industry-specific groups and search for industry-specific news.
The People
LinkedIn boasts approximately 122 million members in the United States and 400 million worldwide. Usage is higher among people who have a college degree or higher as well as with people who have incomes of $75,000 or more. Usage also is higher with 50-64 year olds, which is not an odd statistic. The older demographic comprises upper management and people interested in making business-related connections.
The Challenges
LinkedIn may be the staid and stodgy social network, but it’s extremely helpful to people and businesses seeking to build stronger brands. People can associate their personal profiles with company pages, and both people and businesses can use keywords in their profiles so that they rank higher in search results. LinkedIn also is rolling out its publishing platform to members, which provides another channel of communication for individuals and the brands they work with.
The Tips
1. Make an interactive resume by adding rich media and detailed descriptions to your LinkedIn profile. You can add photos, presentations and even demo reels. You’ll not only stand out from people in your industry, but you’ll also increase profile views and requests to connect.
2. Make your profile public. Nobody can connect with you professionally if you keep your profile hidden. Related notes: Make sure to use a professional head shot, set up a custom URL and share where you can be found and how to contact you.
3. Forget about endorsements. If you use LinkedIn, you know you can endorse and be endorsed for anything. Skip the endorsements and seek recommendations. They’ll speak better of you.
4. Create or join industry or topical groups. If want to network with like-minded individuals or find clients for your business, you’ll want to create a group or join a few. Participating in groups takes time, but the return is worth the investment.
5. Maintain a lively company page. If you have a company page, don’t let it sit empty. LinkedIn company pages are where your employees and future employees come to connect. Showcase your company and its culture by sharing photos, videos and other content.
6. Use LinkedIn ads. With ads, you can promote products, positions and services to a targeted B2B audience.
7. Like seen in our Twitter and Facebook cheat sheets, LinkedIn has an official guide for business pages. It also has a page specific to advertising.
Images: Nan Palmero, A Name Like Shields Can (Creative Commons)