The first thing worth knowing about Linkedin is that it is, in essence, much easier to use than many other social networks. To begin with, the profile you put up contains almost no creativity, other than verbiage. There’s no wallpaper, videos, images, etc. in fact, the only picture you’ll upload, if you choose, is your headshot.
The rest of your profile runs parallel to a resume with references. In this case, references come packaged basically as testimonials and can be requested right through Linkedin. It’s as easy as the click of a button and then accepting the referral that your colleague or friend sends back.
There are a few things worth noting about profiles here. 1) Less is more, but don’t skip the good stuff. For instance, if you published a book, definitely put that on both your description and at the top of your job experience. This will hugely add to your credentialed expert status and may even sell some books. Ditto, if you have developed and teach an online course or hold several patents or have won a well-known award, like a Pulitzer, or even a Who’s Who recognition.
Why Linkedin is the one to start with:
Linkedin has a unique and infinitely easy platform that works simply through good old Q&A. Through the free version of Linkedin, you can post up to ten questions a month, on almost any topic (or non-topic). You will get the most responses to questions that you keep short and general, such as, “What are you reading right now?” or “What genre of books do you love?” Why would this matter to you? Well, if you’re a book publisher, it might matter a great deal. If you are writing a self-help book, all those who answer your question with, “personal development,” have the potential to become fans and advocates. Simply thank them for their help and invite them to “link” up to you. (You can then email market to them – see my prior blog on email marketing to learn more about this useful and inexpensive marketing tool.)
Target your questions to your company or your industry, but word them as broadly as possible to maximize the potential number of responders. Like other networks, you can also join groups on Linkedin and meet like-minded professionals (or potential clients) as well. You can invite those people to connect with you as well and use forums to post ideas, questions or even “soft” market to other members of your group – but definitely keep your marketing efforts very soft, however. You don’t want to get a reputation as a spammer or selfish member of the group.
Remember that social networking is all about relationships, so if you have some great free resources to share or a vibrant and useful blog that you write, definitely share links to those free tips and tools with your group and your contacts.
Altruistic efforts like these will help to brand your expertise and build momentum as you continue to grow your client base and, hopefully, “net” worth too!