Using LinkedIn for Business Growth

Using LinkedIn For Business Growth

I love using LinkedIn for business growth and it has gone from being something of a hobby to now turning into the primary way for me to connect with high level clients. Let’s discuss how you can do the same thing as you grow your business online and offline.

Scroll to the bottom to download your Special Report on “LinkedIn Relationship Building Tactics“

1 – Optimizing Your LinkedIn Profile
One of the most critical aspects of using LinkedIn as a networking tool is your profile. You don’t want to make a generic profile. Instead, you want the profile to be optimized so that you get the results from it that you desire. Let’s look at some tips on optimizing your LinkedIn profile that really work.

Optimize for the Job You Want

Okay, understand that not everyone that uses LinkedIn needs a job, so you may want to instead optimize your profile based on your goals. If you’re a recruiter, it’s going to be far different than if you are a job seeker, a businessperson seeking clients, or a business owner networking for employees and contractors. Make it clear to whoever visits your profile what your goals and experience are.

Create a Company Profile Too

If you have a business that you own or are connected to, ensure it has its own profile too. Focus the company profile on your customers and employees. This will enable you to list openings and deliver educational materials more easily, and in a way that is branded to your business and not just you personally.

Choose the Right Headshot

When you upload your headshot to LinkedIn, be sure to make it visible to everyone. Blocking people out of seeing your profile and information is not the best use of LinkedIn. Put a professional headshot up that shows you looking into the camera. People want to see your face and eyes. It builds trust. Early on I had someone take a full length photo of me standing in front of my garage door as a background. I quickly replaced it with a more professional photo that sent the message of who I was and what I was capable of achieving. A picture does tell a story and is worth well over a thousand words. Also, make sure to use a current photo so people will recognize you when they meet you in person or virtually.

Craft Your Headline and Summary

After your picture, your headline and summary are the next things anyone checking out your profile will see. They must be targeted to the audience you want to build based on the future you want to have. If you are currently in customer service but are hoping to move to human resources, for example, they must be able to tell from your headline and summary.

List Only Relevant Jobs and Experience

Don’t list every single job you ever tried on your LinkedIn profile. I was the manager of a coin laundry back in the late 1970s, but of course it would make no sense at all for me to share this information. Only list the jobs that are most relevant to the job that you want. Your experience being a farmhand in the summer may have taught you a lot of skills, but most employers will not see it as relevant if you’re trying to find a position as an accountant, unless there were specific activities you did that were directly related.

Include Any and All Relevant Skills

When it comes to your skills, the same thing applies – only include those that are relevant to the position you want or the group you want to impress. The more targeted your profile is for what you want to do in the future, the more likely you’ll connect with the right people. But dig deep with this area, as there may be skills you picked up informally that are quite relevant to what you want to do today.

Personalize Your URL

You can also personalize your URL so make sure you do that step. You can use your name if it’s not taken, but you can also use a word that says what you do or what you want to do because of finding the right opportunity on LinkedIn.

Include Any Relevant Certifications

Always include any courses you’ve taken as well as any relevant certifications in your profile. This will get the attention of many recruiters. For example, if you took a course in a specialized CSM (Content Management System) software and you’re now certified, or have other relevant experience to talk about, include that.

Ask for Recommendations and Endorsements

Once you add your past job experience, your skills, certifications, and courses or degrees, send messages to the right people who can vouch for those jobs and skills for you. Send a personalized note to them reminding them of what you did for them, with a link to your profile and where they can endorse you or recommend you.

LinkedIn is set up for your success, so it just makes good sense to be using LinkedIn for business growth. They want you to use it to connect with other like-minded business professionals, and to learn about each other, to help each other, and to build a globally-inspired business.

Download your Special Report on “LinkedIn Relationship Building Tactics” – No Opt In Required

I’m author, publisher, and entrepreneur Connie Ragen Green and I would love to connect further with you. If you have an interest in finding the right JV (Joint Venture) partners to help you skyrocket your way to success, please check out my training at JVs Made Simple so you may get started right away.