LinkedIn Pro Tips & How to Build Your Personal Brand

Social Media & Sweets

Brown Bag Lunch2.25.15

AgendaO LinkedIn: What Is It, Pro Tips, &

BenefitsO Best practices for personal/business

social media accountsO Understanding the nuances between

different social channels and appropriate treatment of each

O Tools to help you keep organized and consistent in your personal branding

O Facebook for professionalsO 300 million registered users O Acquire & share expertise within its 2

million groups O Build a robust personal brand (more

to come)O 41% of people report 500+

connectionsO Connections are ‘gas in the tank’ of

networking efforts

What’s the most popular feature?

A) Posting status updatesB) Company pagesC) Who’s viewed your profileD) Groups

Pro TipsO Customize your profile URLO Your public profile can be customized to

what you want non-connections to seeO Not a resume!O LinkedIn badges on your personal

website (HTML codes)O Be active on LinkedIn GroupsO Connecting with customers O Endorse and be endorsed

Requesting Connections

O Only to people you knowO Personalize email requests (e.g. we

met at that tech conference last year)

Bonus TipsO Add link to your email signatureO Standard ER signature – will send

with slidesO Don’t publish activity feed (e.g.

Aaron updating R&D position from September)

O Tell your story. Be creative and eye-catching.

O Copyedit your profile

Have the Right Picture

• 11x more likely to be viewed if you have a photo

• Preferably not from Instagram• Need a professional portrait? Ask a friend with

a good camera, or let me know!

Personal Branding

Personal BrandingO Craft your elevator pitch

O When people ask what you do – do they really understand? Its time to leave a lasting impression & stand out.

O Be clear on the value, don’t confuse anyone with fluffy terms

O Less is more, and the ability to be succint takes a lot of introspection

O Target your audienceO Its not cast in iron – stay current.

Example Statement

Meet our Scottish Boiler man, JohnO John keeps families in Edinburgh

(target audience) warm (value) through bespoken heating installations using only the most advanced German boilers (unique)

Your turn!

Personal WebsiteO Claim your name before its goneO http://www.aaronbuma.com/O http://stevestedman.com/

Questions?