When used correctly, LinkedIn is one of the most powerful tools for business networking that you’ll find on the web. When you are proactive with the way that you use the social network, you can reach out to new potential clients or business partners and find a lot of information that could help you improve your business operations.
However, there are a few things that you should know about LinkedIn if you are going to get the most out of your experience on the site:
- Not everyone wants to network. Everyone uses the site differently, and you need to figure out which people are ones who are likely to want to reach out to others they haven’t met, and
We help overwhelmed small business owners duplicate themselves – so business can be fun again. which people aren’t particularly interested in extending their network beyond existing connections they know. If you are reaching out to someone that you haven’t met before, explain how you found them and why you’re interested in connecting. If they don’t accept your request to connect, be respectful of that.
- You need to make a good first impression with your profile. After all, your profile is the first thing your connections will see. You should have a professional-looking photo, detailed information on your profile, personal recommendations, a thoughtful summary and a customized profile URL.
- People notice spam. People hate being advertised to, and considering that LinkedIn is fully of business-savvy people, they’re going to know when you’re only there to spam them with advertisements. Even subtle advertising likely isn’t going to be of much use.
- You need to get personal. Just like in your normal marketing practices, you need to be personal with the way that you use LinkedIn. If you give people personal acknowledgement, they’ll be much more likely to reciprocate and form a relationship with you. Add custom messages to connection invitations, recommend them for services and more.
- Groups are imperative. Groups are the best way to increase the size of your network and reach out to people that you’ve never met. By participating in and starting discussions, you can increase your visibility while taking in a whole lot of useful information.
For more tips, reach out to us today at Viral Solutions.
Copyright 2015 Viral Solutions LLC
by Thomas von Ahn | Chief Elephant Slayer
