Tuesday, November 30, 2010

5 Ways to Maximize LinkedIn

linkedin_logoLinkedIn is a social media website that is ideal for those who own or work in small- and mid-sized businesses who want to brand themselves, improve their networking or expand their job options. By posting a profile on LinkedIn, it is easy to optimize your marketing. This professional network can lead to more customers, a pay raise or even a new, better paying job.

Here are five ways to get the most out of your LinkedIn profile and build an online network for your business:

Fill in the details of your profile

The more information you share about who you are and your company, the better your profile. By writing about your work experiences, educational background and associations you have joined, you increase the likelihood of making professional friends. Additionally, recruiters often review profiles by keywords. So, if you're looking for better job prospects, use industry buzz words and appropriate jargon to create the right keywords. And don't forget to leave your location and ways you can be contacted online.

Personalize your profile with a photo

When you add a photograph to your profile, you become a real person to the reader rather than an abstract collection of career information. If you don't have a good digital picture, then put up your company logo, but a picture is the best form of personalization.

Develop your network

You can develop your network by making online and offline contacts. Online, you can email a request to befriend someone who is in your industry. Offline, you can ask your colleagues and customers to look you up on LinkedIn, join the website and connect to you. The whole idea of networking is to sell yourself rather than just represent your business. It will be much easier to sell products or services when people know, like and trust you.

Join groups

By joining groups on LinkedIn and entering into online discussions, you will create your own community. Connecting with others in groups is as simple as asking and answering questions, sharing news stories, mentioning links and participating in discussion threads. If you want to improve your exposure even more, consider becoming a group moderator.

Get others to provide recommendations

Professional people you have worked with, or clients who have benefited from your efforts, can provide recommendations. You can exchange recommendations with managers, colleagues and friends. The more recommendations you have posted in your profile, the more your business prospects will improve. Recommendations are easy to get and they create social proof that you are somebody who is worth getting to know.

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