With the success of Facebook, the #1 social networking website in the world, new social media platforms are popping up everyday hoping to get a small piece of the action.  Many fail to take off at all while others start off strong and eventually plateau.   But of all of the many social networking sites available to us today, I think it is safe to say that LinkedIn has more professional users than any other site.  In fact, it has the greatest number of searchable, reachable and approachable executives and corporate decision makers than any other social media venue. But with all of the social networking sites available today, what is it that makes LinkedIn stand out above the crowd?  Perhaps it is the fact that LinkedIn has created it’s social media platform with the professional in mind.  Following is a three part series highlighting 20 steps you can take to promote your business using LinkedIn.

1.  START BY COMPLETING YOUR PROFILE COMPLETELY

Complete your profile 100%.  Linked in is one of the top results that pop up in a Google search when people search for your name.  Having a complete LinkedIn Page will helps you stand out above those with less complete pages.  Your Linked In account is the equivalent to an online resume or perhaps an executive bio as it has most of the same components.  A complete profile increases your credibility and tells those finding you “This is exactly who I am.” When setting up your profile, include all current and past employment, in the Experience Section of your profile.  Also add all of your education and degrees earned in the Education section and be sure to showcase all of your pertinent work experience in the Professional Experience section.

Finally add a current, professional head shot photo of yourself to give your profile a personal touch.  People like to see whom it is they are talking to by telephone and in email and adding a current image to your profile allows the reader to feel more connected to you. As you complete each part of your profile, be sure to spell check each section.  Grammatical and spelling errors stick out like a sore thumb and depending upon the reason others are looking for you, it be can be an instant turn off.

2.  KEEP YOUR PROFILE CURRENT AND UP TO DATE.

Update your status regularly. Stay active with your profile so others will get to know you and all you have to offer. You should fill out your profile as if it were your resume or professional bio including information such as change of employment, professional experience, additional education and knowledge you have recently gained, networking groups and other affiliations you have, additional experience and any activities you have partaken in.

Will you be attending or hosting new events within your industry?  Share these types of events in advance so they can look for you if they were planning to be there as well or so others can attend if they wish to meet you in person.  Use the LinkedIn platform to let others know what you are doing here and now in addition to what you have done in the past.  You can also add examples of recent work you’ve completed or tell people about industry specific news that your business is a part of.

3.  ADD URLS

By adding URL’s to your LinkedIn profile, you can increase your search engine results by adding additional ways for other’s to locate and learn about you.  Use call to action catchy phrases such as “Ideas for new inventors” or “Follow me on twitter” with a hyperlink to where you want them to go, rather than an unsightly long URL String.  This not only looks more professional but also lets people know where you are sending them

Besides to your company name, you can also promote your blog or website to search engines like Google and Yahoo.  Your LinkedIn profile allows you to publicize websites within a few pre-selected categories; “My Website,” “My Company,” “My Blog,” “My RSS Feed” and “My Portfolio.”  However, if your select “Other” you can modify the name of the link and add other websites you may own that are affiliated with your business. If you’re linking to your personal blog, include your name or descriptive terms in the link which will lend to search-engine optimization for your site. Be sure your public profile setting is set to “Full View” so the search engines have the ability to “grab all key terms, phrases and URLs” from your profile pages.

Furthermore, when you share articles, blog posts or newsworthy information on your site, always include a link directly to the source.  This will increase traffic to your website and give your readers the opportunity to book mark those pages on your site they feel they will want to come back to at a later time.  In addition it increases the likelihood that they will share that link with others within their personal and professional network.

4.  INCREASE YOUR VISIBILITY AND MAKE CONNECTIONS

Now that you have your LinkedIn profile complete, the next step is to start making connections and increasing your visibility to potential clients and consumers and other professionals within your industry.  Lewis Howes, co-author of the book Linked Working has this to say about connections,

You want to add a ton of connections.  The power is not in the first-degree network, it’s not in whether I have 50 connections or 100 connections, and the power comes in the 2nd and 3^rd degree networks.  If you have between 100 and 500 first degree connections, let’s just say you have 100, you probably gonna have around 3 to 6 million 2nd and 3^rd degree connections.  What that means is only 3 to 6 million people can find you, can contact you and can hire you for your services.  But if you have more you can get 10, 12, 15 million people and you want more and more people to be able to find you when they are searching for key words.

Many new users put only their current company in their profile. Doing this will severely limit their ability to connect with vast amounts of people and will drastically increase the time necessary to make the same amount of connections you would otherwise have.  The people that you connect with on LinkedIn will be your first-level connections. And probably the best way to start making connections on LinkedIn is to ask your first-level contacts for introductions to their first-level contacts.  And as each new person connects with you; you will have access to all of their contacts as well.

So increasing your initial connections is key to making your LinkedIn profile work for you and your business.  Start by importing all your email lists.  You can connect with everyone even if you don’t know them, because you do not know who may or may not have an interest in what you do and what your business has to offer.   Make it as easy as possible for people to find you, to read about you, to read your recommendations and so on.  If you have a maiden name, use it in conjunction with your married name.  This allows colleagues from your past as well as present to be able to locate you and potentially recommend you to others.

Use the search feature to find people by company, industry and city.  Search for people you know and have had connections with throughout your business career and search for others within the industry you feel would be a good connection for you.  By adding connections, you increase the likelihood that people will see your profile first when they’re searching for someone to hire or do business with. In addition, ask those you have worked with in the past to recommend you.  It is proven that people are much more likely to work with people who their friends know and trust and give special attention to those they specifically recommend.

5.  CREATE AND JOIN GROUPS WITHIN THE INDUSTRY

LinkedIn offers its users the ability to create niche groups that are of interest to them.  Create more than one group,  perhaps one pertinent to your industry as a whole and another targeting specific areas within the industry.  Creating a niche group allows you to showcase your professional expertise and knowledge while allowing others within your industry to join your group and to share their expertise and exchange specific knowledge with one another.  You can use the group to interact with like minded individuals.  Some ways you can use the group would be to post articles from your website, links to your website or blog, post job descriptions and job openings, and send messages regarding your business or your industry to all of the members in your group.  You also have the ability to blast a message out to the entire group once per week.  I f you are adding a new product line, offering a seminar, conducting new research, etc you can let the entire group know all at once.  Your group will also send a weekly update email to the entire group.  Weekly Updates show up in the home profile of everyone within the group, which in turn allows all of their connections to find you as well.

Additionally you can grow your network by joining industry and alumni groups related to your business.  Search the Groups section using key terms within your industry and look through the many groups that are available to you.  Peruse through the groups information including number of members, date the group was created, who started the group and what other subgroups are a part of the group if any.  You will also be able to see if other professionals within your own network are a part of the group.  This is another great way to connect with 2nd and 3^rd level contacts because by joining their group, you now have something in common with which to use as an icebreaker when trying to connect.  I am sure there is something out there for each and every industry and product offering that you can think of.  And if there is not, then go ahead and start your own group.

6.  FOLLOW WHOLE COMPANIES

On the top of each page there is a “More” tab.  On this tab, you will find companies, answers, learning center and other.  When you click on the Companies link you can search for specific companies and hear about key developments such as who has joined the organization, left or been promoted, and what business opportunities and job openings are available within the organization.  You can also see the company’s key statistics such as year founded, number of employees, company revenue, the median age of employees and the percentage of employees that are male or female.   In addition, each company will have an overview of their company at the top of the page along with a list of specialties.   And many company pages also feature a “Recent activity” tab and a News tab, which allows you to know what’s going on with that company right now.

If you find a company of interest to you, you can choose to follow them just as simply as you follow individuals in twitter. This feature is comparable to the Facebook Fan Page.  In other words, you don’t have to wait for their “approval.”  You simply choose to follow the company by clicking on the “Follow Company” link.

7.  START BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

Now that you have made connections, you need to start building relationships.  One way to do this is to send personal messages to those you have connected with. The best way to bring down barriers is to connect with someone on a personal level. When you are searching for new leads, look at their profile, find out which companies they have worked for in the past, which school they attended, what groups they are in, listed hobbies and who your mutual connections are.  Include a personalized messages pointing out this commonality within your invitation to connect.  Because so many people send connection invites without them, personal messages are often what it takes to stand out and give you a greater chance of future opportunities.

Next, set up your profile to receive LinkedIn messages in your email inbox.  As people respond to your inquiries, or seek you out, you can reply right away.  People in the business community always respond best to those who reply quickly to inquiries.

CLOSING

It is important to realize that Social Networking will not simply generate a revenue stream for you.  Like any tool, you need to work at it.  If you make your products available through incentives, showcase your expertise,  and be sure to follow up with each and every person who inquires about your products and services, the likelihood of generating revenue is high.   In the next Chapter I will give you additional steps to growing your business using your LinkedIn profile.

To be continued…

• LinkedIn, A Social Network for Business, Chapter 2
• LinkedIn, A Social Network for Business, Chapter 3