Six Tips for Maximizing Your LinkedIn Profile

By Lyndsey Walker | Posted Apr 29, 2009 | 1 Comment(s) | Filed in: Social Media

LinkedIn, one of the most popular professional social networking sites on the Internet today, has more than 39 million members in more than 200 countries around the world. Members use this tool to find, introduce and collaborate with business professionals within their industries.

But, there’s much more to LinkedIn than just connecting with professionals. Members can create Business Groups to share industry articles and information, and open discussions on pertinent topics; utilize LinkedIn applications to monitor Twitter activity about their company and conduct market research from their professional audience; or use LinkedIn Answers to position themselves and their company as an expert in their field.

Below I put a list together of six tips for maximizing your LinkedIn Profile:

1. Create a Company Profile
In addition to your personal profile, Company Profiles are used to provide additional information about the company, its products and specialties, employees and company news. Your company profile can be a great tool to drive traffic back to your Website, as well as a way to reach out to other businesses.

2. Optimize Links
Build your personal and company profiles using priority keywords and be sure to include these keywords as anchor text for your company and blog links. Here’s how to do it:

• From your profile page, click edit next to your Website link.
• Under Websites, use the drop-down menu and choose “other”.
• In the box next to the drop-down menu, type in the anchor text using your priority keywords. 
• Follow the same instructions for you blog. 
• Save your changes

3. Connect Using LinkedIn Answers
By monitoring the questions within your network, LinkedIn Answers offers companies the opportunity to share their knowledge and experience, positioning them as experts in their industries. Plus, it can be used as a tool to connect with other businesses, potential job candidates and prospects.

4. Integrate LinkedIn Applications
LinkedIn offers 10 applications that can be integrated into your profile to share information within your network.

• Company Buzz — Monitor the Twitter activity associated with your company’s priority keywords and industry trends.
• Polls — Conduct market research by accessing data from your connections and professional audience.
• My Travel — Use TripIt to monitor where your network is traveling, as well as share your trips in order to make connections in town or while traveling.
• Blog Link — Feed your blog posts into your LinkedIn profile.
• Huddle Workspaces — Create different workspaces for different groups of your connections and keep your documents safe and secure, while creating and updating them and exchanging ideas and plans for your projects.
• Box.net — Manage all your important files online and share content on your profile.
• Reading List by Amazon — Share the books you’re currently reading and find out what you should be reading about from your connections.
• SlideShare Presentations — Upload, display and share your presentations on LinkedIn.
• Google Presentation — Upload and share a PowerPoint presentation about yourself and your company.

5. Create Business Groups
LinkedIn Business Groups are used to collaborate with members, share related articles and information and to conduct discussions about the topic at hand, as well as share job opportunities. Members of these groups will receive email updates related to the group activity.

Companies should use these groups to share valuable information, events and news, as well as join other industry-related groups to stay on top of what’s happening in their industry

6. Make Recommendations
Participate and make recommendations within your network for business associates, partners, vendors and employees when appropriate. Recommendations for you and your company add valuable credibility.

Do you have other ideas or tips to share that you’ve found effective? I’d like to hear about them. Please let me know by commenting below.