Linkedin FAQ

• EVERY person in business should have a LinkedIn account! At the end of this post you will see a link to view my LinkedIn Page. You will see that my Facebook updates my Twitter which automatically updates my LinkedIn, and my blog updates my LinkedIn automatically also. So long story short- I update my Facebook and my blog and it automatically updates everything else!
  
  How does this benefit your social media?
  
  Your profile can be an excellent source of SEO friendly links because:
  
  - Linkedin has great authority in Google:
  
  Authority in general means that people trust you to supply expert insight. The good news is that authorities trusted by human beings are also trusted by Google. Basically, The more authoritative and trusted your site, the better you will rank.
  
  
  - Your website links can be given unique anchor text with the dofollow attribute:
  
  The anchor text , link label or link title is the visible, clickable text in a hyperlink. The words contained in the anchor text can determine the ranking that the page will receive by search engines.
  - Your LinkedIn profile can have highly relevant content relative to the websites you own:
  
  But what is relevant content in the first place?
  
  It corresponds to informational demands of the target audiences it is intended for, in correlation with your specific area of expertise, the audiences’ expectations towards you and your goals.
  
  In a nutshell Linked has some really cool features that anyone can use to get more traffic to your website- free.
  
  
  The 3 main things that every linked in profile should have are:
  
  1. A professional/personal picture of yourself.
  
  Don’t upload an image of your dog/cat/fish/hamster/car/computer/world of warcraft, or any other beloved items. Be as transparent about who you are as you can. Sites like Twitter and others that don’t have a professional mindset don’t matter as much, but always have an image of something. If the site is geared toward professionals, err on the side of a professional picture.
  
  2. As much information about yourself as you feel comfortable.
  
  At the very least, you should have a link to your personal or business website/blog. Unfortunately, most people don’t link to their own websites, and even those that do, don’t do it correctly. I’ll show you how below. Also, you should write some really good compelling info about your current position, to make sure people know what it is you do, even though you might not be looking for a job, this helps put relevant content on your page. You can even give away things, like free samples, vouchers or something.
  
  3. A unique profile url for yourself if the option is available.
  
  This makes it easy for people to link to your profile, or find it again if they forget exactly how they found you. And if you put your name in your profile url, that makes it a little more SEO friendly for searches related to your name.
  
  So, here are the steps to creating unique anchor text links to your own websites on your linkedin profile:
  
  1. Click on the ‘edit my profile’ link under the ‘Profile’ nav link on the left sidebar after you have logged in
  
  2. Scroll down to the ‘Websites’ section and click on the ‘edit’ button
  
  3. In the drop down box to the right of ‘Websites:’ select ‘Other’. You’ll then be given an extra box to put in your keyword title, and then you can fill in your website URL in the very next box. You have the ability to add up to 3 sites, so take advantage of this.
  
  Here are 33 ways to use LinkedIn more effectively.
  
  1. Fill out your profile completely to earn trust.
  2. Use widgets to integrate other tools, such as importing your blog entries or Twitter stream into your profile.
  3. Do market research and gain knowledge with Polls.
  4. Share survey and poll results with your contacts.
  5. Answer questions in Questions and Answers: show expertise without a hint of self-promotion.
  6. Ask questions in Questions and Answers to get a feel for what customers and prospects want or think.
  7. Publish your LinkedIn URL on all your marketing collateral, including business cards, email signature, email newsletters, web sites and brochures, so prospects learn more about you.
  8. Grow your network by joining industry and alumni groups related to your business.
  9. Update your status examples of recent work.
  10. Link your status updates with your other social media accounts.
  11. Combine your social media approach: when someone asks a question in Twitter, respond in detail on LinkedIn and link to it from Twitter.
  12. Use the search feature to find people by company, industry and city.
  13. Start and manage a group or fan page for your product, brand or business.
  14. Research your prospects before meeting or contacting them.
  15. Share useful articles and resources that will be of interest to customers and prospects.
  16. Don’t turn off your contacts: avoid hard-sell tactics.
  17. Write honest and valuable recommendations for your contacts.
  18. Request LinkedIn recommendation from happy customers willing to provide testimonials.
  19. Post your presentations on your profile using a presentation application.
  20. Check connections’ locations before traveling so you can meet with those in the city where you’re heading.
  21. Ask your first-level contacts for introductions to their first-level contacts.
  22. Interact with LinkedIn on a regular basis to reach those who may not see you on other social media sites.
  23. Set up to receive LinkedIn messages in your inbox so you can respond right away.
  24. Link to articles and content posted elsewhere, with a summary of why it’s valuable to add to your credibility.
  25. List your newsletter subscription information and archives.
  26. Find experts in your field and invite them as a guest blogger on your blog or speaker at your event.
  27. Post discounts and package deals.
  28. Import vCards and contacts from other applications to find more connections.
  29. Export your contacts into other applications.
  30. Buy a LinkedIn direct ad that only your target market will see.
  31. Post job listings to find qualified talent.
  32. Look for connections related to a job you want.
  33. Find vendors and contractors through connections.
  
  View my LinkedIn Profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/seopittsburgh click "view full profile" to see everything.
  
  You will notice that my blog, and Twitter automatically updates on my LinkedIn Profile! The number one reason why I love LinkedIn is… I set it up once and it updates itself. LinkedIn is a must for any business owner in 2010!

  
  

• Linked In Extras:
  
  #1: Use LinkedIn Groups & Receive Tons of New Leads Daily
  
  How would you feel if you had a sales funnel that brought in roughly 50 to 100 fresh, highly targeted leads every day? You’d feel pretty confident about putting food on the table next week, right?
  
  Well, creating a LinkedIn group gives you the ability to generate an amazing number of leads from high-end decision makers.
  
  Here are some great groups to closely examine:
  
  * Sports Industry Network
  * Inbound Marketers – For marketing professionals
  * Social Media Marketing
  * Tweeple
  * On Startups – A community for entrepreneurs
  
  Here’s how to maximize your LinkedIn group:
  
  1. Add keywords in the description of your group to increase your search rankings on LinkedIn’s search section.
  2. Add keywords in the title of the group to be found on Google.
  3. Add your company website or blog to the group to drive traffic to your site.
  4. Add your blog RSS feed to the group so every new article is automatically posted to the home page of every group member.
  5. Send a weekly message that adds value for group members and drives traffic back to your site.
  6. Connect people in the group by making introductions to those who could potentially do business with one another.
  
  All of these points will help you generate more leads for your business. If your sales funnel is set up correctly, you will have more than enough prospects to grow your business.
  
  Make sure you create a group that fills a need for the audience you’re targeting in your business field. This will ensure that every person who joins the group is a qualified lead.
  
  #2: Ask Questions & Build Your Credibility
  
  I’ve asked a number of questions using LinkedIn Answers because it’s a great way to get the answers you need from some of the top experts in the world.
  
  One question I’ve asked was, “How often are you answering questions for others on LinkedIn?” I received about 20 responses, but one answer stood out from the rest.
  
  I had an individual share that he spent about an hour a week answering questions and he was getting three to five new clients a month bringing in roughly $3,000 to $5,000 extra in monthly revenue. Not bad for answering a few questions, huh?
  
  Here are some tips for answering questions:
  
  First, set up the “Answers Application” on the bottom right-hand side of your home page for the subjects you know best.
  
  
  Then, when you see a question pop up that you know the answer to, follow these steps:
  
  1. Research the person who asked the question, and find a way to tie in a personal response with something from their LinkedIn profile.
  2. Be as helpful and resourceful as possible when answering the question. Give tips, website links with additional information, or even recommend someone who is the best expert on that topic.
  3. Leave the answer with an open invitation for more communication by asking them to contact you privately if they need any extra help.
  
  All of these tips will help you gain the most out of answering questions, and will help you build powerful relationships that will grow your business.
  
  #3: Create Powerful Events
  
  Hosting an event is a great way to build your business (see events under the ‘More…’ news in the LinkedIn navigation bar). LinkedIn has an events platform that allows you to target thousands of professionals for free.
  
  I threw close to 20 events around the country last year and I used LinkedIn to promote them, getting approximately 500 paying attendees per event.
  
  Due to the viral nature of LinkedIn, once someone RSVPs to your event, it shows up on the home profile of everyone that person is connected to, spreading the message for you.
  
  Creating an event on LinkedIn is simple. Answer a few questions and start promoting your event. Send an invitation to the people who would be interested in the event based on region or niche. You will notice a wealth of opportunities from hosting your own event.
  
  
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  #4: Run an Advanced Search in Your Target Market
  
  It’s so easy to generate leads from LinkedIn. The advanced search function helps you get in touch with the exact people you’re going after.
  
  Simply click on “advanced” on the top right side of your home page next to the search box. This will take you to a clean page where you can input anything you need to find the exact lead you are seeking. You can search by industry, keywords, company and title, to mention a few.
  
  
  LinkedIn Advanced Search
  #5: Send Personal Messages
  
  Once you find leads, you want to send them personalized messages. The best way to drop any walls—and give yourself the best chance of making a sale—is to connect with someone on as many personal levels as possible. Look at their profile, find out which companies they’ve worked for in the past, which school they attended, what groups they’re in, listed hobbies and who your mutual connections are. Then, write a personal message like this one:
  
  Hi Tom,
  
  I noticed that we’re both connected to Mary, Jeff and Bob; we both played basketball back in college; and we’re both in Toastmasters International speaking club.
  
  I would love to connect with you to learn more about your experiences at Xyz Company. I believe there are a number of ways we could help one another. Would you be free for a brief chat in the near future?
  
  Looking forward to connecting soon and I’ll be sure to tell Mary I contacted you. I’m sure she would love to know I reached out to say ‘hi.’
  
  Thanks,
  Lewis
  
  Personal messages seal the deal and give you a greater chance of future opportunities.
  
  
  If you follow these tips, you’ll begin to understand why LinkedIn is the best social networking site for building your business. There are number of ways to attract leads, connect with powerful decision makers and market your business. LinkedIn’s niche-specific filters and search features can help you reach the right people in your field.
  
  Make a point of staying active on LinkedIn. Continue to update your profile and add new contacts. The more you put into it, the more the entire network will work for you.