Member Article

How To Get A Competitive Edge With LinkedIn

LinkedIn. A social media platform that, when used correctly, can have major benefits and impacts on your business. However, used incorrectly, it can seriously damage your business credibility. Therefore, it is crucial to understand how to use LinkedIn to gain a competitive edge. There are many simple steps that you can implement in order to ensure that your profile stays one step ahead of the rest. This article will demonstrate the different ways you can use the platform to really bring some benefits to your business or even just to your online business self.

Set Yourself Some Business Goals

The very first step that you need to take before carrying out any LinkedIn work is to set yourself some business goals. Take a few minutes to work out what it is that you want to achieve. Think about your target audience and ensure you have a firm understanding of who it is exactly that your profile is aimed at. Begin by asking yourself some questions.

• Do you want to gain new business?
• Are you presenting your self to network?
• Are you looking to find work in a new business sector?

Imagine your target audience, aim to be able to define your target audience so specifically you can categorise them by job title or industry sector. These very first steps are crucial and need to be carried out in order to create a successful, competitive profile.

Construct Your Profile

Once you have understood your audience, it is time to start constructing your profile. Think about the process as almost the same as creating a new website and implementing an SEO strategy. You want to ensure that people who want to view your profile can easily find you on the social networking site and there are many tips and tricks that you can implement in order to do this. One of these is ensuring that you use relevant keywords wherever possible on your profile. The important thing to remember about keywords is that they are not just words, keywords can also be short phrases. One way to identify the types of keywords that you should be including in your profile is to write down a few sentences explaining what your job role is, what you do and what your passions are. This will highlight the keywords that you should include wherever appropriate in your profile.

Think About Your Keywords

Even if you include keywords in your profile, this will still not guarantee that you are found on LinkedIn searches. One simple way to ensure that you are is to complete your profile and make sure your privacy settings are placed to public. This will guarantee that you can be found on Google searches for your LinkedIn profile as well as being easily identified on a LinkedIn search. It is also vitally important that your profile picture sends out the correct message, selfie’s are highly inappropriate and so are business logos. You want to appear personable, open and inviting, encouraging people to connect with you and network. Therefore, your profile picture is the first opportunity you have to showcase this. It is also a great tool for identifying people in searches, so ensure you select a picture that looks like you!

Get Connecting

Once your profile is complete, the next step is to begin making connections on LinkedIn. This can be done by joining relevant groups and then taking some time to sit and listen to what is being said within the group before making relevant connections, using the group as your link. Or alternatively you could search for people using the advanced search setting, entering specific keywords or job titles for specific people that you want to find. The key here is to set yourself small achievable goals, begin by:

• aiming to connect with two people per day for the next two weeks.
• start at least one discussion in a group.

Remember before you begin posting, ensure you have taken the time to look at the way in which the group interacts. Learn the etiquette of posting and look at what types of discussions gain the most responses. You want to position yourself as a ‘go-to’ within your industry sector so make sure your posts are relevant.

Have Real Conversations with Real People

The key thing to remember is that whilst it is important to be making connections, it is crucial to ensure that you are having real conversations with real people inside groups about everyday topics. After all, people buy from people that they like and people that they trust so it is crucial to portray this with your LinkedIn profile. Don’t be afraid to talk about your passions or ask advice from people. The best place to spend time whilst networking on LinkedIn is to talk to your target audience, who you will find inside relevant groups on LinkedIn.

Overall, your LinkedIn profile should be an extension of the person you are. It needs to be personable, open, inviting and encouraging. Whether you are using LinkedIn to gain new business connections, gather market research, promote your business or look for new employees you need to invite people to connect with you. Try and make your LinkedIn experience memorable, use personal invitations when connecting with someone as opposed to the automated option. Take the time to start discussions in groups and really listen to what it is that people have to say. By doing all of this and by implementing the tips and tricks given in this article you are guaranteed to gain a competitive edge with LinkedIn.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jonny Ross .