Terry Sullivan, founder of BuzzPro, discussed the top tips for Maximizing Your LinkedIn Profile. Terry is a Certified Digital Marketing and Social Selling Strategist, LinkedIn trainer, and speaker. Working tirelessly to increase profitability for his clients, Terry is a thought-leader and difference-maker in the Social Selling world. He serves as a technology advisor for many companies, organizations, and universities throughout the United States.
TOP TIPS FOR MAXIMIZING YOUR LINKEDIN:
- Make sure you have a search-optimized profile. Be easy to find. Edit your vanity URL and add your contact information.
- Define your brand. Your branding headline should tell who you are, what you do, and how you can help.
- Use “Social Selling.” Social Selling is the process of using social media to find, connect, & develop relationships with key prospects and contacts.
Q&A with Terry Sullivan:
Q. What is your rule on accepting LI requests?
- I take a look at the LinkedIn profile of those who send me connection requests to make sure they are “legitimate business professionals.” I check to see if they have a profile photo, “About” section, and I also check to see if they have any mutual-level connections that I recognize. I’ll also take a look at their professional background in their “Experience” section to get some details on where they are currently working and any previous job/roles. In many cases, I will give them the benefit of the doubt and connect with them if they lack some of these details; however, if they immediately start bombarding me with sales messages, I un-connect with them or block them altogether.
Q. How do hashtags work and help with posts?
- Hashtags (#’s) are searchable on LinkedIn, so I like to use 1 to 3 hashtags in my posts and, in some cases, my comments to other’s posts in my newsfeed. Hashtags allow my comments, posts, and photos to be searchable. So, for example, if you’re looking for a new job, you may want to use the hashtag “#ONO” towards the end of your posts and other related content. #ONO means you’re “Open to New Opportunities,” and this hashtag will let others know you’re looking for a new job. This hashtag replaces the term “Seeking a new opportunity” that has been popular with job seekers for some time.
Q. Does it make more impact to post blog links from your company or personal website, or to use LI blog function to share something you have written?
- The LinkedIn Publisher feature is a great way to promote your website blog articles. Wait a few days after you have created and posted your blog article on your website and then post, copy and paste, this same content into Publisher. Waiting a few days to re-purpose your blog content allows you to take advantage of the search engine crawlers. It will enable your blog article to get more reach with the help of LinkedIn Publisher.
Q. Can you apply the 25/15/10 Social Selling Strategy role to job seeking?
- Yes, absolutely. In fact, I highly recommend you use the 25/15/10 Social Selling Strategy to help with your job
b-seeking efforts. Social Selling is all about finding, connecting, and developing relationships with your key contacts and prospects. This allows you to connect with your important contacts on LinkedIn, develop some rapport and trust over a period of time, so you can eventually have a conversation with your new contact. Remember, nothing happens until you take your online-discussion offline. Whether you are looking for your next job or trying to get new clients, effective networking is all about developing rapport and having conversations with your key contacts and prospects.
Q. Would you please cover how to hide when you make changes to your profile again?
- Please refer to the download link “Terry’s LinkedIn Tips,” which was included in the event resources email from High Profile. April 2020 Maximizing Your LinkedIn Profile Invest in Yourself Webinar Series.
Q. I have the free version of LinkedIn but cannot see who has viewed my profile. Is this feature available only with the paid version of LinkedIn?
- You can see the last five people who have viewed your profile with the free version of LinkedIn. If they have turned on the privacy feature that will shut their visibility off completely, regardless of the version of LinkedIn you are using. You can upgrade to one of the premium versions of LinkedIn to see those who have viewed your profile in the last 90 days.
Q. Where do you go to change your URL?
- Click the Me icon at the top of your LinkedIn homepage. Click “View profile”. Click “Edit public profile & URL” in the right rail. You’ll be redirected to the “Public profile settings” page. Under “Edit your custom URL” in the right rail, click the “Edit” icon next to your URL. It’ll be an address that looks “like www.linkedin.com/in/yourname”. Type the last part of your new custom URL in the text box. Click Save.
Q. Is it appropriate to post about a new book for sale or a webinar you are charging to attend?
- Yes, you can promote your paid webinars on LinkedIn. However, you need to give to your LinkedIn audiences four or more times first before you sell once. So, for example, post four or more great articles on your LinkedIn news feed. This will help build trust with your LinkedIn contacts. Then, you can create a post that is more sales related. Remember, your key contacts and prospects that you’re connected with on LinkedIn will unfollow you if all they see are your sales posts. So, provide some great content first, then go ahead and promote your events.
Q. Do you have any advice on profile badges?
- LinkedIn badges allow you to create a button that you can post on your website or in your email footers that will provide direct access to your LinkedIn profile. Here’s how to create a LinkedIn badge: Log into your LinkedIn account and go to your Profile page. On your Profile page, click on “Edit Public Profile & URL” on the right side of your profile. Scroll down and look on the right side of the page for the “Public Profile Badge” box and click on “Create a Badge. ” Follow the steps on the page that include copying a script code and pasting anywhere on the page you want to add the badge to. Next, select the graphic option you want your badge to be. There are several options of widths and styles you can choose. Copy the code under the badge option. Go to your website, blog, or another page where you want to display your LinkedIn badge and paste the code you have just copied. Make sure you’re in the text editor or the code—instead of the badge itself—will appear on your web page or blog. Put your cursor in the spot where you want the badge to appear. Right-click and select Paste. Click on “Save” and check that your badge is appearing correctly.
Q. How do you recommend tracking your connections?
- Do you have an excel spreadsheet template for that? Please refer to the download link “Terry’s LinkedIn Tips,” which was included in the event resources email from High Profile.
Terry Sullivan is a Certified Digital Marketing and Social Selling Strategist, LinkedIn trainer, and speaker. He has a real passion for helping his clients learn how to create and implement digital sales and marketing strategies to find, connect, and develop relationships with their key contacts and prospects. Please connect with him on LinkedIn, or contact him at terry@buzzpro.com!