Everything You Wanted to Know About LinkedIn, but Were Too Embarrassed to Ask

If you’re reading this, you no doubt have a LinkedIn profile. What you may not have is a comprehensive understanding of LinkedIn’s hidden powers — how it can transform your online presence from an afterthought into a model of thought leadership.

Transcript

1. EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT LINKEDIN BUT WERE TOO EMBARRASSED TO ASK
2. SlideShare 2012 Lynda.com 2015 Microsoft 2016
3. What we’ll discuss today 1. Objections 2. Sweet spots 3. Sections 4. Linking in 5. Bonus
4. Part 1 Objections
5. Objection LinkedIn is useful only when I’m looking for a job. Reality If you’re using LinkedIn only when you need a job, you could be letting your dream job pass you by.
6. “A friend wrote recently to thank me for helping his career. Not having done a damn thing, as far as I could tell, to advance this fellow’s professional life, I was pleased to know he was referring to my insistence that he spruce up his profile on LinkedIn, whether or not he wanted to find a new job. As it turns out, a new job found him when a recruiter viewed his profile on LinkedIn.” —Adam Lashinsky
7. Objection I have a LinkedIn profile, but it hasn’t done much for me lately. Reality You get out what you put in.
8. Link in with someone ▲ 20% Write a summary ▲ 15% Add a skill ▲ 15% Join a group ▲ 10% Post an update ▲ 5%
9. http://www.linkedin.com/sales/ssi
10. http://www.linkedin.com/sales/ssi
11. http://www.linkedin.com/sales/ssi
12. Part 2 Sweet spots
13. Brand yourself.
14. “Don’t ruin great messaging and positive interactions with an outdated or sparse profile.” —Emma Snider
15. Research people.
17. Stay in touch with people.
19. Email Dear Eleanor Franklin, It was nice to meet you recently. Somehow I ended up with your business card, so I thought I might as well send you an email. Let’s get lunch soon! LinkedIn Hi Elle, It was a real pleasure to meet last night at the Georgetown career fair. I didn’t realize we both went to UMD until I visited your LinkedIn profile! Do you ever go back to College Park for football games?
20. Sections Part 3
21. Part 3.1 Sections Groups
24. Part 3.2 Sections Company page
29. Part 3.3 Sections Newsfeed
30. What content should I share on LinkedIn?
31. Most People Think of Themselves This Way I’m an expert on politics. The Savvy Marketer Brands Him- self This Way I’m an expert about the Maryland state legislature.
33. How should I share that content?
34. Most People The Savvy Marketer
37. Part 3.4 Sections Your profile
38. Part 3.4 Sections Your profile URL
39. Most People http://linkedin.com/profile/ view?id=6891050 You http://linkedin.com/in/jrick
40. LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/jrick Elsewhere twitter.com/jrick facebook.com/jrick speakerdeck.com/jrick
41. Part 3.4 Sections Your profile Headshot
43. Part 3.4 Sections Your profile Headline
44. This is the easiest way to make your profile stand out.
47. “There’s no rule on LinkedIn that says you have to meekly list your job title in your headline and that’s it. Grab attention: Let people know how they’ll benefit when they work with you.” —Alaura Weaver
48. Job Title Managing Partner at the Whitney Group Headline I help trade associations raise mountains of money.
49. Job Title Senior Vice President at the BGR Group Headline I help Fortune 500 CEOs and tech entrepreneurs navigate and influence Washington, D.C.
50. 1. Fragment Trusted Communications Counselor to the C Suite 2. Sentence I help public relations agencies lift revenue, profits, and market share.
51. 3. Keywords PR executive with 20 years of experience. Specialize in crisis communications for food and sports clients. 4. Eclectic Public Affairs at Weber Shandwick | Corporate Communications at Georgetown University | Motivational Talks via Leading Authorities
52. K eyw ord Stuffers
53. Laundry Listers
54. EXERCISE Write five headlines for yourself.
55. Part 3.4 Sections Your profile Experience
56. The #1 way to dazzle a recruiter.
57. Activity Coordinated press releases. Accomplishment Coordinated 8 artist press releases that contributed to an increase in annual sales by 14%.
58. Activity Maintained a mailing list of customers. Accomplishment Managed a mailing list of 12,000 customers, the art center’s largest ever.
59. Activity Designed pamphlets. Accomplishment Designed pamphlets that won over a difficult client.
60. ü increase the number of subscriptions, downloads, conversions, members, users, prospects? ü generate repeat business? ü close more lucrative clients? ü implement a faster sales cycle? ü shrink the online-checkout process from 3 pages to 1, thus tripling conversions? Sales
61. ü deliver projects consistently on time, on budget, and within scope? ü develop templates for repeat forms, thus making the kick-off process for new clients more efficient? ü reduce the number of complaints, escalations, or support calls? Operations
62. ü lead annual internal workshops to sharpen writing skills across the division? ü mentor junior staff to assume larger responsibilities? ü bring a $10,000/month contract in-house? M anagem ent
63. One weird trick to make that old summer job newly relevant.
64. Account Executive, Advertising Sales Yellow Book USA Publishing Seriously: I sold phone-book ads. Right when smartphones came out. In the Detroit area. The joke just writes itself. What do phone-book ads have to do with my current copywriting calling? Only everything. As a salesman, I hit the streets and talked every day with small-business owners about their passions, their dreams, their challenges. I realized that the smartest entrepreneurs have a deep appreciation for the power of marketing and a heightened BS detector. So, I learned how to shut up and listen, how to unearth hidden emotional pains and triggers, and how to convince people to buy with their hearts. This B2B knowledge now informs every writing project I take on.
65. Part 3.4 Sections Your profile Formatting
66. Most People • Managed $100K in ads for two Commerce Department conferences, tripling the number of attendees • Grew the S&T email list by 225%, e-newsletter click- through rate by 75%, and website traffic by 50% • Led must-win new-business proposals, winning contracts worth up to $6.5M You • Managed $100K in ads for two Commerce Department conferences, tripling the number of attendees • Grew the S&T email list by 225%, e-newsletter click- through rate by 75%, and website traffic by 50% • Led must-win new-business proposals, winning contracts worth up to $6.5M
67. You • Managed $100K in ads for two Commerce Department conferences, tripling the number of attendees • Grew the S&T email list by 225%, e-newsletter click- through rate by 75%, and website traffic by 50% • Led must-win new business proposals, winning con- tracts worth up to $6.5M Me Ø Managed $100K in ads for two Commerce Department conferences, tripling the number of attendees Ø Grew the S&T email list by 225%, e-newsletter click- through rate by 75%, and website traffic by 50% Ø Led must-win new business proposals, winning con- tracts worth up to $6.5M
68. Part 3.4 Sections Your profile Promotions
69. Senior Vice President Washington Writers 2011 – Present Began as a senior director, and earned promotions to executive director, vice president, and, now, senior vice president. Oversee a team of 11 ghost- writers and editors (in-house and freelance). Senior Vice President Washington Writers 2011 – Present Oversee a team of 11 ghost- writers and editors (in-house and freelance). Senior Vice President Washington Writers 2017 – Present Oversee a team of 11 ghost- writers and editors (in-house and freelance). Vice President Washington Writers 2013 – 2017 Served as the chief political speechwriter. Executive Director Washington Writers 2011 – 2013 Ghostwrote op-eds for executives and celebrities.
70. Part 3.4 Sections Your profile Summary
71. specialized motivated leadership strategic experienced creative skilled expert passionate
72. Gordon Rae Quite possibly the only person on LinkedIn who isn’t a results-oriented team player with excellent interpersonal skills Torquay, United Kingdom | Management Consulting
73. Part 3.4 Sections Your profile Cover photo
78. Part 3.4 Sections Your profile Endorsements
80. “So, you call yourself a social media expert?” “Uh, yeah — I’ve been doing this stuff for 10 years.” “Then why don’t any of your contacts endorse you for social media?”
82. Part 3.4 Sections Your profile Recommendations
84. “I’ve heard of employers who take recommendations on LinkedIn almost as seriously as ones received in more traditional ways.” —Sree Sreenivasan
85. “I’m proud to be considered creative and client-focused by my colleagues and clients. My proudest accomplishments are the recommendations I’ve received from professionals I’ve had the privilege to work for and with.” —Greg Wilson
86. From: Gisele Bundchen Subject: Will you recommend me? Hi Jonathan, I’m about to start a job search, and a recommendation from you would help significantly. I’m hoping to highlight my entrepreneurial skills, and would appreciate anything you can write to these ends. A single paragraph is perfectly fine. If you’d prefer, I’m happy to provide a draft for you to edit. Thanks so much for helping to launch my career.
87. Part 3.4 Sections Your profile Multimedia
89. Part 3.4 Sections Your profile Volunteer Experience
91. Part 3.4 Sections Your profile Publications, Certifications, and Projects
93. Linking in Part 4
95. What do you do after you see that someone’s viewed your profile?
96. “I noticed you recently viewed my profile. (I swear I’m not stalking you — LinkedIn alerts me whenever this happens. :) What brought you by? Did I post something interesting? Are you looking for a ghostwriter?” —Jonathan Rick Try This
97. “After you peeked at my profile, I peeked at yours. Our field has so many pretenders, I seldom reach out to other ‘writers.’ But you’re the real deal. I’m impressed how you’ve carved out a niche in writing about security. And I see that you live in York, PA, which is not ‘too’ far from Columbia, MD (where I work).” —Paul Stregevsky Or This
98. The #1 mistake everyone makes on LinkedIn.
100. “Treat an invitation like a miniature cover letter for a job. Sell me on the idea that we should be connected to each other, whether because of common values or interests, or because you’d like to do business together. In other words, edit the default message.” —Ari Herzog
101. Who should you send friend requests to?
102. I see we both went to Hamilton. I’m a graduating senior interested in freelance writing. I’d love to connect because you write for Forbes, which has long been one of my favorite magazines. It looks like we both worked at ACU. After taking some time off to care for my children, I’m now transitioning back to political consulting. If you ever have a few minutes, I’d welcome the chance to pick your brain. I just read the article you wrote for Mashable on making networking less fake and horrible. You captured my feelings exactly! I’d like to connect here on LinkedIn so I can stay abreast of your work.
103. Who should you accept friend requests from?
104. Reason #1 I don’t know this rando. Reason #2 Connecting with him implies that I know or support him. Reason #3 Accepting too many requests diminishes the value of my network.
105. Bonus Part 5
106. Part 5.1 Bonus Website redirect
107. http://yourname.com http://linkedin.com/in/yourname/
108. Part 5.2 Bonus Contacting your contacts
109. From: Jonathan Rick Subject: So, we’re connected on LinkedIn. Now what? Have you ever wondered why you’ve been accumulating all those LinkedIn contacts over the years? Here’s one possible reason: so you can check in with them from time to time. A quick refresher about me. I run a social media consultancy in Washington, DC, and teach business writing at the University of Maryland. I also offer a variety of communications workshops that are affordable, fun, and epiphany-engendering. Now it’s your turn. When you get a chance, I’d love to know what’s keeping you busy these days? Any exciting projects slated for the fall? I look forward to hearing from you. In the meantime, stay cool during the relentless humidity.
110. http://www.linkedin.com/in/jrick