Excellent tips for Linkedin
I wrote a post recently on the importance of Linkedin. I have decided to maybe do a monthly update on this subject due to Linkedin increased importance in my daily business behaviour.
I am making more and more contacts through the site and their recent huge overhaul has even made its features much easier to use.
Who viewed my profile this week.
Lifehack has five excellent tips to improve how you use Linkedin
* Add your email address to your last name- For someone to connect to you without directly knowing you, they need to present your first and last name, as well as a valid email address. Make it easier by turning the last name field of your profile into your last name and then your email address (example: Brogan(linkedin@myemail.com)). This gives folks an easier path to connecting.
* Fill out your profile- First, some people search profiles for keywords, so make sure the words you hope people are seeking when they think of you exist inside your profile. Use real captivating words up front, not like a resume or CV, but instead, like an advertisement for you, because that’s what LinkedIN is! (Read my profile summary here for an example.)
* Solicit colleagues and friends for recommendations- People love to read reviews. We do it for books at Amazon. We do it for movies at IMDB or Netflix. Make sure you’ve got some great recommendations for the world you’ve performed. Don’t be afraid to solicit recommendations. I’ve run little campaigns where I offer a recommendation in return for every one written about me. That stacked up fast. The trick is: write what you truly feel about the person in the nicest possible terms, and never oversell someone you don’t recommend. That can come back to bite you.
* Add plenty of passion- People who are going to bother to read your profile want to know what makes you tick. If you merely put down that you’re an operations manager at a mid-tier tech company, that’s all they have in their minds about you. Add that you’re passionate about Greek wines and that you take Improv class weekly in Dubai. Make sure people know about YOU, not just your job history.
* Ask and answer questions- Using the Answers feature brings your name and profile around to people you’re not exposed to directly. This means more opportunities for someone to recognize your authority in some field, and to reach out and contact you for something further. It means sharing the fruits of your networking with others, and potentially connecting 3rd parties to each other for something bigger. This comes in handy when it becomes obvious that you’re also a good connector.
I’d agree about the recommendations and the answers and disagree completely about the email address thing.
If someone wants to contact me they can find my email address very very easily. Then again that might be because I’ve such an odd last name
Good tips dude, will apply forthwith..
I’d go halfway on the email suggestion. I add my email to the standard LinkedIn email sent to contacts by the LinkedIn mail system. That way people know my direct mail. I also add a URL there. Most people can find my email address just by Googling for it.
Actually what I find interesting about this “little episode” is that you have “broadcast” who has looked at your profile, as an indication of how “hot or not” you are
Seriously, this is interesting 2.0 branding. Another point is that Irish people are very bad at asking for recommendations. One American colleague I know asks you to send them an email after an engagement if you were happy with the service. She now has dozens of high quality recommendations which she has permission to post anywhere.