Are you building your business community as well as your social?
August 21, 2011
Guest post by Blog Manager Robbi Hess
Quick when I mention social media what platforms do you think of? Facebook? Twitter? Google+? Where does LinkedIn figure into your social media platform?
While LinkedIn reaches a different audience than your other social media platforms do, it shouldn't be used as an afterthought, especially if you are a professional who is looking to build a client base, sell products or simply learn from others in your career field.
When is the last time you logged into your LinkedIn account? Do you interact with your professional connections? Have you joined any groups and more importantly are you interacting and offering useful advice to the members in the groups? And, lastly how up-to-date is your professional profile?
Your professional profile should be optimized for searchability, aka you need a good "headline" especially if you're looking for more business. Even if you're not a self-employed individual, you will want to keep your business profile up-to-date because truly who knows when downsizing will occur.
Take a few minutes to log into your LinkedIn account, interact with your connections, update your status and more importantly update your profile if necessary.
Quick quiz: When is the last time you logged in?
Great post, Robbi! I've started to get more involved in groups lately - they're a great place to share your knowledge (and show that you're a thought-leader or expert in your field, if that's applicable) as well as learn new things from others in your space.
Posted by: Brittany Morse at Sprout Social | August 25, 2011 at 06:33 PM
Tiffany, great information and comments, thanks. Joelle, good luck getting more involved. Feel free to connect, either or both of you, I'd welcome it!
Posted by: Robbi | August 23, 2011 at 05:38 PM
I am a big fan of LinkedIn. I know I don't utilize even 50% of its capability but I'm slowly ramping up. I agree with you that the headline is important. One other suggestion: If you are on the board of a non-profit or association, include that as a current position (you can have more than one current position). It's an excellent way to let everyone know you are involved and a way to connect with those who may be interested in your organization.
Tiffany C. Wright
The Resourceful CEO, http://TheResourcefulCEO.com
Posted by: Tiffany C. Wright | August 23, 2011 at 12:03 AM
Thanks for reminding me about this one. I'm new to LinkedIn and sort of forgot that I created an account there. Sheesh!
Posted by: Joelle Wilson | August 21, 2011 at 05:47 PM