Succeed on LinkedIn with top tips from 20 experts
Do you use LinkedIn?
It’s one of the most important tools for business people who want to develop relationships with their peers online.
I surveyed 20 thought leaders about how they use LinkedIn, and I asked them what it takes it succeed on this popular social media network.
Here’s what these LinkedIn and industry experts said:
1. Dave Kerpen — author and entrepreneur
@SageCRM Publish valuable articles on @LinkedIn — answer the question: How can I help my customers learn more?
— Dave Kerpen (@DaveKerpen) September 16, 2014
2. Barry Dalton — host of @SMAddicts podcast with @sethgoldstein — www.barrydalton.com
@SageCRM LI Tip 1- nurture your current network all the time. Don’t wait til you need something…like a job
— Barry Dalton (@bsdalton) October 13, 2014
@SageCRM LI Tip 2- give ppl a reason to connect with you. Don’t just send blind invites (especially if you’re in sales ☺
— Barry Dalton (@bsdalton) October 13, 2014
@SageCRM LI tip 3 — share and help others through your network and content curation. This builds your personal brand
— Barry Dalton (@bsdalton) October 13, 2014
3. Steve Farnsworth — Forbes top 50 social media influencer
@SageCRM 1) Find and become active in groups that focus on your industry. Share links, comment, and like 3 to 5 times a week.
— Steve Farnsworth (@Steveology) September 18, 2014
@SageCRM 2) Apply for LinkedIn’s long posts feature. When approved, write and post weekly, and share your posts in your groups.
— Steve Farnsworth (@Steveology) September 18, 2014
4. Neil Patrick — marketing director and writer
@SageCRM If you go to my blog there are 60 posts about Linkedin…I’m sure you’ll find something you like! Just use the searchbox ;-)
— Neil Patrick (@NewCareerGuru) September 18, 2014
5. Ken Herron — number 2 CMO on Twitter according to Social Media Marketing Magazine
Hi @SageCRM (http://t.co/EXfYLbZrzK)! Use #LinkedIn’s #ProfessionalGallery to show (not tell!) people you, your brand, and your business.
— Ken Herron (@KenHerron) September 17, 2014
6. Kendra Lee — IT sales strategist
@SageCRM Yes! Tip: Reply personally when accepting a new connection. Frequently it starts a valuable conversation.
— Kendra Lee (@KendraLeeKLA) September 17, 2014
7. Shep Hyken — customer service expert, business speaker and New York Times bestselling author
@SageCRM Describe not only what you did for a company, but how you contributed to the company.
— Shep Hyken (@Hyken) September 17, 2014
@SageCRM More you give the more you get. LI is about making connections. What can you do to make people want to be/stay connected with you?
— Shep Hyken (@Hyken) October 9, 2014
8. Paul Shapiro — digital marketer | programmer | SEO director
@SageCRM I’d say if LinkedIn is a goal, make it a prerogative to make use of your employees on the network involved in your efforts.
— Paul Shapiro (@fighto) September 16, 2014
@SageCRM I’m a proponent of utilizing employees as an often neglected resource for marketing: http://t.co/m7rtobhUr5
— Paul Shapiro (@fighto) September 16, 2014
@SageCRM Make sure your branding is unified on LI, encourage them to write Publishing posts http://t.co/UV4w3VErKv and…
— Paul Shapiro (@fighto) September 16, 2014
@SageCRM encourage them to engage in groups. Help others and demonstrate their expertise :-)
— Paul Shapiro (@fighto) September 16, 2014
Paul writes at Search Wilderness.
9. Marji J. Sherman — social media strategist
.@SageCRM Publish content to establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry. #LinkedIn
— Marji J. Sherman (@MarjiJSherman) September 17, 2014
10. Frank J. Kenny — speaker, author and consultant
@SageCRM — Use LinkedIn to build know, like, and trust. Post updates, photos and text, that allow others to get to know the real you.
— Frank J. Kenny (@FrankKenny) September 17, 2014
11. Mary Green — internet marketer and founder of Social Media Fuze
@SageCRM Absolutely. Carefully target the groups you join and participate religiously.
— Mary Green (@MaryGreenIM) September 17, 2014
12. Tim Hughes — top 35 UK blogger, speaker and market influencer
Tim Hughes contacted us via email to say:
People often use the standard layout that LinkedIn offers. This does not really fit with the information that your reader (customer and prospects) want. Your LinkedIn profile is a little like an email or letter. To make an impression, you need to get the right information to the reader as quickly as possible, otherwise they will move on.
Go into edit mode and you will see and up and down arrow on the right hand side. This allows you to move the seconds up and down. In many cases people move the “Honors and Awards” section to below the summary. This is done so you look like a human that people would want to talk to rather than a corporate suit.
Get a punchy headline then the reader may grant you 7 seconds of their time and then another 7 seconds. Each time you get granted another 7 seconds you need to be demonstrating value to them.
13. Jeff Sheehan — social Media Pro | speaker| author | radio show host |
.@SageCRM TY. Don’t game @linkedin by stuffing w/ frivolous titles & redundant keywords. http://t.co/i5piTBkcUD Unethical! Disingenuous!
— Jeff Sheehan (@JeffSheehan) October 9, 2014
14. Mark Tamis — Parisian Dutchman with Enterprise Software background
@SageCRM explore 2nd level contacts for introductions. Birds of a feather flock together.
— Mark Tamis (@MarkTamis) October 9, 2014
15. Jesus Hoyos — CRM consultant, speaker and influencer. Managing Director at Solvis Consulting
@SageCRM you have to cross LinkedIn data with other social networks and integrate LinkedIn with your CRM and Marketing Automation tools
— Jesus Hoyos (@jesus_hoyos) October 9, 2014
16. Mike Wittenstein — experience/service/business designer
@SageCRM #tip = pick a good balance between your learn-from, inspire-others and sell-to contacts.
— Mike Wittenstein (@mikewittenstein) October 9, 2014
17. Robert Bellovin — media relations for Software Advice
.@SageCRM Ask biz partners to write recommendations, optimize your listed skills & get endorsements, join industry groups to expand network.
— Robert Bellovin (@Rbellovin) October 10, 2014
.@SageCRM recommend using a professional headshot. This is first content people see. Together these will help increase your visibility.
— Robert Bellovin (@Rbellovin) October 10, 2014
18. Michael Fauscette — software industry analyst/exec @IDC
@SageCRM keep ur profile, particularly summary, focused, fresh & regularly updated, including posting fresh content wkly
— Michael Fauscette (@mfauscette) October 10, 2014
19. Ian Golding — certified customer experience professional, speaker and blogger
@SageCRM adapt & multiply!! Regularly add content (not too much) — send the odd direct message to many contacts — use the new Pulse facility
— Ian Golding (@ijgolding) October 10, 2014
@SageCRM do not keep doing the same thing (hence ‘adapt’) BUT keep doing stuff often (‘multiply’) — hope this makes sense and helps!
— Ian Golding (@ijgolding) October 10, 2014
20. Arie Goldshlager — customer strategy, customer insight, and innovation consultant
I interviewed Arie over the phone. He provided these useful tips:
One is about getting connected. I try to connect with a purpose and the purpose is to facilitate collaboration and to help my connections succeed. I connect proactively and creatively. I look for people who share my interests and experiences.
I try to connect carefully and connect with everybody that has potential for future collaboration. I also connect for the long-term. I have connections that went inactive…but which come up again later on, and produced value.
I try to make conversations often and meet the person face-to-face or in a conference call as soon as possible. I do this selectively. I also look for ways to make an initial investment in the connection. If there is anything I can do to help the connection, that is a good start.
A lot of people get connected and they do nothing about the connection and it becomes inactive. I try to do connection or relationship development. I like get into relationships that are reciprocal where there is a flow of value. I do something for them and they do something for me in return. I continuously make investments.
Every week I look at my LinkedIn updates and for events such as people moving from one employment situation to another. I try to write a note and continue the conversation.
If you enjoyed this post, please join or continue on the discussion on the official Sage CRM LinkedIn group. You can also read the second part of this post on LinkedIn.
Originally published at www.sagecrm.com.
