LinkedIn is more than just a place to post your profile and forget about it.
You can be more visible on LinkedIn without devoting an enormous amount of time to it.
Connections are strengthened when you interact and share ideas and information.
And a solid network is vital to growing your business.
Here are seven ways to increase your presence on LinkedIn.
1. Give Recommendations
Post a recommendation for someone you’re connected to. A key element of effective networking is to give first. And you never know, someone else may feel compelled to write a recommendation for you. This is not the reason to do it, just a possible outcome.
2. Join Groups
You can join up to 50 groups. On the main navigation click on ‘Interests’, from the drop-down box there click on ‘Groups’. There you will see a list of all of the groups you are a member of and below that a list of groups that you may find interesting.
You can type keywords into the search box and hit enter. From there you can refine your search of groups by using the navigation on the left based on: members, categories, or languages.
Another way to discover interesting groups is to see what groups your connections are members of. Once you’re a member of a group, join the discussions and look for people you may know but are not yet connected to and invite them to connect.
For more on this, be sure to check out my video: How to Use LinkedIn Groups to Connect With More People.
3. Give Endorsements
Give people you know endorsements. When you visit the profile of one of your connections, at the top you will see an option to endorse their skills. This is a fast an easy way to support people whose work you value.
4. See Who Has Viewed Your Profile
Check out who has been looking at your profile. This is located on the right sidebar of your home page and is under the heading ‘Who’s Viewed My Profile?’ and if you click underneath you can see a list.
You can also find this under the main navigation ‘Profile.’ You may find that you know people who are looking at your profile and you can invite them to connect.
5. Add New Connections
Invite people to connect. I know, this seems ridiculous to mention but often people get into a reactive mode and wait for others to ask them to connect.
If you meet someone and exchange contact details you can search Google using the keywords of their name and LinkedIn to see if they are already on LinkedIn. If they are, you can send them an invitation to connect.
And please, personalize your invitation instead of using LinkedIn’s standard text. It only takes a few seconds and it makes a big difference.
If there is someone you would like to be connected with, but don’t know personally, you can request that someone you are connected with (that is connected to the person you want to meet) make the introduction for you.
6. Share Valuable Content
Update your status daily, a few times weekly or as often as possible. You can share quotes, interesting links to articles and websites, and ask questions. This positions you as a resource and keeps your business visible.
You can also comment on the status updates and changes of people you’re connected to. Congratulate someone on a new position or comment on a particular project.
7. Add Videos and Photos to Your Profile
It’s super easy to add videos and photos to the ‘Summary’, ‘Experience’ or ‘Education’ sections of your LinkedIn profile. Simply click on ‘Profile’ in the main navigation at the top of the page and then click on ‘Edit Profile’ and go to the section you want to add video or photos to.
Once you get to the section you want to update, look for a little box in the upper right hand corner of the section. Click on that box icon and you’ll get a drop down menu where you can choose to ‘Add Link’ or ‘Upload a File’ – click on that and then select the file(s) you want to upload. It’s that easy.
Not using video yet? Take a look at my post, 14 Ways to Use Video to Grow Your Business.
© Stephanie Ward
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEBSITE? You can, as long as you include this information with it: Stephanie Ward is the Marketing Coach for Entrepreneurs who want to create meaningful and prosperous businesses. Grab your FREE copy of the special report ’7 Steps to Attract More Clients in Less Time’ plus business building tips, at: https://www.fireflycoaching.com.
How do you use LinkedIn for your business? Share your thoughts and questions below in the comments section. I respond to every single comment.
