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LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network on the internet. It can be a powerful tool to find the right job or internship, connect, strengthen professional relationships, and learn the skills needed to succeed in a career.

The network of contacts you make plays an essential role in perfecting the strength of LinkedIn. This network will help you understand your professional circle and what is happening in your industry. Ideally, your network should be built based on personal connections, that is, people you have engaged with face-to-face or electronically, in a meaningful way.

HOW TO GET STARTED?

#1: Create a powerful profile that demonstrates your credibility.
A complete LinkedIn profile can help you connect with opportunities by highlighting your unique professional story through experience, skills, and education.  Be sure to optimize your profile by completing all the sections, emphasizing these suggestions:

  • Add a photo of yourself. Your profile is the first impression people have when they see you. Add a little personality but keep it comfortable. Not too stiff, not too flashy, but relatively warm, engaging, and friendly. Avoid snapshots, blurry images, cartoons, or other illustrations that look unprofessional. (And don’t upload a photo of your pet, sunset, cause, etc., in place instead. LinkedIn’s terms of service specifically say that profile photos must be an accurate likeness of the person listed in the profile.)
  • Include a cover image. Be sure that your cover image adjusts for various screen viewers, such as desktops vs. mobile devices. Keep it simple but professional.
  • Write a headline that quickly summarizes what you specialize in at a glance. Avoid making promises such as “Sell Your Product in 60 Days or Less – Guaranteed.” Do use keywords relevant to what people may be searching when looking for someone with your knowledge and experience.
  • Create a mission statement that defines what you want to achieve. Most LinkedIn users forget to specify why they are using LinkedIn. If you’re using LinkedIn to build a network for referrals and leads, then your mission statement should be clear about who you want to connect with and what value you can bring to them. On the other hand, if you’re using LinkedIn to seek career advancement, you may want to use a mission statement that emphasizes your desire to learn new skills, take on more responsibility, build stronger teams, etc.
  • Showcase your assets using your profile description. Use this as an executive summary that highlights the 3-5 bullet points of your most significant accomplishments that would be relevant to your audience. If you can include metrics, be sure to do so. For example: “Within six months helped a client in XYZ industry reduce waste by A% and improve efficiency by B%” -or- “Was able to provide a solution that reduced costs by P% while achieving higher than previous end-user satisfaction benchmark scores.”
  • Utilize key phrases in your profile but be sure that these read naturally and apply to your audience and what they may be searching for. Don’t stuff keywords hoping that this will help LinkedIn users such as headhunters or others looking to find an expert.
  • Explore the use of hashtags in your social media posts. Hashtags can be both a benefit and a curse in LinkedIn. Be sure to research them, evaluate them among a smaller audience, and then use them. Be aware that hashtags work well for some industries and not well for others.

#2: Demonstrate Your Knowledge and Subject Authority
Content is a tangible asset used to communicate your message. In the context of social media, content can include blog articles, books (digital or print), webpages, video, audio, print pieces, social media posts, marketing swag, images, illustrations, infographics, or photos. Content, regardless of the format, communicates your message. If your message is filled with errors, misspellings, grammatical errors, or uncompelling visuals, people will form their opinions, probably negative, based on how your content is presented. Be careful, be clear and be concise.

Below are some ideas about how to show authority using content.

  • Curate content from third-party websites.
    PRO-TIPS:

    • Make sure the material you are using is from a trusted industry source.
    • Cross-check the reliability/accuracy of the content you are using to ensure it aligns with your company’s values/mission.
    • Get permission when possible before sharing it. If it’s not possible, be sure to read whether content can be shared across social media platforms, whether crediting the source must be provided or if there is a fee for sharing the content on social media.
    • Be advised that some news publications will charge a syndication fee that can be hundreds if not thousands of dollars, so vetting the sharing requirements should be part of curated content sourcing.
  • Produce your content, such as a blog or podcast.
    Here are a few ideas to get you started in the creation of your unique content:

    • Write an editorial or opinion piece.
    • Post a book, tool, or app review.
    • Answer Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).
    • Offer a white paper, webcast, or online seminar.
    • Create a guide, white paper, template, list, or a tool.
    • Perform research and generate original reports, studies, etc.
    • Design charts, graphics, illustrations, or infographics to make data easier to understand.
    • Interview an industry expert, thought leader, celebrity, etc.
      PRO-TIP: Be prepared to pay for the time involved in the interview process. Many experts receive hundreds of requests each week. Therefore, make your request compelling enough, such as how many people are likely to see the content, the industry you take part in, etc. Also, before publishing, get approval and final sign-off from the person you are interviewing. The form the content will be delivered, podcast, pre-recorded online seminar, or written document doesn’t matter. Anyone you interview should have the right to clarify what they meant, especially if they’re doing interviews on the fly. If you supply them an opportunity to be accurately represented, they will likely agree to future interviews!

#3:  Participate in Groups.
Establish yourself as a valued member, thought leader, etc. How do you do that?

  • Join groups where your target audience is likely to exist.
    These groups provide a great way to discover opportunities when done correctly. The key is to never, ever pitch products or services. Instead, answer questions as if you are paid to consult on them. Be sure to read the group’s rules first. In many cases, it is entirely acceptable to answer the question in the group, reply to the person who asked the question personally through a private message, and follow up with your contact information. One word of advice: vet these options carefully when supplying your contact information to ensure that the person does match your basic prospect criteria. (e.g., size of the company, contact title/role, etc.)
  • Join groups relevant to your industry.
    Industry and trade groups will help you keep updated about what’s going on with your industry. It can also help uncover problem areas, industry trends, predictions, discover thought leaders, who real competitors are, build strategic relationships (and sometimes even referral partnerships, etc.).
  • Join groups that are relevant to industries where your customers are members.
    These groups can keep you updated and may supply critical insights into industry problems and issues. As a member of these groups, you may discover opportunities to help you clarify your marketing and selling messages. You may find new ways to reach dormant customers with updated messaging.

#4:  Keep in touch personally with your connections.
And yes, this means reaching out strategically from time to time with a personal message.

#5:  Ask connections to connect you with their connections.
Do this strategically. For example:  If you want to meet with someone from a specific company that matches your target audience profile, look at your connection list. Is there someone that can offer you an introduction?  If so, this can be an excellent way to get your foot in the door with a contact.

#6:  Understand LinkedIn’s Algorithm.

  • Publish high-quality content.
    Push out relevant content to your followers (e.g., does it interest them, is it from credible sources, is it helpful). If it is only self-promotional (e.g., it only looks to sell your products and services or sign your organization’s praises), it will not perform well. So instead, put yourself in the shoes of your followers and find out what content they want to read and share that.
  • Post content of especially high quality at irregular intervals.
    In other words, if you are consistently posting at the same time and on the same day, this may result in an algorithmic penalty.  Mix up your posting schedule to maximize the visibility of your content.
  • Ensure your followers engage with your content.
    Don’t share the same kind of content all the time. Mix it up with images, links, videos, etc. If possible, you may want to mention (and tag others with their permission, of course). Be sure your content displays well on both mobile and desktop devices. If it is slow to load, people will not wait. They will move on.
  • Delve into your history of content quality and credibility with your followers.
    This is where you need to have a strategy in mind when you are connecting with people in the first place. The quality of your LinkedIn connections is essential. The better the quality of your connections, the more likely you will get engagement with your content. Also, understand the degrees of separation, how this impacts your content visibility, and how others can find you online. (1)
  • Pass the LinkedIn human editor test.
    Humans still review the content on LinkedIn, so they will keep showing it if your content is performing well. And if the content is receiving engagement, the ‘human’ may choose to display it in other parts of LinkedIn, rather than just your feed. So, it’s essential to have great content, engagement *and* pass the human editor test.

#7:  Ask employees to get involved.
Employees and even other stakeholders such as vendor partners can help the visibility of content by sharing it! Don’t be afraid to ask for shares from your network but be sure to reciprocate the favor when you do.

PRO-TIP:  Before you invite others to share your content, allow it to gain traction first on its own to see how it performs. Then only request shares for your best performing content rather than sharing every piece of content you produce.

#8:  Pay to Play
LinkedIn, like other social media platforms, gives an extra “bump” to companies that pay for ads. If you’re investing in paid efforts, LinkedIn will reward you with not only displaying ads but will also give you the benefit of boosting your organic posts. Content, content, content… Be careful, be clear and be concise.

Uncertain times call for creative thinking. Contact Gavel International to be inspired with solutions that connect and engage your people. 

 

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Sources

See Your Six Degrees of Separation on LinkedIn

Jim Bozzelli
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