An iPhone running the LinkedIn application is seen in this photo illustration on July 9, 2018. ... [+]
Of all the social media sites, LinkedIn is for business and it is where you need to be. If you have not already joined, then join. To use it as a business development tool, be liberal with who you link in with and use LinkedIn as your blog site. LinkedIn is the gift that keeps giving.
The last time I checked the demographics are great— the average LinkedIn user was forty-six years old and earned more than $88,000 annually. This is your chance to broadcast serious business news about you. But don't treat LinkedIn like Facebook or Twitter; please do not post trivial status updates.
For the latest on using LinkedIn, at a recent meeting of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Speakers Association I interviewed author and professional speaker Carol Kaemmerer, a LinkedIn coach who helps businesses, professionals and consultants leverage the power of LinkedIn to increase their visibility and influence.
She is the author of LinkedIn for the Savvy Executive: Promote Your Brand with Authenticity, Tact and Power. I asked her to share some of her best pieces of advice for using LinkedIn for attracting high-paying clients:
Make a good first impression. “Many first (and often last) impressions are made on LinkedIn. You are in control of the way people experience you online on LinkedIn. A sparse profile communicates that you are not up to date or not in sync with the way professionals today vet those with whom they do business. In contrast, professionals with a stellar LinkedIn presence finds that it helps them to: build quality relationships online and face-to-face; prepare for meetings by researching the backgrounds of attendees; search for top talent, leads and collaborative partners; demonstrate leadership and track record; nurture relationships with investors, shareholders, employees and other stakeholders.”
Stay on personal brand. “The most memorable profiles are rooted deeply in personal brand. When we know and communicate our brand authentically, we significantly improve our opportunities to steer our career in desired directions. Some of the personal branding questions that can help shape our LinkedIn profile are: what are the three things you want to be known for, what differentiates you in the world of work, and what are your most important keywords.”
Make it picture perfect. “Because people are visual, your portrait is the first thing that will draw their attention. This photo should be your most flattering image because you will always look exactly like your photo to connections you don’t have the opportunity to meet in person. Your portrait should be a headshot with both your eyes and mouth smiling, as this is your welcome to your profile. Other visual elements that can reinforce your brand are a customized banner that represents some aspect of your personal brand visually (replacing the blue image behind your portrait), and other pictures and videos uploaded to your About and Experience sections.”
Write the right headline. “Your LinkedIn headline (the line of text below your name) is like a personal advertising slogan. Although LinkedIn auto-fills your headline with your current job title, you can customize it (in 120 characters) to provide more information about the value you bring to your role, your points of differentiation.”
Tell me your story. “In the About section (aka summary), tell your business story in the first person in 2,000 characters or fewer. If that section is blank, people will make up a narrative to fit your job history – and they might be very wrong. For example, upon reviewing the resume of one senior level executive before our first consultation, I was concerned about how many C-suite and vice president positions he had listed, and the short tenure for each. I feared that he might have some social problems in the workplace that explained his brief stays in his roles. When I met him, I found out that my made-up narrative was way off base. He was a business turn-around consultant, and when he had made sufficient improvements in the functioning of the company he moved to the next challenge. With the addition of a narrative that explained his career, the short tenure could be seen as an indicator of his efficiency in the turn-around efforts he took on, rather than as a character flaw.”
A final piece of advice from Kaemmerer: “LinkedIn goes beyond your personal profile. Being active on the LinkedIn platform is a way to cultivate your business relationships by engaging with, and bringing value to, others by what you choose to share. People who share valuable, on-brand information routinely can cultivate a reputation as a thought leader.”
