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Don’t Forget About LinkedIn - 3 Steps to Get your Profile Up to Date

It’s so easy these days to get jazzed about all the new social networking platforms there are out there.

From Facebook to Google, changes are being made that enable companies and brands to reach their market in new and awesome ways.

However, when it comes to your business profile, there is nothing more effective than LinkedIn. LinkedIn is still the ultimate virtual business networking platform. It’s a lot less sexy than “Social Networking” sites, but LinkedIn has implemented some pretty cool features lately that make it a lot more fun.

So, don’t neglect your LinkedIn profile…it’s as valuable, or even more valuable, than anything else if you are a businessperson and especially if you own or run a company.

Step 1: Complete or review your profile.

LinkedIn makes it easy by telling you what’s missing. You may opt to not include some info (like your education or past positions), but you have missed something you do want to appear. Why is it important to review your profile?

• You will appear established and professional.

• People make decisions whether to connect with contact you based upon the information in your profile.

• A complete profile will increase your visibility and help you get found.

• A profile with old or not relevant information hurts your reputation.

Step 2: Get recommended

Users with recommendations are 3 times as likely to get inquiries through LinkedIn searches. And users who make recommendations are more likely to get recommendations. It’s very easy to ask for recommendations, and you will find that a good percentage of the people you ask will be happy to do so, especially if you reciprocate. Tip: Reviews and Recommendations are the juice that is powering a lot of Search results these days.

Step 3: Become a thought leader in your field

Join groups, be a part of discussions and answer questions. No matter what kind of work you do, you have a level of expertise and sharing your experience makes you a more visible and valuable member of the business community. Don’t be afraid of “giving away” your secrets. There are few secrets in our digital age, anyway.

• If you or your company has a blog, set up an automatic feed into your profile. The more content that you display, the better it is for your profile.

• You can now “Follow” a company the same way you can do so on Twitter and Facebook. Make sure your company has a profile.

• Think about keywords when you are completing your profile. For instance, if you are an expert in LEED green technology, use those phrases in your profile. Remember, Google and Bing index LinkedIn and use the results for searches.

If you’re not convinced that spending some time on LinkedIn is valuable, do a Google search for yourself or your company. Look at the results from the point of view of someone who is making a decision whether to contact you for business. Then decide.

Have questions about LinkedIn? Just Ask Betsy!

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