Are you active on LinkedIn? If you aren’t using this essential social media tool, you can find it at www.linkedin.com

LinkedIn has a more professional orientation than sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Perceived by many as simply an electronic “rolodex” of business contact information, LinkedIn actually has a broad array of valuable features.

One of my favorite LinkedIn features is the ability to join groups. There are groups whose purpose is to follow trends and share information on just about every industry you can imagine. There are groups for professional and volunteer organizations, hobbies, and for a multitude of other topics.

These groups allow you to meet others with similar interests and can lead to useful and helpful connections. For example, I found my website designer and my logo creator through participating in groups on LinkedIn.

 

Reasons to be Active on LinkedIn

• Enhance your professional brand
• Increase the rank of your company in Google searches
• Connect with other professionals
• Increase profitability
• Find a job or an employee
• Build relationships with strategic partners

Brand Yourself on LinkedIn

• Create a catchy headline through the selected use of key words as a way to draw attention to yourself and what you have to offer
• Use the summary feature to showcase your professional background and how you can help others

• Accept endorsements for skills and expertise that you want to be known for and be sure to endorse others as well
• Seek recommendations from clients, vendors, and others who can attest to the quality of your work. Be sure to make recommendations for those who have done good work or provided a valuable service for you.
• Let others know about your work experience, volunteer activities, educational background, and honors you have received.

 

Engage with Others on LinkedIn

• Connect with clients, strategic partners, co-workers (past and present), with colleagues in professional and volunteer organizations, and with people you meet at networking functions
• Use the relationship section of a person’s profile to make notes and set reminders to reach out to that person to offer information, assistance, or an introduction to someone who might be able to help them.
• Join groups and actively participate in them so people learn who you are and look forward to hearing from you – because you offer value rather than self-promotion.
• Comment on the activities and posts of your connections – congratulate them on a work anniversary or share a post of theirs with your own connections.

 

Create a Company Presence on LinkedIn

 Originally more focused on giving a business professional the opportunity to create a personal profile, LinkedIn has gradually expanded the company page feature. These pages are great ways for companies to showcase a variety of services and products and to post about news of the company.

You can create a company page by clicking on Interests in the menu bar at the top of your screen. Then click on Companies. Then on the top right you will see “Add a Company.” Note that you have to have an email in your LinkedIn account that ties to the name of your company in order to create a company page.

In his article “5 LinkedIn Company Page Tips to Enhance Your Marketing” in the October 23, 2013, issue of Social Media Examiner, Jason Miller describes the impact of having a well-crafted company presence on LinkedIn:

“The benefits of a well-oiled LinkedIn company page include engaging followers with company news, updates, events, and relevant content. There’s also improved search engine rankings, as LinkedIn pages often perform well in company searches…. Research shows that 50% of LinkedIn members are more likely to purchase from companies when they engage with them on LinkedIn.”

 

How About You?

What has been your experience on LinkedIn? Have you found clients, vendors, and/or strategic partners through LinkedIn? What tips would you offer for effective use of this social media site?

 

About Joyce

Joyce Feustel helps people, especially those age 50 and up, to become more comfortable using social media, especially Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter.

She works with business owners, nonprofit organizations, retired people, consultants, and many others. Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com.