A presentation by Freddy Tran Nager, Entrepreneurial Communication Expert in Residence at the University of Southern California, on how to use LinkedIn to enhance one's brand, network, and career (or business!).

1. Freddy Tran Nager
21 November 2019
fluence

2. Social Media For Professionals: The 3R's
• Research: what are your customers, collaborators, competitors thinking?
• Relationships: who will actually help you? (quality > quantity)
• Reputation: what will searchers think if they read your whole profile?
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3. LinkedIn: Your Global Professional Base
• Not just a resume — it's your online brochure
• Appears in top search results when someone Googles you
• Used by over 500 million professionals worldwide (including China),
98% of Fortune 500 Companies, 90% of recruiters
‣ investors, journalists, collaborators, talent
• Tip: claim your name (before your rival does)
‣ purchase your domain name (URL), forward to LinkedIn
‣ customize the URL LinkedIn gives you (consider keywords)
• Make primary profile English, but add secondary languages
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4. Brainstorm Words That Represent You
• Who do you want to find you, and what search keywords will they use?
• Use in your URL, title, summary, job descriptions
‣ no: guru, wizard, ninja, visionary, thought leader, unemployed
‣ no: passionate, team player, hard working
‣ yes: real titles, major + courses, skills (languages, software, platforms)
• 120-character title
‣ "slash" yourself: InstaGram Marketer | Writer | MA in Journalism Student
‣ make a power statement: "Marketer Who Helps Fashion Brands Grow"
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5. Make Your Summary Concise + Concrete
• Your "About" section tells people whether they should read further
• Emphasize skills and accomplishments (and how they're related)
‣ how you use your skills to solve problems and achieve goals
• Not your life story or personality description
• May be first person or neutral — just stay consistent throughout profile
• Add supporting documents or links
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6. Detail Your Jobs And Education
• Describe little-known companies and schools (what's "Annenberg"?)
• Emphasize accomplishments (not "responsible for")
‣ individual or team
‣ challenge + solution + results
‣ show numbers
• Exclude irrelevant jobs and tasks you hate (no "filing" or "answered phones")
• Include charity work, independent projects/productions
• List class names, project titles, famous professors
• Show your work (portfolio, links, samples)
• Recommendations (minimum 3)
‣ bosses, teachers, colleagues, classmates
‣ prove you're not a spammer or serial killer
‣ have them express your personality traits ("team player")
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7. A.
Intern: Responsible for filing,
answering phones, and assisting the
account team.
Who Would You Hire?
B.
Account Management Intern:
Researched customer segments for 3
clients of award-winning ad agency:
startup Sofi; and Fortune 500
companies Hyundai and Pepsi.
Organized account info and helped
manage communications. Acquired
insights and skills on managing client
accounts, including pitches, creative
reviews, and results reporting.
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8. A.
Marketing Coordinator: Responsible
for client's online media.
Who Would You Hire?
B.
Digital Marketer: Managed content
of fintech startup SoFi's $2,000,000
website with over 600,000 unique
daily visitors. Analyzed site traffic and
adjusted UX to increase time on site
by 40%. Collaborated with SoFi's VP
of Marketing Jane Matsuda to achieve
quarterly conversion targets.
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9. A.
Sales: Responsible for selling online
ads to customers.
Who Would You Hire?
B.
Business Development:
• Challenge: Generate ad revenue for
movie website with 100,000 unique
monthly visitors.
• Solution: Developed relationships
with over 20 key advertising execs,
including representatives of Honda,
Nike, and Coca-Cola.
• Results: Over $30,000 in ad
placements initial month, with long-
term contracts exceeding
$1,000,000.
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10. Show A Professional Face:
Profile Photo Tips
• Show the right brand to your target audience
• Smile
• Avoid disembodied limbs
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11. Go Public But Protect Your Privacy
• Make your profile publicly viewable
• Turn off news mention broadcasts
• Do not show birthdate or marital status
• Never publicly post personal phone numbers, address, email
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12. Flaunt Your Expertise:
Post In The Feed Every Week
• Actives users appear in more search results
• Create short videos with on-screen captions, description, hashtags
• Attach PDFs that tell stories/case studies
• Share articles you've written (via your site, Medium, or directly on LinkedIn)
• Share third-party articles with your comments (tag authors if possible)
• Comment on posts by other experts and influencers
• Engage in smart, friendly conversations on posts or in groups
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13. Virtual Networking Party
Do's and Don'ts
• 5 Do's
‣ intro yourself when asking to connect
‣ listen and offer first — don't request favors
‣ discuss their posts, business, needs
‣ follow through on introductions (particularly if you request them)
‣ respond to all comments and messages within days
• 5 Don'ts
‣ don't be a wallflower
‣ don't sell or advertise
‣ don't treat it like Facebook (play games or post personal life matters)
‣ don't treat it as a dating site (it's not WinkedIn)
‣ don't connect with every stranger
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14. Job Hunting
• Truism 1: most jobs never advertised
‣ create hit list of companies you want to work for, find connections
‣ ask for informational interview using LinkedIn
• Truism 2: most jobs go to insiders and referred applicants
‣ simply applying to HR or via company website rarely succeeds
‣ review job ads, note who posted + any connections inside companies
‣ ask if your connection will refer you to hiring manager
• Truism 3: most jobs go to people the employer is comfortable with
‣ try to be seen before you're heard: comment in Groups, on their posts
‣ see if you share the hiring manager's interests (charities, hobbies, USC)
‣ try a paper application with work samples
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15. Don't Just Connect And Forget
• Reconnect with at least 1 connection each day
‣ congratulate people on new jobs, promotions, anniversaries
‣ ask about their needs
‣ don't sell, but do ask for referrals
• Introduce your connections to each other
• Directly share articles and jobs ("this made me think of you…")
• Take it offline — in-person interactions are still "in"
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16. • LinkedIn: freddynager.com
• Site: AtomicTango.com
In Case You Want More