Social media networking, online networking, forum networking! You’re supposed to do a little networking on a daily basis, but are you placing your concentration in the wrong place? If you’re working in the B2B area and spend most of your day on Facebook instead of using LinkedIn, then I think you are.
I know many people either ignore LinkedIn or still think of it as a recruitment site. Well, it is still used for recruitment and that means you can use it to recruit more clients! LinkedIn has had a dramatic rise in popularity recently so now is a great time to revisit it.
LinkedIn has become so popular that it now has over 772 million users spread in over 200 countries and territories around the globe. And these numbers just get higher and higher by the day.
Benefits of LinkedIn
LinkedIn has changed over the past few years and now has lots of the features you see on other social media platforms. You can even do live video though your profile or page must meet certain criteria to qualify. Don’t go on LinkedIn though and expect to discuss private information about your family and kids – though sharing about your business and team is a perfect approach.
Many people create a LinkedIn profile only halfway, and then don’t participate at all, so their LinkedIn profile remains largely dormant. The fact is, if you spend a short time every day with the Basic Free account, you can get new business via LinkedIn. However, unlike other networks, you don’t have to continually post fresh content. (Do I hear you breathe a sigh of relief?).
Here are some tips to get you started
Create a full profile — Fill out your profile completely, including a professional headshot. If you need help completing your profile then download my free guide: “10 Steps to Improve Your LinkedIn Profile”. It takes you through exactly what you need to do to make your profile ‘All Star’ in LinkedIn terms.
Invite Friends & Colleagues — Start your connections off right by inviting your friends and colleagues to connect with you. You can even upload your contact list.
Start your connections off right by inviting your friends and colleagues to connect with you on LinkedIn. Share on XRecommend & Get Recommended — Giving recommendations on LinkedIn is a serious business. The more recommendations you can get and give that are honest and complete the better. And remember: If you don’t ask, you won’t get!
Giving recommendations on LinkedIn is a serious business. The more recommendations you can get and give that are honest and complete the better. Share on XJoin & Create Groups — LinkedIn has some great and informative niche groups. Every member can create their own group which can be open or private. Ensure that you join active groups and then participate as much as possible. If you can’t find one that suits you then create your own group, they’re easy to set up.
LinkedIn has some great and informative niche groups. Ensure that you join active groups and then participate as much as possible. Share on XParticipate — If you do nothing else each day, participate in at least one discussion for 5 minutes a day, or answer one question per day on LinkedIn. Participation is the most important thing that you can do to promote your business.
If you do nothing else each day, participate in at least one discussion for 5 minutes a day, or answer one question per day on LinkedIn. Share on XAs with all social media remember to be yourself and add some of your own personality into the mix of what you post.
I’d love to hear if you’ve tried LinkedIn and what your experiences have been.
