How awesome are LinkedIn Status Updates!? The opportunity to speak directly to your network is incredibly powerful, but sadly, still underused. Your LinkedIn network is made up of professionals who have opted-in to you, but if you don’t share anything, they can’t stay informed. They want to know what’s going on in your professional world, […]
Niches are important
I’m going to let you eavesdrop on a conversation I’ve had with hundreds of people in the last few years while talking about networking and their social media presence: Me: “So who are your ideal clients? Who’s the target market you want to work with?” Really Well-Meaning Professional: “Everyone! Which is why I’m totally confused […]
The First Person vs the Third Person LinkedIn Profile
Because social media and LinkedIn are so new, we’re still developing some basic standards on how to write our profiles. One question that has come up frequently in my years as a LinkedIn trainer is on what perspective should be used when writing the profile. Should you use the first-person or the third-person when crafting […]
LinkedIn Endorsements for Financial Professionals
Social media sites are developing and evolving at ever greater speeds. Unfortunately, this means that social media is often outstripping the offline world’s ability to adapt. What may seem like an intuitive and nifty piece of functionality to a programmer can lead to a headache for those who are using social media in the real […]
The New (Until it Changes Again) LinkedIn Profile
You might have noticed that your LinkedIn profile looked a bit different when you last viewed it (if you haven’t checked it in the last few weeks, I’d pay it a visit). Part of a major overhaul, your LinkedIn profile has gotten a new look – and some functional changes that can have a big […]
On LinkedIn, Show and Tell Should Be: Show, Don’t Tell
LinkedIn profiles are really cool. Think about it; you get to have a website that it as all about you – about your experiences, your skills, your education… your story. But most of us aren’t that experienced in telling (and writing) our story, so we get flustered when we are putting together our profile. One […]
Why You Want LinkedIn Endorsements
For the past two months, the Skills and Expertise section on LinkedIn has been blowing up with “Endorsements”. Ironically though, no one really knows how to effectively use them or what exactly they mean. Are they helpful or not? Do they lead towards a valid representation of someone’s abilities or are people gaming the system? […]
3 Ways to Network When You’re Shy
Networking can be tough when you’re shy. Building new business relationships can be hard when just the idea of attending a professional event to network fills you with dread. You’re not alone – it’s common for people to spend most of their time at events with those that they already know precisely because they are […]
Building Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn
When we worked for the same company our entire careers, the idea of a personal brand wasn’t important. These days, with shorter job stints and a “free agent” economy where it’s common for professionals to bounce from project to project, having a strong brand is more critical than ever. But how do you manage your […]
How to Ask For Help On LinkedIn
One of the challenges with using social media for business is that it’s so new. LinkedIn has over 175 million professionals on it, but it’s not even 10 years old yet. It makes perfect sense that we’re still grappling with how to actually use the platform in our day to day business lives, because in […]