Linkedin is an enormous opportunity for professionals to network and market themselves. Since LinkedIn is merely a tool (like all social media channels), it takes an effort to use it efficiently. We will explore the potential lying dormant in your LinkedIn profile and other aspects of the platform. If you’re a business professional without a profile, hopefully, this article can make you reconsider.

Networking

As mentioned earlier, Linkedin makes it easy to meet other professionals. Over 500 million professionals on the platform are waiting to connect. We did some research and found some effective ways to network better:

What we found:

• Wait until your profile looks good before connecting. Consider your profile as the resume you would give to an employer.
• Create a diverse network while also engaging with people in your industry and area of expertise.
• LinkedIn suggests potential connections through its “people you may know” feature. Browse through these recommendations and connect as you see fit.
• Use a personalized invitation message instead of the default provided by LinkedIn. It shows effort while adding personality and uniqueness.
• Utilize LinkedIn’s “Group” feature, which is full of like-minded people all in one place. Share articles and discuss with other professionals the latest trends in your industry.
• TALK! It’s important to keep the connections you make. Reach out to professionals you want to get to know better and schedule coffee meetings with them.

Marketing

Finding a job in your industry is becoming increasingly difficult. The job market is wildly competitive and it’s getting harder to differentiate yourself from the pack. Lucky for us, Linkedin offers an incredible opportunity to market your professional brand through not only your profile, but also through publishing blog posts, uploading your portfolio, and more.

In addition to marketing your professional brand, you can also create a Company Page for your business (if you are an entrepreneur). There are currently 7.2M Company Pages on LinkedIn. If you are interested in creating a company page use this guide for more detail or give us a ring!

What we found on LinkedIn

Have Quotes

• Whether you’re sharing expertise or showing off good reviews, quotes from other esteemed professionals help add authority. Quotes can expose your brand to different audiences.

Stats on Stats on Stats

• According to Linkedin’s internal marketing team, they discovered status updates with statistics performed better. Statuses with statistics received 167% more impressions and a 37% higher click-through-rate (CTR) (see what we did there?)

Visual Is The New Headline

• When Linkedin’s internal marketing team added visual interest to content, they got more attention. Add a stat or two in the status to get a little crazy. The marketing team also found that rich media outperformed non-rich media as much as 4x in their CTR. For example, a rich media post will have images or sounds that engage and impress the viewer.

  

  

Short and Sweet

• “Shorter updates — meaning 150 characters or fewer — tend to perform best”. LinkedIn found that shorter, more concise updates garner more engagement than longer updates.

Keywords… Yet Again

• The LinkedIn marketing team discovered that the word “Guide”–instead of “eBook”–saw a 100% increase in click-through rate. It’s important to use verbiage that correlates with the content you are providing so that people know what to click. Keywords can also further target a market; i.e. “father” vs “single father”. Be cautious, though: LinkedIn ranks the most overused buzzwords on LinkedIn profiles. Avoiding these keywords in your profile will help your profile stand out.

Together is Better

Building a personal brand and networking are two crucial components for LinkedIn. We advise you to use these together. Your marketing and networking is an ongoing process in your career, so remember to update your Linkedin profile regularly and interact with users in your network.

Ready for the next step?

Working with an online marketing agency can be a highly rewarding experience for a small business owner who is ready for growth and wants to focus internal resources on other aspects of their business. Schedule a 15-minute consultation with us today to learn more about how we can help you with your online marketing.