Using LinkedIn to Build Your
Business
Unless you live under a rock, you have been hearing a lot about
using Social Networking sites to build your business. For
some businesses, it is a no brainer. For others, the jury is
still out.
If you are unfamiliar with
social networking sites, the more popular ones are Facebook,
Twitter, and LinkedIn. Facebook and Twitter are a good
way to communicate with friends, clients, and business
associates, where as LinkedIn is specific to business contacts.
You can use LinkedIn to:
- Build your online
reputation
- Meet key contacts
in your field
- Promote your
product / services
- Find business for
products / services you need
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A well managed LinkedIn account can boost
your company's credibility and visibility, thus increasing your website traffic
and potential sales.
How to Develop a LinkedIn Profile
Complete the profile information completely. The more you
provide the better people will be able to connect with you. Use a
current and clear photo so people can see who you are. If you do
not have a professional done photo, get one. Select your location
so you can get connected with businesses in your area. Select the
appropriate category for your business and have a clear job title. List
past jobs, show your educational background and highlight your
work. Provide detailed descriptions of your products or
services. You may know what you do, but others
may not, so educate them.
Recommendations
Recommendations on LinkedIn
serve to build your credibility, much like testimonials do
on your website. Ask people to write a
recommendation who have worked with you and can vouch for you.
These people could include clients, business associates, and
vendors. When asking for a recommendation, be specific as to
what you want them to talk about.... a particular job,
product, or event.
Links
Your LinkedIn profile allows you to have three links.
One should be your website. If you have a blog that would
be another one. A third might be a specific page on your
website. You can customize each link with search terms.
For example, instead of "My Website", I have "Website Design
Appleton". To change the name of the link, click "Other,"
and you can customize
your links.
LinkedIn URL
LinkedIn is indexed by the search engines so be sure your
profile is set to "public". You can also optimize your
LinkedIn address. For example, mine is
http://www.linkedin.com/in/virtualtechweb.
To customize your link see the "Your Public Profile URL" section in LinkedIn.
A Success Story
LinkedIn is a great way to promote your products and services,
but it is also a fantastic way to find products and services that
you need. My step-son, Tony, was testing for his 2nd
degree black belt on Saturday, October 17. We still had
not found a photographer. So, on Thursday, October 15
(around 6pm) I posted a message to my LinkedIn contacts.
Within 2 hours I had 10 people reply with contact information of
photographers. Friday morning I had a message from a
photographer that was available! Great Scott Images did a
fantastic job! Thanks to everyone who helped.
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