By Sherry Bonelli / Guest Column
If you are a business professional, it’s important that you are active on at least one very important social media platform – LinkedIn, the social media channel for business professionals.
LinkedIn is the largest professional networking community in the world. When it was first introduced in 2002, many people thought it was mainly for people who wanted to find a new job.
It is quickly becoming the largest B2B lead-generation website where you can connect with your ideal customers, potential business partners, find employees and more. You can also stay connected with your former co-workers and classmates on LinkedIn – which can come in handy if you are looking for a new job. One of the reasons it’s so popular with professionals and companies is because LinkedIn is full of influential, wealthy and educated people.
A way to promote you
If you own a business, you should create a LinkedIn business page and complete that information by adding a business description, projects/products for sale, photos, videos, articles, etc.
Your personal LinkedIn page with your work experience is there to promote you. Your LinkedIn profile is a great way to display and promote your skills and expertise to millions of potential readers.
If you are good about interacting and providing information on LinkedIn, that could lead to powerful connections like business opportunities, speaking and writing possibilities.
Meet before you meet
Check LinkedIn before you meet or have a phone call with a potential business partner or client to get a good idea of what they’re interested in, what they do for a living, etc.
People are doing the same with your profile – whether you know it or not. People are searching and finding you. Your LinkedIn profile is often the first impression you make on someone.
Prepare, prepare, prepare
In today’s volatile work environment, each of us have to be prepared to change jobs at a moment’s notice. If your LinkedIn profile is current and completely filled out, you will be able to quickly refer potential employers to your LinkedIn page to see more about your experience. Likewise, you can do some outreach with your LinkedIn connections as you hunt for a job.
LinkedIn is also a great way to get new customers. One of my biggest clients last year found me on LinkedIn and reached out to me because of what they discovered about me on my LinkedIn profile.
Complete your profile
There’s no right or wrong way to create your LinkedIn profile – except that you should always try to answer as many of the questions that are available to you. Your profile summary is one of the most important sections to fill out.
Here are some other LinkedIn tips:
- Professional headshot: LinkedIn is not the place to put a picture of you and your kids or pets. (And never post a selfie as your headshot.) If you have to spend some extra money to get a professional headshot, it’s well worth it.
- Be as complete as possible: There are a lot of questions to answer when you’re completing your profile. If you have to, do a little bit at a time and make sure you fill in as much information as possible – and remember to use keywords that people might be searching for.
- Training, certifications and awards: If your industry has awards or certifications, there’s a spot in your profile to include that type of information.
- Associations and groups: If you belong to professional organizations, mention those in your profile. Chances are those associations also have a LinkedIn group.
- Your profile strength: Use LinkedIn’s profile “meter” to see how well your profile matches up to best practices. Try to at least get to “All Star” status.
- Be sure to check for messages: If you haven’t check your LinkedIn mail and notifications in a while, log in.
Chances are when people search for your name on Google, your LinkedIn profile will show up toward the top of the search results.
Just like other social media platforms, you can make posts, write and publish articles and add photos or videos. If you post something on your business Facebook fan page or on your business’ Google+ page, consider posting the same thing on LinkedIn.
The more you participate on LinkedIn, the more your name will pop up in the LinkedIn sidebar and even on Google – which can create unexpected opportunities.
Sherry Bonelli, digital marketer and presenter/speaker, has been a digital marketing professional since 1998. She is currently the owner of early bird digital marketing, a full-service digital marketing agency Cedar Rapids. She can be reached at http://earlybirddigitalmarketing.com or (319) 409-3287.
