linkedin in 15 minutes a day
TRANSCRIPT
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Contents.
Introduction 3
Scroll Strategically 5
Contribute Consistently 7
Keep Connecting 10
Conclusion 13
About 19 Oaks 15
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Introduction.
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LinkedIn is essential for modern business networking. You’ve heard that LinkedIn is the best way to get your dream job, recruit top employees, find new prospects, and stay top of mind with your customers. So you’ve created a profile. You’ve covered the basics, like uploading a professional profile picture, connecting with your existing contacts and filling out your work history. You have even joined a few groups and followed some key companies. Now you need to learn how to use LinkedIn to maximize its potential.
LinkedIn is a social network designed for busy professionals.
That means you can get a lot out of it without investing too much time. In about 15 minutes a day, you can build a strong presence on LinkedIn and establish expertise in your industry. Here’s how to do it in three simple steps:
1) Scroll Strategically2) Contribute Consistently 3) Keep Connecting
We’ll go through these steps in detail, but first, here’s the most important point to understand: Engagement—not time —is key to your success on LinkedIn.
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1. Scroll Strategically.Take a few minutes to strategically engage with your network on LinkedIn.
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Navigate the stream.Your LinkedIn home screen contains a stream of Updates from your connections, as well as companies and influencers you follow. It’s easy to get lost in this stream. But LinkedIn provides a quick way to navigate for maximum efficiency. There’s an “All Updates” drop-down menu that lets you filter what types of Updates you see. These filters allow you to cut through the chatter and engage strategically.
Play around with the filters to find the settings most useful for you. For example, if you filter by Companies, you can see which businesses your connections are following—which could be interesting for competitor or buyer analysis. For engagement purposes, make sure you try these:
Filter by Profiles.
You will see all recent Profile Updates from your network. Take a minute to “Like” new projects or volunteer experiences, say “Congrats” for promotions, new jobs, or work anniversaries, and wish your connections “Happy birthday.” These small touches only take seconds, but they go a long way. (Remember that all “Likes” and comments count as your own Updates and will be shared with your network.)
Filter by Groups.
Now you will see only updates posted to the Groups you join. This feature makes it easy to stay connected with your Groups—which are invaluable for broadening your network and reaching new prospects. Take a minute to “Like” and comment on new discussions. Lots of people ask questions in Groups, which is your opportunity to offer solutions that highlight your expertise.
Remember to engage with your prospects and affiliates on LinkedIn—in addition to your co-workers and best friends. This will keep you top of mind with the people who can grow your business and career.
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2. Contribute Consistently.Share content with your network, or with targeted groups and individuals.
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Give them something to talk about.Your first step on LinkedIn is engaging with your network. Your second step is to contribute content so your network can engage with you. That makes perfect sense, right? When you contribute a piece of content on LinkedIn, you accomplish three things with a single action:
1. You give people a reason to interact with you2. You establish yourself as a thoughtful, forward-thinking member of
your industry3. You give people a sense of your personality—what you think is smart,
important and right
The content you share helps shape your presence on LinkedIn—and by extension, in the business world. Here’s how you can contribute:
Built-In Content. One of the easiest ways to contribute is to share LinkedIn’s built-in content. LinkedIn offers content from “Influencers,” such as Meg Whitman and Guy Kawasaki, “Publishers,” such as Mashable and Forbes, and “Channels,” like “Entrepreneurs and Small Business,” or “Social Media.”
Follow a selection of industry-related sources and share your favorite stories. Note that LinkedIn gives you the option to share with everyone, post to groups, and/or email individuals. This is another great feature that helps you engage on LinkedIn and target specific
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connections. You can rotate who you share information with on a daily basis—this allows you to touch everyone and avoid “oversharing.”
Original Content.
In addition to sharing other people’s content, you should contribute original content of your own. Here’s a list of content that’s quick and easy to share, either to your whole network or to specific groups and individuals:
• Events you’re hosting or attending• Community news and events • New projects or accomplishments• Industry news and reports • Questions or solutions for industry-related problems• Your latest blog post
Anything you and your team are doing or creating at work can potentially be shared on LinkedIn. Don’t worry about being overly self-promotional—with our strategy, you’re sharing plenty of other people’s content and accomplishments, too.
If you really want to impress your network, you can go beyond the usual status update and choose to “Create a post.” This feature allows you to share longer, blog-style posts with your connections and the general public. You can even add images and video to increase visibility, and you can cross-promote your posts on different social networks. (This option may keep you on LinkedIn for longer than 15 minutes, but a weekly or monthly post can do a lot to boost your authority on LinkedIn.)
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3. Keep Connecting.Reach out to at least one person a day to keep your network growing.
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Grow Your Network.Even when you pass the milestone of 500+ connections on LinkedIn, it’s important to grow your network and continue to expand your influence. Take a few minutes each day to connect with new people. Your strategy may differ based on your goals, but as a baseline, you should connect with:
• Anyone you meet at events or conferences • Vendors, reps and other associates• New prospects, clients and affiliates • Group members (Both your LinkedIn groups and real life groups,
such as a book club)
Did you get an email from a new business associate? Look up that person on LinkedIn! Send an invitation to connect.
Advanced Search.
It’s great to connect with people you know and work with on LinkedIn. But it’s even better to use LinkedIn to expand your universe. LinkedIn has some restrictions on connecting with people outside your network. However, LinkedIn does allow you to directly connect with your 2nd-degree Connections. This gives you access to tens of thousands of potential prospects and affiliates. Access them using Advanced Search. (You can find it next to the LinkedIn search bar at the top of the page.)
On the Advanced Search screen, check the box marked “2nd Connections” and enter a keyword, company name or industry. You will get a targeted list of people you can then invite to connect. Note that you can save your search and even set up email alerts. Now you have a targeted list of prospective customers or partners to help your business grow!
Personalized Messages.
LinkedIn provides a default message for connections requests. But as a best practice, you should always personalize your invitations to connect
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on LinkedIn. This will go a long way toward helping you stand out from the crowd.
A lot of people struggle with what to write in their invitations, but it’s actually a simple formula. Just establish context, such as where you met or who you know in common, sprinkle in a little flattery or rapport, and finish up with a call to action, such as “Let’s connect.”
Here are some invitation templates you can use to connect on LinkedIn:
It was great to meet you at the _________ event last night. Let’s stay in touch.
I’m so glad our companies are doing business! Let’s connect here as well.
I just read your blog post / article / op-ed / column on __________. Great insights! I’d love to follow you here as well.
I’m a fellow member of the __________LinkedIn group. I always enjoy your comments. Let’s connect!
We have a lot in common. You are in charge of _______ at ________, and I do _________ at ___________. Let’s connect and share stories.
I loved your presentation on _________ and am already implementing your advice. I’d like to stay connected!
It’s been a while since we talked. Glad to see you’re doing so well! Let’s catch up.
I saw you connected with _______ and couldn’t wait to say hello! Hope all is well. Let’s stay in touch.
I’m a local / fellow / aspiring _________and an admirer of your work. I’d love to follow you here as well.
Try to send out at least one custom invitation per day to grow your network, and by extension, your influence on LinkedIn.
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Conclusion.
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Make an Impact.Now you understand how to build a presence on LinkedIn and expand your circle of influence in just three simple steps.
1. Scroll Strategically2. Contribute Consistently 3. Keep Connecting
What a typical 15-minute daily session will look like using this strategy:
9:00 am. Filter your Updates and engage with your contacts by “Liking” and commenting on their content.9:03 am. Peruse LinkedIn’s built-in content, read a story by an influencer, and share it with your network (OR targeted groups and individuals). 9:12 am. Send out two personalized invitations to connect on LinkedIn.
And you’re done!
It’s that easy to build a presence on LinkedIn. And the impact it will have on your personal brand, and by extension your business, is limitless. Soon you will be seen as an authority in your field, your company will be top of mind to a growing network, and you will have built trust and rapport that makes you and your business the go-to choice for your target buyers.
Those 15 minutes a day will add up to success over time.
Get started now.
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About 19 Oaks19 Oaks is a sales and marketing company based in Portland, Maine.
We help our clients define success and achieve it by developing creative, measurable solutions for business growth.
Our services include: marketing strategy, content creation, website development, sales integration, and data management.
If you have questions about this guide, or increasing sales, growing your customer base, redesigning your website, using social media, or launching a new product, contact us today.
19 Oaks Strategic Sales & Marketing
One Dana StreetPortland, ME 04101
(207) 619-7155
19Oaks.com