8. Craft a Compelling Profile Headline
USE YOUR HEADLINE TO STAND OUT AND ATTRACT
THE RIGHT TARGET AUDIENCE
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What do you do?
Who do you help?
Be specific and deliberate
Don’t be a generalist (trying
to help everyone helps no
one)
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9. Use a Professional Profile Image
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Credibility
Trust
Personable
Memorable
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10. Use Descriptive KEYwords
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In your profile headline
In your profile summary
Current and past work
experience
Skills and expertise
What do you want to be found for? Use the language of your
target markets to attract and influence them.
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11. Add Rich Media to Your Profile
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Videos
Images
Audio
Presentations
Documents
Hint: Use supported providers for your links (i.e. Slideshare,
YouTube, etc.)
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15. Build Rapport with New Connections
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“Thanks” for connecting
Include info and links in your thank you message
Offer to connect them with others in your network
Ask them to send you more info about where else to
connect with them online
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16. Connect with Relevant Influencers
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They are well connected
They can help you grow
your influence more
quickly
Connect via mutual
LinkedIn Groups, find an
email address, or send a
compelling LinkedIn
InMail!
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17. Use the LinkedIn “Contacts” App
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Find new connection opportunities
Get alerts for job changes, birthdays, news mentions
Mobile app
http://contacts.linkedin.com
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20. Proactively Connect and Introduce
Others
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Listen and observe
Find common intersections
(location, industry,
companies, interests)
Make the connection
When you ask for an introduction, you will get it.
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23. Send Personalized InMails and
Messages
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Don’t send generic
updates or pitches!
Congrats, praise,
acknowledgement,
compliment, thanks
Ask for advice or
opinion
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24. Get Active in High Quality Groups
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Find well-managed groups –
ask connections, search
Ask and answer questions to
demonstrate your expertise
Connect with members
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25. Start Your Own Group!
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Timing has never been better
Manage and control the membership
and conversation
Gain email access to members
Create related offline events
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26. Show Up Everyday
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Get LinkedIn Influencer Networking on your calendar!
Top of mind consistency builds trust, visibility, and influence
Take advantage of mobile apps for engagement on the go
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Going to share with you today exactly how you can stand out to accomplish your personal and professional goals on LinkedIn by maximizing your influence. Doesn’t matter who you are, what kind of work you do. You can implement the tips that I give you today on a small or large scale and make them personal and relevant to your business.
It’s really quite simple. Everyone believes that you have to market, market, market, and sell, sell, sell…but this is exactly what you don’t want to do on LinkedIn. Instead, you want to build influence with the right people (target customer or client) by providing the right value (what do they need and want to get smarter, feel better, solve a problem, and achieve more?) AND by being your genuine, authentic self!
Today I’m going to teach you exactly how to be more successful on LinkedIn by positioning yourself as an influencer…not a sales person, not a marketer, not a business owner, not a job hunter. An influencer.
Learn from the visible influencers and do what they do. You don’t need the official title or label. You don’t have to be official. Notice you don’t see the words “market” and “sell” up here. Promote refers to promoting others!
You can’t be those influencers nor can you do it the way they’ve done it. But you can be THE top influencer in your location, industry, or market. I’m going to give you a bunch of tips for how to do this today. Here’s the simple process: research=>creatively connect=>add value=>promote a relevant offer
Actionable tips that matter most for maximizing your LinkedIn Influence! Here we go…
Your LinkedIn headline is your opportunity to make a 1st and lasting impression. Be specific to build influence with your headline. Going to show you a couple of examples. No stars or symbols! (amateur and desperate)
Your LinkedIn profile image is your opportunity to make a 1st and lasting impression. Don’t leave it blank, don’t use your logo (you’re not a brand you’re a person), don’t use an unprofessional image, don’t look away from camera, no full body images. Credibility killers.
Your headline and image will follow you everywhere within and outside of LinkedIn (Google search). It’s the most portable and memorable piece of your professional identity. Be your genuine, authentic self. No one can copy YOU!
What do you want to be known for and found for? Sprinkle the right words and phrases throughout your profile that match the language of your target markets. Example: Financial advisors use the term “prospects” not “leads” and “practice” vs “business”. Know your market and reflect it throughout your profile. (think of financial to consumer terms)
More views you get, the more potential traffic to your site.
If you don’t have any rich media, go create some! I believe rich media will continue to be highlighted and showcased. Adding rich media allows you to demonstrate your expertise!
This is a huge one. Sprinkle links your relevant “calls to action” throughout your profile – in particular under your website offerings and under Publications.
Path of prospective client or customer is going to be to view your profile and click through.
An intelligent network is one where you connect with relevant people…not just anyone and everyone. Go back to the “who” you are trying to influence. Think beyond new clients and customers. You want people who support your ideas and who are willing to spread them to your potential clients and customers…advocates. Never know who can become or lead to a client. Can also generate opportunities you’ve never imagined from media attention, speaking engagements, book deals, partnerships, employees, etc.
Can’t stress enough how important it is to send a personalized invite. Do NOT upload your contact list for LinkedIn to mass mail invitations. Be selective. Be creative. Find a connection point. Make your invite meaningful.
Simple, simple, stuff here. 99% of LinkedIn members won’t go the extra mile with this kind of rapport building. This is how you become memorable and also referable!
When you gain acceptance into an influencer’s network, you gain access to their network. Story: Last Tuesday at the Ritz – the most important networking event in Dallas – but have to get on the list to get an invite – to gain access to the folks who are on the list. Found the host, asked if I could interview him for my blog…find creative ways to get in the door with influencers.
This killer app will continue to get better and better. For now, you can identify contacts that you are not yet connected with on LinkedIn and send an invite (you have an email address). Make sure to organize your contacts first!!! Very important.
Building influence on LinkedIn is not a one time transaction. It’s an ongoing practice. You have to work at it everyday. Influencer networking is all about having the right mindset (relationship mindset) and engaging in activities that build influence.
Share content and messages that can help the members of your network: get smarter, solve a problem, feel better, achieve more. Remember what influencers do, they lead, inspire, teach, motivate, empathize, empower, promote and connect others.
This takes some time but if you carefully listen and observe, you can find strategic opportunities to connect others. The most common I’ve found is connecting job candidates with opportunities. Use your network intelligence to be proactive and create these kinds of opportunities. If you do, it will come back to you in spades.
Use mentions to get the attention of members in your network. Don’t abuse! Promote your connections publicly!
Endorsements help your connections build social proof (they also help with internal LinkedIn searches). If you endorse your connections, they will endorse you and help your search equity.
You hear advice not to ask for advice, but it just works. People feel compelled to share their point of view. They can’t help themselves! Image of a generic blog post sent to 50 contacts. Don’t do this! InMails are purchased (get small # with a free account) and can be sent to anyone on LinkedIn (even if you’re not connected with them). If there is someone I want to connect with but can’t get there, I’ll use InMail. It works. Response rates are fantastic.
Corporate sponsored groups on LinkedIn are fantastic. Watch how they are run. Find relevant groups and start engaging through Q&A. That’s how you will build influence with members and grow your network. Only share links to content (yours or otherwise) when it’s relevant and within the context of a discussion!
Never been a better time to create your own group! LinkedIn has recently updated group features and functionality. Providing more support to managers. Great way to build a more captive audience and also add value to that audience! Get creative with your angle. Social Media Examiner recently launched a high quality group!
This killer app will continue to get better and better. For now, you can identify contacts that you are not yet connected with on LinkedIn and send an invite (you have an email address). Make sure to organize your contacts first!!! Very important. 15 minutes a day: help others, promote others, connect others.
You hear advice not to ask for advice, but it just works. People feel compelled to share their point of view. They can’t help themselves! Image of a generic blog post sent to 50 contacts. Don’t do this! InMails are purchased (get small # with a free account) and can be sent to anyone on LinkedIn (even if you’re not connected with them). If there is someone I want to connect with but can’t get there, I’ll use InMail. It works. Response rates are fantastic.
