The most critical aspect of using LinkedIn as a networking tool is your profile. After all, that’s the first impression you’re making, and all in only a second. That impression must be professional.
You can’t have a generic profile. Instead, you need an optimized profile to guarantee the desired results.
Optimize for the Job You Want
Not everyone on LinkedIn is looking for a job, as such, you should optimize your profile based solely on your own goals. If you’re a recruiter, you’ll have a different profile than if you were a jobseeker. As such, an agency owner seeking new clients, or a business owner networking for new employees has different goals so will have different profile setups.
Be direct about your goals and expectations on the business network. Make it clear to all who visit your profile exactly what you’re there for and why.
Create a Company Profile Too
If you have a business that you own or are connected to, ensure it has its own profile. Focus the company profile on your customers and employees. This will enable you to list openings and deliver educational materials more easily. Make sure all your LinkedIn branding associated with your company is identical and consistent with all other company-wide branding. Maintaining a strong brand is important, and that requires consistency.
Choose the Right Headshot
When you upload your headshot to LinkedIn, make it visible to everyone. While LinkedIn does allow private profiles, blocking people from seeing your profile and information will cost you heavily. Put a professional headshot up. Look directly into the camera, so people can see your face and eyes. It builds trust and authenticity.
Craft Your Headline and Summary
After your picture, your headline and summary are the next things anyone checking out your profile will see. They must be targeted to the audience you want to build, based on the future you want to have. It’s critical that you sit down and devote some thought to this step.
For example, if you’re currently in client relations but deeply want to move to human resources, that must be communicated directly in your headline and summary. LinkedIn isn’t Facebook. Don’t try to impress. Be yourself, be consistent and be professional.
List Only Relevant Jobs and Experience
Don’t list every single job you ever tried on your LinkedIn profile. Only list the jobs that are most relevant to the job that you want. In truth, listing too many jobs that seem to be unrelated will harm your chances with potential employers. No one expects you to list all previous employment on LinkedIn.
Your experience being a farmhand in the summer twelve years ago may have taught you a lot of skills, but most employers can’t see the relevance that you do unless you’re looking to go into agriculture. As an accountant, livestock, and farm work, carries no relevancy.
Include Any Relevant Skills
When it comes to your skills, the same thing applies – only include those that are relevant to the position you want or the group you want to join. The more targeted your profile is for what you want to do in the future, the more likely you’ll connect with the right people. Keep it simple.
Personalize Your URL
You can also personalize your URL, so make sure you do that step. You can use your name if it’s not taken, but you can also use a word that says what you do or what you want to do. This helps expand your chances of finding the right opportunity on LinkedIn.
How about a quick example? A woman named Linda Clemons who is currently working in customer service but strongly desires to move to client relations may choose a customized URL such as clemons-client-relations
Include Any Relevant Certifications
Always include any courses you’ve taken as well as any relevant certifications in your profile. This will primarily get the attention of top recruiters.
For example, if you took a course in a specialized CSM software, and you’re now certified, or have other relevant experience to talk about, include that.
Ask for Recommendations and Endorsements
Once you add your past job experience, your skills, certifications, and courses or degrees, send messages to the right people who can vouch for those jobs and skills for you.
Send a personalized note to each one with a quick reminder (your name and what you did) along with a link to your profile and where they can endorse the related skill or even recommend you. Make sure you thank each one who follows through on your behalf.
LinkedIn is set up for your success. They want you to use it to connect with other like-minded business professionals, and to learn about each other, to help each other, and to build a globally inspired business. That said, LinkedIn is a special type of social network designed for professionals and as such, it’s imperative that you maintain strict professional decorum.
Let’s go over a few dos and don’ts of the business network.
Basic LinkedIn Etiquette Rules
Do Be Prompt
Because LinkedIn is focused on business professionals communicating with other professionals, it’s critical that you not leave any messages unanswered for days at a time. Show your professionalism and decorum by responding promptly to requests, connections, posts, and direct messages.
When someone wants to connect with you or talk to you, try to answer within 24 hours of receiving the message. Even if it’s simply to tell them that you’re not interested. Being prompt with your responses is a professional courtesy.
Don’t Invite People to LinkedIn Using Their App
When you first join LinkedIn, they prompt you to invite people from your email list to LinkedIn. Don’t do it. Instead, get your profile completed and then personally invite contacts to connect with you.
But only invite relevant connections – not your mom, dad, sisters, best friend, and so forth unless they are truly business connections. You have Facebook to stay connected with your family and friends. LinkedIn is for business purposes only.
Do Customize All Automated Messages
LinkedIn offers some automated messaging when you connect with people and for other types of messages such as recommendations. It’s strongly suggested that you not use these canned responses, as all LinkedIn users can identify them. Instead of being seen as professional, you’ll be viewed as lazy and apathetic.
Instead, personally send your own invites, connection requests, and so forth and avoid using LinkedIn’s bulk sending utility. Take the time to make a special message for each person, and you’ll receive a far greater response.
Don’t Pester People
The worst thing you can do is try to connect to people too many times. If they don’t connect with you after one or two tries (at the most), let it go and move on.
Also, don’t send advertising type messages relating to your offer or something you’re selling to people before getting to know them a little. You certainly don’t want to come across as pushy or possibly even desperate to make a sale. Take your time and get to know people on the platform first. LinkedIn’s users are interested in offers of all sorts, but they want useful information in a timely manner. No one wants to deal with the hard sell.
Do Connect to Engage – Not to Sell
In groups, on your feed, and in LinkedIn Mail, don’t connect with people because you have something to sell to them. Never let that be your main goal – or at least never leave anyone with that impression.
Instead, you want to connect with people because you believe that you can build a mutually beneficial relationship, and you want more engagement. The selling will happen, but not if you start with that.
Do Stay Active and Consistent
LinkedIn rewards active participation. You should seek to update your status a minimum of three times a week, and at most daily. Don’t update more than once a day. After all, you’re a professional and shouldn’t be glued to your LinkedIn account all day long.
Now, you’ll also want to publish articles, share your blog posts (which can be shared automatically right on your profile) and participate in groups by commenting and engaging with the members.
Keep in mind that once you begin engaging on LinkedIn, you must keep doing it consistently. If you go dark for any period, it’s almost like starting all over again.
Using LinkedIn can be very lucrative. However, remember that using any type of social platform for networking means you have to be committed to playing the long game. You need to engage your audience, nurture them and take your time getting to know them before throwing out your offers.
When the time comes for you to make your offers, ensure you have 100% relevant proposals. You have built a targeted audience on LinkedIn that are interested in your content. Don’t stray from your niche. If you focus on local small to medium business marketing, don’t offer up a service designed for national players. It’s an instant turn-off for your entire audience.
