LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network, with more than 300 million members. As more people embrace the power of social networking for professional purposes, establishing, optimizing and leveraging your personal account has become an invaluable tool for business development. From an SEO optimized profile to conversing with business peers, establishing your personal brand on LinkedIn can be a daunting task. But don’t panic! We’ve compiled a few tips to help you get started using LinkedIn for business development.
1. LinkedIn Premium
LinkedIn has Premium accounts for a monthly fee. If you’re unsure about investing in a paid account, LinkedIn generously offers a free one-month trial to test run Premium features. Signing up for the free trial will give you access to helpful suggestions that you can use to spruce up your profile and increase your visibility on the channel.
2. Incorporate Keywords
Include relevant keywords that relate to your experience in the summary, headline, experience and skills sections of your personal profile. Just like Google, including keywords will help other users discover your profile through search. Whether you are looking for a new gig or to expand your business network, both recruiters and networkers alike will search for keywords to discover new business connections. If you’re using the free trial of LinkedIn Premium, you will be given suggestions on what keywords you should be using and where to incorporate them within your profile.
3. Participate in Groups
LinkedIn users have the ability to connect with up to fifty groups. Join and actively participate in groups that are relevant to your professional skills and interests to grow your network and establish yourself as an industry expert.
Being part of a group allows you to:
Keep in mind that any open group that you’re participating in can be indexed in Google search. Because Google picks up search results from open groups, actively participating in a group with your insights will increase your visibility even outside LinkedIn as a skilled professional.
** Bonus Tip: Ensure that your most visible features are optimized! Have a quality profile picture, and a compelling heading and summary statement (especially the first few lines). This information will show up in Google’s search results.
Don’t underestimate LinkedIn’s potential to expand your business network. Optimizing your profile and engaging with peers quickly leads to new connections that can turn into clients, partners and sales opportunities. Do you have other suggestions to add? We’d love to hear your thoughts – leave a reply below.
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