LinkedIn reached its 100 million member threshold in March 2011, and employers are increasingly using social media sites in their recruitment. (89% of employers will do so in 2011, according to this infographic.) For business owners, networking is of course crucial. LinkedIn’s been offering online, professional networking since 2002, and has lately been introducing some handy new features.
LinkedIn is often seen as the stuffy uncle of social media – it’s now had a drink or two and is taking to the dancefloor as such uncles do at a wedding. Status updates (which you can update from Twitter or via social media dashboards such as HootSuite), embedded Twitter feeds and blog feeds are somewhat changing the feel of it, and some very useful tools have been added in 2011 (see Updates).
LinkedIn is still quite different from other social networking sites such as Facebook because it is specifically aimed at professional use – its features and terms of service are geared towards helping people network professionally. As such, many networkers are more comfortable using it over Facebook to minimise issues of privacy and unwanted connection requests. Some maintain a formal tone to their profile here, where they might be more casual on Twitter or Facebook. Remember the ‘social’ in ‘social media’ however; it’s good to show a bit of personality on your profile and in your interactions, alongside showcasing your professional expertise.
Get Started
LinkedIn currently offers a free basic account and various premium accounts. I get all I need from the free account – an online cv, with detailed info about past clients etc, recommendations from clients and membership of various interest groups. If you need more functionality you can upgrade to a more feature-heavy version.
Join up at http://www.linkedin.com – ‘Account & settings’ and ‘help’ links will then be on the top-right of the screen.
LinkedIn has an online Learning Centre where you can get set up (“in ten minutes”) and learn about the different ways in which to use its functionality.
Pimp Your Profile
Too many people set up a profile and give it only the minimum amount of detail. If this is you, then not only are you missing out on all the benefits of the service, but you could be giving the impression to would-be employers or clients that you’re not very professional and/or tech-savvy. But fret not! Turning your profile into a useful, professional-looking source of info for potential connections is easy. This article on how to boost your individual LinkedIn profile is now a few years old, but is still good:
“LinkedIn Profile Extreme Makeover” (Guy Kawasaki)
[Update] LinkedIn also introduced an ‘improve your profile‘ tool which advises you on how to, well, improve your profile, step by easy step.
As of October 2011, you can add 5 new sections to your profile – Publications, Languages, Skills, Certifications and Patents. More info at this LinkedIn blog post.
For your business itself, you can create a company profile for your business; (more info on this topic from the LinkedIn team).
You’ll see recommendations can be an important tool for boosting your/your organisation’s profile and credibility – don’t be afraid to ask for them if someone’s given you good feedback about your work through other media – and of course use them voluntarily to publicly praise those you’ve successfully done business with.
Networking & News
You can also join/create industry or special interest groups. In a recent creative industry mentoring session I advised a client to join and engage with music industry groups on LinkedIn to develop his network; he did, and promptly got contacted by a potential new client in the US.
[Update] LinkedIn now has a built-in ‘Groups You May Like (GYML)’ tool which matches key features of your profile against key group features. More info on this LinkedIn blog post.
You can also post or reply to questions – take a look, for example, at this discussion on how important those recommendations are. All of these can help you with research, visibility and credibility.
[Update] LinkedIn Today launched in May 2011; a service that gives you three social views of professional news that don’t exist together in one place anywhere else on the web. It can deliver news that matters to your connections, your industry peers, and the wider professional community on LinkedIn. Find out more with this explanatory video from LinkedIn.
LinkedIn on the move
The LinkedIn iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad lets you access your network of contacts on the move; downloading their details directly into your address book if you so wish.
Or download LinkedIn for Blackberry or Android.
Ch-ch-ch-changes…
Remember that since these sites and tools are ever-changing, especially regarding issues of privacy etc., Google (or Bing, Microsoft’s search engine rival to Google) is your friend when it comes to getting the latest info. for them. There are always plenty of people keeping us informed of implications of the latest changes, and how to keep a step ahead of Big Brother, wherever possible. LinkedIn’s blog is regularly updated not only with news of new tools and updates, but guidance on how to make the most of the service.
The important thing is to work out a strategy, choose the right tools and then commit. Products like HootSuite should help make it easier to maintain a raft of profiles and pages – helping you work smart, not hard. Remember with all of these social networking sites that it’s all about making mutually beneficial connections. Be the same online as you would be in person – hopefully, therefore: helpful, polite, and however else you like to come across in face-to-face interactions! (Unless, of course, ‘Grumpy Git’ or ‘mysterious recluse’ is a strong part of your brand.) You could just use LinkedIn as a static profile with ‘contact me’ information leading people elsewhere to connect, but given the new features recently rolled out, that may be missing out on a lot of useful ‘social’ power.
This guide was written for attendees of Soul Ambition‘s “Making the Most of Social Media” workshops, where I demystified this whole social media ‘thing’ and talked through the tools above.
If, however, you’ve just read this and are now experiencing sudden faintness/blinding headaches, why not get in touch with me to find out about the training that makes it all make sense.
I don’t work for/earn any commission from any of these companies, though you might think it from my eulogies. I just like anything that helps me talk to more people…
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