Best Practices For Your LinkedIn Profile

Most entrepreneurs and business professionals already have a LinkedIn profile, but not all of us have succeeded in getting the most out of it. A common tendency is to model one’s LinkedIn profile after one’s resume, but that is not necessarily the most effective approach to attracting visitors and potential contacts. After all, if your profile doesn’t stand out from the pack, why should anyone gravitate to it?

Instead of a rote summary of your qualifications, education, and experience, a compelling LinkedIn profile should demonstrate your unique personality, passions, and brand, and the practical applicability of your skill set.

A professional-looking photo engenders confidence.

This is really a no-brainer. People with LinkedIn profile photos tend to attract more page views than those without, and a professional-looking shot (in focus and with proper posing and lighting) conveys the impression that you’re both competent and attentive to details.

Try to portray yourself in a manner consistent with your professional brand and desired message. Consider whether a smile or a serious expression is more conducive to drawing the right people to your profile, whether you should wear a tie or a jacket, whether your sleeves should be fully extended or rolled up, what colour of outfit would be most appropriate. Even gestures that may seem inconsequential—like the interlocking-fingers pose made famous by German chancellor Angela Merkel—send body-language messages that can help to reinforce your personal brand.

What’s special about you?

Once people have seen your photo, they’ll move on to your profile summary—which should at least match the standard of the photo in terms of professional quality and attention to detail.

Of course, impeccable spelling, grammar, and syntax are indispensable here; if you have difficulty in any of these areas, you may want to enlist the proofreading skills of a trusted friend or associate. But there’s more to a great profile summary than just getting those elementary technical details right. You also need to communicate who you are and where you excel—preferably in a manner that’s engaging and memorable, but also informative. Use simple, comprehensible language, and be true to yourself.

Why are you passionate about the work you do? What professional achievements are you proudest of? And perhaps most importantly: what can you offer that would help others to achieve their goals?

Expand beyond the two-dimensional LinkedIn profile.

One of the great advantages that a website like LinkedIn offers over a traditional CV or job application, is the fact that it’s online. The dynamism of the Internet offers you the opportunity to go beyond a static photo and written summary, to not only describe what you can do, but to literally show people examples.

If you have YouTube videos, presentations, or multimedia files of which you’re especially proud, link to those from your LinkedIn page. You can even record a short introductory video in which you describe your strengths and passions.

Feel free to allude to your life outside the office—within reason.

Social factors often influence both hiring and client-relationship decisions. Most people prefer to work with others to whom they can relate, and with whom they get along. If you give the visitors to your profile an idea of your life circumstances, your personality, and the activities you enjoy away from the office, there’s a good chance that you’ll draw like-minded individuals to your LinkedIn page.

But use your discretion—the information you reveal will be visible to LinkedIn users everywhere for a very long time.

Don’t force people to hunt around for your contact information.

Prominently display your e-mail address, Twitter handle, links, and any other contact information you don’t mind sharing widely.

How to Get Customer Referrals to Grow Your Business

Before heading out to see the latest Hollywood blockbuster do you check the reviews? There are certainly plenty of places to read other viewers opinions. The same can be said for any type of service company. On many levels, these "reviews" are actually referrals, at least the positive ones are! 

Businesses depend on customer referrals to keep the sales numbers flowing. How are you doing with collecting customer referrals? Is there room for improvement? Try embracing these insights to help gather customer referrals to grow your business.

Collect LinkedIn endorsements.

Your company should have a LinkedIn page up and running. If so then you'll be able to start collecting endorsements from other professionals who you're networking with. In the grand scheme of things these endorsements might not make or break your company but every little bit helps. A good way to generate endorsements is to give endorsements. Stay active on your page and you should be rewarded in kind.

Ask and you shall receive.

You know it never hurts to ask, right? That applies for so many things in life not the least of which is getting endorsements for your business. If you have some trusted clients who you've established a strong relationship with then reach out to them and ask for an endorsement. Make it easy on them by providing the link to where you want that endorsement to go. Your goal could be as simple as increasing your Facebook likes or getting a written testimonial you can post on your website. Be proactive on your hunt for endorsements and you'll be amazed at what can come rolling back to you.

Sift through the recommendations.

If you do your homework right and the recommendations start flowing your way you'll want to sift through them to make sure they are the right recommendations for your company. This ability to sift through the recommendations works best when you're in control like on your own web page or Facebook account. Just because someone says, "I like them" doesn't mean you have to use that recommendation especially if that is all you get. Without writing them yourself, the recommendations should be thoughtful and specific towards what your company is offering. The more details the better the recommendation.

Spread the word.

Securing a good recommendation is meaningless until you can put it work for you. Every new positive recommendation should be shared with your entire social media network. It should also be included in any email blast that you'll be sending out to new customers.

How to Make the Most of Your Conference

Are you thinking about attending an upcoming conference or trade show related to your industry?

 Stop thinking and book your flight. Attending these types of events can be a big boost to your business. You know how important networking is to your success, right? Then why not go to the place where you can do more networking in 48 hours than the rest of the year? Before locking down your travel plans, you should take in these tips on how to make the most of every conference you attend.

Leave room for face to face meetings.

If the conference is happening in your hometown then you're golden. However, if you have to fly to a destination then leave yourself some room before and after the conference for potential meetings. It would be horrible if you make a good connection, start working on a deal and then have to run off the catch a plane. Best-case scenario: fill up your free day with meetings. Worst-case scenario: you get a day off to explore a new town. Actually, that's not so bad!

Set your target meet and greets.

The majority of well-established conferences will post a list of attendees in advance of the dates. This is a terrific marketing ploy but if there is no list, there will still be plenty of buzz. Head over to Twitter or LinkedIn to see who else is talking about going to the conference. You should get a sense of the roster of attendees. As you gather up the names, make a target list of who you'd like to "bump into." If you're following them on social media, let them know you'll be at the same conference. It's all about being proactive.

Lend a helping hand.

Don't just wait for someone to make a networking connection for you. Get out there and help others with their connection. Think back to your days as a young lad trading baseball cards. When you made a decent trade you were rewarded down the road. Same thing with business contacts. Being stingy with who you know won't get you very far.

Map out your day.

You should have a list of the conference day's events well in advance of your arrival. Figure out which of the talks is top of your "must-see" list. Plug those into your schedule then put together the "second-string" events. Make sure you also schedule in the cocktail parties and other networking opportunities. Don't just show up and wander the halls looking for a crowded room.

Make friends with the presenters.

No matter who is speaking at the conference, they are going to want feedback. Right after their talk they might be swarmed or whisked away. It's a safe bet that they are on Twitter. Send them a Tweet telling how much you enjoyed their talk. If the door is open, ask a follow up question. Before you know it you've added an all-star to your network! 

3 Best Social Media Books to Read

Understanding how to get the most out of social media takes an expert. Here are three books by the leading experts in the field.

Likeable Social Media: How to Delight Your Customers, Create an Irresistible Brand, and Be Generally Amazing on Facebook (And Other Social Networks)

This is New York Times best-seller is all about achieving success through online word-of-mouth marketing around the simple premise of being likeable. The best recommendation for any product or service often comes from a friend. If you can get a network of friends to recommend a site or page than that's half the battle. This informative book provides helpful insight in how to tap into the power of this specialized form of marketing. The methods presented in this tome have been utilized with great success by such a diverse range of companies as 1-800-FLOWERS.COM and the Ford Motor Company.


Author Dave Kerpen is an expert in this field. As the cofounder the social media-marketing firm Likeable, Dave is among the brightest and most successful leaders in this industry. His tried and true methods have a proven track record of success and he is definitely someone you'll want to listen to for your own social media campaign.


The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Business Success

Presenting helpful information about social media campaigns means you need to stay ahead of the curve. The Social Media Bible is now in its updated third edition. Presented in this 700-page tome are all the important resources for big and small business to utilize the far reach of social media. With this updated edition you'll be able to find out how to bring in iPad users and apps, Foursquare and other location-targeted networks. Find out the latest about Google's every changing search engine algorithms. That information alone is worth buying this book!

500 Social Media Marketing Tips: Essential Advice, Hints and Strategy for Business: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, and More!

Yes, you read that right: This amazing text presents 500 social media marketing tips. Included in those tips are links to over 130 video tutorials which can greatly enhance your learning curve. Among the top social networks covered are Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and YouTube. The expert tips will show you how to build your brand and engage with customers. When you consider that 22% of all North American online activity is spent at sites like Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest than its clear this is a realm your business needs to tap into. 500 Social Media Marketing Tips will show you the way.

Small Business Financing - It's All About Who You Know

Believe it or not there are plenty of folks out there looking to invest in a small business. Your challenge is to get your business plan in front of them. Easier said than done, right? Actually, if you apply yourself you’ll find that it’s quite easy to build a network of potential investors. First, make sure you have a rock solid business plan ready to go. It makes no sense to seek out investors unless you’re ready to pitch. You might get only one shot and you have to be ready. Here are some tips for building up a network of investors.

1)      Go Online

There is a huge social network waiting for you to explore that is only a few mouse clicks away. LinkedIn is the most obvious choice to start your campaign to connect with potential investors. Here you’ll have a chance to build up a professional profile and find other business professionals who might be able to help. A connection you make on a site like LinkedIn might not be in a position to write you a check but they could connect you to someone who can.

2)      Try Crowdfunding sites

Beyond the direct networking possibilities of social media, there is another burgeoning source of investors you could find online and that would be with group funding. A site like Kickstarter is bringing together pools of small investors who are willing to share their funds with a business that looks promising. Once again, you have to be ready to fire up your business machine and answer any question in a competent matter.

3)      Ask your family and friends

It’s amazing the amount of help we can get from our family and friends if we just ask. You might have a favorite aunt or uncle who is willing to take a shot at investing in your business. As long as you treat them as you would any other potential investment then there is no reason not to present them with a business plan. Just as your online network could help you bridge the gap to meeting potential investors, you might have a friend who works for a company or has their own relationship with a potential investor. Throw a friendly dinner party and make your pitch. Keep it honest and sincere and you’ll reap the benefits.

4)      Network at events

This is a no-brainer. There are plenty of tradeshows geared for entrepreneurs to help them connect with investors. Seek them out but don’t stop at the tradeshow. Follow the money. This means going to places where the “money” would hang out: a country club, museum opening, first night at the opera, polo pony matches… wherever you might think that serious minded business professionals would gather you should try to infiltrate. This doesn’t mean barging in with your stack of business plans ready to hang out. Go make some new friends and see where that takes you.

How to use LinkedIn to get New Clients

 

While everyone is busy posting pictures of their pets and catching up with friends over on Facebook, serious minded business professionals are turning to LinkedIn as a way of staying connected with associates. They are also discovering the benefits of utilizing LinkedIn to expand their own customer/client base. There was a time when dedicated salesmen would have to “work the phones” to generate new leads. Today’s internet savvy sales force knows how to work the social media networks. Here are some tips to help you use LinkedIn to get new clients.

1)      Share the News

The worst thing that a potential new client or even a long time business associate should ask is, “What have you been up to lately?” If that happens then it’s clear you’re not using LinkedIn to its fullest extent. Whenever your business has a new product or venture you should post the details on LinkedIn. You can also send industry news that is relevant to your network or contacts. You can boost that announcement by adding a follow up direct message to your contacts asking for the time to catch up through a call or email.   

2)      Make the Connections

After you’ve established your own social circle of professional contacts on LinkedIn it’s time to go exploring. Spend some time every day reviewing who your contacts are connected to. Perhaps someone you once worked with are friends with a CEO you’d like to get in front of. Armed with this information you can ask for an introduction or use that connection as your “conversation starter” with the new contact. Either way, you’re expanding your reach which is what LinkedIn is all about.

3)      Track Down Former Co-Workers

Over in Facebook everyone is digging up old acquaintances from as far back as kindergarten. You should be doing the same thing on LinkedIn but keep it focused on business. Take a trip down memory lane and go looking for former business associates or fellow college grads. Where are they working today? Would that be a valuable connection to make?

4)      Ask for Introductions

Making a connection is easy but what if you want to gain access to a company where you have no network? You’re essentially making an old fashioned “cold call” reaching out to that company. Your network is the best bet to be introduced to someone within a company. Find out who knows who and ask for an introduction. The best thing about LinkedIn is that it allows you to see who is connected to whom.  This doesn’t mean you make a contact and then go for the hard sale. Let that relationship build. (See hint #1!)

5)      Join the Groups

Every member of the LinkedIn community has the opportunity to join groups built around common interests. Here is where the community really comes to life through ongoing discussions. Those groups could all contain potential clients. Get involved but keep it professional. The best way to connect with strangers is to create your own LinkedIn group. Revolve the group around a particular industry/category and invite your peers to connect and share. 

Can LinkedIn Really Help You Get More Business?

If you’re in sales, one of the major challenges that you’ll come across on a regular basis is finding qualified leads. You can buy as many lists as you can from lead brokers, or create time-consuming marketing campaigns, but nothing can beat the effectiveness of LinkedIn’s platform for finding a captive business audience in one spot. Other than being able to use LinkedIn as a tool to find targeted prospects, you can also use it to keep track of your competitors. By creating a profile for both yourself and your company, you can also take advantage of the network to connect with your target audience and drive traffic back to your website.

Making LinkedIn Work For Your Company

As with other type of social media marketing strategies, using LinkedIn to promote your business means you have to keep your profile current and active. Don’t just think that because you set up a LinkedIn profile that your work is done. It would be like going to a business expo and standing in a corner hoping people will come to you. How would they even know you’re in attendance? You’ve got to be proactive by directly reaching out to other businesses and professionals and give them an opportunity to experience what your company has to offer.

Here are some techniques that can help:

1)      Join LinkedIn Groups: A great way to build relationships with your prospects is to join in on the various discussions going on at LinkedIn groups. For instance, if you are involved in import/export, then you can certainly find a group of professionals who are discussing matters that would pertain to your industry. Join groups and get into the game.

2)      Be a subject matter expert: Get involved in LinkedIn Answer forums, especially those related to your industry and your prospects. The LinkedIn Answers forum allows all members to post questions on any business challenges that they are facing. This allows them to take advantage of the platform’s peer-to-peer network, having any member to answer and to respond to questions posted by any other LinkedIn member. There are several advantages to this feature:

i)        It is an excellent way to gather information and to be on the cutting edge of a particular industry or niche.

ii)      It is also a great way to communicate with prospects and potential partners in a particular niche. If you answer questions, you are positioning yourself as a subject matter expert in your industry and people will turn to you for answers.

3)      Connecting your network with each other: Build your social influence by connecting your contacts or members with each other. Working to connect your network with other members on LinkedIn not only helps you become known as an influencer, there also is an ancillary benefit – your network will reciprocate the favour. 

Although LinkedIn isn't the largest social network, it is one that has the most business-oriented membership.  You not only have all your prospects at one spot, but can tap into a peer-to-peer resource that can help you build your business. However, just like offline networking, you have to work at building relationships with your network using the right techniques.

How to build a great LinkedIn presence

If Facebook is for friends and family and Twitter is for a quick comment on any topic, then LinkedIn should be considered the professionals’ social media networking site. Since its inception, LinkedIn has developed a solid reputation as a straight forward web portal where business professionals can connect, share resources and stay up to date with the latest industry news (whatever industry that might be). There are many people who have used LinkedIn as a kind of a virtual resume site. Additionally, many businesses are turning to LinkedIn to enhance their company profile. As with any other type of social media presence, the more you put into LinkedIn, the more you’ll get out from it. The following are some helpful hints on how to build a great LinkedIn presence.

1.      Join In On the Discussion

No matter what your business niche is chances are there are already dozens of groups on LinkedIn engaged in the kind of ongoing discussions you should be a part of. Before diving in, make sure you read through some past posts to get a “feel for the room.” Also, before posting edit your comments to make sure you’re presenting yourself in a positive light. Don’t forget to provide a link back to your own LinkedIn page.

2.      Stay Updated

Leave the status updates about what you’re having for breakfast or what you thought about last night’s Game of Thrones for Facebook. On LinkedIn your status updates should be strictly professional. That doesn’t mean they have to be humorless, but stay focused on your reasons for using LinkedIn which is to enhance your profile or company brand.

3.      Start A Blog

If you own or operate a business you’ve got a lot to say. Starting a blog is way for you to share your insights and begin a conversation. Pick a topic in the news for inspiration or relate a recent challenge in your business and how you overcame that. Remember you’re not aiming for a Pulitzer; you just want to stay relevant. Promote your blog on LinkedIn, either through your company page or your own personal profile.

4.      Maximize the LinkedIn Apps

Put LinkedIn to work on your page by including polls, SlideShare and events. It’s another way of keeping your site active and giving other LinkedIn users a reason for returning.

5.      Start a Conversation

Just as you should be joining in on the conversation on other pages, you should start a conversation of your own. Hopefully, if you get traffic to your page you’ll be able to pull in other professionals to keep the discussions going. This isn’t about sales pitches but conversations between professionals.

6.      Create a Strong Headline

Headlines are what pull users into a profile. Try to create something that is equal parts catchy and intriguing. Don’t hesitate to rotate out some strong headlines to keep your profile fresh.

How to Leverage LinkedIn for Business Success

Ranking social media sites by the amount of consistent users would find that Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn garner the top three spots on that list. Of that threesome, LinkedIn is developing a strong and positive reputation as a site for business professionals to stay connected with other like-minded companies. It also affords the opportunity to research potential staffing resources. A small business can benefit from tapping into the vast LinkedIn network for their own interests by building up a network of professionals. That network can be utilized in a variety of proactive actions, which can greatly improve a business’ reputation. The following are some strategies to optimize LinkedIn for your business.

·         Build a company profile: Because LinkedIn is the site used by a vast majority of business professionals, it stands to reason that you want to create a company profile which would be a strong reflection of your business. This profile will provide an important portrait of your company to any prospective clients or potential employees. Your LinkedIn company profile can bolster your assets and make any small business competitive. The company profile also has its own type of newsfeeds which can track recent activity such as new hires or acquisitions. Often these profile updates can open the door on many new opportunities.  

·         Update your status: As with Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn allows a registered user to update their profile at any time. This update will then go out through the LinkedIn newsfeed to the rest of your contact networks. Instead of the kind of random updates on Facebook, your LinkedIn updates should inform others about business-related news such as attending upcoming tradeshows or conferences. It can also allow you to share updates about your company’s website or blog. It’s important that you keep these updates relevant and on topic. If you are using LinkedIn to enhance your small business then everything you post will be a reflection of your professionalism.

·         Tap into the network: LinkedIn works best when you work LinkedIn. In other words, use that network to your advantage. Join groups that might have similar interests to your company profile. Connect with other professionals by commenting on their own success updates. You’ll also be able to send out well wishes for birthdays, anniversaries and new additions to the family that members of your own network care to share. This is a great way to foster positive connections within your business circle.

·         Add your opinions: By joining a group on LinkedIn you’ll also have the opportunity to join that group’s discussion forum. The key here is to keep it professional. Just because a discussion is getting “heated” doesn’t mean you have to jump in with your own two cents.  Before posting any reply try to gauge the temperature of the group. Always remember that whatever you post will be living there for quite some time. Bottom line: think before you post!

Can social media help with your small business?

Social media has quickly become one of the best ways for a small business to compete against bigger players in their industry. For a business, creating a social media strategy not only allows you to create a personal connection between your brand and your customers - it also gives you the opportunity to:

• Build customer loyalty

• Create great customer service through interaction

• And lower your customer acquisition costs in the long run.

A recent survey by Michael Stelzner, provided interesting data that was shared in the 2011 Social Media Marketing Industry Report . What was found that small businesses who follow a social media marketing strategy received two times more qualified leads than those of businesses that didn’t.

As you can see, social media helps bring your brand in front of your potential customers much more easily than any other marketing strategies and at much lower costs. To be successful in your social media efforts there are certain things you should follow:

• Offer valuable content: Determine what your prospects need and try to fulfil it with great content. Will the content that you offer help them solve their problems? For example, for fans of your Facebook page, you can offer discounts, contests or exclusive promotions that reward them for their loyalty.

• Be consistent: Make sure that your communications are frequent and connect with your customers on a regular basis. If you haven’t updated your Facebook page over time, don’t be surprised if your prospects start leaving.

• Be visible on multiple social media platforms: Don’t just depend on one social media platform for your customer outreach. People are all over the web, having profiles on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter all for different purposes. So, make sure that what you post is unique to the platform you’re on.

Along with strengthening your brand, social media has another advantage thanks to Google. It helps in your search engine optimization strategy. With the Panda update, Google has declared that social media activity will play a large role in how a website will rank in search results. The more people share your content through social media and link back to your website, the more Google will look favourably upon you.

Customers are looking for more than just a transactional relationship with their favourite brands. When you create an atmosphere that allows your prospective client to connect with your company by voicing their opinions and suggestions through social media, you gain their trust. This trust translates easily to higher revenue as it makes lead conversion easier.

5 Ways Small Business Can Use Social Media

Social media is hard to avoid these days – everyone seems to have at least one account on a social media website. So when marketing your company – whether big or small – you have to go where the people are. You may think that only big name companies can be successful on websites like Facebook or Twitter, but social media is the ideal platform for small businesses running marketing campaigns on tight budgets. Here are 5 ways small businesses can use social media successfully to market their companies.

Customer Service:

Social media is all about connecting, engaging and interacting with customers and it puts customer service on a whole other level. Facebook and Twitter gives users the ability to post or tweet comments or questions directly to you, which allows for a more informal and real-time approach to helping customers. Asking for customer feedback, suggestions or comments will help to start the conversation flowing if you’re finding interaction to be one-sided. And, it’s important to respond to ALL customers, whether positive or negative. Keep the communication honest and open and your customers will appreciate the effort.

Networking:

For small businesses, networking is a great way to generate leads and find prospective customers. Social media sites liked LinkedIn make it easy for small businesses to network professionally from the comfort of their computers. Connections are made first through people you already know but from there you can find mutual connections, follow companies, join discussions, and take part in Q&As. All of this gives you a continuously expanding professional network at the tip of your fingers.

Advertising:

For small businesses that are wary of the enormous costs associated with traditional media like print, radio and television, social media gives you an inexpensive and measurable alternative. And again, because everyone is already using social media, it’s become the best place to advertise. The Facebook and LinkedIn advertising platforms are web based, easy to use, and cost effective. Your budget is up to you, you can start, stop and modify your ads at any time, and you only pay when someone clicks. On top of that, you can easily measure the results of your campaigns through metrics that allow you to analyze impressions, clicks, click through rates and spend while your campaign is running.

Inbound Links:

If you’re thinking about using social media for your business, chances are you’ve got a website already. Inbound links are links from external sites that bring traffic to your website. The more your website is linked on outside sources, the more traffic or referrals you’ll get. Plus, inbound links help increase your ranking in major search engines if the inbound links are relevant and of good quality. So posting information to your blog which links to your website, then posting to Facebook and LinkedIn, and tweeting it on Twitter can create direct clicks, shares, or re-tweets – all of which contributes to inbound traffic to your website.

Branding:

Get your name out there! I’ve said it twice and I’ll say it again – go where the people are. You might find social media intimidating (“what if no one ’Likes’ us?”) but it’s all about interacting and building relationships, no matter how many people are watching. Don’t expect major results over night and don’t try to compete with the big guys, but stay active online by posting relevant, interesting and fun information on a regular basis and eventually you will have built your own community within the larger social media framework.

Since social media is still relatively new to most people and seems to be constantly changing, it’s a good idea to keep on top of the latest trends and to pay attention to what other businesses are doing. Regular research helps to keep your business in the know when current social media platforms make significant changes or when new platforms are released. A good way to stay on top of the trends is to subscribe to RSS feeds from reliable tech news sources such as Mashable or Social Media Examiner. Tech blogs and Twitter trending topics can also give you an idea of the latest in social media development.

When it comes to social media the key is to watch what other people are doing, stay on top of what’s current and, most importantly, have fun with it!