THE 10 COMMANDMENTS OF LINKEDIN By Lisa Fox

LinkedIn is a brilliant tool, but only if it is used well and with clarity. Otherwise it’s at best a huge waste of time, and at worst can ruin what you want to achieve. Before you get going on LinkedIn (or before you change what you have already started) here are our 10 top tips to ensure you’re using it to your advantage.

1. Use it like an advert for you  Current projects and your company, and never  Interesting information (external advertise your personal beliefs and internal)  Staff activities LinkedIn is fundamentally an advertising site. Your personal profile is a place where you can advertise your own: Your company profile is a place where you can advertise (to current and prospective customers) your • Expertise company’s: • Activities within/for your company • Professional interests  Expertise  Services The above list is by no means  Products (but avoid trying to exhaustive, but it gives you an idea just put out sales messages as it of the type of content you can easily switches people off - talk about create in order to advertise your benefits and special features of company and/or yourself. Don’t forget the products instead) that from your personal LinkedIn profile you should also be sharing your on the person who is viewing, so company’s LinkedIn posts to promote LinkedIn is brilliant for forcing you company activity and services. to focus. If you try to be all things to everyone then you’ll leave the This kind of free advertising on software and your readers confused. LinkedIn allows you and your company to establish yourselves, your Instead, have a long hard think about expertise and services. exactly:

Remember that you should never use • Who you are LinkedIn to advertise your personal beliefs, including religious or political. • What you are This includes liking posts, because • What you want to be the posts you’ve liked display in your activity feed if someone visits • What you know your profile. It’s always best to keep your personal beliefs out of the Then objectively look at (and read professional mix - stick to Facebook through) your profile and make sure or Twitter for liking or sharing these that it solidly and obviously reflects kinds of posts (if your profile is set to those beliefs. private).

This does not mean you have to be 3. Use the name you are known by dry and boring on your LinkedIn profile - be human, have a personality, Yes, it sounds stupid; but use your be friendly and warm, but always be name correctly. Whatever name you’re professional. already known by in the profession you’re advertising yourself to, use that one! There’s no point being on 2. Decide who you are, what you LinkedIn if people can’t find you. are, what you want to be and what you know LinkedIn users will only be able to discover you by searching for the LinkedIn works like Google - it allows name you’ve entered, so if you’re people to search using keywords like not currently using your full name name, company, expertise, groups. on LinkedIn, or it doesn’t match the Using clear English and grammar is one on your business cards / email important, but avoid including words signature, then update it. like ‘motivated’, ‘enthusiastic’, and ‘driven’; these are so overused that they’ve completely lost any meaning LINKEDIN WORKS LIKE or weight. GOOGLE ALLOWING

Unlike your CV you can’t customise PEOPLE TO SEARCH your LinkedIn profile content based USING KEYWORDS www.nucroft.com The 10 Commandments of LinkedIn 4. Complete all sections of 5. Use a professional photograph your profile and ask for recommendations Remember that you are advertising yourself, so make sure that you use a LinkedIn works like Google, and it photograph. LinkedIn rewards profiles rewards: which have a photo - you’re a lot more like to appear high up in any search • Full profiles results. Also, statistics show that people are more likely to view and • Number of connections connect to profiles with photographs. • Good connections to people Your picture should be an image of relevant to your area of expertise how you want to portray yourself. A • Endorsements that are relevant professionally taken full head shot photograph speaks volumes. This is •  Recommendations that contain not a personal platform, so do not use relevant text a photograph of you on your holidays or your Facebook profile photo; your So, it’s important to take your time LinkedIn photograph must scream with your LinkedIn profile and: ‘professional’.

•  Make sure you’ve filled all relevant 6. Be deliberately selective when sections of your profile choosing which information to • Send connection invitations add to your profile to good quality people in your LinkedIn isn’t a CV, so you don’t need professional arena to describe every job you’ve ever • Ask your connections for had, or every skill you’ve acquired. recommendations (and even ask If something doesn’t have direct them to be specific about what relevance regarding advertising you want them to say in them) - yourself towards your connections people will usually gladly give you and intended audience then don’t a recommendation if you return include it. the favour Take your time to be selective and • Give your connections a few objectively analytical. Look at every endorsements for their skills and experience you’ve had and every in return they’ll often do the same skill you’ve acquired - choose to for you include the ones which enhance your authority within your professional As you build the quality of your profile niche and/or company role, and your you’ll be presented higher in relevant expertise within them. This is what search results in comparison with adds weight and value to your profile people who have a lower profile rank. as it’s perceived by others.

The 10 Commandments of LinkedIn www.nucroft.com 7. Follow relevant companies and You may decide further down the line groups to investigate premium membership (if you have a large list of targeted The companies you follow and the contacts you wish to connect with) groups you join are all visible to other or paid advertising via LinkedIn users when they view your profile. (after sage advice and with expert Here you can shine by showing guidance). But there is no need to pay that you genuinely love your area of unless you or your company are on expertise and that you are interested very specific and targeted professional in your customers. campaigns. If you decide to take these steps, remember to never start Again, stay away from following paying for LinkedIn on a whim or after personal groups or interests - you reading a general article or receiving should do this on other social general advice. platforms not your professional one.

10. Embrace personal branding to 8. Follow influencers whose multiply your LinkedIn effect reputation mirrors how you wish to be viewed The power of LinkedIn is magnified hugely if combined with personal LinkedIn has influencers that you branding. If you have your own can follow: those people who have a website (or blog) full of your own great deal of respect and authority professional expertise and articles, in their area of expertise. Research you can share these on LinkedIn. This shows that the values and reputation adds to your professional sense of of the people you follow reflect on authority in the public arena as well you in the eyes of those that view as the LinkedIn platform. your profile - so seek them out and aim to connect with them. Creating your own articles on LinkedIn itself also adds weight to your expertise, as well as adding 9. Don’t pay for LinkedIn posts containing short videos (whether direct to camera or LinkedIn has numerous opportunities someone interviewing you) - these to pay for upgraded services or add a personal touch and help to membership. There is absolutely grow relationships with people and nothing on any of the paid LinkedIn customers you’ve never even met. services that you cannot do for free, given a bit of time and ingenuity.

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