The linked in® basics

The LinkedIn® Basics

A quick introduction of how to use the power of LinkedIn

www.million-dollar-networker.com


Context


Why LinkedIn?

• If you’re in business, whether you like Social Media or not, LinkedIn is your best friend:

• Recruiters use it

• Your suppliers use it

• Your customers use it

• Your prospects use it

• In short, it’s a GOLD MINE of business waiting to be exploited!


Why LinkedIn? Cont’d

• The 3 degrees: – 1st : your direct contacts

– 2nd : their direct contacts (friends of friends)

– 3rd : contacts of your 2nd degree

• What this means in reality http://press.linkedin.com/about : – With over 200m professionals on LinkedIn, you

have a huge pool of opportunities at your fingertips – you just have to find each-other!!

– My network = ~5,800 (1st) and ~20m (3rd)


http://press.linkedin.com/about

It’s all about 3’s!

• Three Degrees

• Three Key Elements – Your Profile

– Your Network

– Your Groups

• Three Key Activity Areas – Quality – Make sure it adds value

– Quantity – Do a lot of it

– Consistency – Do it often and do it well


Overview of LinkedIn® Elements

Profile

Groups Network


The Goldmine


Your Profile


Profile – Overview


• Whether you’re job hunting or networking for business, your profile is critical to your effectiveness on LinkedIn All the recruiters use it

• The more detailed your profile, the more likely you are to appear in search results – make sure the key words you want to be found for are in your profile.

• In search results, which are listed in order by what LinkedIn thinks is most relevant, it’s just your picture and your headline that appears - The better it looks, the more likely people are to click through - a great headline is essential!

Profile – Essential Elements 1 1. Photo – Make it a good one, you can view it

enlarged by clicking in the bottom right corner

2. Headline – Get it right – don’t just use the one from your current role!

3. Profile URL – Change it to just your name in a form that is clear

4. Contact Info – Choose “Other” for websites, then insert name, Put interests, Associations, etc.

See next slide . . .


Profile – Essential Elements 1

1 2

3

4


Profile – Essential Elements 2 • The main body of your profile is broken down into a

number of sections, some of which can be dragged and dropped to rearrange their order

• The most important sections, as they appear in my profile (uk.linkedin.com/in/rorymurray/ ) are: – ACTIVITY

– SUMMARY

– SLIDESHARE PRESENTATIONS (embed content like this!!)

– SKILLS & EXPERTISE

– EXPERIENCE


http://uk.linkedin.com/in/rorymurray/



Profile – Activity “Activity” is a list of things that have happened on your profile recently – people you’ve connected with and endorsed, etc. You can also share an update with your network from here.


Profile – Summary The essence of who you are / what you do - pack it with industry and skill key words that are important – make this as long as it needs to be but keep it “punchy”


Profile – Skills & Expertise This is a recently introduced section and it’s very powerful because your network can endorse your skills here – and you can do the same for them! Use it to re-open dialogue with old contacts!


Profile – Experience This is your CV/Resume – Cover every role in detail! Key words, activities, results, the whole 9 yards!

Your Contacts can write Recommendations against these roles, where they have worked with you.


Profile – Additional Sections


• There are additional sections for:

– Languages

– Certifications

– Education

– Additional info

– Honors & Awards

– Organisations

Profile – Bottom Area


• Recommendations: – Here you’ll find a list of the formal Recommendations that

people in your network have given you – VERY POWERFUL!!

• Connections: – This shows a selection of your contacts and on other

people’s profiles it will show any mutual 1st degree connections

• Groups: – Your Groups (Max 50) See what groups others belong to!!

• Following: – Companies you follow (see who others follow)


Your Profile – Cool Stuff


Profile – Activity


• On the Home and Profile Pages in the right hand column is:

• If you click on this, you get the last 5 viewers:

Profile Activity – Useful Stats 1st Degree connections

Total 3rd degree network and Group members


Trends are on your Profile Stats Page on the right – Click on “Who’s viewed your profile”

Potential Connections


• When you visit a profile, the right hand column gives you interesting facts:


How To Use LinkedIn


Activity Overview • Quality (A man is judged by the company he keeps)

– Focus on creating and recruiting a high quality network

– Look for active networkers in your field

– Seek out industry figureheads and experts

• Quantity (You can never have too many friends)

– A large network gives you “reach” and “findability”, so that you can search and be found more easily and more often

– Actively seek out Open Networkers, LIONs, TopLinked, etc.

– Don’t lose sight of quality

• Consistency (Personality opens doors. Only character keeps them open)

– Work at LinkedIn 1 day /week (~1 hour/day) until you hit 1,000+ contacts

– Actively seek to add value to connections and Groups

– Build a consistent online brand in the way you communicate that works for you and your company


Network – Essential Elements

• You can easily find (and be found by) people within your 3 degrees and members of your Groups, so a big network is important!

• Deep and Wide – Think oak tree! The roots/trunk are your sector contacts, the branches/canopy are your extended network

• Connect with ALL your ex-colleagues, clients, etc. – upload your email address book directly into LinkedIn (it’s safe!)

• Search for and connect with influential people in your sector • Connect with “power” and “open” networkers • Focus on connecting with “LION” and “TopLinked” members • Accept all (or most) invitations to connect • Try to connect with ~10 new people per day in the early days • Message people who accept your connections requests to say

“Thanks!” • Join Industry Groups – See next slide


Groups – Essential Elements

• Groups are a very powerful way to demonstrate your expertise and connect with people

• You can join up to 50 Groups and unlimited sub-groups • Search for Groups that align with what you do and look to see

which Groups other people belong to • Connect with active members and Group owners • Interact on and start your own discussions to demonstrate your

expertise • Look for highly connected members and connect with them • Subscribe to the daily digests for your Groups, to monitor all the

good stuff you might have missed • Join highly connected groups like TopLinked and LIONs, so you have

easy access to the most connected people on LinkedIn


Activity - Tips and Tricks

• Do your network building in this order: 1. Build your detailed and complete profile first,

2. Join some key groups with large memberships,

3. Connect with people you already know, like & trust

4. THEN search for new contacts • Open networkers will never decline an invitation!

• Fellow group members will rarely refuse to connect, especially if you’ve interacted with them

• Write personalised connection requests highlighting why they should connect!



Choose a specific country or “anywhere”

Choose a specific company and when they were there

Choose a specific industry or multiple selections

Choose groups to search within

Choose which layer of your network to search – More distant relationships give you greater reach faster

Available on paid memberships – I never saw the value in paying!

Choose specific keywords



Groups makes connecting EASY!

Personalise the message!


LinkedIn Best Practice 1 • Spend time on your profile content, so your knowledge, experience and

achievements are clear. • Get a good photo, so people know what you really look like. • Give honest but strong recommendations to colleagues and clients – do it

proactively. • Regularly check who’s viewed you (Home – middle right) and contact /

connect with good people. • Join Groups and actively participate in discussions to demonstrate your

expertise. • Consider connecting your Twitter account to your LinkedIn account. • Add other relevant websites to your profile. • Upload existing contacts, connect with them and look for additional

contacts in People You May Know (“PYMK”) –> (Home – top right). • In PYMK also seek people with high numbers of mutual connections,

LIONs & Open Networkers.


LinkedIn Best Practice 2 • Never “IDK” – Don’t click the “I don’t know” option on an invitation.

– If you don’t want to connect, just Archive or Delete it (unless it really is Spam!).

• Always personalise invitations and give a valid reason why they should connect with you.

• Connect others – suggest connections to your contacts that may help them & forward requests.

• Check your Inbox regularly – not all messages are notified via email. • Be cautious of connecting with recruiters you don’t know, like, trust and

respect. • As you meet good people IMMEDIATELY add them to your network and

message them. • Keep in touch and congratulate contacts with changes on their profiles

(e.g. New job/Promotion). • Keep your own profile up to date on a regular basis.


The linked in® basics

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