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November 14, 2016 0 Comments

6 Tips to Successful LinkedIn Publisher Posts

The LinkedIn Publisher feature is a great way to bring blog-type articles to your LinkedIn presence. Before, only brief status-type updates were available, but Publisher posts are long-form and read much more like blog posts.

Although similar to blog posts, there are some tips to ensure that you Publisher posts are being seen and well-received on LinkedIn.

Consistency

Just like you practice consistency in your blog and social media posting, consistency in LinkedIn Publisher posts is just as important.  You can syndicate your content across various channels, but it’s also helpful to create specific content for LinkedIn.

If you blog on a weekly basis, do your best to post to LinkedIn Publisher once per week as well.  It’s helpful to get into a groove that is doable for you and your schedule.  Another tip to maintain consistency is to vary your content by a tiny bit.  If you posted about one topic several months ago, maybe do a Part 2 or more in-depth look at that topic on the Publisher platform.

Short and Sweet

LinkedIn, like other social media sites, is a browsing platform, so it’s not a place for lengthy posts.  However, according to LinkedIn.com, “posts that are best received are more than 3 paragraphs.”

Do your best to find a happy medium of short and sweet mixed with informative and complex enough to hook your reader and bring them along.

Write for the audience

As we all know, LinkedIn is a professional platform with a demographic of professional business people.   With this in mind, save the more personal and irrelevant posts for your own blog.  This is a great place to establish yourself as the expert in your field, which is incredibly helpful for prospects, clients, and future employers to see.

Offer value

When you’re in the professional space, be sure you’re offering value.  Is your post informative?  Does your reader learn something new?  If you’re adhering to posts that establish you as an expert, they should do all of the above.  Once your posts become more and more popular, your audience will know that they can count on you to provide content that is always worth their time.

Photos

Although LinkedIn is for business, visual elements still hook the eye and draw people in.  Make sure to use a visually appealing header and photo in your post.  This also helps to break up text and bring attention to your post in a crowded marketplace.

Share your post

Don’t keep your words to yourself! Share the post among your other social networks and drive traffic back to your LinkedIn Publisher post.  Don’t be afraid to mention these posts elsewhere, especially if you’re doing varied content.  The more content you have out there, the more visible you are.  This is incredibly helpful for SEO rankings, expert status, and helping employees, employers, clients, or prospects to find you more easily.

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September 12, 2016 0 Comments

5 Best Practices for LinkedIn Success

As most of us know, LinkedIn is the social media site for professionals.  If you’ve been shying away from the site, now is the time to join! While the world is becoming more and more social media savvy, it’s important to have a place on the site made for employees, employers, and professionals in general.

LinkedIn does far more than allow you to add connections and show off your work experience; it can be a place to search for new jobs and applicants, as well as offer value to your followers and potential connections.  Read along for some simple best practices to start using LinkedIn to its fullest.

Solid Summary

Do you have a Professional Summary that really stands out? While it can be tempting to just put a sentence or two about what you do or what you’re looking for in a career, truly take some time to make it special.

In addition to writing a few key paragraphs that may include information such as: how you can assist those who work with you or hire you, what measurable results you’ve produced, and how to get in contact with you, you can also add media such as video, photos, presentations and audio.  By taking the time to add a solid, well-written summary (and bonus points for media additions!), you will be well on your way to standing out on LinkedIn.

Adding Value

How can you help those who come to your profile?  If you’re searching for a job, how can you show that you’re the best fit?  You can add value by posting daily or weekly posts, publishing longer blogs or articles in the Publishing section, or simply by posting helpful items of interest for your followers.

If someone is following you, what kind of information would they like to know?  What is your expertise and how can you give some of that away?

Value also comes in the form of showing potential employers, investors, and so on what you can do for them, if applicable.  Measurable results always sell, so be sure to include data, Recommendations, and other information as solid proof of your skills.

Contact Information

Don’t forget your contact information! It may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people forget this.  Yes, you can contact someone through Linkedin direct mail, but someone may want to place an inquiry via email or by phone. Contact information also includes any and all websites that you’re a part of – make it easy for those clients, customers, and potential employers to find you and get in touch!

Professional Photo

While you don’t need to go so far as to hire a professional photographer just for a LinkedIn photo, it isn’t a bad idea.  If a professional photo isn’t in the budget, have a friend stage a nice area, put on a nice, professional outfit, and take a few photos.  LinkedIn photos should be headshots that are done in nice lighting, appropriate for the professional world, and include a smile.

Use it

LinkedIn won’t be much help to you if it’s never used.  Utilize the capabilities included on the site, add connections, and use it as your professional face to the world. Business people – whether that’s a potential client, employer, or employee – will look at your profile, so it’s important to put your best face and experience forward.

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August 17, 2015 0 Comments

4 Keys to a Glowing LinkedIn Personal Summary

 

LinkedIn is not only important for a job search, it’s important to let your colleagues and future employers know your past experience, results, and personal attributes.

 

We’ve all seen the Summary section at the top of our profiles, which can be a little intimidating.  Since it’s a free form block of space, we often wonder what to put there.  Is it a written out resume?  A list of skills? Read along for tips to maximize your personal Summary for success!

 

Make it readable

 

Although you have a lot of space to create your Summary, don’t put all your text in one place.  For starters, use bullets and numerous paragraphs to break up the space and each topic.

 

When a potential employer comes to your profile, they need to know what you do in a succinct, well organized manner.  Keep each set of information together – for example, qualities and attributes in one paragraph, general applicable results in another, followed by your call to action – all in separate spaces.

 

Use the space

 

Never leave your personal Summary blank! I repeat, never leave it blank. It’s better to have a small Summary of your contributions versus leaving it blank.  The rest of your LinkedIn profile is basically laid out like a resume, whereas this is the ideal space to show some personality and writing skills.

 

This is the space to really show yourself – use the space as you need, but don’t feel the need to go on and on just to fill the maximum characters either.

 

Call to action

 

It’s important to let your potential employer or potential clients know what to do and how to contact you.

 

Do you have a link to your online profile? Do you have a business email address or phone number? A website? Include this information in your call to action.  Whatever makes the most sense for your purpose on LinkedIn, do that to ensure that the right people can contact you directly.

 

Answer the question: What do I want my reader to do after reading this?  Create your call to action accordingly!

 

What’s important?

 

It’s important to tell a story via your personal Summary.  How did you get started in your chosen field or industry? The less it reads like a cover letter or resume and more like a personal story, the more intriguing you become to readers.

 

Include the compelling story of how you got to this point, as well as any applicable accomplishments – especially those that can be quantified.  Impressive results and hard data are always ideal, but if you can’t do that, include a short, 1-2 sentence testimonial or proof of your past works.

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