How to use LinkedIn for professional networking

We show you how to get the most out of your social media networking.

By Francois Muscat

I often hear people, especially baby boomers, say they’re not into ‘social media networking’. While many of us have set-up Facebook profiles, other networks like Pinterest, Twitter and especially LinkedIn can easily seem like a waste of time and too much admin.

If you’re a franchise owner, or any type of executive or business owner, LinkedIn should be your most important networking tool. There are over 160-million LinkedIn users who are willing and able to start networking with you professionally. Africa alone has over 4,4-million LinkedIn members.

What makes LinkedIn different from other social media sites is the business aspect it brings to social networking. Each social network has its own personality. While Facebook can be likened to an online pub where people get together and share photos and stories about their lives, LinkedIn, on the other hand, is more like a trade show. You will only have one profile photo (with a collar shirt and without other people in the background) and instead of posting pictures about your trip down the Garden Route, you’ll post job advertisements, share industry news and perhaps even a link to a White Paper you wrote.

LinkedIn Stats for South Africa

• Total LinkedIn Users: 1,569,601
• Country position: 14
• Penetration of online population: 29.62%

Analysis of your South African network per title keyword

• Director: 81,058
• Senior Manager: 26,224
• Manager: 221,812
• Consultant: 79,008

The benefits of using LinkedIn

If you are still having doubts about this powerful networking tool, here are a few reasons why you need to consider including LinkedIn in your online marketing strategy:

• Increased business exposure: Networking on LinkedIn can increase your business exposure and the chances of connecting with like-minded individuals. LinkedIn members can search for products and services within their own networks, as well as the people their network knows directly.
• Personal branding: You can increase your visibility to your network and the people searching for the services you offer. You can also increase your online credibility by marketing yourself as the expert in your niche. A positive online presence will reinforce the branding you are undertaking elsewhere.
• Networking: LinkedIn allows you to connect with clients, old colleagues, vendors and so forth. In my opinion, LinkedIn is the most trusted online channel for connecting with professionals.
• Network search: The search engine on LinkedIn is very powerful and the database is optimised and kept up-to-date by each individual.
• Relationship marketing: Who knows whom in your business network? Not only do you have access to your entire address book, but also the address book of everyone in your network. You can find out which person in your network would be able to connect you with a certain company, and they may even give you a referral.

The new way to network

The first thing you must understand about LinkedIn is that it is not so very different from real-time, face-to-face networking. The same rules that apply to traditional networking also apply to this professional social network. At a network event you cannot expect to meet someone and instantly start doing business with them. In the same way you cannot add someone to your network and expect business to happen immediately.

To gain the maximum benefit from this social network, start by ensuring that your LinkedIn profile is 100 percent complete.

The process of setting up a powerful LinkedIn profile can be summarised as follows:

1. Determine your goal
2. Create a powerful headline
3. Put up a professional photo
4. Claim your public profile URL
5. First person summary
6. List three experiences
7. Get three recommendations
8. Include your contact information

Creating your personal profile on LinkedIn

Simply having a LinkedIn account is not enough to add value to a business. Your profile is one of the central ways others will connect with and find you on this network, so take the time to build a complete profile. The more information you share on your profile, the more searchable it becomes, improving your chances of connecting with the right people.

Follow these steps to create your personal profile on LinkedIn:

Step 1: Name and image

As simple as this may sound, thousands of people get it wrong. Include your full name without a title like ‘Mr’ and not your first name with an initial of your surname. It is worthwhile to invest in a professionally taken photograph with a plain background. Profiles without photos attract much less views and are often not considered credible.

Step 2: Include your title

Your LinkedIn title is your ‘professional headline’. Your title should include your current position at the company you are working at, such as ‘Business Owner at XYZ Company’. This title will automatically update if you change your job title.

Step 3: Add work experience

As a record of all your work experience, your LinkedIn profile acts as a digital CV. It’s not necessary to include your stint as a waiter during your college years, but it is advisable to list your most recent positions. Remember that you’re customising your LinkedIn profile for professional networking, so limit any volunteer work with social groups to the ‘Additional Information’ tab (see Step 5).

Step 4: Create a unique URL

At the bottom of the Edit Profile page, access the ‘Public Profile’ link and change your URL to your name, for example www.linkedin.com/in/francoismuscat.

Step 5: Add more specifics

Next to ‘Additional Information’ you will see an ‘Edit’ tab. Click on this tab to include your associations, interests, groups and awards. You will also see a section where you can link your company’s website, your blog or your personal website.

Step 6: Ask for recommendations

On LinkedIn, recommendations play an important role in building your brand and image. Authentic endorsements from clients and people you have done business with can speak volumes. Under each position there is a hyperlink where you can ask for recommendations. I’ve included a section with tips on how to approach this later in the article.

Step 7: Link your Twitter account

You will see a Twitter link just beneath the first section of your profile. Click ‘edit’ and share your Twitter handle so people can follow your tweets.

Step 8: Start networking

Now that your profile is complete, you can start looking for people to network with. If you click on the ‘People’ link you will find a drop-down menu where you can search for groups such as sales, marketing, mining, communications and so forth. I’ve also included a section later in this article on how to use LinkedIn for research purposes.

LinkedIn Recommendations

Adding recommendations to your profile is a powerful way to cement stronger bonds with your connections. Getting recommendations from clients, colleagues and employers can instantly add credibility to your digital profile. These endorsements are great testimonials because they are written by others.
So how do you get valid endorsements on your LinkedIn profile? LinkedIn allows you to ask for recommendations directly from past workers, managers, service providers and even business partners.
Some tips for getting recommendations on LinkedIn:

• Targeting: Seek out testimonials from satisfied clients and leaders in your industry. Testimonials from family and friends carry less weight.
• Clients: Encourage all your customers to give you a recommendation as you complete your work. This is a great time to ask for feedback.
• Giving: If you don’t feel right asking for one, start the process by giving out one. The recipient will feel flattered and most often will leave one for you in return.
• Value: Always think about the value your recommendation will add to your profile. When giving out recommendations, try to add as much value to the endorsement as possible.
• Specific: General comments are perceived as a weak endorsement. A good recommendation contains examples or sound information. Instead of saying “Herman is a good person…”, say “Herman is an excellent employee to work with and he has a thorough understanding of…”.
• Credibility: Endorsements rich with raving and hype statements will also be discounted by readers. The best recommendations are transparent and honest.

LinkedIn Answers

Another great feature on LinkedIn is LinkedIn Answers (http://www.linkedin.com/answers), giving you access to millions of people asking questions. Use this section by answering and asking questions that will interest your target audience. Well written questions can receive over 50 answers and spark a dialogue.

After using LinkedIn Answers, I usually follow-up with a personal response to every person that answered one of my questions. Here are examples of my typical responses:

• If they are already a connection of mine: I thank them for the time they have spent by answering my question.
• If they are not a connection of mine, but I want to add them: I thank them for answering the question and I send out an invitation to them to connect with me.
• If they are not a connection of mine and I am not interested in establishing a connection: I thank them for their answer.

LinkedIn Answers is an opportunity to interact with your current connections, but also to increase your number of connections. This answers section also helps you get recognised on this popular community.

Your company’s page

Once your personal profile is complete and you’ve got the hang of using all the LinkedIn features, it is time to set-up your company’s LinkedIn page.

The reason people connect with companies and brands on LinkedIn is different to the reasons they follow them on Twitter or Facebook. Clients my use Twitter to follow a brand or company for news regarding their latest deals and offerings, but they will turn to LinkedIn for specific company information such as organisational structures, locations, etc. This can greatly influence whether or not a prospect wants to connect with your company. Building a reputation on LinkedIn takes time – so don’t expect immediate results for your company or franchise.

Out of all the social media networks, LinkedIn calls for the most professionalism. I advise you to follow these steps:

Step 1: Your company’s information

Click on ‘Tools’ and then ‘Edit’ on your profile page. LinkedIn will prompt you to fill in all the relevant company information. Instead of copying and pasting your website’s About Us page, make sure you have properly summarised the information to be suitable for this platform as this will help LinkedIn users understand what you are all about.

Step 2: Post jobs

The second tab on your page allows you to post job vacancies. Even if you use recruitment agencies it is still a good idea to post job opportunities on your company’s LinkedIn page.

Step 3: Add products and services

Click on the ‘Products’ tab and list your company’s products and services.

Step 4: Promote your company

You can create a LinkedIn ad campaign. If you’re unfamiliar with online advertising methods such as Google’s Pay-Per-Click advertising, you can go to the ‘Admin Tools’ tab and LinkedIn will walk you through the process. Creating an ad campaign is split into four steps and the ‘Common Questions’ box on the right hand side of the page will offer suggestions for writing your ad and answer questions such as “Where will my ads show up?”

Step 5: Analytics

Measurement is an integral part of any Internet marketing campaign. The fourth and final tab on your LinkedIn page is ‘Analytics’, which will help you track page views, unique visitors and how many clicks your products and services received.

LinkedIn is much more than a digital CV. It is the new way to connect with like-minded professionals and do research about your competition, sales prospects and even new employers. To get the most out of it, dedicate at least an hour or two a week to finding connections, contributing to groups and engaging with the people.

WSI
www.wsioms.co.za
francois@wsioms.co.za
+27 11 468 3138