LinkedIn is the largest social network for professionals, surpassing 300 million users worldwide and extending to more than 200 countries. Today, knowledge of this platform gives professionals and companies countless possibilities not only as an online curriculum, but also as a personal marketing tool that offers the opportunity to reach large audiences, and more importantly, demonstrate to them what you or your company can offer them.
Create and attractive profile
Your profile should be attractive as it will be the first impression you will have on those people who show an interest in your profile, and as is well known, ‘you only have one opportunity to make a good first impression’. The most important element of your profile, so that is becomes more visible, is the title. Try to establish a title asking yourself which will be the key words for the users that would be looking at or visiting your profile, and add them throughout your statement, personal experience, interests and hobbies.
I would also like to emphasize the importance of displaying profiles in different languages depending on the languages you speak, because this way, you can be found by a larger number of users in different countries. In addition, you should use a quality close-up image that transmits your ‘personal branding’ in which you are wearing appropriate attire for your sector. In the work experience section, I suggest to use short phrases that summarize your experience in a simple way and fill each and every one of the sections, especially under ‘publications’, where you can incorporate your articles or books, easily grouping all of your work.
To have an excellent profile it is also advisable to have recommendations from clients, so do not be shy and ask for them. Try to complete the different sections thinking only in your professional field. Linkedin is a networking tool for business so consequently this platform is more focused on the corporate world and it is not appropriate to indicate your personal interests; that’s why there are other social networks like Facebook. Nobody at LinkedIn cares what your favorite sport or band is, so instead, add aspects related to your profession that are of interest to you and that incorporate keywords allowing your profile to be more visible.
The importance of contacts
The contacts on LinkedIn function in the form of a pyramid:
- Contacts of first-degree: They are your direct contacts, those users that have added you or you have added throughout your existence in the social network. These contacts can view your publications directly.
Third-degree contacts: They are your connections from your second-degree contacts. So that they can view your content, it is necessary that a second-level contact recommend your article.
In short, and to clarify, the more first-degree contacts you have, the easier you will be found and greater the possibility to be viewed by a greater number of users since your network determines your LinkedIn contacts viewing potential, your prospective area and your potential market. In my opinion, you should accept all those contacts that invite you regardless of the sector due to the importance of the extended network, because although that particular person who invited you to connect may not be of interest to you, his network is, and thus you will be able to reach a larger target market. As for the number of requests I send, I am more restrictive because each user has 3000 applications, so you should invite only those who are interesting to you professionally.
Building a professional identity requires time
Interact. We are all tired of hearing this word in the ‘social media’ world, but it is simple to say that without interaction there is no diffusion and the diffusion of your publication depends entirely on the size of your network and the quality of your content. It is also advisable to participate fully in the groups that are of interest to you and create discussions. The same rule should apply in these groups, interaction should be active as these groups serve to promote our content and appeal to a target audience that is not within our network. LinkedIn is ideal for creating contacts and establishing business relations:
- Connect with potential customers: Try to identify three important aspects of your potential client before making the first call.
- Connect with customers: The platform allows you the option to use tags to categorize your contacts and thus build a better relationship with them.
- Connect with your colleagues: It helps to maintain contact with all those professionals throughout the course of your career.
Linkedin is changing the way we do business, provoking significant organizational changes that involve new business models and enable new ways to interact allowing all kinds of fantastic business opportunities on edge of innovation and continuous improvement. Those social networkers that best adapt to this environment will survive this digital revolution that has only just begun.