While recent social media conversations tend to be about Facebook and Twitter, I find that many professionals and businesses aren’t maximizing their LinkedIn presence. There are many that simply don’t know what else they can be doing on the platform, while others still believe in some of the many common fallacies about the social networking platform for professionals that exist. Social media is a tool, and you can only leverage the tool by thinking outside of the box and applying it to your situation. Believing in what you hear about any social media platform, without taking the initiative and experimenting …
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I recently got asked a great question in my Windmill Networking LinkedIn Group: Neal, what is one of the most recent insights you have learned about LinkedIn that can help us? Since I wrote the book on LinkedIn, although 90% of the functionality of the site is still the same, I am finding the “Follow” features that LinkedIn have introduced to be of value for some. While this “feature” may still be a mystery to many, here is my advice on how you can strategically use it by thinking outside of the box. For instance:
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LinkedIn, like any other social media channel, is a social networking platform. This means that people are networking with each other while revealing who they are and what they do. LinkedIn reminds you to do this when you log in by making sure your profile is 100% complete. Part of getting to 100% completion is uploading your picture, and here’s all that you need to know about why you should upload your photograph, sizing tips for a successful upload, and what could happen to your photograph if you’re not careful. That’s right: Your profile photograph could be forcibly removed. Read …
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There is no doubt that the current recession continues to have an impact on the growth of social media. Job seekers are now looking for networking opportunities by embracing social media and joining and then becoming active on sites like LinkedIn as part of their job search strategy. This make sense because social media is also where recruiters may find you and where companies may perform background checks on you and your personality. Don’t you want to put your best food forward in your job search and show off your talents to the best of your ability since everybody’s watching? …
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Why has my LinkedIn account been restricted? No, that is not a question that I personally asked recently, but one asked by someone in my network. This is someone who is not a spammer, not even involved in marketing, and generally keeps a low profile on the social networking site. This person is also not a LinkedIn LION and only has a few hundred connections. Why was their account restricted? For being too active! And if you are not careful, your account may be suspended as well! Here’s how:
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I was recently interviewed by Her Campus, the premier source of information for female students and “a collegiette’s guide to life,” about the topic of LinkedIn for the college student and advice for those who are getting ready to graduate and need help with their job search. In the past I had written a post on LinkedIn for the College Student with the message that you can never be too early to start your networking. I also have written on LinkedIn profile tips for college students. My interviewer, Betty Jin, took my advice to the next step by writing what …
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It has been a few weeks now since LinkedIn released their new “Follow Company” feature. Rather than be brash and predict what would happen with the appearance of this new feature, I always like to look at things with a little historical perspective and try to understand how professionals can truly leverage these new LinkedIn features. As you are most likely aware of by now, just as you follow someone on Twitter to subscribe to their tweets in your news feed, LinkedIn now allows you to not only get “Company Updates” on your LinkedIn home page but also receive notifications …
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Image by wordjunky via Flickr While many social media marketers concentrate on Twitter and Facebook, a lot of Business-to-Business (B2B) Business Development professionals already know that LinkedIn is the preferred place to prospect for new business in social media. With an executive from every Fortune 500 company represented and an average household income of over $100,000, LinkedIn is a perfect place to prospect for decision makers in the industries you want to sell into as well as a prime destination to make alliances with other businesses and professionals that can help grow your business. I recently had a conversation with …
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Image by @Photo . via Flickr If you’ve followed my Windmill Networking blog for awhile or read my LinkedIn book, you’ll know that I’m a huge fan of the LinkedIn Events Application. Seriously. I wrote an April Fools’s post back in 2009 complaining why Events wasn’t considered an application with a blog post rhetorically entitled, “What are LinkedIn Applications?” I was the first one to ask “What Happened to LinkedIn Events?” when they mysteriously disappeared for a day in October of 2009. So you can say that I have a personal relationship with Events, and when all of the “social …
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Image by jyoseph via Flickr I often get asked about whether it makes sense to completely integrate Twitter Tweets with your LinkedIn Status Update, so that every tweet shows up on LinkedIn. Obviously there is no one correct answer for this as it depends on your objective and LinkedIn Brand. However, the question brings to mind a greater issue: How often should you update your social media status on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Your Blog?
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