90 million LinkedIn users are senior-level influencers and 65 million are in decision-making positions.
There are 87 million millennials on LinkedIn with 11 million in decision-making positions.
LinkedIn has over 875 million users in more than 200 countries, These numbers are growing so check LinkedIn for updates.
With those kinds of statistics, it baffles me why more company leaders don’t take it seriously. They and their team members have outdated profiles, incorrect information, old photos, no banner, and worse, they are not posting interesting content or interacting with their customers and prospects. Many view it as a waste of time.
When I joined LinkedIn on February 21st, 2005, I had no idea what it was or how to use it. It took a while, but I did figure out how to use it to get connected, stay connected, share valuable content and generate leads. I’ve been using it successfully for over 10 years. My point here is LinkedIn is not new and it’s not going away, and it is a great way to build a leverageable network.
To stay current, I follow industry leaders like Mario Martinez, Viveka Von Rosen, Kurt Shaver, and the team at Vengreso.
I’ve surpassed 21,000 connections, and I have closed several large deals from leads that came through LinkedIn, from people I had never met in person.
The Power is in the Network
You’d think every business leader would be learning everything they could about using LinkedIn. They’d be insisting that their entire company gets on LinkedIn and use it to share great content and interact with customers and prospects. But no, they may leave that just for the salespeople and many don’t even encourage that.
Everyone at your company needs to be on LinkedIn. Not just the salespeople, because the power is in the network. When everyone in your company is connected to each other and connected to all the people they know, it becomes a powerful network.
LinkedIn can be used to build a network that will generate leads for sales, acquire needed resources, find new employees, get intel on companies and decision-makers, build your company brand, and build your personal brand. I don’t know many tools more powerful than that, and it’s too bad that most people are underutilizing or grossly misusing this amazing tool.
Of the people who are on LinkedIn, only about 50% have a complete profile, and a very small percentage are actually interacting with others by posting, sharing, and commenting in a way that is engaging. Instead, many people are auto-posting, making random connections, sending spammy sales messages, or worse, DOING NOTHING. That’s why I want to share with you the top 2 ways to make sure you are winning on LinkedIn.
Win on LinkedIn
1. Build an Engaging Profile
The purpose of your profile is to engage people and help them get to know if you are someone they’d like to interact with. Share enough information about your current and previous jobs, where you went to school, professional organizations you belong to, and non-profits you volunteer for, so it is easy for them to find something they have in common with you.
Your LinkedIn profile is a promotional piece for you and your company. It’s a way to build credibility and build your brand. The object is to get people to read it and connect, or better yet, contact you to learn more.
Make a good first impression.
Your photo, headline, and banner are the most important items on your profile. They are what will be seen first. They should grab attention and immediately help people understand who you are and represent your brand. Next is your contact information. Don’t make people search for it. Be sure to update it in the contact section but also put it in your summary and in your job experience section.
Did you know that when people google your name, your LinkedIn profile will show up in the top 5 listings and is usually the first? People will click it to learn about you. What will they learn? You may be missing great opportunities if your profile is not engaging. Maybe they are skipping over you and going to your competition.
Win by using your profile to attract attention and build credibility. If you want to get an “A” be sure:
- To use a professional headshot because LinkedIn profiles with professional headshots get 14 times more profile views.
- Your contact information is on the profile, so people can reach you. Don’t make them search because most won’t.
- Your summary engages the reader. Use words that will resonate with the type of people you are trying to attract.
- Your profile shows that you have experience and are an expert in your field. Use all of the sections that apply.
- Your activity section shows you are active. That means you interact by clicking like, commenting, or sharing and that you make a post of interest at least a few times each week.
Once you’ve built an engaging profile the next step is to start interacting.
2. Interact and Start Conversations
The point of being on LinkedIn is to interact with people. It’s networking. You want to get conversations started. As a business leader and especially if you own a business, you simply must build your brand online. You are missing opportunities if you don’t.
If you have a LinkedIn profile but aren’t interacting, it’s like getting all dressed up to go to a party and then standing in the corner all night. You’re hoping people will find you and they might, but you will get limited if any results.
Sharing
Sharing content is a great way to interact. Post something of interest to your followers, use hashtags, and tag a few friends asking them to comment.
Of 500 million users, just 3 million users share content weekly. Be one of the 3 million who post and stand out. The people you want to know are reading posts on LinkedIn. About 45% of LinkedIn article readers are in upper-level positions (managers, VPs, Directors, C-level).
Not sure what to post? Follow others and see what they share.
*TIP: How-to and list posts perform the best on LinkedIn.
Interacting
Interacting with others on a regular basis is what brings results. If you interact with their posts, they will interact with yours. When people comment on a post, that post gets more visibility.
Try doing the following and let me know what results you get:
- Make a list of people you want to interact with.
- If you know them, find them on LinkedIn and connect with a personal message.
- If you don’t know them, follow their posts and click like, comment, or share a few times before requesting to connect. Be sure to send a message that will make them want to connect with you. Mention a post they made or something you have in common.
- Once connected continue to click like, comment, or share their posts. And post interesting things that will attract them.
- Find an article of interest and private message it to them. Strike up a conversation about things that interest them.
You’ll be surprised at the results if you incorporate this into your daily routine.
Get Results
Networking on LinkedIn is like networking in person. You say hello, introduce yourself and strike up a conversation. Conversations lead to results. The next thing you know you’ll be scheduling a meeting.
Once you start sharing be sure to check your posts to see if anyone is commenting on them. You can reply and start a conversation right from the comment area. If you interact with them, they will probably ask you to connect. If they ask you to connect, they may be a prospect, potential collaboration, referral source, or even your next employee. (Ok, sometimes they will be a spammy salesperson, but you can always disconnect!)
I get leads every week through LinkedIn. You will get the results you are looking for too. Spend some time with this powerful tool and learn to use it properly. It’s just like anything else; you have to learn it and spend time on it consistently if you want it to work. I promise it will be worth it.
In conclusion, I want you to know that using LinkedIn will build your brand and bring you more business because the people who buy from you are there. Update your profile and start interacting on LinkedIn daily.
Are you ready to incorporate LinkedIn into your routine to get the results you need? Let’s chat.
Don’t forget to download the eBook so you can update your profile!
Alice is nationally known for her expertise in elevating sales to increase valuation for companies with a B2B complex sale that have exceptional growth potential. She’s originally, from the widely known Miller Heiman Group. Spending her time strategizing with CEOs and their leadership teams to build the strategies that find new business and grow existing accounts is her passion. Her clients love her spirit and the way she energizes their sales organization.
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