Maximize your LinkedIn profile for profitable networking! with Katie Laird (www.schipul.com / @happykatie)

5 reasons for networking gurus to use LinkedIn:

1. Increase your visibility in your industry

a. Will the CEO of your next customer find YOU when they search?

2. Improve your connectability

a. Are former classmates and colleagues looking to do business with you?

3. Check out your prospect’s current situation ahead of time

a. How healthy is your prospect’s company and industry?

b. Concerns with turnover or layoffs? How could your business help?

4. Make your first sales call go smoother

a. Stay up-to-date with a company’s news, recent hires and appearances

5. Provide an accessible and low key to stay connected to you

a. LinkedIn is ‘safe’, easy to access and a passive communication tool

Quick and easy tips – don’t forget!:

1. Update your LinkedIn profile URL

2. Upload a recent, smiling photo with a non-crazy background

3. Use as many of the 2000 words available in your profile Summary

4. Be generous by giving Recommendations before requesting them

5. Brand development is a process – review your success and refresh as needed!

Tools to use for your profile keyword research:

1. Google Adwords Keywords (

a. View related keyword and phrase suggestions

b. Check out the keywords with highest competition and consider going long tail

2. Google Insights

a. Use this for a higher level look at how your chosen keywords have trended over

time

b. Are they still relevant? Change it up if people just aren’t using those terms

anymore

3. Google auto complete (www.google.com)

a. Okay, this is a ‘ghetto’ research tactic – but still fun to see what pops up

Let’s connect on LinkedIn! www.linkedin.com/in/katielaird