Simon Says, “Set up your Social”
Don’t tell me what to
do, I’m an adult. Why do I need LinkedIn?
LinkedIn can help generate contacts in the business world,
help make sales, be used for internet marketing, connect with old contacts, help
with recruiting and other goals.
First off, who am I giving my information to?
LinkedIn is a business and employment orientated social
networking service that operates via the web and a mobile app. It is currently
the largest professional networking site available today, and is used by
individuals, groups and businesses alike. A profile consists of multiple parts
ranging from basic information and a picture to details like work history, work
examples and professional certifications.
How much does it cost? I could expense that right?
No need to expense anything, there are multiple types of
accounts on LinkedIn, four are paid versions and one is free. The most commonly
used is the free version.
To set up a profile the key thing you will need is an email
address that you will have access to for decades to come. If you want to use
one of the advanced profiles you will need to pay the monthly fee associated
with it. These are usually used for companies looking for new talent or by
active job seekers. There is also one for industry leaders or brand influencers,
people who are extremely active on the platform.
What information do I need to sacrifice to the internet gods to get a profile? What information do they need?
This is a point of contention for many people. Giving up
information to the internet is not something to be taken lightly. The sections
on LinkedIn are as followed. You can choose to leave many of them blank, but
keep in mind this will lead to a profile that is less filled out and could reflect
poorly to clients or any other profile visitors. The sections that almost
always need to be filled in are below…
·
Summary
·
Experience
·
Skills
·
Education
There are other sections such as certifications, volunteer
experience, projects etc. but not everyone has items to put in these
categories, which is perfectly fine.
Great so now that creepy person from high school can look me up, right? Who can see me?
Don’t worry, unlike some of the other social networks
LinkedIn does quite a good job of making sure your profile is relatively
secure. You can choose what is displayed to the public to a certain extent. For
example, your profile picture and name will usually appear in a search but
people can only send you a connect request if you have at least one second degree
connection.
An example of this would be if you met Bob at a marketing
conference and connected with him, his boss who has never met you but heard
about your awesome achievements could then send you a connect request to start
a dialogue through the platform. This is because both of you are connected to
Bob! If Chad from high school wants to start trying to creep on your profile,
unless you accept his connection request then he will only be able to see what
you make available to the public. Keep in mind that the platform LinkedIn will
have access to all this information though since it is stored on their servers.
I’ve made it to the party, now how do I fit in with the cool kids? What is the etiquette?
There is a unique feel to LinkedIn, but if you blend in at
work you will fit in here just fine. LinkedIn is the professionals social
network. That means no memes, no cat gifs and I don’t care how cute they are,
no pictures of your kids. There are some exceptions to these rules but in
general when you share content make sure it is professional, accurate and from
a reliable source.
For example, an article from the Virgin Blog written by
Richard Branson on the challenges faced by entrepreneurs is totally acceptable.
A funny video of your kid after a trip to the dentist, keep that on Facebook.
As far as interacting with other people on LinkedIn, speak
to everyone as you would speak to your boss’s boss. LinkedIn is not a place for
political arguments, yelling at your ex or anything of that nature. Discussions
on matters that pertain to business topics are encouraged just keep them civil
and professional.
I don’t have time for this, I need to catch up on Game of Thrones and Stranger Things. Do I have to monitor this constantly?
LinkedIn is a platform that doesn’t need a lot of upkeep.
You create your profile and only update it when you have something to add, like
a new job title or new certification. You should post once, maybe twice a week
on LinkedIn and check your Inbox once a day. It takes just a few seconds to
check your inbox, you can do it on a mobile device or on a desktop.
It’s decided, I am going to be the best at this! How do I stand out?
There are a few ways to separate yourself from the herd when
it comes to LinkedIn. First you can subscribe to one of their monthly paid
options to help your profile by gaining access to special features, like who
has viewed your profile and what company searches you have appeared in.
You can also become an influencer on LinkedIn, this is most
easily done by building connections. The magic number to reach on this platform
is 500+ connections. At that point, you show up in more searches and get more
invites to connect in your inbox!
Make sure you are also sharing relevant and interesting
content. Bonus points if you create your own from a source like a blog or
website! The more your content gets shared the more your reputation builds in
your online community. But it is quality over quantity in this arena.
That’s it for the basic rundown on LinkedIn! Now jump online and start building your profile and establishing connections, try starting with people in your company or school first.
If you want an even
better profile that can drive leads, sales and more connections, make sure you
connect with me for more updates!
