15 reasons to use LinkedIn (and a checklist your profile)

A woman sitting at a desk with a laptop and a cup of coffee.

 

August in Victoria means Small Business Festival – HURRAH! I recently attended a new event exploring technology trends that affect small businesses. It was a really interesting session with presentations by James Thompson (editor of Smart Company), Craig Rispin (Futurist) and Carolyn Miller (Gruen Transfer panellist and owner of Moon Communications Group).

As part of Carolyn’s presentation on Social Media she mentioned that LinkedIn was one of her favourite social media platforms. That surprised me as I have to admit that, for me, LinkedIn is a bit like the distant cousin at a wedding: invited but definitely not on the main table.

I dabble on LinkedIn but I know there is a lot of potential that I’m leaving untapped. Whenever I put time and effort into LinkedIn I get leads but I push it to the bottom of list, citing a lack of time. I think that’s because LinkedIn isn’t as interactive as Facebook and Twitter. It’s just not as fun.

During Carolyn’s presentation, I started to think that maybe Twitter and Facebook aren’t the only cool kids in town. Here are some of Carolyn’s reasons to use LinkedIn.

LinkedIn lets you:

1. Put a face to your business and communicate the personality of your brand
2. Profile your business in a trusted, unbiased forum
3. Connect with peers, clients and colleagues
4. Research prospective clients
5. Research prospective employees
6. Connect with decision makers
7. Demonstrate different skills
8. Share testimonials and recommendations from clients
9. Conduct market research
10. Increase your knowledge by asking questions
11. Become a thought leader by answering questions and taking part in discussions
12. Promote your next business event
13. Improve your search engine ranking
14. Drive traffic back to your website
15. Be business appropriate and polite

A checklist for maximum results on LinkedIn

Like most social media platforms, you get out of LinkedIn what you put in. Here are some things your LinkedIn profile really needs if you’re thinking about getting serious.

  • Your personal LinkedIn profile needs to be 100% complete.
  • Your personal LinkedIn profile needs to be up to date.
  • Your personal LinkedIn profile needs to have a professional headshot. You don’t have to look boring but that photo you downing a yard glass isn’t the one for LinkedIn.
  • Your summary could give a great overview of where you’re at and where you’re going. I recommend talking in the first person to make it more approachable.
  • If you run your own business, you should have a company profile.
  • You should be asking for recommendations.

So that’s the very minimum your LinkedIn profile needs if you’re considering making LinkedIn an active part of your social media marketing. And, from what Carolyn says, that’s exactly what it should be.

Do you use LinkedIn regularly? How do you use it and what returns do you get?

Belinda

You can find Copywrite Matters on LinkedIn and Belinda Weaver too. Why not click over and connect?

2 Responses

  1. I love LinkedIn, although I agree it’s not as much fun as Twitter or Facebook.

    I use the recommendations feature all the time. I love the fact it gives credibility to testimonials – rather than a glowing report from “Mr B C of Perth”, potential clients can click on the profile of the person giving the recommendation and see they’re a real person. If I’ve received a testimonial from a client who doesn’t have a website but does have a LinkedIn profile, I always link to it.

    1. Thanks for sharing your experience Bridie. I know you put time and effort as a regular contributor to LinkedIn discussions so I’m not surprised you get a lot of value out of it.

      I love your idea of linking a testimonial to a LinkedIn profile. I might pinch that one!

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