Top LinkedIn Tips Workbook

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1. Headline This is not your title! Your headline is key to someone picking you out of a search. The headline should address 2 things: 1.) what you do (functionally); and 2.) who you serve (target market) Create your new headline now: _____________________________________________________________________________________

2. Web links Never use My Company, My Website, My Blog, or any preset phrase. Always select the “Other” option. This allows you to personalize the title of the link. Always use all 3 links. Not sure if you have 3 links? Consider direct links to Twitter and Facebook profiles (and any of the other secondary social networks), links to nonprofit organizations you’re involved in, or use it to help promote a friend’s or family member’s business. List your 3 links:

1. ______________________________________

2. ______________________________________

3. ______________________________________

3. Contacts to Connections Import your contact database/address book using the Imported Contacts function. LinkedIn will crawl through Outlook and all webmail programs for you. If that doesn’t work, you can always export the data in a comma separated value (csv) format and directly upload. Only 3 fields are needed – first name, last name, and email address.

The Baker’s Dozen LinkedIn Tips and Recommendations


Why? LinkedIn will be able to tell you who is already on LinkedIn saving you time searching for individuals. Additionally, when someone who isn’t on LinkedIn joins, LinkedIn will let you know. To Do – import contacts

4. Summary Your summary is not your bio; it is your elevator speech. It should tell people why they should do business with you today. It should include the following 3 components:

1. Services you provide/problems you solve 2. Who would benefit from working with you 3. What results you’ve gotten

To Do – On a separate sheet of paper, rewrite your summary.

5. Specialties The specialties section should not be written in a prose style (sentences). Your specialties should be keywords and key phrases that people would use to search for someone looking for your services. List your specialties:


6. Experience The Experience section is your resume and should be treated as such. LinkedIn now has the capability to upload your resume and pre-populate all of the fields without requiring you to type it in. Make sure that this area is keyword rich. To Do – Upload resume or complete Experience section.

7. Groups You can join up to 50 groups. Join the groups populated by your target market. Actively participate in discussions and news postings. Generate discussions based on your product/service messages. Start a group and create a circle of influence. What types of groups should you join?

What type of group should you create? _________________________________

8. Box.net application Install the box.net application and upload printed marketing collateral, work samples, free content, etc.


What documents could I share using box.net?

9. Answers By effectively answering peoples’ questions in the Answers section, you can earn “expert” points and be listed as an expert on that topic. The person who asks the question gets to identify the “best answer,” which automatically gives the responder an export point in the categories relevant to the question. What 3 subject categories should you monitor for questions in your area of expertise?

10. Introductions LinkedIn was created for the introduction function, yet it is rarely used. A free account allows for 5 active introduction requests to be open at any time. Study your connections’ connections to find prospects and request introductions. Identify 5 people and request an introduction:

1. ______________________________________

2. ______________________________________

3. ______________________________________

4. ______________________________________

5. ______________________________________


11. Recommendations Recommendations are a great way to demonstrate your capabilities and credibility. Hopefully, some of your connections will submit a recommendation without asking. However, you can use the Request a Recommendation function to easily ask those with whom you have worked to make a recommendation. Identify 5 people and request a recommendation:

1. ______________________________________

2. ______________________________________

3. ______________________________________

4. ______________________________________

5. ______________________________________

12. Status Updates Status updates are a great way to stay in front of your connections. Use status updates on a frequent basis to promote your business messages, successes and activities. Share links to blog posts and other articles of interest. Since status updates are limited to 140 characters, you can easily copy and paste them as a Twitter status update too. What’s happening in your business life right now that you could share as a status update? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________


13. Email Signature The LinkedIn email system is very basic. Unfortunately, there is no way to save a signature within LinkedIn. A quick way to include a full signature block is to save it in a format that is very handy to copy and paste. I like to use the Note feature in Outlook. I open the little yellow note box and can keep it open to go back to whenever it is needed. To Do – Type and save an email signature block in a convenient location to use

when sending email messages inside the LinkedIn system.

** Bonus Tip Interested in learning how to post a video on your LinkedIn profile? Send an email message to me at [email protected] and request instructions!

Interested in LinkedIn Consultant Services from Crystal Clear Buzz?

LinkedIn Profile Renovation $100

Learn the tricks to get the most from your LinkedIn profile and strategies to reach your market. 1 hour, 1:1 hands-on LinkedIn profile review and update (in person or via online conference) Review and comments of profile summary re-write if submitted within 2 weeks after meeting

LinkedIn Profile Setup or Optimization $250

• 1 hour, face-to-face coaching & training session

• Create basic profile • Upload resume/experience from existing

document* • Write profile summary (approx. 300 words) • Add key web links • Import contacts and invite connections • Install key applications • Search for and join groups that involve target

market • Request recommendations from people

identified by client * If there is no pre-existing resume, add $50 to manually enter all experience data

Monthly LinkedIn Service $100/mo.

• Weekly status update • Look for new people to connect with from

imported contacts, people who join targeted discussions, etc.

• Reply/approve/decline to requests to connect • Search for and join target groups • Post 1 discussion question per week in

appropriate groups • Post blog updates as news in appropriate

groups • Create 1 LinkedIn Poll question per month • Monitor Q&A for expert answer opportunities

and forward them to you to answer • Create/manage group - additional $50/mo. per

group

Business

Top LinkedIn Tips Workbook