Personal Brands and LinkedIn. Be awesome.

LinkedIn at a glance: •  Business-focused social networking site

•  Launched in May 2003

•  As of 4th of August 2011, LinkedIn operates the world’s largest professional network on the Internet with more than 120 million members in over 200 countries and territories

•  LinkedIn is currently available in nine languages: English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian, Turkish and Romanian

•  26m+ members in Europe

•  6m+ members in the UK

•  More than 2 million companies have LinkedIn Company Pages

You registered so...

Now you need a profile… Before you tear off on a tangent…

–   What is your personal brand all about?

•  Professionally- how do you help people trust you?

•  Outside of your profession – your personality should come through… a bit.

–  What industry contacts would you like to have?

–  What keywords will people use to find you? Compile your keywords that people will use in a search box in which you want to be found.

Do’s and Don’ts: Do Don’t

Name Use your full name. Middle initial if poss. Make it easy to find the right John Doe. Include <LION> if that’s what you are. LinkedIn Open Networker.

Use company name in this space. Forget to use a middle initial. Include all contact info and more in this space.

Headline Use keywords ppl would use in search box that you want to show up in. See Shannon Eastman profile for example.

Just be a job title. You’re so much more than that.

Status Updates Share an article, blog, link, stat, poll – something others can share.

Sell anything. Ask for a job. Ask people to do you favors. Bitch about your clients, your colleagues or anyone else for that matter.

Summary Keep it brief. More Billboard, less Resume/CV Bullet your content. Be creative.

Write a novel or anything more than 10 sentences.

Specialties Laundry lists are best. To the point. Again, more billboard, less resume.

Paragraphs, novels and free flowing text will likely not be read.

Experience Use job title, company, dates only. A PM is a PM is a PM – non? We don’t need to know your responsibilities/ roles.

Include chunks of copy from your resume. Small is the new big!

Education Give sufficient detail. But don’t bore us. Don’t lie. Websites Professional and not so professional please.

Business and personal has most definitely blurred. Interests Feel comfortable to ignore this space. Or not…

your call. Feel obliged to complete this section.

Contact Info Do complete this. Be specific as to how you want to be contacted and what info you need to have with cold calls.

Don’t be vague in your preferences.

Take your profile from good to kick-ass! Do Don’t

Recommendations Get a minimum of Ten. Fourteen is ideal. Give great reco’s while maintaining your integrity. Ask for them. It’s expected and welcome in this space. Best way to get one? Give one first.

Give people bad reco’s – just decline the request. Don’t give fake reco’s Take care in ensuring your reco’s are typo free, relevant to the right job. They will reflect on you if they look like a monkey wrote it.

Groups You can join up to 50 – join groups that represent you personally and professionally. Make an effort to visit the group, contribute, ask questions, reach out to group members.

Join 50 just for the sake of it. Ignore the settings that allow you to <not>receive group updates. Join a group and immed. go into selling mode.

Applications Do investigate all available apps and pick two to get started with. Aim for 4.

Ignore them. Add them all and then ignore them.

Growing your online network! 1.  Good rule of thumb – your online network should somewhat resemble your real

world network. Colleagues, former colleagues, clients, suppliers, school, people you’ve networked with.

2.  You can search for people in the following ways:

–  People tab in the top nav bar.

–  Search function – note drop down to left hand side should be pre-populated to “people”.

–  Companies tab in the top nav bar. Using drop down, select “Company Search’. Enter Company Name or Keyword and search. This search will reveal people who are connected to that company that may or may not be in your network.

Understanding your degrees of connection:

1st degree connections:

1.  Send a message

2.  Recommend them.

3.  Forward their profile to someone else.

4.  Print their profile.

5.  PDF their profile.

6.  Download a VCard

7.  Bookmark their profile.

8.  You may or may not have access to their network of people.

2nd and 3rd degree connections:

1.  Send InMail – Note the 5 limit rule.

2.  Get introduced to them through a connection.

a. Withdraw your request and resend

b. Note the 5 limit rule!

3.  Add them to your network.

a. Selecting “Friend” as the means by which you know them is the least administrative. But be very clear in your message to them as to why you want to connect, how you’re connected to them and the benefit for them having you in their network.

b. Beware of being labeled a “Spammer”

4.  Forward this profile to a connection

5.  Print, PDF, Bookmark this profile.

6.  You are unlikely to have access to their network.

7.  Visibility to who connects you to this person. Your connection knows them directly.

Be Amazing-at-Life! Do Don’t

Your Profile Update monthly or more often. Evolve your Headline as you evolve. Give reco’s without being asked.

Be selfish.

Polls Start your own poll – biz related or not. Participate in other people’s polls. Share interesting polls with your network.

Be a chump and leave mean or sarcastic comments. If you disagree… fair enough. Disagree.

Introductions Make them if you feel comfortable. Make them if you think the person asking is a chump. It’s your word that contact will be using to decide to accept or decline.

Stalking Use all the functions to gather information. “Companies” is a good way to find people, get insights or make contacts.

Forget to set your privacy settings according to your comfort level.

Account & Settings Do take the time to set these to your comfort level.

Ignore this part of the puzzle.

*Mwah* - you're beautiful!

Shannon Eastman

Social Marketer - trainer and coach

Shannon@PerfectlySocial.com

077 2031 2585 @ShannonEastman @PerfectlySocial www.Linkedin.com/in/ShannonEastman