5 Linkedin must Haves
LinkedIn is now largely known as 'the' social network for professional people, with a growing membership and an ever-changing toolkit to help users get the most from it. LinkedIn doesn't have the visibility and coverage of sites like Facebook and LinkedIn but many users are starting to realize genuine benefits from a strong LinkedIn presence.
LinkedIn still suffers, however, from a sizable proportion of registered users that say it is a waste of time. Having signed up for an account, those users have seen little benefit from being a member of LinkedIn and write it off as just another gimmick. Writing for Social Media Today, Gledrius Ivanauskasoutlineswhy they are probably seeing no success and lists the five essential things that users must do if they are to see any benefits from having a LinkedIn account.
A complete profile
A name and position is simply not enough. Users must complete their profile in full. All too often, basic information like an email address or telephone number is missing – so how do those users expect anybody to get in touch? A LinkedIn profile forms part of a personal brand so users must ensure that it is current, informative and complete. Another essential feature is a simple, professional profile picture. People like to be able to put a face to the name.
Join groups
It is vital to join and participate in Groups. This is one of the core aspects of networking on LinkedIn. Groups help professionals share ideas and opportunities. Users need not only join one group either. It is perfectly acceptable to join groups that reflect peers, customers or suppliers. Ideally, a strong professional brand will actively network within all three. Ivanauskus recommends that you join as many as the site permits – currently 50.
Ask and answer questions
This is another essential feature that helps grow interactions and make connections with prospective customers and future employers. Questions offer a perfect opportunity to share your experience and ideas and will help others get a much better feel for your capabilities than a flat profile.
Reply to all messages
There is little point in joining a social network if you are not inclined to answer messages from other users. Even if the user is making an offer in which you are not interested, it is still better and courteous to reply to that effect. Social network users quickly tire of other network members that seem only to reply to something that specifically suits them at a point in time. Remember that social networking takes time and effort – replying to messages is part of this.
Add recommendations and applications
Bringing your profile alive with other applications is a particularly useful way of attracting more interest. By using the application menu, you can incorporate blogs, Twitter accounts and share documents like PDF files and Powerpoint presentations. This can quickly help demonstrate your capabilities. It's also vital to have real recommendations from other users of the network. These need to come from people with whom you have previously worked and will shows proven capability in the market.
These five areas really only cover the basics of LinkedIn and there are many other areas to consider. However, by addressing these core essentials, users should start to see some of the benefits of networking via LinkedIn.
