LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 175 million members and rising with approximately two new members joining per second. LinkedIn connects you to your trusted contacts and helps you exchange knowledge, ideas, and opportunities with a broader network of professionals.

Building your LinkedIn profile

• Raise your profile – The more complete your profile, the easier it will be for people to find you through the search engine.
• Update your status regularly – Updating your status regularly with relevant and industry news not only keeps you fresh in the mind of your connections but shows you are a thought leader within your industry.
• Make sure you have a professional photo. This should be a clear forward facing head shot.
• Have your current or previous work endorsed – For professionals, having recommendations from current or former clients, employers and colleagues can act as one of the most efficient ways to secure new clients/prospects. Everybody knows word of mouth is the greatest form of PR/Advertising.
• Update your jobs and profile to include keywords so that you appear more frequently in searches.
• Update applications that highlight your interests for example your blog or Amazon reading lists.
• Make sure your headline and summary are catchy. These will be a viewer’s first encounter with your profile so use it to grab their attention and make a good first impression.

Building your company page

Whilst the above tips for building your LinkedIn profile also applies, there are additional tips for building your company profile.

• Add staff/ have them add the company to their profiles
• Add past and present clients, press contacts and industry contacts
• Have your skills section endorsed
• Use outlook to search work and professional contacts
• Add products and services to your page so viewers have a clear understanding of what you offer
• Post job vacancies or tenders so that the relevant audiences know you are hiring
• Connect your Twitter and/or blog to your account so that people are always up to date with the company

LinkedIn Groups

• Join relevant industry groups. Joining Groups related to the industries you work within is a great way to make new connections and get stimulation. Using these groups to engage in conversations and topical issues is a great way to find and connect with relevant people.
• Connect with people you interact with during group discussions
• Add a ‘promotion’ if you have an event that you would like to promote and/or share.
• Start a relevant discussion with the group page to help get your name out there.
• Get involved in the discussions already taking place.
• Start your own group so like minded professionals can interact with you.
• Read the popular discussions so you know what is trending within the industry.

LinkedIn answers

Post a question in LinkedIn answers to expand your network and see what other like-minded experts think.

Search LinkedIn answers for questions asked by others in the industry. Share your opinions and answers to help make a name for you as an expert.

Connect with your connections

• Always respond to emails promptly and courteously
• Comment on the statuses and updates of your connections to remain fresh in their mind
• Write a professional recommendation for one of your close connections, this will not only create goodwill but you will then appear on their profile for others to see
• In turn seek recommendations from connections who have experienced your work
• Send messages to those in your network, be it a Happy Birthday message, congratulations on the new job etc.  Finding new contacts is equally as important as staying in touch with the contacts you already have
• Monitor LinkedIn Today – LinkedIn Today keeps you updated with the top trending articles that your network and other professionals are sharing on LinkedIn and Twitter. It is essentially a customized news feed for your interests and industries, giving you the perfect lead into a conversation as well as the latest know

Grow your connections

• Grow your network – Connecting with all relevant parties from customers and co-workers to clients is a great idea because it shows your contacts you are online and gives you an edge on the competition that may not be utilizing the network to its full potential. It also gives a great medium for those on your networking to see your full skill set and potential
• Request a ‘Linked Introduction’ to contacts you feel would be important to have
• Look at the ‘LinkedIn people you may know’ page. This changes almost every time you log in so it is essential to keep on top of this for any potential new contacts
• Upload your email address book and add contacts from this
• LinkedIn allows you to browse those who went to the same school as you or who you have shared a workplace with. Search these and add those relevant to your profile
• View your second connections and see if any of these are relevant to your industry

By Colin Harris