Tag Archive: LinkedIn Tips

5 Ways to Use LinkedIn for Conferences

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#LinkedInChat, LinkedIn and Conference

January 24, 2012

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January 24, 2012


Double the ROI of your Conference or Tradeshow

LinkedIn:  Pre and Post Conference

Double the ROI of your Conferences

LinkedIn is an excellent tool for both preparing for conferences and as follow-up after a conference.  Let’s talk about some of the ways you can use LinkedIn to have more success, more sales, and more engagement before, during and after your conference and tradeshow travels!

1.  If at all possible, see if you can get an attendee list for your conference.  This is easier to do if you are a presenter.  As an attendee, you might have to pay for this list – or it might not be available at all.  However, if the conference is also posted as an event in a meetup, Facebook or LinkedIn Event, you will be able to see the other people who have marked themselves as interested or attending.  Its worth doing a quick even search in Facebook, LinkedIn and Meetup.com to see if your conference is listed there.

If you can get a list of conference attendees,  it would be a great idea to look them up on LinkedIn and see if you are connected.  You might want to use the advanced search in order to do this. The reason for that is you can check specifically by location and not spend a lot of time looking for people who might have the same name – but not be the same person –  as the attendee you were looking for.

2.  Once you have found an attendee that you want to connect with, send them an invitation. If you aren’t comfortable sending them an invitation, see if they are a member of the group and send a message through that group. If you have a paid account you can also send them an Inmail. But what a great thing to do! Set up a meeting before you ever meet.

3.  If you don’t have an attendee list, you can always set up meetings for LinkedIn members in the city that you’re traveling to! There’s no better way to make connections than to meet face-to-face. For more information about how to use LinkedIn when you travel go to http://linkedintobusiness.com/10-ways-to-use-linkedin-when-you-travel/.

4. As you begin to meet people make sure you gather their business cards. When you get back to your hotel room in the evening, invite them to connect with you on LinkedIn.  Do it as soon as possible.  While they still remember who you are.   Once you’ve added them as a connection,  make sure you tag their profile. For more information on how to tag a connection go to http://linkedintobusiness.com/tagging-your-way-into-toma-with-linkedin/.

Tagging will allow you to more easily communicate and follow up with your connections.  Tag your connections:

  • By the industry they work in
  • By the company they work for
  • By the name of the conference
  • By their area of expertise
  • Or all of the above….

…you can ===–in one fell swoop  - reminding them who you are  and what you do. Or even better, space use one of Bob Burg’s great referral techniques. Ask them what they do and who is their best client is so you can keep them as a referral partner.

It’s great to learn things at conferences and trade shows, but it’s even better to make connections whom you can do business with later on! That will vastly increased the ROI of the conference.

5.   Use the CardMunch App if you have an iPhone or iPad (BB and Android app coming soon)  LinkedIn recently bought CardMunch and it is one of my favorite new tools. It allows you to take a snapshot of the business card and upload that information directly into your database. You can then invite those people to connect with you on LinkedIn or just add them to whatever CRM system you are using.

The power of conferences is in the follow-up –  so use these tools to follow up with the people that you meet!

 

Tonight’s #LinkedInChat is going to be all about how to use LinkedIn at conferences and trade shows here are the questions will be asking:

  1. Do you attend conferences or tradeshows?
  2. How do you prepare for conferences and trade shows?
  3. What kind of research do you put into finding out who will attend or be speaking at the conference or tradeshow you’re attending?
  4. Do you use LinkedIn when preparing for a conference?
  5. How do you use LinkedIn when you are preparing for a conference?
  6. How are you at following up after the conference?
  7. Do you follow up after a conference or trade show?
  8. How do you follow up after a trade show or conference?
  9. Do you use CardMunch.com?

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LinkedIn. It’s Not Just for Recruiters Anymore

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LinkedIn Tips, New on LinkedIn

January 22, 2012

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January 22, 2012


Some of LinkedIn’s “Newer” Offers

When you say “Social Media” people think of Facebook, Twitter and Google+.  LinkedIn does not always spring to the top of mind.  I suspect this is because LinkedIn, despite its numerous changes, is still considered to be a Rolodex on steroids for jobseekers and recruiters, rather than an active, vibrant social network and marketing tool.

If you haven’t visited LinkedIn lately, you might want to drop back in.

Editing your contact information

1.  LinkedIn has improved its “Contacts” section.  Unlike Facebook (that has a unintuitive “friends” section and complicated “List” and messaging system,) and Twitter (that is even less intuitive “List” app,) LinkedIn has a very intuitive system that allows you not only to “Tag” (sort) your contacts, but add notes, and then use that information to message your contacts either individually or in groups.  You can also add additional contact information beyond what LinkedIn provides you, allowing you to use LinkedIn more as a CRM and business tool.

Tagging

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.  LinkedIn added “Signal” allowing you to monitor LinkedIn’s Updates for any keywords or search terms you desire:

  • Your Name
  • Your Company Name
  • Your Twitter Handles
  • Your Competitors
  • Industry Search words
  • Your Products
  • Your Services
  • Potential Clients

Not only that, but you can save the searches which makes monitoring easy.  I have found that Signal will pick up LinkedIn (and Twitter) updates that Google Alerts will miss.  Information you can use to create new relationships, stem the flow of negative responses, refine your offers, keep up on what is happening in your industry, etc.

3.  LinkedIn Today is like an intuitive, focused version of MSN.com for business professionals.  LinkedIn News keeps you informed news websites, blogs, tweets and newsletters, and learns by your interaction with it (based on what your connections and industry peers are reading and sharing) what you are really interested in reading.  That saves you time while delivering you the news you need (and can then share with your LinkedIn and Twitter tribes).

LinkedIn Today

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. “Skills” allows you to add your own unique skills to your LinkedIn profile.   I use Skills to find keywords for my clients to optimize their profile (Related Skills) and to find Industry Influencers and thought leaders I can add to my network.  Skills also shares relevant companies you might want to follow and groups you might want to join.

LinkedIn Skills

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I haven’t even mentioned the “Old” tools LinkedIn still offers:

  • Groups
  • Polls
  • Events
  • Applications
  • Jobs
  • Inbox
  • Answers

Any one of which has incredible business potential.

Whether you are a B2B or B2C, LinkedIn has the networking, marketing and promotion tools you need.  Use it to stay informed.  Use it to connect and build relationships with strategic business partners (employees, clients, vendors, etc.) Use it to position yourself as an expert.  Use it to promote your products and services.  LinkedIn can do almost everything that Twitter and Facebook can do, but allows you to focus on your business audience.  So take a look at LinkedIn again.  It’s not the stolid conservative old boys network people think it is.  It focused, dynamic, informative and quite frankly, might be invaluable to your business.

For more training on LinkedIn, Twitter, Video, Blogging and Facebook, join the Social Media Business School!

 

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How to Personalize your Public Profile URL

Categories:

LinkedIn Tips, Profile Development

January 20, 2012

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January 20, 2012


Personalize your Public Profile URL

LinkedIn Expert on Google

 

Its amazing to me that there are people out there who still haven’t personalized their LinkedIn Public Profile URL!  Not only is a personalized URL easier to remember, but it looks much better in an email signature and on a business card (Or if you are a job seeker – on a resume!)

Nothing says, “I’m a LinkedIn neophyte” like a public profile that reads:  http://linkedin.com/pub/firstname-lastname9890734-akjshfiho.  So – make sure your public profile reflects your name, your business, or your area of expertise:  www.linkedin.com/in/yourname.

Example:  www.linkedin.com/in/linkedinexpert

These URLs are unique, so it’s possible that your name might be taken.  Here are some other options you might consider

  • Use a middle initial
  • Use the suffix: “onLinkedIn”
  • Use your business name (If someone NOT in your company is using your business name illegitimately, contact cs@LinkedIn.com)
  • IndustryExpert
  • ProductExpert
  • ServiceExpert
To edit your public profile click on edit next to the URL or go to settings/profile/edit your public profile

 When putting your new URL into your email signature, resume or business card – don’t forget the middle “in”:  linkedin.com/in/ or the URL won’t work.

So what is a Public Profile anyway?

Your public profile is what anyone with access to the internet can see.  Anyone.  Did I mention anyone?  That means if you make your whole LinkedIn profile visible, then anyone of 1.7 billion people can use that information however they want to!

You Public Profile - What People See

LinkedIn itself has just over 135 million users.  A smaller pool of people who can abuse your profile.  And only a fraction of those folks can even see it.  So I am a fan of adding as much relevant information as you can to your LinkedIn “private” profile. (The profile you create within LinkedIn).  One has to jump through a few hoops to even create a LinkedIn account and of course anyone who abuses their LinkedIn account can get it shut down pretty quickly (see previous article on what happened to me!)  Optimize your personal profile, but limit your public profile.

Some of the things I don’t add to my public profile:

What you can control on your public profile

  • Current Positions and details
  • Past Positions and details
  • Education and details
  • Specialties
  • Interests
  • Groups
  • Personal information in my Summary (which I do make visible)
If people want to see this info all they have to do is sign into LinkedIn and if they don’t have a profile, create one.  Needless to say a roaming spam spider is not going to do that.  And I have no problem un-connecting from and reporting people to LinkedIn who abuse our connection!

 

You can always choose to hide your profile from everyone, but then you lose the great Google juice it can bring that might get you found and get you business.

Hiding your public profile completely

It will take you about three minutes – go do it now!

 

 

 

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Can I Have More Than One Account on LinkedIn?

Categories:

LinkedIn Company Profiles, LinkedIn for JobSeekers, LinkedIn Skills, LinkedIn Tips

January 17, 2012

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January 17, 2012


7 Ways to Deal with Multiple Businesses on LinkedIn.

Do you wear many hats on LinkedIn?

Whether it be from business professionals, entrepreneurs or job seekers, one of the most Frequently Asked Questions I receive is:

Can (should) I create more than one account on LinkedIn?

The short answer is NO.  Mainly because it goes against the End User Agreement (EUA) and if anyone turns your profile in, LinkedIn will suspend both accounts and if they are feeling generous that day, allow you to pick one.

Which means all the time and effort you put into creating your second account – all the people you invited, all the recommendations you received, all the work you did on writing your profile, will evaporate like so much smoke.  I should know – I created a second account strictly for training purposes (LinkedIn should have known this because the headline said:  “This account is for training purposes only”) and it was closed down.  At the time that account had over 500 connections and 10 recommendations.  A lot of effort down the drain.

So it is not a stupid question.  Many people wear more than one hat:

  • You might be a C level exec at a company but also have a start up.
  • You might be working for a company and want to look for a job on LinkedIn without your boss knowing.
  • You might be an entrepreneur with three viable businesses and one start up.
  • You might be a Mompreneur with a successful job and a hobby that pays  – in a different industry
  • You might be a student with vastly different interests.
  • You might be a musician and a teacher.
  • You might be an artist and an attorney.
  • You might want a profile to reflect you as a person and a profile to reflect your company (A big “no no” in the EUA – they have company profiles for that)

 So what’s a LinkedIn Member to do?

You are not going to like this – but you have to choose.  You don’t have to completely exclude your other interests, but you do have to choose what you want to focus your LinkedIn Profile on.

But don’t despair – you will have plenty of opportunity in the following sections to tell people about all your interests, passions and businesses:

  • Experience
  • Summary
  • Specialties
  • Contact Me
  • Skills
  • Interests

That being said -  your profile should be focused on the particular  job, business or industry you really want to highlight at this time in your career.  (You can always change it later – LinkedIn is highly editable!)

Let’s take this step by step:

Headline

1.  First you will want to create a headline that focuses on your main interest.  You have 120 characters here, so make it dynamic.  Here’s one I love from Danusia Malina Derben:

Unleashing Leadership Genius Mentor Selfmade Thrillionaire Parallel Entrepreneur Creator of a SuperBrood Talent-Investor

If that is too enthusiastic for you, something like this from Andrea Vahl, social media and Facebook genius might work:

Social Media Consultant, Strategist, and Speaker – Specializing in Facebook Marketing – AndreaVahl.com

 If your two interests have some synergy, you might be able to blend them in this section:

5th grade teacher & musician looking for an opportunity with forward thinking school interested in multiple teaching styles

Experience

Moving your experience to reflect focus and not dates

2.  Use “Experience” to fully define all your current jobs, but then use the formatting option of ordering your current positions, putting the businesses you want to focus on first.  In “edit” mode, scroll down to the body of your profile and hover your mouse over the job, then drag it up or down on your screen.  It will also re-order how your jobs show up in the “Top of the fold” section of LinkedIn

 

Top of the Fold

 Summary Section

3.  Use the  “Summary Section” to explain how your passions make you better at your job.  You have 2000 characters.  Use them wisely.

For instance, if you were a CPA, and recently passed your law exam, you might tell people how your 15 years in accounting will make you a more knowledgeable tax attorney.

If you are a musician and also teach school, convince people that your artistic talents lend creativity, fun and increased learning to your class room.

If you were an Engineer and are now moving into marketing, explain how your ability to visualize not only the end product, but all the details that create the end result fit together, makes you the person to put together a marketing campaign – up close and 30,000 foot view.

If you spent the last 12 years raising your children, let people know how your ability to schedule, juggle, entertain, manage, problem solve etc far outweighs a MBA!

Tell the people reading your profile what’s in it for them – why do ALL your interest and passions make you the better choice?

Specialties

4.  Use the Specialties section to list all your specialties-  not only those related to your focus business.  You have 500 characters.  My

Specialties and Interests - Comma Separated Values

interest in old Porsches got me a social media job with a Porsche restoration company in CA.  If I hadn’t listed it in my specialties and interests they never would have found my profile.

Contact Me

5.  If you want to use the “Summary” section to strictly feature your focus business, then use the “Contact Me” section to add more details about your passion (or other businesses).  If you want, you can drag that section a little higher into your profile body.  This is also a good place to put your contact info as well.  You get 2000 characters.

2000 Characters of Additional Real Estate

Skills

6.  I love Skills – stay tuned for a post devoted strictly to Skills next week – but in the meantime, use this “new” app to list all your skills – up to 25 – in your profile.  You can find the Skills tab under “More”

Interests

7.  Interests are just that.  ALL your interests.  Up to 750 characters.  The nice thing about the Interests and Specialties section is that they are highly ranked in the LinkedIn search algorithm, so whatever you list in these sections has a better change of getting found – and getting your found by the people searching those terms.

So that is how you can “hold” multiple jobs, interests and passions in one LinkedIn profile.  If you have any other questions – just ask!  Its your questions that help to create these posts.

Tonight’s LinkedInChat will focus on these issues:

Questions:

Q1:  Are you a business professional?  Are you an executive?  Are you a job seeker or entrepreneur?

Q2:  Are you representing more than one business on LinkedIn?  Where / How are you doing it?

Q3:  Do you have more than one product or service you want to promote on LinkedIn?

Q4:  Are you considering switching businesses or industries?

Q5:  DO you have more than one account

Q6:  Do you have a company page?

Q7:  How are you using your business page(s)?

 

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Updates, Signal and LinkedIn

Categories:

LinkedIn Monitoring, LinkedIn Signal

January 10, 2012

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January 10, 2012


Don’t ignore the “post an update” function

 

LinkedIn Signal

LinkedIn’s update function is much more robust than it used to be (taking some tips from Facebook and Twitter).  People can now “like” and “comment” on your updates – which helps to build relationships within LinkedIn.  And with the introduction of LinkedIn Signal, the update section can now be a functional part of your SME (Subject Matter Expertise) and content strategy.  Make sure you take a little time each day to “like” and “comment” on the updates of network as well. (Found on the home page.)

Manage your updates:

To manage the updates what you see on your home page, you can go to the setting section. (Scroll over your name to see settings.)  Click on Account and then Customize the updates you see on your home page.  Choose what you want to see – and not see!

LinkedIn Signal:

According to LinkedIn, Signal casts professional lens on LinkedIn and Twitter updates by:

  • Letting you see what industries, companies, and geographic locations are saying about any topic.
  • Showing you a quick survey of links that are trending around any topic.
  • Narrow down your search to see only links shared by your immediate connections.

I like Signal because:

  • It allows you to communicate and build relationships with people who are not first level connections.
  • You can monitor your own brand, your competitor’s brand, your industry, and potential clients.

Using LinkedIn to Monitor Your Brand

 

Search any topic on Signal now.

 Tonight’s LinkedInChat:  Signal

Join @SteveCassady and I tonight on #LinkedInChat  (Tongight and every Tuesday night) where we will be talking about LinkedIn Signal in much more depth.  The #LinkedInChat  open to anyone who has questions about LinkedIn, advice about LinkedIn, complaints about LinkedIn, praise for LinkedIn.  I might be known as @LinkedInExpert - but let me tell you, I’ve learned a thing or two myself!  Lately we’ve had some amazing co-moderators, so its a new flavor every week.  (PS – if you’d like to co-moderate, DM me @LinkedInExpert)

Tonight’s Questions:

Q1. Do you update on LinkedIn?

Q2. How often do you update on LinkedIn?

Q3. What do you update on LinkedIn?

Q4. Do you attach your Twitter stream to LinkedIn?

Q5. Have you used LinkedIn Signal?

Q6. What do you check using LinkedIn Signal?

Q7. How has using Signal been effective for you?

The Transcript for Tonight’s Post Can Be Found Here by clicking: http://beta.hashtracking.com/ht-pro-rpt/cjeffers-linkedinchat-2012-01-10/

 

More information about our #LinkedInChat (and tweetchats in general):

When:  Every Tuesday Night 8 EST, 7 CST,  6MST, 5 PST (Sorry- not sure what time it is in Australia or Hawaii!)

Where:  Twitter

How: Tweetchat.com, tweetdeck.com (or any tweetchat app of choice)

Why:  To learn and share knowledge on LinkedIn

Join our LinkedInChat group on LinkedIn:  http://linkd.in/LinkedInChatGroup

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Clarity and Branding: Know Your Keywords

Categories:

LinkedIn Skills, LinkedIn Tips

November 15, 2011

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November 15, 2011


Branding and Keywords

What keywords are you found under?

Who are you? What do you have to offer?  Why should I buy from you?  What makes you different?  How would I describe your services? Your brand? Your product?

The clearer you are on your brand, the better you represent yourself, the more business you will attract! YOU are your Brand.  Inbound Marketing has changed the way we do business.  Whether you are a B2C, B2B, Employee or Executive, your clients want to work with individuals, not some corporate entity.  There needs to be a balance between the company, and the individual representing the company.  Even employees are becoming representatives of company brands.  For that matter, your clients and customers are becoming the unpaid sales evangelists for your brand.  So your brand MUST be clear to you and to them.  The less clarity, the greater the chance that you will be mis-represented.

Be clear on your Brand.  Why You? Be clear on the benefit the client receives in hiring you. What specific area of Expertise, Industry, or Niche makes you distinct from your competitor?  What specific benefits will your client receive by working with you?  Why you individually?  Why you as a company?

For other great tips on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Blogging  – consider joining the SocialMediaBizSchool. For only $37 a month and get access to some of the most successful social media “teachers” in their fields.  

What are your Keywords?

Create specific list of keywords by which you want to be found.  They should describe:

  • You
  • Your company
  • Your product
  • Your service
  • Your industry
  • Your client’s industry

These keywords do not need to be sophisticated, but they do need to be clear.  If someone were doing a keyword search for you on Google, what would they be typing in?  Keep these keywords by your computer at all times, and use them often in your social media efforts.

Where should you use them?

  • Your LinkedIn Profiessional Headline (120 characters)
  • Your Facebook Bio (200 Characters)
  • Your Twitter Bio (160 Characters)
  • Your LinkedIn Titles Fields (100 Characters)
  • Your LinkedIn Summary:     Professional Experience and Goals (2000 Characters), Specialties (500 Characters)
  • You Interests (750 Characters)
  • Your updates (Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter)

Where can you find keywords?

  • Wordle.com (Thanks for the tip @GreigWells)
  • LinkedIn Skills (Related Skills)
  • Right clicking your competition’s website

The great thing about social media is that SEO in social media is like SEO on the web ten years ago.  You just need to use your keywords more often to be found – and even get Google rankings…

Give it a try..

Test and see where you fall in a keyword search on your favorite website

And feel free to comment on any keyword tricks or strategies you have discovered.

We’ll go more in depth into keyword strategies next week on LinkedIntoBusiness.com

Social Media Business School’s Upcoming Schedule:

  • “How to Use your Fan Page to Bring in Leads”
Monday October 31st 11 a.m. PT (noon MT, 1 p.m. CT, 2 p.m. ET) – Andrea Vahl
  • “Creating Your Editorial Calendar: How to be More Efficient and Save Time on Your Blog”
Monday November 7th 11 a.m. PT (noon MT, 1 p.m. CT, 2 p.m. ET) – Denise Wakeman
  • “Let’s Get Engaged! The Dream Wedding of Online Video and Social Media.”
Monday November 14th 11 a.m. PT (noon MT, 1 p.m. CT, 2 p.m. ET) – Lou Bortone
  • “Twitter Etiquette: The Do’s and Don’t’s of Tweeting”
Monday November 21st 11 a.m. PT (noon MT, 1 p.m. CT, 2 p.m. ET) – Lori Gama
  • “How to Connect your Social Media Sites to Save you Time”
Monday November 28th 11 a.m. PT (noon MT, 1 p.m. CT, 2 p.m. ET) – Andrea Vahl
  • “Getting Found and Getting Business on LinkedIn”
Monday December 5th 11 a.m. PT (noon MT, 1 p.m. CT, 2 p.m. ET) – Viveka von Rosen

Remember, if you can’t attend the classes, they will be recorded and posted shortly after the class to watch at your convenience.

To sign up for the Social Media Business School just click here. Or go to:  http://www.SocialMediaBizSchool.com/?ap_id=linkedinexpert

 

 

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LinkedIn for Jobseekers: Part Two

Categories:

#LinkedInChat, LinkedIn for JobSeekers

September 20, 2011

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September 20, 2011


LinkedIn for Jobseekers:  Part Two

Looking for a job? Use LinkedIn!

 

My good friend and compatriot Caitlin Fisher of Hellerman Baretz recently asked me to write a blog article for them on Social Media for the Job Seeker.  Since that is in perfect alignment with this 3 week LinkedIn for Job-seekers #LinkedInChat series we are doing, I though I would share my answers here as well.

And scroll to the bottom for the questions we will ask on tonight’s #LinkedInChat moderated by @SteveCassady. (I’d be there but I’m on my way to Mexico – woohoo)

 

Why should PR (and other) job hunters participate in Twitter and LinkedIn?

Twitter:  Let’s address Twitter first – It has been, far and away, the best PR tool I have ever used.  I would say 90% of my interviews, requests for articles, etc. have come through Twitter.  It is a veritable hotbed of SME’s and Thought Leaders for PR professionals.  That being said, a PR Job Hunter has an almost unlimited ability to:

  • Monitor and learn from PR Professionals (Use Twilert, Tweetdeck, etc.)
  • Create mentor / mentee relationships with PR Mavens
  • Monitor PR jobs listings:

Some PR Job Listing Twitter accounts are:

 

LinkedIn is a phenomenal place for PR Job Seekers to:

Once you find a professional you want to connect with, you can ask them to join your network.  In your invitation you might say something like “I am beginning my career in (Industry) and in my LinkedIn search found your profile.  You look like quite an influencer in the industry and I would like to connect if you are open to it.”

If you are nervous reaching out with a connection request, ask to be  “introduced” to the professional, or simply join a group that they are a member of and send them a message through the group.

 How should young people be using these platforms for job hunting?

All social media is about making connections and building relationships.  And so is job searching!  We all know that it’s who you know that usually get you the job.  Use social media to:

  • Connect to Influencers
  • Find Mentors
  • Connect in company employees who might give you the “real” scoop on who to connect to and how a company really hires.
  • Research a company or company employees for insider information that at might help you get a job.  (You find the person interviewing you on LinkedIn, see she has just read “Saving the World at Work” and you read it immediately.  You can casually slip a reference into the interview.  Or you see in their interest they play water polo, and so do you… common ground.)
  • Search for job listings
  • Connect directly with the individuals posting the jobs
  • Follow Company Executives (all of the Executives of the Fortune 500 have a presence on LinkedIn)

If someone is just getting active on one of the platforms, what should he or she be doing to supplement their traditional job search?

 Twitter:  Start by lurking.  Twitter is best for this since you can get essentially unlimited access to an Influencer’s tweetstream – or as I like to say – “Tweet Stream of Consciousness”.  If you see a tweet you like, just retweet it! This is literally the first step in getting noticed by the people who can help you get a job.

Once you have “lurked” or monitored their stream for awhile, when you feel comfortable, reach out to them with a question or comment.  That is literally the first step in building relationships with these people.

 The more you interact with them, the more they will get to know, like and trust you.  They might even bring up your name when a job position comes up in their company (or they might hire you directly).  In other words, they might become your evangelist!

And of course, use  www.twitter.com/search to look for jobs being posted and follow those job posters (see above)

LinkedIn:  Make sure your profile is 100% complete (In case you need some help, here are some tips: http://linkedintobusiness.com/linkedin-tips-tricks/)

Use advanced search to find the influencers in an Industry or Company you want to work for.  Reach out to them with a connection request or introduction (as above.)  The worst they can do is ignore your request.

NEVER send a request to someone saying “Will you hire me?”  Let them know you admire them, build up to asking them for an informational interview abut the company or the industry.

Facebook:  Facebook Pages are a great source of “Insider” information about a company because they tend to be less conservative than a website.  And of course they are interactive.  You can always post a question on a page’s wall about a job they might have posted, or ask what the company culture is like.  Be helpful.  Share useful information.

Share your expertise:  Once you are comfortable on a platform , start sharing your own knowledge and expertise – set yourself up as a thought leader.  Join discussions on LinkedIn groups, participate in comments on Facebook and join a few Tweetchats in your industry.  Get out there!

Do you have any success stories you can share about job hunters you’ve worked with who have found success using social media?

Several!

  • I’d say at least 90% of my work comes directly or indirectly through LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and referrals.
  • I have a client who followed my advice about growing his network on LinkedIn and as a direct result was offered a job by a new member of his network in a matter of weeks.  http://linkedintobusiness.com/2011/02/sometimes-it-pays-to-listen-to-the-teacher/
  • By keywording your LinkedIn profile you are more easily found by Recruiters.  One of my job seeking clients was contacted by an HR professional days after “optimizing” her profile.  The professional commented on how good her LinkedIn profile looked and that she showed up first in the person’s search.  http://linkedintobusiness.com/2010/10/b2b-best-practices-on-linkedin-part-two-optimizing-your-account/
  • Several of my entrepreneurial clients have been contacted for work through LinkedIn after optimizing their profiles, growing their networks and sharing their knowledge in answers and groups.
  • My Job Seeking clients are thrilled to discover how easy it is to find Influencers and Jobs on Twitter.  One of my clients (just this week) got in contact with one of her favorite authors.  She emailed me to tell me they have a call set up for next week.
  • I have hired almost all my staff, contractors and vendors through LinkedIn or Twitter.

Once someone has found a job, how do you maintain the connections you’ve created?

  • Stay active.  You don’t have to devote more than a few hours a week.
  • Reply to your @Mentions and DMs on Twitter.  Post a few updates. (10 minutes a day)
  • Like and comment on your Facebook wall every day (10 minutes)
  • Interact in your LinkedIn groups, past an update, answer a question a few times a week (1/2 hour)
  • And most importantly, any time you can, take your URL relationship IRL (In Real Life) through a phone call of F2F meeting.
  • Keep your profiles up to date when you change jobs or get a job (10 minutes – one time)

Questions for tonight’s #LinkedInChat

(Continued….)

Q5:  How important is it for a job seeker to answer or ask questions?  And why?

Q6:  Whom should a job seeker connect with on LinkedIn?

Q7:  Should a job seeker have a paid account?

Q8:  What is your final word of advice for job seekers?

 

Bonus questions from above if we have the time:

Q9: Why should job hunters participate in Twitter and LinkedIn?

Q10: How should young people be using these platforms for job hunting?

Q11: If new to LinkedIn, what should he or she be doing to supplement their traditional job search?

Q12: Once someone has found a job, how do you maintain the connections you’ve created?

 

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10 Ways to Use LinkedIn When You Travel

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LinkedIn Tips

July 25, 2011

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July 25, 2011


URL to IRL

 

I love social networking – but the truth is, most of my business comes when I meet someone face to face  (F2F) or they see me speak.   As I prep for a 4 city speaking tour, I thought I’d record for you some of the things I do in order to really connect with my network.

How to turn your URL LinkedIn experience into a IRL (in real life) F2F meeting:

Using Postal Code Field in your Advanced Search

Advanced Search – Postal Code Field

  1. Use the location search to find people you know (but might have forgotten you knew) in the cities you are traveling to – and take them out to dinner.
  2. Use the location search to find SME’s you want to know in the cities you are traveling to – see if you can buy them a drink.
  3. Use the location search to find vendors who can help you in the city you are traveling to for better service, and sometimes better pricing.
  4. Use the location search to find potential clients you know in the cities you are traveling to – and see if you can get that f2f meeting since “you made a special trip to their city.”

Groups, Answers and Company Search

  1. Check out location specific groups on LinkedIn and see if you can connect with some locals that way.
  2. If you have any questions regarding lodging, travel or vendors for an event in the city you are traveling to – use LinkedIn Answers to ask the locals.
  3. Use LinkedIn company search to see if you can get some insider information or contacts at a local company – especially if they might become a client or employer.

LinkedIn Apps you can use for Travel

Trip It - The Forgotten App

  1. Use the “My Travel” app (TripIt) – to let people in your network know where you are going to be so they can contact YOU for a meeting.
  2. If they won’t or don’t respond to you on LinkedIn, send them an @message on Twitter using the Tweets application.
  3. Use LinkedIn signal to start a conversation with a local.

Did I leave something out?  Please let me know below.

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Where in the World – Are You?

Categories:

LinkedIn Tips

July 19, 2011

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July 19, 2011


LinkedIn Location

 

Have you checked out your “Experience” section on LinkedIn lately?

They have a new field for “Location” and its completely user-generated.  So while I recommend you put the locations you work: “Fort Collins, Front Range, Greater Denver Area” you can also put “In computers everywhere!”

I think for those of you who have Brick and Mortar businesses or work with a strong local audience, this section might help with your find-ability.  Since LinkedIn only allows you to pop in one zip code in the Headline section, this will allow those of you who have a greater travel circumference to reach more people.

It will also be useful for people who work for companies that might be based in Boston, but you work locally.  You can certainly let people know that as well.

So time to get back to you profile and update your locations!  Its as easy as 1…2…3…

1.  Edit profile

2.  Scroll down to experience and click on edit

3. Add locations

There’s your tip of the day!

Let me know what happens for you.

 

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LinkedInChat and the Social Media Facebook Chat: YOU be the LinkedInExpert

Categories:

LinkedIn Expert, Social Media, Social Media Examiner, Social Media Speaker, Social Media Strategies, Social Media Strategists

July 4, 2011

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July 4, 2011


Social Media Examiner Chat:

On Friday July 1st, Andrea Vahl of the Social Media Examiner asked me to do a stint as their “LinkedIn Expert” on their now famous Facebook Chat.  (If you have not yet attended one of these – I highly recommend them!  They take place every Friday at 1 PM EST.)

Since not all my Twitter and LinkedIn friends are on Facebook, I thought I would bring the questions and answers to you!  And then – because I realized there are so many other LinkedIn Experts out there – I decided to bring the questions to the  #LinkedInChat so that YOU all could answer.

So on Tuesday July 5th , Tuesday July 12th and Tuesday July 19th – I will be posting the same questions for YOU to answer that  I answered on www.facebook.com/SMExaminer on Friday.  And for those reading this blog who don’t do Tweetchats and just want a transcript – I have the questions and answers posted below.

Tweetchat:

We hold out tweetchat every Tuesday night at 5 PM PST / 8 PM EST.  I usually hang out at www.tweetchat.com/linkedinchat – but you can use whichever tweetchat tool you most enjoy!

Here are the questions for Tuesday nights (So you can do the homework and be well prepared!)

Questions for Tuesday July 5th:

Q1:  How do I to build connections with people I don’t know on LI without coming off as some kind of creep?

Q2. Do 
you know of any surveys that include information on LinkedIn use by 
nonprofits

Q2.b. Can you point me to any nonprofits who are using LinkedIn
 creatively?

Q3.  How do you recommend marketing your brand or service without seeming like spam?

Q4: How to utilize/build engagement with a LI profile?

Q4.b  Is there any way I can build interaction with my target market?

Q5:  How can LinkedIn be used for Non-Profits that need to recruit donors/sponsors and gain funding?

Questions for Tuesday July 12th:

Q6: How can you link your tweets to post directly in your group or company page, so all your members can see them?

Q7.  What are some ways businesses can use linked ads to target for B2B?

Q8.  I cannot seem to get my head wrapped around how to use LI to promote our business to a geographically targeted market.

Q8b:  Is it worth it to upgrade from free to fee?

Questions for Tuesday July 19th:

Q8c: What are the real benefits?

Q9.  How do you get through the noise to make LinkedIn more valuable

Q10.  My company is very ROI oriented.  What do you recommend in terms of metrics and analytics?

Q11.  What are some of the best new applications integrating social media with other tools?

Q12. Would you share of few links or reference lists for “making the most of LinkedIn”?

Q13.  How often do recommending posting/ updating content on your linked in page?

Q14.  What are the most important not to be missed sections that MUST be used in your personal LI page and also for a company page.

 

Social Media Examiner Questions and Answers:

Q1:  I am into Social Media Marketing and want to know how to build connections with likeminded people as well as SM experts on LinkedIn. But I am obviously unknown to them. So how can I build connections on LinkedIn without coming off as some kind of creep??

Great question – I know LinkedIn says you should only connect to people you know, but I have found most folks will either accept or ignore (but not report you as a spammer) if you personalize your invitation and tell them why you want to connect.  You can always wrote something like this:

Dear (Name)

I see from your profile that you… Can I connect to you as a thought leader in that field?  If you feel you have received this invitation in error or simply don’t want to connect, please just ignore this message.

The best way to connect to them is through a group – or sometimes people have their email addresses in their profiles.  Never choose “I don’t know” a person. (LinkedIn will ding you for it).  If you do reach out to someone as a colleague, classmate, etc – just make sure you acknowledge that you know you are not..

Q2.  It appears that most nonprofits engaged in social media efforts take
 advantage of Facebook and Twitter way more than they do LinkedIn. Do 
you know of any surveys that include information on LinkedIn use by 
nonprofits (how that compares to FB and TW and/or how they are using it in its own right)? Can you point me to any nonprofits who are using LinkedIn
 creatively?

Excellent question – and I’m afraid I don’t really have a great answer for you since that is not my focus market.

Q3.  How do you recommend marketing your brand or service without seeming like spam?

  • Keyword your personal and business profile so people can find you – then its inbound and not annoying
  • Make sure you update with useful info – and keyword brand your posts – same as above
  • Join groups where your ideal clients hang out – again just sharing useful info so they respond to you.
  • Post and Answer questions in your industry – but don’t create a salesy and obvious question just so you can answer it yourself
  • Re-purpose marketing content using some apps (Box.net, Slideshare, Google Docs)
  • Carefully reach out to ideal clients – but just to get the phone call – NOT to pitch your product
  • Create a company template so everything is saying the same thing about your company in their profiles – that should get you started J
  • More here: http://linkedintobusiness.com/2010/10/b2b-best-practices-for-getting-found-on-linkedin/

Q4: How to utilize build engagement with Linkedin profile? Is there any way I can build interaction with my target market?

  1. Use the advanced search to find ideal client
  2. See if you share a group – if not you might join one that they’re a member of
  3. Initiate communication with them through the group (something in common)
  4. Ask them for a phone call once you’ve had a little interaction
  5. Ask them to connect

Q5:  How can LinkedIn be used for Non-profits that need to recruit donors/sponsors and gain funding?

Again – this is not my area of expertise – But I think engaging within shared groups might be your best bet.  Once you are connected to some ideal donors you can “tag” those connections and send them valuable and useful information they will find useful – NOT a sales call.  More here: http://linkedintobusiness.com/2011/01/tagging-your-way-into-toma-with-linkedin/

Q6:  How can you link your tweets to post directly in your group or company page, so all your members can see them? Right now they only post to your profile.

I really DON’T recommend that at all!  It’s annoying enough in a personal profile.  If you own the group you can post feeds – so you could create a feed with your tweetstream and import it that way.  But again I REALLY DON’T RECOMMEND IT.  Twitter and LinkedIn are a completely different culture.

You might try some tools like ObjectiveMarketer – it might work.  Not sure.

Q7.  What are some ways businesses can use linked ads to target for B2B?

  • Before you invest in LinkedInAds (and “Google” for free trial – there are a bunch of $100 certificates floating around) First use the new targeted (and free) banner ads in Company profiles – lets you create and target specific audiences with your company profile
  • Also – connect with @MilesAustin on Twitter – he knows a lot about this
  • Finally – use the LinkedIn option to create and test different ads. really, what works for Facebook Ads or PPT will work with LinkedIn – just be very very clear on your target audience.
  • Word of warning:   The only people I’ve heard that find LinkedIn Ads really work ore the folks who invest A LOT in them.

Q8:  I’m new to LinkedIn and just can not seem to get my head wrapped around how to use this to promote our business to a geographically targeted market.

Q8. A: Is it worth it to upgrade from free to fee? What are the real benefits?

Great question – I didn’t use to think so – but my mind has changed a bit since LinkedIn is further limiting our ability to connect.  At the very least the paid accounts will save you time – best case – gets you in touch with a client / partner / employee that results in more business!  More here:  http://linkedintobusiness.com/2011/04/to-pay-or-not-to-pay-that-is-the-question…/

Q9: How do you get through the noise to make LinkedIn more valuable? It seems the groups etc. are just getting muddled.

Yes – I agree with you.

  • I have really restricted what comes into my email box on settings – and I really only “listen” to a few groups anymore.
  • I also use the advanced search whenever possible to weed out some noise – with signal, answers, etc
  • You can disconnect from the worst offenders

I REALLY wish LinkedIn would restrict the ability to post ALL tweets.  Sigh

Q10.  My company is very ROI oriented.  What do you recommend in terms of metrics and analytics?

  • Great questions – there’s not much ROI on LinkedIn itself – although LinekdIn does have impression analytics in company pages and with the basic paid account there are some account impression analytics on the home page. 

  • Also Kout and even EmpireAvenue give some analytics – but really you might have to go with a paid service like Objective Marketer (Use code OMLIBPROMO for one month free trial)

Q11.  What are some of the best new applications integrating social media with other tools?

  • The LinkedIn Share button is nifty. They also have an “Apply with LinkedIn” button for job seekers.
  • A fab tool I recommend is Objectivemarketer.com
  • For more on LinkedIn tools you can visitwww.linkedinlabs.com

Q12. Would you share of few links or reference lists for “making the most of LinkedIn”?

Q13.  How often do recommending posting/ updating content on your linked in page?

  • I recommend once a day TOPS – hate it when people just blast their tweetstream into LinkedIn.
  • I play a lot within LinkedIn.com/signal – see what people are doing there and emulate what you think is successful

Q14.  What are the most important not to be missed sections that MUST be used in your personal LI page and also for a company page.

Here’s a post on Best Practices on LinkedIn (including Profile) http://linkedintobusiness.com/linkedin-tips-tricks/

‎1. Treat your LinkedIn profile like a website:

Make sure it is formatted, clean, and free of spelling and grammatical errors. I strongly suggest creating your LinkedIn profile first in a word document – not only so you can “catch” errors, but also so you can get a better idea of what your profile will look like on the LinkedIn website. In some sections of LinkedIn you can also pull in bullets and special characters. Alas – still no bolding or italics other than what LinkedIn itself formats. Another bonus, if you’ve already created your profile in a Word document, sections of it can easily be copied into other social media platforms to keep your branding unified.

2. Know your keywords:

Like any website, LinkedIn’s internal search engines weigh your keywords heavily in its searches. Make sure you place your most important search or keywords strategically throughout your profile. Some places you might want to consider are your

  • Professional Headline
  • Title Fields
  • Specialties
  • Interests
  • Recommendations
  • Education (Activities and Societies)

3. Keep your name clean:

Put only your first name in the first name field and your last name in the last name field. If someone is searching for you by name, LinkedIn will have a hard time finding you if your last name looks like this: Smith, PhD. John A. (johnsmith@gmail.com) LION 941-555-1555

4. Keep your photo professional:

I recommend a close up and a smile. A full body shot of you and your family, you and your car, you and that fish you caught last week is unclear and unprofessional. I have seen some artists use artistic renderings of themselves – which is clever if your image is still clear. LinkedIn doesn’t like logos.

5. Don’t ignore the “post an update” function:

LinkedIn’s update function is much more robust than it used to be (taking some tips from Facebook and Twitter). People can now “like” and “comment” on your updates – which helps to build relationships within LinkedIn. And with the introduction of LinkedIn Signal, the update section can now be a functional part of your SME (Subject Matter Expertise) and content strategy. Make sure you take a little time each day to “like” and “comment” on the updates of network as well. (*Found on the home page.)

6. Personalize your public profile URL:

Make sure your public profile reflects your name, your business, or your area of expertise: http://linkedin.com/in/linkedinexpert
Nothing says, “I’m a LinkedIn neophyte” like a public profile that reads: http://linkedin.com/pub/firstname-lastname9890734-akjshfiho
7. Personalize your websites:

When you edit your website, the drop down menu gives you the option of “other”. When you click on that, a new field opens up that allows you to type in your business name, website name, call to action, or description of your website. So instead of “Company Website” or “Personal Website” this section can read “Social Media for Women” or “Click here: IP Legal Advice”

8. Juice up your “Experience” section:

“Experience” is not your resume. Make sure the jobs you choose to list support each other. Make sure you put all your keywords in the title section.

9. Utilize the “Experience” description area:

Use the 1000 characters in the description section to tell people why they should hire you or your company or buy your product. Tell a “save the day” story. Put in a testimonial. “Experience” is a great place to list “wins”, different companies you have helped, seminars or workshops you have presented, a mini-shot of your personal website. Use this section as the foundation for your Company Profile

10. List your “additional education”:

Make sure you list your certifications and licenses as well as traditional education. LinkedIn has now added new sections where you can list areas of expertise, publications, patents licenses and certifications.

11. Get Recommendations:

LinkedIn tells you your profile is complete at 3. I recommend at least ten recommendations. And when you are asking for recommendations, give a bulleted list of what you might want them to say so that your recommendation is more than: “She’s nice”. If you are comfortable doing so, you might write a recommendation that the recommender can use or base their recommendation from. You might want to add some of the better recommendations to your website. Ask for recommendations form thought leaders in your field, old employees, and well-known clients.

 

 

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Permanent link to this article: http://linkedintobusiness.com/linkedinchat-and-the-social-media-facebook-chat-you-be-the-linkedinexpert/

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