How Are the Experts Using LinkedIn - Guest Post by Helen Denney-Stone

How Are the Experts Using LinkedIn - Guest Post by Helen Denney-Stone I was honored to discover an article on LinkedIn Publisher that gave me extensive mention and props for my presentation at the LinkedIn Success Summit. I requested that the author, Helen Denney, allow me to publish a revised version of the article on my blog, and she graciously agreed! Enjoy the updated article below! ⊕⊕⊕⊕⊕ When Liam Austin chose the speakers for his LinkedIn Success Summit, he invited Brenda Bernstein and 34 other top speakers to share their winning strategies and tips on how to use the LinkedIn platform. Together, these invited experts condensed decades of experience and success into a wealth of video sessions. If you haven’t yet been able to generate a positive Return on Investment (ROI) using the LinkedIn platform, you most definitely will after hearing these stories and strategies. The following are my takeaways from 3 of the experts, all who have one major thread in common: they are all women experts on LinkedIn! They give advice on how to stand out on LinkedIn, and even how to build a basic LinkedIn profile, in case you’re just starting out! Brenda Bernstein #1 Amazon best-selling author of How to Write a Killer LinkedIn Profile. Brenda is a highly qualified and award winning writer. Founder of the Essay Expert, LinkedIn expert and Speaker. Brenda believes that you can profit from your personality when writing your LinkedIn profile. The key points below are her strategies on how to do this in an authentic and memorable way. Don’t be afraid to share your values, vision, beliefs and personality prominently in your profile. Do this effectively and you will stand out from your competitors. Get a branded head shot that has some oomph! Try choosing 3 words that describe your personality, and share them with your photographer. Then choose your head shot based on which one best captures those 3 words. Don’t lose sight of keywords as you share your personality! Prioritize keywords in your headline if you want to be found in searches. Write your Summary to show your personality and the personality of your business. Figure out what makes you and/or your business stand out- and if you want to be personable, write in the 1st person (I/me).Brenda suggests that to get material for your LinkedIn Profile, you can write down 3 peak moments in your life/business. Next pull out any common threads. You will learn a lot about what you have to offer and what makes you tick. You can also ask people you know what they see as your strengths. Write down what they say and weave it into your profile. If they like it then others probably will too! Finally, determine what you want people to take away from reading your profile. What action do you want them to take next? Read your profile Summary now that you’ve included more of yourself in it. If you were a member of your target audience, would you take the action you want your readers to take? Publish on LinkedIn and show your personality and credibility in your articles. Make sure to respond when people comment on your posts. Be active in LinkedIn Groups and don’t be afraid to show your humour, intelligence and personality. When someone sends you a friend invitation, respond and give them something free first- something you feel will be of value to them. Brendas Quotes: â€Å"Almost no one likes writing about themselves. But almost everyone likes seeing themselves expressed authentically on paper.† â€Å"Top mistake on LinkedIn: Thinking all you need is a KILLER LinkedIn profile.† ⊕⊕⊕⊕⊕ Donna Serdula Donna, the Founder of Vision Board Media, is a LinkedIn Profile Optimisation Expert speaker and author. Donna explained your profile is NOT your resume. Your resume is your professional past; it is what you have already done. Your LinkedIn profile is your online reputation- who you are and why connections should pay attention to you. It is your digital representation of your future. Make your profile compelling, exciting and authentic. It is, after all, people’s first impression of you. It should make people want to know more. Donna’s 3 Keys to Maximising your LinkedIn Profile: Before you start on your profile, answer this question: What is the goal of my LinkedIn profile? Only after you know your goal can you can write strategically, keeping that goal in the forefront of your mind. Always talk about what your target audience wants to hear. Speak to them directly, as if they are across the table from you! Headline Think what people would be typing into the search bar on LinkedIn to find you. Optimise your profile for these keywords so you show up in search results. How can you stand out when someone is scrolling through the search results? The first part they will see is your name, your profile picture, and your headline (which by default is your current job title and your company). So make sure your profile image is professionally done, and that your headline is optimised with keywords, is compelling and showcases a benefit statement. Summary Your Summary, which is 2000 characters maximum, should demonstrate who you are, that you understand your readers’ problems, and that you can help them.Your summary should be in 1st person narrative and written conversationally. Highlight some successes, demonstrating how you can help your audience.Be succinct and answer what your customers/clients want to know. If possible, include a link and offer for them to take the next step. Include a clear call to action at the end, as well as your phone number and email so people can contact you easily. Keywords Research your keywords. Then make sure that these keywords are in your heading, summary, experiences and interests. Place the keywords anywhere that is reasonable. Your profile must read naturally and authentically. Never, never stuff your profile with keywords; but take the time to place them everywhere that is plausible. Donna’s Quotes: â€Å"Recognize your target audience and don’t say what you want to say, rather think what your target audience wants to hear.† â€Å"Step back, think about your goal, think about your audience.† ⊕⊕⊕⊕⊕ Karen Yankovich Founder of Linked Up Success, Karen is a LinkedIn expert and speaker. When someone puts your name in a Google search and sees your LinkedIn profile right at the top, this is statistically what they will look at first. This is a brilliant opportunity through your profile to instantly communicate who you are, your personal brand. Use your profile to get them to feel comfortable doing business with you. Karen shares her 5 tips that you need to pay attention to when completing your profile. Be certain to complete these 5 areas and use them effectively. Headline Your headline should be strong and customer/client centric. In other words, just stating that you are CEO is not enough! Your headline is searchable by Google and shows up prominently in Google Search. Be bold, own what you do, and be confident when painting that picture for others to see! Summary Firstly, actually fill this out! Break your summary into easily consumable sections with bullet points. Write it in the 1st person, use all 2000 characters you are allowed, and include keywords. Experience This section builds on who you are and what you have accomplished to be where you are today. Think about all your past experience, not just your previous jobs. Position yourself as influential and the expert you are. Call to Action Remember to put in a call to action not in a salesy way, but something like, â€Å"Reach out if you want a complimentary training†; â€Å"Listen to my podcast†; or â€Å"Download my free report† Make your profile stand out by taking advantage of all the ways LinkedIn provides to customize your profile. Boost your business with 3 further strategies from Karen: Build up your recommendation and be active; actually ask for recommendations. Show up! Be active in groups, post regularly, share, and comment on influencers. Sort your connections by recency, then send a personal note to the most recent. When they respond, take the opportunity to offer help. Karen’s Quotes: â€Å"Start with a strong personal brand to grow your business on LinkedIn.† â€Å"#1 Mistake on LinkedIn: Don’t be pushy, be mindful.† ⊕⊕⊕⊕⊕ Did you pick up the major common thread? It’s your profile! Your LinkedIn Profile is like a 5-minute fast dating session where you get to say who you are, what you do and how you can help. It is your audience’s first impression- make it great, make it authentic, and make it you! The LinkedIn Success Summit was full of many wonderful interviews and the above is a summary of just 3 of the 35 presenters. You’ll find even more great tips by clicking here. Would you like to read more from Helen about LinkedIn experts and influencers (and save yourself the time of listening to all the presentations at the Summit)? Then please click here to read Part 1 of Helen’s Summit Summaries! Helen Denney-Stone is CEO and co-founder of Nudge Marketing, a firm that provides affordable, results-based marketing training for small businesses. She is a published author and artist and loves all things, mindful and marketing†¦ oh! and high heels, boxer dogs and the smell of freshly cut grass. Read the original version of this article here.