6 Steps to Improving Your LinkedIn Page and
Get More Quality Connections!
By
Lannie Wright
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of blogs, posts or other messages on how to do something that will make your efforts on social media more productive. Of course, the word “productive” could be a misnomer all by itself. For me, and I want to get it out the way early, productive generally takes in two issues: number of connections and quality of those connections in how they relate to what your ultimate goals are.
I wanted to point out that last part because my hope is that the information I am providing will help people from a variety of disciplines. I am a financial advisor and when you take away the complexities of what I do with my clients, underlying it all, I am a salesman. Specifically, what I do is called direct sales, meaning I have a direct, interactive and ongoing relationship with my clients. This differs from retail sales requiring a storefront or an online marketplace. However, the principles involved are the same for all salespeople.
And for the record, being a salesperson is not a bad thing. We are all selling something. It could be a product or service, Or, if you are a homemaker, you are selling your husband on the idea that taking out the trash is the right thing to do. I post blogs on health and exercise. And though I am not looking to get paid for it, I am trying to sell you on a better, healthier lifestyle. We start early in life as salespeople, too. What kid hasn’t tried to convince their parents that a trip to Disneyland would fix any problem. Or maybe they are trying to sell you on the idea that eating vegetables is actually bad for you. Not everybody is an experienced salesperson or have studied the art of sales, but we all do it. It’s just that some people are better than others.
So, what does this have to do with LinkedIn?
Everything!
In order to get people to accept you as someone worthy of their time and attention, they first, need to believe that you are worthy of watching, reading and/or listening to. How you present yourself matters.
Here’s a fun factoid you may not have thought about. LinkedIn was created for a purpose. I know that probably seems so basic that you might be wondering why I’ve bothered to mention it. The reason is simple. Most people don’t seem to understand that all of the social media platforms (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc) were created to accomplish something specific. And not all social media platforms are the right fit for what you are trying to accomplish. For LinkedIn, (and please understand that I was not in the room when it was conceived) it has grown into a pretty sophisticated method in allowing people to find business opportunities and connect companies and people for job opportunities. Facebook and Twitter and all the other social media sites fill other needs that can’t be met with just this one site. I will discuss those sites later. Once you figure out what you want to accomplish, and understand the differences in the social media universe, then you should know where you need to spend your valuable time.
So, here is Step 1: Figure out what it is you want your LinkedIn account to do for you!
LinkedIn is only one of the social media tools you can use, but for this article, that’s what we are going to focus on. It’s designed for us to interact with like minded people who are interested in jobs, financial issues, medical resources and anything that helps us get in touch with others on the same path. If you have a new business and want to get the word out, LinkedIn can help. If you are a recruiter looking for people that can fill a need, LinkedIn can help. If you are a salesperson that wants to introduce yourself to the world, LinkedIn can help.
Unfortunately, if you are only connected to a handful of people, there’s a very good chance that nobody will ever know about you. If you are wanting to share your message with more people, you must do...
Step 2: Learn how to connect with more people!
Connecting with other people is both difficult and easy at the same time. Truth of the matter is, if you don’t know someone, then they have no reason to connect with you. They may actually need you, but don’t know that you even exist. So, you need to introduce yourself to them—a lot of them. There are a couple of thoughts on the best way to do this. The first is random. The second is by referral. Either way, LinkedIn will help make those connections.
If you are looking for a particular type of person, or if your business is a niche market, there are ways to search on LinkedIn that will identify the type of person you are looking for. Create the list (LinkedIn has built in tools that are ready to help you narrow down the fields and can help you put together the right kind of lists) and then systematically go down that list and ask them to connect. It’s their choice as to whether they want to connect with you or not. But, at the very least, the effort will add up over time.
Or...if you have several people (preferably clients) that you are already connected to, then you have access to that person's connections in the form of a list and then you can go down that list, introduce yourself, mention that you know so-and-so and then ask for the connection. This method will more than likely generate a higher success rate, but either way, you are on the way to have a larger group to work with than you had before.
However, before you do this, there’s something that you need to do first. You need to make sure that you are worthy of being connected to.
Step 3: Get your (LinkedIn) house in order.
If you are looking for a job or want to impress someone, you wouldn’t introduce yourself wearing jeans with holes in them or a shirt that is wrinkled, would you? No! You would put on a nice outfit and do the best you could to impress them from the beginning. There’s an old saying about only getting one chance to make a good first impression. And it’s true. My question to you is, what would that first impression be if your LinkedIn page was that first impression? Do you have a nice picture for them to look at? Is there any mention as to what business you are in and how you can be of service or benefit to them? Is there an easy way for them to contact you? What have you done to impress on the fact that you are the best thing to come down the road and that you would be a great person to have in their corner?
There’s no magic here. It’s a basic step that more people than you know fail to take advantage of. Stand out and make sure you are at the top of the food chain for your business. I will be sharing another blog soon on specific steps to help with this issue soon. Until then just ask yourself if what you see on your page looks as good as others in your line of work.
To get to the next part, click here (Part 2)
If you like what you have read and want to see more, please share with your LinkedIn friends as well as your other social media sites. Thanks
Lannie
Your Financial Clutter Buster