LinkedIn Best Practices

Presented by Nicki EscuderoContent and social media strategist for CX

cloud storage solutions, www.cx.com

What is LinkedIn?

• LinkedIn is a professional social network for networking within your industry, as well as finding job leads and posting jobs

• Personal profiles include sections for current title, professional background, endorsements and recommendations, honors and awards, volunteer experience, education, publications you’ve been featured in, and professional groups you’re a part of on the network

• LinkedIn is growing at 10-15 million users per quarter and is a great place for both individuals and businesses to network with other industry professionals

Why does LinkedIn matter?

• LinkedIn allows recruiters to search for you for appropriate positions

• LinkedIn helps you find great candidates for open positions at your company

• LinkedIn allows you to digitally network with other industry professionals

• LinkedIn is an avenue for you to display your business expertise and be a thought leader in your industry

• LinkedIn attracts more customers to your business• LinkedIn helps more people learn about your company

Here’s what a complete LinkedIn profile looks like

• A completed LinkedIn profile causes your profile to appear higher in search results

• Put completel information about your current positions in your header box. If you are currently unemployed, write something that describes your strengths and what you’re looking for, such as, “Marketer with more than 20 years experience currently looking for management position”

• The most current update you post will appear below your header box

Here’s what a complete LinkedIn profile looks like

• Your Summary best sums up your professional life. Include the gist of what you’ve done, along with goals you have.

• I uploaded my resume to my CX cloud storage account at www.cx.com and then used a share link to include it right in my summary for anyone to download easily.

Here’s what a complete LinkedIn profile looks like

• List all professional positions you are proud of, along with a description of main duties.

• Ask former co-workers for LinkedIn recommendations to boost your profile. My best practice is to thank the person for the time you spent working together, say you’d love to write them a LinkedIn recommendation, and ask them if they’d return the favor. After they say yes, write them one. It’s all about reciprocity.

• You can also add projects, presentations, articles, slideshows, etc. related to your position to your page for people to peruse.

Here’s what a complete LinkedIn profile looks like

• I included articles and blogs I wrote for the newspaper here. LinkedIn automatically pulls an image.

Here’s what a complete LinkedIn profile looks like

• Honors, awards and volunteer experience are worth listing because they might impress future employers.

Here’s what a complete LinkedIn profile looks like

• You may also add stellar test scores, as well as publications you’ve been featured in.

Here’s what a complete LinkedIn profile looks like

• List areas of skills and expertise you have. Others may add their own skills they believe you have, and your contacts may endorse you for these skills.

• Endorsements cause your profile to show up higher in search results. Once again, it’s about reciprocity – if someone endorses you for something, consider endorsing them for skills, as well.

Here’s what a complete LinkedIn profile looks like

• LinkedIn is great for students, too, who can get recommendations from professors or fellow students.

• If you took advanced classes in a subject, consider listing those courses.

Here’s what a complete LinkedIn profile looks like

• The Interests section allows you to show employers your personal side. Employers love well-roundedness, so include interests that are appropriate for a professional setting.

Here’s what a complete LinkedIn profile looks like

• Join groups that are relevant to your industry, and participate in discussions in them to be seen as a thought leader and make new connections.

• Follow news related to your industry, so you are seen as a lifelong learner, and follow companies you’re connected with or want to be employed with to comment on updates and keep up with open positions.

Are you an All-Star?

• On the right-hand side of your profile, LinkedIn will assign you a profile ranking. The more complete your profile, the higher you’ll appear in search results.

Who has viewed your profile?• Everyday, check who

viewed you’re profile.

• If you’re not already connected with the person, click “Connect,” and send them a personal message – Thanks for checking out my LinkedIn profile. I’d like to connect with you here.

• Be aware of who is checking you out – if it’s worth a larger discussion, message the person.

Share your knowledge

• Every day, up to twice is best practice, in my opinion, share an update. This can consist of the following:• News you find interesting• A blog from your company• An open position at a company• What you’re looking for if you’re in search of a job

For your business – Optimize your company page

• Think of your LinkedIn company profile as an extension of your brand, which will show up in search results both on LinkedIn and on search engines such as Google. Your LinkedIn page provides an opportunity to optimize for those keywords you want people to use to find you, so make sure your page is rich with those words. Your company LinkedIn page is also a way to start discussions with people on LinkedIn on topics related to your industry, as well as get recommendations on products, show off your staff and post job listings.

For your business – Connect with journalists and influential people

• LinkedIn contains many members of local and national press – connect with them on your network, and you’ve taken the first step to getting a story written about you. Scan your homepage feed to see who people in your network and connecting with and sharing content from, and grow your network organically by asking your contacts to offer up e-mail introductions. You can also visit other company sites where your target consumers work and find influential people through those networks.

For your business – Become an authority in Groups

• LinkedIn has a Groups section, where members may join groups related to topics they’re interested in both personally and professionally. Those groups have discussions related to the topics, where you may “Like” and comment on discussions. Think about groups your targeted consumers might be a part of, and participate in discussions with them. Then, as you start to build those genuine relationships with the groups, connect with people on a personal level, and let them know about your business.

For your business – Engage your own followers in discussions

• Just as you would any other social network for your business, use your company LinkedIn page to connect with followers and share valuable information.

• Experiment with times of day you post, days of the week, frequency of posts, and types of content to monitor impressions, clicks, shares and engagement percentage – just as you would any other social network for your business.

For your business – Share product updates on your personal page

• LinkedIn members may share personal updates on their individual pages, and since the community is work-focused, sharing what’s new with your company is totally appropriate. Use LinkedIn personal updates to share company developments, and add a personal twist – you can share updates directly from your company page, which will help to drive traffic back there, as well. Remember to try to get a discussion going with your followers by asking questions related to the content you’re sharing, not just posting marketing messages.

For your business – Create partnerships with like-minded professionals

Once you’ve begun those relationships with others on LinkedIn, treat them as you would any other professional relationship. Regularly check in with your contacts, and when you identify ways to help each other, go from there. Once you’ve worked together, be sure to ask for product recommendations and personal endorsements, and be willing to return the favor honestly. Share content with your brand partners, and build up those LinkedIn referrals.

Questions?

• Don’t forget – add me on LinkedIn! – www.linkedin.com/in/nickiescudero

Want to learn more about how cloud storage can benefit your business? Contact me at nicki@cx.com, and I’ll set you up with a free CX trial.