LinkedUp - LinkedIn

Do you consider yourself to be linked-Up?  But just how well are you LinkedIn?

Infusing LinkedIn into your daily workflow and overall marketing plan is essential for helping you make bussiness connections and reach specific individuals who can help you business expand.

Before you say to yourself, "Is this just another social networking site that I have to join?"  Let me interject.

What makes LinkedIn different from the plethora of social networking site at our disposal today, is that this platform is designated specifically for business professionals.

Think of it this way, LinkedIn is a social platform for your business.  Consider it to be your online resume.

This article has not been written in order to be expansive.  However, I hope that it will give you enough base knowledge to set up your online resume, which in turn, will give you more exposure to business professionals whilst you sit back and relax.  Thus, if done correctly, doing all the work for you.

There are four crucial things that you need to do in order to grow your business through LinkedIn:

1. BUILD YOUR CREDIBILITY WITH RECOMMENDATIONS.

According to LinkedIn, users with recommendations are three times as likely to get inquiries through LinkedIn searches.

2. PARTICIPATE IN THE COMMUNITY THROUGH LINKEDIN ANSWERS.

Participating in conversations helps build your credibility and gives you exposure to people who can help grow your network.

3. USE LINKEDIN APPLICATIONS TO ENRICH YOUR PROFILE.

4. USE INMAIL TO EMAIL YOUR NETWORK.

Be clear that you're contacting that one person specifically and not shooting off a mass-send.

Anything that appears to be impersonal will likely be ignored.

Features that you need to know about:

PROFILE.

• Consider this your online resume.
• Be specific about what you have accomplished, and who you have worked for.
• Including a direct link to your website is a must.

UPDATES.

• Let's you share something with your network.
• you have the option to attach links and make it visible to either everyone or just your connections.

JOB LISTINGS.

• You can search available job listings found within the main navigation tool, as well as within groups you join.  This can mean that jobs aren't available for the whole internet to see.  (This is an even greater incentive to join the right groups and monitor them daily, although this may not be relevant to your situation).

SKILLS AND EXPERTISE.

• Type in your specific field and find a landing page for others within your genre on LinkedIn.

GROUPS.

• Joining groups and participating in discussions will help establish your business presence in the industry.

Four ways to optimize your linkedIn profile and improve your SEO:

A presence on LinkedIn can improve your SEO because LinkedIn itself is ranked very highly on Google.

1. KEYWORDS.

• Use keywords that you believe would help potential clients find you.

2. MAKE YOUR PROFILE PUBLIC.

3. PARTICIPATE IN ANSWERS.

• Having a presence in answers will grow internal links on LinkedIn that point back to your profile, which also enhances your SEO.

4. DRIVE TRAFFIC TO YOUR WEBSITE OR BLOG.

Hopefully you are now armed with enough information to get yourself LinkedIn with over 150 million business professionals.