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Grow Your Personal Business Brand via LinkedIn
LinkedIn hit the social networking scene in 2003. It now has over 24 million members and has been recently valued at over 1 Billion Dollars. With these kind of numbers, I don't think LinkedIn is a tool you can ignore.
LinkedIn's philosophy is simple "Relationships Matter." Their closed system is well designed assuring you have complete control over your network. All connections are mutually confirmed. you have the ability to vary the level of contact or access via public profile and "in network settings."
If you are relatively new to the online social networking scene you might be a bit skeptical of its value, but I assure you, your free account has the ability to impact your personal and business brand in big ways.
Goal
The goal of this lens is to give you an overview of how to use LinkedIn to your advantage.
Warning
But before we proceed I must warn you LinkedIn is just a tool to promote your already strong brand.
Before you proceed with LinkedIn, be sure you have already taken the necessary steps to be a leader in your field.
I don't want to discourage those just starting out in a new field, to shy from LinkedIn, but to encourage creating a strong foundation.
LinkedIn's philosophy is simple "Relationships Matter." Their closed system is well designed assuring you have complete control over your network. All connections are mutually confirmed. you have the ability to vary the level of contact or access via public profile and "in network settings."
If you are relatively new to the online social networking scene you might be a bit skeptical of its value, but I assure you, your free account has the ability to impact your personal and business brand in big ways.
Goal
The goal of this lens is to give you an overview of how to use LinkedIn to your advantage.
Warning
But before we proceed I must warn you LinkedIn is just a tool to promote your already strong brand.
Before you proceed with LinkedIn, be sure you have already taken the necessary steps to be a leader in your field.
I don't want to discourage those just starting out in a new field, to shy from LinkedIn, but to encourage creating a strong foundation.
Getting Started with LinkedIn
Preparation Required
Before we get started, I want to make it clear that using LinkedIn is very simple, however, your attention to detail is what will determine your success.Your going to want to do a little prep work before you get started. LinkedIn reads much like a resume but with your Links, Contacts and References are all in one place. I think this is one of the greatest features of LinkedIn. With everything tied together in one place you can easily highlight your credibility as a leader in your field, or not, so be sure you have put that career foundation in place before you proceed.
Make a list of your past and present jobs, education and affiliations. You are going to want to decide which of these your want to list.
I would focus mostly on the last 5-10 years of your career, which most closely relates to your current personal and career goals.
With this list you are going to want to create a list of accomplishments and a basic job description.
For jobs past 10 years I recommend you just focus on the key titles and a basic highlight description. You know, "What have you done for me lately."
You also have the ability to create a summary of your current career status. This is one of the most important areas, be sure to put some considerable thought into this area. Request feedback from trusted colleagues to ensure you get this right.
You now can visit LinkedIn.com and sign up for your account and create your profile.
Warning
LinkedIn is not the answer, it is just a tool. Be sure you have already created or are in the process of creating a strong career foundation before proceeding.
Sign Up Process
Visit Linkedin.com
Now that you have prepared your personal data, it is time to sign up.You will start by creating a new account. Its very simple and the site will lead you through the process.
You can now enter the information you have prepared, into what they call your profile.
You will also have the opportunity upload your contacts. Since signing up for LinkedIn, I have not had any experience of them improperly using my contact list. You can feel safe with their service but use your own discretion.
If you do not feel comfortable uploading your contacts you have the ability to invite people to join your network on an individualized basis via their dashboard.
I recommend you uploading your contacts. This allows for the LinkedIn system to notify you of when somebody in your address book joins LinkedIn.
This has been more important in the last 6 months as LinkedIn has reached a tipping point and I am seeing more and more of my contacts joining.
When signing up you have the opportunity to invite all your contacts to be connections. Connections are mutually confirmed contacts.
I do not recommend you select inviting everybody in your address book. You may have competitors or acquaintances that may not feel comfortable approving you as a connection. I would first focus on who you already know well.
Keeping with the philosophy of LinkedIn "Relationships Matter" and your profile will have more power if you focus on adding quality connections versus aiming for a high quantity of connections.
The idea is who knows you, and what is their opinion about you.
Build a strong and credible network.
How to Maximize Your LinkedIn Profile (Be sure to click the more tabs for complete descriptions)
Descriptions on which features are most powerful
Help other readers by voting on which feature has most benefited your business.
Public Profile
LinkedIn allows for a Public Profile. If you don' more...0 points
Recommendations
Recommendations are a two way street.
First star more...0 points
Questions and Answers
This is much like Yahoo answers but with a busines more...0 points
What am I Doing Now Feature
What am I doing now. On your LinkedIn home page y more...0 points
LinkedIn around the Blogosphere
- Dear LinkedIn, Don't Become a Facebook Wannabe ยป B2B MarCom Writer ...
- The article goes on to say that people spend more time on other social networking / social media sites than they do on LinkedIn ? and that LinkedIn wants users to participate on its site more often. Dear Adam Nash and the Powers that Be at LinkedIn, here are some tips for you to help you meet that objective. 1. Don't become a Facebook wannabe. Despite its astounding growth, Facebook isn't for everyone. I listen to many people who admit they don't have a Facebook account ...
- Jewish Information Technology: [CNG] Digest Number 1857
- benefit the hiring manager can see from the resume, there is no reason to do an interview with you. In the end, your results need to have benefits to the business. By continually asking "so what?" on each line of your resume, .... your- photo-to-linkedin.html> sure you include a picture. 2. The Breadth And Depth Of Your Network If you feel in need of a refresh, there's no better start than in your networking strategy. Since your job (or a lead for one) will likely be ...
- 10 Linkedin Tips for Professionals | Get Clients
- On Linkedin, one strategy for getting value is to be an ?Open Networker? or LION (LinkedIn Open Networker). Open Networkers focus on growing the size of their network by initiating and accepting connection requests from as many people .... I think the real benefit on LI comes from community and that's why 7 (get involved in groups) is so important. Participating in conversations creates a platform to connect with like minded people which means LI is really becoming a tool ...
Expert in the Rough, Blog by Brian Monahan
Learn how to grow your internet identity
You can manage your internet identity or you can let Google manage your internet identity.
Either way, you will be found out.
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byBooks you must read on Networking
Sales, Marketing and the Internet are all part of the equation.
Check out these books on Amazon
Little Black Book of Connections: 6.5 Assets for Networking Your Way to Rich Relationships
Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 01/04/2010) 
Make a Name for Yourself
Amazon Price: $19.99 (as of 01/04/2010)
How to Win Friends & Influence People
Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 01/04/2010)
The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea
Amazon Price: $13.62 (as of 01/04/2010)
How To Be That Guy
Amazon Price: $14.95 (as of 01/04/2010)
LinkedIn News
Networking Videos
The Nametag Guy LIVE: What's (after) a name?
It's not just what's IN a name; it's what's AFTER a name. This clip was from a speech I gave to 500 salespeople in Scottsdale who work for Manpower, Inc., a Fortune 500 recruiting firm. DATE: Jan 25, 2007
Runtime: 198
1338 views
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Tell me about your success on LinkedIn
Lensmaster
coachbriany wrote...
Rose,
Thanks for the Kudos.
Just trying to add value where I can.
Brian
Posted October 16, 2008
Lensmaster
rose08 wrote...
web sites or tools related to Social networking are pretty hot recently. they are vitually replacing many kinds of social activities., people can easily find contacts online through various method, join or create the event together, share the favorites and hobby timely. they are also bringing huge profit. people can do market and advertisement online now with less expense. thanks for introducing Linkedin in this well presented lens.
Posted October 16, 2008
Visit Brian Monahan's Public LinkedIn Profile
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