Photo credit: Keri J
LinkedIn is more than an online resume and Rolodex. The social media network for professionals and business people can serve as a powerful tool for personal and corporate public relations.
The platform has over 300 million users, including 107 million in the U.S., most of whom login at least monthly. Its status as a business-oriented network makes it perfect for public relations personnel in the B2B sphere. Its membership has a higher proportion of CEOs and millionaires than other networks, and many of them don’t have Twitter or Facebook accounts.
These are some recommendations from LinkedIn experts on how to better use the platform for personal accounts.
Upload a photo. A full profile includes a quality photo. Profiles with a photo or graphic are 14 times more likely to be viewed. Incorporating good lighting, angles and environment can portray you at your best. A professional photographer might be worthwhile, but if you insist on being your own photographer read The LinkedIn Guide to the Perfect #WorkSelfie.
Invigorate the headline and summary. Since your title is already listed, repeating it in the headline would be redundant. Instead, use the headline to attract attention and differentiate yourself. Summaries with 40 or more words are more likely to appear in searches. An ideal headline and summary succinctly describes your character or background, accomplishments or aspirations and includes keywords that searchers use to find professionals on the network. Trying different searches yourself can give you an idea of keywords to use.
Avoid a profile faux pas. Significant mistakes include typos misspellings, grammatical errors and photos that include a spouse (or worse). A poorly done selfie is a definite no-no. Experts recommend against linking your profile to your Facebook page to avoid associating suit-and-tie images with depictions of people in social settings. Another major blunder is stating “unemployed.” Instead, describe the position you’re seeking.
Add the extras. Uploading presentations, portfolios, and articles you’ve placed for clients can showcase your capabilities. Taking advantage of those extra features can make your profile more dynamic and appealing. Consider taking advantage of LinkedIn’s new cover photo option.
Share updates. By sharing updates, you can inform your network about your recent accomplishments, such as media placements, projects completed, or industry awards you receive. Images, links to YouTube videos and questions that spark conversations have been proven to increase views and engagement.
Seek quality contacts. Seek quality, not quantity, in your connections. Your connections are an extension of your personal brand. LinkedIn recommends only connecting with people you know and trust. Best practices call for including a brief, personalized note in connection requests.
Get recommendations. Ask for recommendations from clients and former co-workers and employers. Feel free to let them know the particular qualities or project examples you’d like them to highlight. You can also request contacts to endorse your skills. As your career goals change, add new skills and delete or reorder older ones to place the most important skills at the top.
Post on LinkedIn Pulse. LinkedIn’s publishing platform, now open to all 345 million members, allows users to publish entire articles. Through LinkedIn publishing, you can obtain more followers, reach a targeted audience since many readers are like-minded professionals and increase your exposure. The platform notifies your connections when you publish.
Consider premium membership. With Premium membership, you can email any LinkedIn member through InMail, receive enhanced analytics and obtain other advanced features.
Businesses can follow essentially the same advice to establish a presence on LinkedIn by creating and promoting a company page. By posting on the company page, PR pros and marketers can share company news such as career opportunities and new products, industry news and trends, and executive and employee interviews that provide inside views of the company’s culture. PR and marketers can improve their company’s search engine results, generate sales leads, attract recruits, and strengthen an organization’s image with a well-done company page.
Bottom Line: Public relations and marketing professionals can benefit by learning about the full range of LinkedIn’s features. Understanding the network’s capabilities can help PR pros grow their own professional network along with the networks of employers or clients.
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William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.
Great tips, and this is what you would call “LinkedIn Optimization 101”. People are saying that LinkedIn’s obsolete and all, but it’s actually one of the best ways to get B2B transactions. It’s also a suitable avenue to showcase your portfolio (unless if you already have a website).