How to Create Your Personal Brand Using LinkedIn

 

These days just about everyone has a LinkedIn account. LinkedIn is an excellent site to promote and sell yourself as a professional, and your company, or organization. Follow these steps and you will be way ahead of the crowd when it comes to using LinkedIn for personal branding.

  • Step #1

Determine what you want your LinkedIn profile to do for you. LinkedIn is about much more than posting a picture. It is a chance for you to stay connected to people, showing them who you are and what your goals are.

  • Step #2

    Don’t be boring. There are 40 million members. Make what you have to say interesting enough to get read. Stand out in a very big crowd! You can pull in other content such as your blog, books you are reading, etc., to keep things interesting.

  • Step #3

    Now it’s times to write a summary, rock it! You can write it in the third person if you like. It may feel strange like you are bragging about yourself. When you write in the third person, it gives you the opportunity to write your full name. Of course, you can always write in the first person too. Remember to incorporate your company name, your keywords, and anything else you want associated with your LinkedIn profile.

  • Step #4
    A photo is important. Even if you are self-conscious about how you look in a photo, remember this ñ those that are thinking of working with you. If a person is going to pass judgment on you by your appearance then they might as well do it right away rather than later. Have a headshot taken if you must. Professional photographers can get a good shot of everyone.
  • Step #5
    For your url get a vanity url. For example, if your LinkedIn profile looks a bit like this

    http://www.linkedin.com/pub/joe-blow/3/231/438

    you can make it available at

    http://www.linkedin.com/in/joeblow

    This is much easier to remember than the first url.
    There are steps on how to do this on our blog post : http://www.linkedintraining.ie/469/how-to-brand-yourself-in-linkedin/

  • Step #6
    Show our profile to another person and get their feedback. Then you can tweak it. In fact, show it to a few people. At least once a month you should tweak your profile.
  • Step #7
    Now it is time to start using LinkedIn. You can begin to recommend people who you work with, look for old co-workers that you really liked and respected.

There you have it, Seven simple steps to help you create your personal brand using LinkedIn.

How to Create a Company Page on LinkedIn

 

If you own an online business you can create a company page on LinkedIn.com. The importance of having a company page is that it establishes your business entity as separate from your personal profile, and people who have done business with you can add your company to their profile. This is one more way to connect with others, and to promote your online business.

 

Simply go to your Home page of LinkedIn.com, and then click Companies. Look for the “Add a Company” link, and click it. Simply fill out the information provided. You must have the right to add a company so do not do this for companies you do not own, or manage.. Then click Continue.

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Fill out your company profile, add a logo, and information as fully as possible. You can add in a Twitter account, add employees or contractors, and grab your LinkedIn button code to put on your company website so that you can get more followers. Fill out each section completely from the overview to the Products & Services area. From here you can list your products as well as a link to the product and / or service. You can also add photographs for your product or service and a disclaimer. Once you add one product or service, you can add more.

 

Adding your company page is very versatile. Aside from promotions, you can even add in a YouTube video to talk about your products and services. Make sure to choose your keywords well, and try to fill out this page completely. Don’t be scared to make a YouTube video for this area, it will increase your sales and it doesn’t have to be perfect. From here you can promote your product or service too with just a few clicks.

 

A really awesome feature of the Company Page is that you can also see the analytics and know at a glance how many people are looking at your company, who is following you, and see an entire overview of the analytics at a glance. Analytics are very important to ensure that you are using methods that work to advertise your goods and services.

 

Some rules about creating a company page. Make sure you don’t already have a company page. In order to create a company page you must have an authenticated company email address that is not a free email address like Gmail or Yahoo! Mail.  You can only create a company page if you’re an employee or an owner of the company in question.

 

Once you create a company page you can post jobs to your company page if you’re hiring. Click on Careers then click Post a Job. Then fill in all the areas. Don’t worry you can pick contractor too. Fill out the information listing an email address where people can apply for the job, or link them to a specific website for applications. Choose the rate you’re willing to pay for the job listing. Then click Next and follow all the instructions for payment processing.

 

How to buy a targeted linked in advertisement

 

Advertising your online business on LinkedIn.com is an excellent way to get your advertisement in front of qualified and eager buyers. With LinkedIn.com you can choose your budget, and target your market down to the smallest detail including, job function, industry, demographics and more.

 

You get to set your price limit and like other Pay Per Click on you pay, when someone clicks. Right now the minimum cost per click is $2.00, with a $5.00 activation fee that will be applied to clicks. They give you a suggested bidding amount depending upon your keywords and niche so you will always be able to make sure you’re bidding competitively.

 

To purchase an advertisement you must first have an account of your own, then go to http://www.linkedin.com/advertising or click “Advertising” from the bottom of the page.

  1. Click Start Now — If you’ve not signed in you’ll be requested to do so at this time.Screen Shot 2013-04-25 at 12.49.08
  2. Ad Campaign Name — Name your ad campaign something you will recognize, so you’ll be able to view your analytics at a glance.Screen Shot 2013-04-25 at 12.51.18
  3. Ad Variation — Choose whether you want to link to your web page, or another page on LinkedIn.com.Screen Shot 2013-04-25 at 12.51.39 Screen Shot 2013-04-25 at 12.57.12
    Each variation allows you to add a different headine and image. You can add variations by clicking the “Add a Variation” button below the variations.

    Screen Shot 2013-04-25 at 12.57.20
    There will also be a preview of your variation in a box to the left.
    Screen Shot 2013-04-25 at 12.57.29Once you’ve finished with your variations, click Next Step.
  4. Targeting — Now choose how you want to target your advertisement.  You can choose one or all of the following: Geography, Company, Job Title, Group, Gender and Age. In addition you can click the box that allows your advertisement be seen on the LinkedIn Audience Network which are partner sites. Once you choose your demographics click Next Step.

    Screen Shot 2013-04-25 at 13.02.23
    Linkedin will also give you an estimate of the number of Linkedin Members that will be your target audience, Along with some tips.
    Screen Shot 2013-04-25 at 13.02.31

  5. Payment Method — You can choose from Pay per click (CPC), or pay per 1,000 impressions. With Pay Per Click on only pay if someone clicks on your advertisement. If you pay per 1,000 impressions (CPM) you pay per how many times the advertisement is shown across the network. No matter which one you choose, you then choose a bid.

    Screen Shot 2013-04-25 at 15.19.56

  6. CPC — If you choose CPC you’ll need to make a bid on what you will pay each time someone clicks through from your link. The minimum bid is $2.00.
  7. CPM — By choosing CPM you’ll need to make a bid, the maximum amount you will pay for 1000 impressions. The minimum bid is $2.00.
  8. Daily Budget –  Here type in how much you’re willing to spend per day. The minimum is $10.00.
  9. Show My Campaign — You have a choice to pick that your ad will show continuously, and you can turn it off whenever you want to, or you can set it to expire at a certain date. Once you choose one of these, click Next Step.
  10. Billing Information — Fill out the billing information required. They take MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover. Fill the information out completely, then check the box to agree to LinkedIn Ad Agreement. When you’re done click Buy Now. You will immediately be billed $5.00 and then you’ll be billed periodically during the campaign.

    Screen Shot 2013-04-25 at 15.23.14

 

The approval process is next. If you’ve ensured that you followed the advertising guidelines provided by LinkedIn this process will not take long, usually within 24 hours. It is very important to read the guidelines and follow the rules so that you will not experience any delays.

How Professionals Can Benefit From LinkedIn

 

Professionals turn to LinkedIn as a method of communication. By creating relationships and sustaining those relationships, they can enjoy the full benefit of LinkedIn. LinkedIn builds credibility, which in turn provides networking opportunities to professionals.

Referrals that are obtained through a professional LinkedIn network offers a number of opportunities These referrals are also more qualified and because LinkedIn offers a very efficient method to build your referral base, it’s extremely popular. LinkedIn is an excellent forum to network and to build referral systems that are strong and reliable.

When you connect with individuals on LinkedIn, you then are able to take advantage of what are referred to as second and third tier contacts. You can take advantage of these levels in order to further build your referral base. It can quickly gain momentum and before long, it will be growing rapidly.

Quality not quantity are the best motivators. When you are connecting with individuals on LinkedIn, it is more important that you look for quality connections. Qualify your connections before you start sending out he invites. When you are communicating with any of the referrals, you should reference LinkedIn Today. The news section will provide you with relevant industry news that can help you determine quality and relevance.

LinkedIn continuously adds new products and apps that help to improve the professional lives of those using LinkedIn, which is more than just a place people go when they are looking for jobs. LinkedIn focuses on building relationships through groups and by using LinkedIn Today, where you can connect with other like-minded professional contacts, so you can communicate freely. You will be updated with industry news that is relevant, so you will be prepared and ready.

LinkedIn is able to use a vanity URL specified for the business, which can be more professional and easier to find on LinkedIn. LinkedIn offers job postings and it offers tracking of information such as when individuals leave a company, along with day-to-day tasks.

Groups are one of the most powerful tools that LinkedIn offers. Not only should you join relevant groups, you should participate in those groups. Doing so can be far reaching and it can lead to new business, which translates to more jobs, and increased revenues.

When you use all or some of the tools that LinkedIn has to offer you can create a profile that can have maximum impact. As a professional, you’ll discover opportunities you never dreamed of.

 

Enhance your business prospects with LinkedIn

 

Gone are the days when banners, print ads, posters dominated the advertising world. In this competitive business world, social networks are acknowledged as great marketing tools to boost the existing businesses or build up a new business. Various social networking websites work differently to help the businesses with their marketing strategies. When it comes to LinkedIn there is a world of opportunities as it helps to establish a strong clientele base which takes your business to exceptional heights. For this, you need to create a fabulous impact on the users of this website in order to enhance your business prospects.

To come up as a successful entrepreneur, you need to have an astonishing and professional profile to attract a large number of visitors. For the potential customers, who are already interested in your business services and products, you need to present a clear picture of how they can benefit from your business. You can brilliantly place testimonials with some information about your company’s history in order to showcase the flexibility, professionalism and your business dynamics.

Today, an increasing number of entrepreneurs are realizing the importance of this amazing social networking website and acknowledge it as a brilliant asset to promote their services, products and the business as well. This gives a great opportunity to the businesses to reach their target audience and potential customers and thus successfully enhance their niche market. As a business owner, all you need to do is efficiently reach out to the people who share the similar interests. For this, you can even make the use of keywords in order to find those individuals and then successfully establish the connection. Thus, you can use various approaches to promote your business offerings through LinkedIn and assure yourself positive results. However you need to make certain that you do this persistently and correctly. LinkedIn allows you to stand apart and give your business an edge as compared to your competitors.

 

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