LinkedIn is a powerful tool for executives and business owners to build thought leadership, gain distinctive industry insights and be a role model for their employees so they can be more productive in their roles. Particularly roles in marketing, sales or recruitment where using Linkedin effectively can be a huge advantage.
In this guide, we will provide practical tips to help you use LinkedIn effectively in 2024.
Creating a Compelling Profile
Your LinkedIn profile is your personal brand. It is the first impression that people will have of you. Therefore, it is important to create a compelling profile that showcases your skills, experience, and thought leadership. Here are some tips to create a compelling profile:
- Use a professional headshot that reflects your personality and brand.
- Customize your headline to reflect your unique value proposition.
- Turn your Featured section as a display for your most relevant post or company’s update
- Turn on Creator Mode to display Talks about… and select the 5 topics/expertise you want visitors to know about
- Add multimedia content to your profile and current experience, such as white papers, presentations, photos, blog articles, or videos.
- Use keywords that are relevant to your industry and job function.
- Get endorsements and recommendations from your connections.
Controlling Your Privacy and Confidentiality
Decide what you want to present to those inside your network versus those outside your network. Enable email address request so that only people you know personally can connect. Invite people to connect and replace business cards.
Efficiently Connecting with People that Matter
We have all heard: “Your network is your net worth”.
With near to 1 billion members on Linkedin, it is also important to realize that most opportunities come from who you know and who they know. Your employees and your 2nd degree network are 450x bigger than your networks and those 2nd degree contacts have all something in common, they have one or multiple common connections with you. So they are all an introduction away from you, be it a career opportunity, a top candidate, a business deal or partner.
It is not just about who you know anymore. Linkedin gives anyone the visibility and the ability to unlock the potential of who their contacts know.
Therefore, it is important to build a strong and diverse network that can help you achieve your business goals. Here are some tips to build your network:
- Connect with people you know personally, such as colleagues, clients, and partners.
- Make a weekly habit of connecting on Linkedin with relevant people you meet in real life and following up.
- Follow companies, key customers and influencers that are relevant to your business.
- Stay top of mind by posting, tagging and engaging with posts from people in your network
- Know how to use Linkedin’s advanced search to leverage introductions and help your teams
Demonstrate Your (Thought) Leadership
Your participation in social media, especially LinkedIn, will be welcomed by your customers and employees. Show that your company is innovative by having socially engaged leaders. Offer an authentic, human face to your company. Be a voice of your industry and build thought leadership.
- Post regularly. Share your thoughts & perspectives. Be authentic. Recognise your team
- Write long-form posts that showcase your expertise and thought leadership.
- Recognize that your audience are interested in relevant articles, news, events, your perspectives more than press releases.
- Comment on other people's posts (employees, customers, peers) and start conversations.
- Encourage employee advocacy and right behaviour from employees by being a role model
Gaining Distinctive Industry Insights
Stay on top of the leading ideas in your industry. Hire the best, worldwide. Keep tabs on the competition and potential acquisitions.
Hire the best
Visibility, personal connections & referrals are key success factors when it comes to hiring – especially the best.
- Through the advanced search you can find people with specific expertise from across the globe, at no cost.
- Just like in real life, your network is your best asset to find the right talents. As a top manager you can speed up the recruiting process by re-posting strategic job opportunities your HR team shared.
Accelerating Sales
Leaders at Linkedin used to connect with sales employees and encouraged them to tap into their network to identify warm introductions they could help with.
- Connect with the C-level of your top 50 customers
- Empower your team to leverage your network – at your discretion.
- Follow your network’s activity and interact 5 minutes a day in real-time.
- Build brand awareness by posting and engaging regularly. Your seniority and network is an advantage for your company
In conclusion, LinkedIn is a powerful tool for executives and business owners to accelerate sales, build thought leadership, and gain distinctive industry insights. By following these tips, you can use LinkedIn effectively in 2023 and beyond.
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