LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 850 million members. Having a strong presence on LinkedIn can help you build your personal brand, network with other professionals, stay up-to-date on industry news, find job opportunities, and generate leads for your business. But simply having a LinkedIn profile isn’t enough – you need an effective strategy to get the most out of the platform. Here are some tips on developing a robust LinkedIn strategy.
Complete your profile 100%
The first step is to fully optimize your LinkedIn profile. A complete profile has a professional headshot, an engaging headline, a summary section highlighting your background and skills, detailed experience descriptions, and recommendations from colleagues and managers. Profiles that are less than 40% complete won’t show up in searches, so filling out all sections is crucial for visibility. Use relevant keywords like your job titles, skills, certifications, and industry terms. This helps your profile get found.
Grow your network meaningfully
Focus on making connections that matter, not just racking up numbers. Prioritize connecting with colleagues at your current and previous jobs, classmates and alumni from your university, people you meet at events and conferences, and professionals in your industry. Look for ways to add value, not just promote yourself. Personalized invitations and messages build stronger relationships than generic connection requests.
Engage with content daily
Active engagement is key to getting the most out of LinkedIn. Post status updates, share articles, like and comment on others’ posts, join Group discussions, and publish your own articles or presentations. This boosts your visibility and establishes you as an industry thought leader. But avoid overt self-promotion or spamming others with constant updates. Focus on sharing genuinely useful insights.
Follow companies and influencers
Stay on top of industry news and trends by following key companies, thought leaders, influencers, publications, and hashtags. Curate a diverse list of voices that provide varied perspectives. This content will appear in your LinkedIn feed and help you participate in relevant discussions. Just don’t follow to rack up numbers – make sure you’re genuinely interested in their content.
Use LinkedIn Groups
LinkedIn Groups focused on topics like specific industries, professions, issues, and interests are a great way to connect with like-minded professionals. Join Groups relevant to your field to share knowledge, ask questions, promote your expertise, and build communities. But avoid shameless self-promotion – establish credibility by providing thoughtful contributions.
Customize your LinkedIn URL
Claim a custom URL like www.linkedin.com/in/yourname to establish your professional brand and make it easy for people to find you. This also looks more professional in your email signature, business cards, and website.
Optimize your profile for keywords
Make sure your profile is optimized for keywords that recruiters and opportunities may be searching for. Include relevant terms, skills, job titles, certifications, education degrees, and experience details. This boosts search visibility. Use LinkedIn’s profile optimization tools to see how you rank.
Showcase achievements, media, presentations
Demonstrate your expertise with rich media on your profile. Add examples of your work like slide decks, videos, infographics, ebooks, podcasts, blog posts. Showcase awards, certifications, courses, volunteer work, patents, publications. The more compelling content you share, the more professional authority you convey.
Expand your skills section
The skills section is one of the most visible parts of your profile. Include in-demand hard and soft skills to attract opportunities. Prioritize skills that are relevant to your target job or industry. You can take short skill assessments to verify proficiencies and add badges to this section.
Personalize connection requests
When sending connection requests, avoid generic invitations like “I’d like to add you to my professional network.” Take a minute to write a personalized note highlighting common connections, interests, or reasons for connecting. This leads to higher acceptance rates and builds rapport.
Recommend others and request recommendations
Giving and receiving recommendations establishes credibility. Take time to endorse colleagues, managers, employees, and collaborators for skills they’ve demonstrated. In turn, proactively request quality recommendations from people who can authentically endorse your work and character.
Use Showcase Pages
Showcase Pages let you create dedicated pages to highlight projects, publications, media coverage, volunteer work, events, and more. They function like mini portfolios to demonstrate your expertise. Include visual elements like photos, videos, presentations, and infographics.
Publish long-form articles
Publishing long-form articles on LinkedIn establishes thought leadership. Share your unique insights, career advice, industry analysis, and tips. Write posts around 1,000 – 2,000 words using an educational or narrative style. Include visuals like images, charts, videos. Promote these posts to expand reach.
Go Live on LinkedIn
Broadcasting video presentations and discussions using LinkedIn Live is a powerful way to engage your network in real time. Discuss industry trends, share career tips, or host Q&As. These events notify your connections and get saved to your profile as videos.
Use ads strategically
Running LinkedIn ads can expand your reach significantly. They let you target prospects by location, company, job role, skills, and interests. For example, target people at specific companies you want as clients. Use sponsored content to get your posts in front of more people.
Build an agency or freelance portfolio
Agencies and freelancers can showcase their work to prospective clients using LinkedIn profile sections like Featured, Projects, and Articles. Share case studies, portfolio samples, client logos, testimonials, and in-depth project descriptions.
Find the right job
LinkedIn Jobs is an extensive repository of open positions at all levels. Follow specific companies to get notified when they list jobs. Use advanced search filters to narrow down opportunities by title, location, date posted, industry, company size, and more. Apply directly through LinkedIn.
Research companies and prospects
LinkedIn Company Pages provide in-depth info on millions of businesses worldwide. Follow Companies to watch for news. Research prospects before sales calls by looking up people’s profiles and activity. Identify contacts at target companies using advanced searches and filters.
Build lead generation forms
Generate quality B2B leads using LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms. Create customized forms that engage your target prospects with offers like gated content, consultations, event registrations. Promote them through ads or organic posts. Leads get captured in your CRM or email.
Cultivate relationships over time
View LinkedIn relationship-building as a long-term investment, not a quick transactional exchange. Seek to build rapport and trust with your network authentically. Contribute knowledge and insights consistently without expecting anything immediate in return. In time, the payoff will come.
Examples of good LinkedIn strategies
Here are a few examples of effective LinkedIn strategies for different goals:
Job seeker
– Optimized profile highlighting relevant skills, achievements
– Expanded network of connections in target industry
– Engagement with niche professional Groups
– Daily content sharing and commentary
– Targeted outreach to hiring managers
– Saved job searches and alerts for openings
– Applications submitted directly through LinkedIn
Freelancer / agency
– Portfolio Showcase Pages with case studies
– Spotlights with client logos and testimonials
– Long-form thought leadership articles
– Regular posting of examples of work
– Targeted ads to ideal prospective clients
– Lead gen forms offering free consultations
B2B sales
– In-depth Company Page research on prospects
– Connections to key decision-makers
– Personalized outreach and relationship building
– Customized content for different targets
– Client endorsement requests and Showcase Pages
– Strategic use of Sales Navigator to identify leads
Executive / leader
– Professional headshot and headline
– Robust summary and experience descriptions
– Media coverage, speaking events highlighted
– Ongoing publishing of insights and trends
– Recommendations from colleagues and partners
– Expanded network with industry influencers
– Thought leadership positioning
Career coach
– Profile showcasing coaching services offered
– Daily content on career tips, resumes, interviews
– Long-form advice articles with actionable steps
– Lead gen forms offering free consultations
– Curated list of recommendations from clients
– Profile sections highlighting programs, methods
– Live videos answering common career questions
Tips for an effective LinkedIn strategy
Here are some top tips for developing an impactful LinkedIn strategy:
Be authentic and add value
Focus on giving first before getting. Share knowledge and help others without expecting anything in return. Building authentic relationships takes time.
Engage consistently, don’t just broadcast
Two-way engagement is key. Don’t just post content and hope for likes. Actively comment on others’ updates, respond to messages, and participate in discussions.
Tailor content and messaging
Customize content for different audiences – prospects vs colleagues vs industry peers. Personalize connection outreach instead of mass invites.
Monitor notifications and respond
Stay on top of LinkedIn notifications and respond promptly. Being unresponsive disappoints existing connections.
Measure impact and optimize
Use LinkedIn’s analytics to see what content and strategies are working. Double down on what resonates and adjust what doesn’t.
Common LinkedIn mistakes to avoid
Here are some common mistakes people make on LinkedIn that you’ll want to avoid:
Inactive or incomplete profile
An outdated profile with sparse details hurts your credibility. Maintain a 100% complete profile with engaging content.
Aggressive self-promotion
Avoid constantly sharing links only to your own content, products, or company. Mix in useful industry articles, insights, and dialogue.
Mass connection requests
Focus on quality over quantity of connections. Personalized requests are better than generic invitations.
Spamming Groups with promotions
Groups should be for meaningful conversations, not just free advertising space. Contribute knowledge, don’t just hawk products.
Automated messages
Nothing turns people off more than getting a canned message that clearly wasn’t written just for them. Personalize outreach.
Blatant resume broadcasts
Posting “I’m looking for work – here’s my resume!” conveys desperation. Take a targeted, proactive, and strategic approach instead.
Bad mouthing companies or colleagues
Publicly bashing your employer or coworkers burns bridges quickly. Vent privately to a trusted friend instead.
Politics, religion, or offensive content
Controversial opinions on sensitive topics rarely lead to positive outcomes professionally. LinkedIn is meant for constructive dialogue.
Not proofreading
Typos or grammatical errors in posts or your profile will undermine your professional image. Proofread rigorously before publishing.
Optimizing your LinkedIn profile
Here are some tips for creating a LinkedIn profile that gives the optimal first impression:
– Professional headshot: Invest in a quality headshot that makes you look approachable and trustworthy. Avoid casual pictures or selfies.
– Engaging headline: Summarize your professional identity in your headline, like “Product Manager @ XYZ Corp.”
– Informative summary: Share your background, skills, achievements, and goals in your summary. Use first person language.
– Keywords: Include relevant keywords throughout your profile – job titles, skills, certifications, education, volunteering.
– Quantify achievements: Quantify your accomplishments with numbers and metrics, like “Increased sales by 30% over 2 years.”
– First person writing: Use an active voice and first-person pronouns (I, me, my) to bring your profile to life.
– Links: Include links to your website, blog, publications, portfolio samples, and other online media.
– Visuals: Incorporate visual elements including charts, videos, infographics and images.
– Recommendations: Get quality recommendations from managers, colleagues, clients to endorse your skills and work.
Conclusion
Developing a thoughtful LinkedIn strategy tailored to your goals takes time and effort, but pays big dividends for your career and business. Focus on building authentic relationships, adding value for your connections, engaging consistently, showcasing achievements, and optimizing your profile. Avoid common mistakes like aggressive self-promotion, inactive accounts, and spamming others. With a robust and proactive LinkedIn presence, you can position yourself as an industry leader, connect with the right people, and take your career or business to new heights.