April 15, 2014
See recent real Business article where Roar Media CEO, Jacques Hart shares his advise on how to maximize LinkedIn.
ClickĀ hereĀ to view the original article.
By Alexandra Kirkman
April 4, 2014
As the worldās largest online professional network, LinkedIn boasts nearly 280 million members in over 200 countries. While a profile on the site has become a must for most, thereās no real guidebook for how to present yourself and maximize the siteās tools to put you in a stronger position. We asked a range of communications experts for their top tips on how to best make the site to work for you, whether youāre looking to hire, find a job or promote your business.
1.Ā When it comes to your profile, more is more.
Donāt be afraid to include a wealth of previous work experience.
āMany people underestimate the importance of filling out an entire profile,ā says Nicole Williams, career expert at LinkedIn. āTo get the full benefit of the site, you really have to put yourself out there.ā
Williams notes that your profile is 12 times more likely to be viewed if you have more than one position listed; hiring managers may perform searches for people with, say, ten years of experience, but if your profile doesnāt include information that far back, you could be missing out.
āItās essential to list all past experience showing your ability to execute and problem-solve, even if you think itās irrelevant,ā Williams notes.
She also recommends posting examples of your work to let it speak for itself: for example, if you are in a visual field, highlight your work by uploading a recent presentation, image, or portfolio on your profile.
2.Ā Be strategic when replying to job posts.
If you find a job that seems like a great fit, Williams recommends connecting directly to the job posterābut donāt send a generic response. Study his or her career trajectory, as well as the company page and job listing, before you reach out.
āYour message should have personalized anecdotes about your experience, and highlight strong points from their own experience with the brand,ā she says.
āWere they quoted in an article? Did they upload a great presentation? Mention how this information helped you āget to knowā the brand and further solidified your desire for the position. Itāll show youāve done your homework and didnāt take the easy way out by simply hitting āapply.āā
3.Ā Be cautious when connecting with strangers.
When it comes to the annals of (digital) age-old LinkedIn questions, whether to accept connection requests from people you donāt know ranks near the top of the list. Most experts say it depends on the situation.
āConsidering a few things before accepting: First, is that person relevant to your business interestsāa potential client, business partner, job lead, or talent for your organization? Second, does he or she share mutual contacts with you, and therefore already part of your extended business network? Finally, did the invitation come with a personal note explaining why you should connect?ā says Lori Russo, managing director at PR firm Stanton Communications in Washington, D.C. If the answer to one or more of the above questions is yes, connect away.
4.Ā Carpe diem.
Williams recommends using LinkedInās mobile apps to send connection requests, even if the person is right in front of you.
āIf you were just introduced to an amazing potential client, or a like-minded professional at a conference, connecting via mobile will save you from digging through messy piles of business cards laterāand also increase the likelihood that the person accepts your request.ā
Also, just as you would in ārealā life, leverage your existing network to grow your LinkedIn one.
āDonāt be afraid to ask for an introduction to someone on LinkedIn that you want to talk withāespecially if you are looking for an informational interview about a job or career sector youāre interested in,ā says J.D. Ross, communications director at the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University.
If you havenāt met or donāt know someone youād like to connect with, or donāt have a mutual contact, Williams suggests sending an InMail.
āCompared to regular email or a cold call, itās great because it includes information about you and your professional background,ā she says.
If you have a basic LinkedIn account, you can purchase up to ten InMail credits (at $10 each, theyāre not cheap, but if you donāt get a response within 7 days, LinkedIn will credit your account). If you have a premium account and want more than your allotted number of InMailsādepending on your level of premium membership, you get 3, 10, or 25 per monthāyou can purchase up to ten more.
5.Ā Post frequent updates to attract the attention of recruiters and business prospects.
Simply put, it pays to post updatesāespecially if youāre on the job hunt. āIf you share once a week, you increase your chances of having your profile viewed by a recruiter tenfold,ā reports Williams.
Post something that will be of interest to those in your network, such as industry news, or corporate blog posts sharing you or your companyās point of view on a timely issueāand donāt make it all about you.
āAvoid braggadocian behavior,ā advises Jacques Hart, CEO of Roar Media, a public relations firm in Miami. āThe key is to engage with your audience and bring value to them, not to boast about how many awards youāve won, or new clients youāve added.ā
A good rule of thumb? āFollow the 80/20 rule,ā says Susan Shelby, president of Boston-based Rhino Public Relations, who speaks frequently on the topic of utilizing LinkedIn for businesses. āEighty percent of your posts should be about other people and topics; 20% should be about yourself.ā
6.Ā Create a Company Page to raise your corporate profile.
LinkedIn Company Pages are valuable tools, especially if youāre a business ownerāmore than 3 million companies currently have them. Be sure to include a comprehensive description of your business, products, and services.
āPeople have stopped searching the Yellow Pages and are now turning to online resources,ā says Williams. āYou want to make it as easy as possible for people ā whether theyāre recruiters, vendors, potential clients or current customers ā to clearly understand your business and goals.ā
Chip Garner, a vice president of digital strategies at New York PR powerhouse Rubenstein Communications, suggests optimizing the page with photos and videos that are consistent with the look and feel of your businessā websiteābut donāt mirror it. āFor example, upload a different marketing video on LinkedIn than your corporate website, and change up the LinkedIn visual assets on a regular basis,ā he says. āThis gives visitors a reason to come back and see whatās new.ā
Garner also recommends including posts targeted to specific audiences in your update mix to deepen engagement with your company page; updates can be customized by company size, seniority, and other criteria.
āSharing targeted updates with specific groups helps make sure your message is not lost in the chatter,ā he says.