Linked In Do\'s And Don\'ts

Make the most of your LinkedIN Profile Do’s and Don’t

Professional Headline Updates Recommendations Connections Websites Public profile (url) Specialties Discussion group participation

Your professional headline is your brand, it’s who you are and who you want to be Craft your professional headline carefully Your headline is the first thing members see after your name LinkedIN defaults to your last job title, every time you change your last title, do not forget to restore your professional headline

Updates inform your network of your activities Updates shows you are proactive Make them relevant Updates are not just professional Updates show up on your connections’ home page, they keep you “alive”

Testimonials (AKA recommendations) are the most powerful form of advertising, they build credibility Don’t abuse them Be specific, recommendations have a purpose; making a point Guide the person you ask the recommendation to, do not write it for him/her If the recommendation you receive does not satisfy you, you can ignore it, post it to your profile You can send it back and ask the sender to modify it, again, be specific when you do so. Large number of reciprocal recommendations destroy credibility.

Connections are your network People you know People you work or have worked with Colleagues and ex colleagues Clients and ex clients Prospects and ex prospect People you meet or have met Networking events Church Volunteering

Connections are part of your assets Treat them as such, they are valuable Tend to them on and off line Ask them how you can help them, it’s a “Pay it forward” system

Dos and Don’ts of inviting Don’t Send direct invitations people you don’t know and have not communicated with Don’t use false reasons to go around LinkedIN rules such as using “friend” as a reason when you are not Use the generic invitation Try to ask them or sell them something in your invitation, it’s a “Pay it forward” system.

Dos and Don’ts of inviting Do Remind them of who you are and how you know them If they are in one of your connections’ network, ask your connection to help you connect If you do not know that person, and have no 2 nd connection, participate in discussion group and engage the person you want to invite before you invite her/him

Building your network Online networking is only the first step. As much as you can, try to move from “online” to “in person”, face to face or over the telephone Unless you are marketing something, it’s not a game of number, it’s about relationships, quality and about leveraging

Websites Don’t keep the defaults My Website My blog My Portfolio Do Use the name of your site/blog/portfolio you will give your sites a SEO lift

Public profile url LinkedIN gives you the possibility to create your custom url, take advantage of it Who can remember or enter without typo http://www.linkedin.com/pub/steve-costello/9/696/a01 Custom url: http://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-costello

Specialties are your key words , they can be a series of key words or a carefully crafted message including all your key words Carefully crafting the “specialties” section will help your profile come up in LinkedIN and Google searches

Do not forget to include keywords in your job title and job descriptions to improve your ranking in LinkedIN searches and in Google searches

Discussion groups Find groups related to your field or interest (personal and professional) Look for large group with active discussions for maximum exposure Participate by bringing value to the conversation to establish and advertize your expertise Engage influencers

Linked In Do\'s And Don\'ts

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