The Low Down on
Heidi Alexandra Pollard
Chief emPOWERment Officer
UQ Power
www.UQpower.com.au
Heidi Alexandra Pollard
www.UQPower.com.au

Focus for the workshop
• Why you need to be on LinkedIn now more than ever
before
• How to stand out from the sea of sameness
• Simple strategies and hacks to boost your online profile
• How to position yourself as a thought leader

Intention and Outcomes
• Create a name card for yourself
• Use your preferred, nickname or stage name
• Add one word people usually use to describe you or
associate you with
• Add the number of
connections you have on
LinkedIn

Who remembers these?

WHY YOU NEED TO BE ON
MORE THAN EVER BEFORE

• Globalisation Changes Our Community
• Increased Consumer Choice
• Technology Takes Private Lives Public
• Reduced Barriers to Entry
SHIFT HAPPENS

Why Social Media?
• Social media is simply another step in the
evolution of communication.
• The ability for social media to provide a 'one to many'
vehicle which can amplify to a 'many to many'
communication of ideas and content now means there is
scope for businesses (and individuals) to spread their
message quickly, efficiently and cheaply.

• LinkedIn is a professional online networking tool
that works particularly well for business-to-
business (B2B) relationships.
• It is like a directory of valuable business
contacts and, just as with ‘offline’ networking,
you get to choose who you connect with.
• LinkedIn allows you to find people
based on their profession, keywords,
companies, education etc which
makes it an extremely effective tool.
What is

What is
• LinkedIn has great Search Engine Optimisation
(SEO) and therefore ranks very high on Google.
So, when you search for a name on Google or any
other search engine, you will usually come across
that person’s LinkedIn profile (if they have one).
• LinkedIn like any business relationship is still about
give and take. It does take a bit of work (10
minutes every 2 days) to get the best results.

Why choose
• LinkedIn is an incredible tool for building
visibility and community on the web.
• It’s the largest professional network, with over
467 million contacts.
• That’s a lot of opportunities to build your brand,
succeed professionally and stand out as
Unique.
• If you don’t yet have a company website you
can use LinkedIn to ensure there is information
about you and your business available online.

Stats and Facts
• LinkedIn started on May 5, 2003
• It went public in May 19, 2011
• LinkedIn has 332 million members
• 2 new users join every second
• 42 million unique mobile visitors per month
(This is a 45% increase in just 12 months )
• LinkedIn’s user goal is 3 billion registered users
• 25 million LinkedIn profiles are viewed every day
• 41% of users visit LinkedIn via mobile
• The average number of connections is 930.

https://press.linkedin.com/about-linkedin
build
connections group
discussions
collaboration
opportunities
share your
expertise
Why LinkedIn?

The challenge then for business
owners and professionals is in the
online world it is
even harder to
stand out.stand out.

association
WhatisaBRAND?
name
logo

Why branding?
Take water + sugar + fizz + a can
= costs less than 30c
Write Coca-Cola on the
can and charge $3.90
Coca-Cola spends more on its
brand than on its product

individuals are
also unique
brands

Brand U
The term branding has long been associated
only with companies until Tom Peters
famously said
“We are the CEOs of our own companies:
Me, Incorporated…
Your most important job is to be
marketing the brand called You.”

Brand U
What get’s in the way of people building their
brand?
1.Don’t know what makes
me unique and how to
position, package and sell it!
2.Flat out exhausted and
in overwhelm.
3.Failure to implement
things that really matter –
doing a major in minor things.

Building Brand U
1. Start thinking of yourself as a brand. What do you
want people to associate with you when they hear
your name? What topic or message do you want to be
known for? What are the qualities or personality are
authentically you?
2. Grow your personal power. Get help to develop your
personal power, your self-worth, your ability to say no
and stick to it.
3. Get focused. Learn strategies to improve your
personal productivity. Be focused, not busy.

Examples
UQPower.com.au

Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle
“People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it.”
UQPower.com.au

Your Golden Circles
UQPower.com.au

Know your WHY
EG: My WHY Statement
To teach, inspire and help people to identify and leverage their
uniqueness so that they can increase their impact, influence
and income.

Ask yourself
• Who will look at your online profile?
• What do people want to know about you?
• Where will they use this information?
• Why is your profile important?
• When and how often do you update it?
• How will you use your profile to your advantage?

Know your WHO
The way you tell your story will
depend on whose attention
you’re trying to attract.
Whether it’s peers in your
professional network, potential
research or business partners,
or other useful business
contacts, understanding your
audience will help you tailor
your LinkedIn profile to speak
directly to them.

LinkedIn Stats
• 35% check it daily
• 32% check the site several times a week
• 42% update profile regularly
• 81% belong to at least one group

Who’s Using
• Top Level Executives
- industry networking (22%)
- Promoting their business (20%)
• Middle Management Professionals
- To keep in touch with others (24%)
- Industry networking (20%)
• Entry Level Employees
- Job searching (24%)
- Co-worker networking (23%)

How to make it work for you
• It’s not enough to have your LinkedIn
profile up and wait for something to happen.
• You need to engage in it actively to get results by
participating, sharing and connecting.
• In business there is a direct correlation between
your ability to build, manage and leverage
professional relationships and your success.
Ie: Your Network = Your Net Worth
• We prefer to do business with people we know,
like and trust - LinkedIn can get you there pronto.

7 to improve your UQ

1. Add a position
Create a compelling profile, not a resume rehash!
Update your employment history and professional
accomplishments. Be sure to include your current
position or job title and make sure it is aligned with
your ONE THING – your UQ factor you want to be
known for.

7
Secret Tip
Add in what you do or your tagline – not just your title –
it’s a great for keywords.
The more skills and job titles that match recruiter or
business searches for candidates, partners and
suppliers, the higher volume of traffic your profile will
receive. In turn, better traffic means you’re more likely
to be the target of a new connection or opportunity.

2. Add a photo
A professional looking photo or ‘headshot’ means
you are putting your best foot (or face) forward. It
also means people will recognise you which adds
to the Know, Like and Trust factor. And when
meeting up for a coffee with someone you met on
LinkedIn you can spot them.

You can increase your LinkedIn
views by 14X by including a photo

People are visual
Take a look at this eye
pattern research for
a LinkedIn page.
Notice how the eye
lingers much longer
on the photo that
anywhere else on
the page.
That’s why you need
a great headshot.

Avoid these mistakes

Nooooo….

Ewwww…

3. Add at least 3 skills
Let people know what you’re good at, and then
get endorsed by your connections.
Remember to include your ONE THING – what
makes you Unique makes you stand out.
7

Endorsemen
ts

4. Join and interact
in relevant groups
A great feature of LinkedIn is its groups. There are
literally thousands of groups on LinkedIn where
people discuss different topics. A great strategy is to
join and participate in group discussions that your
target market is part of. Demonstrate your expertise
and position yourself as an expert. This will build
trust and attract more business. Or create your own!
7

Group interaction tips
•Answer questions to highlight your subject expertise
•Communicate. Show interest. Look for ways to help.
•Be your UQ self. Be real. Be yourself.
•Don’t always be in selling mode!
•Have fun!

5. Recommend people
An extremely powerful feature is that your clients
can leave recommendations on your profile, which
provides instant social proof and makes you more
appealing to prospects when they look at your
work profile and history.
Imagine searching for an accountant in your area
and one has recommendations and the other
doesn’t – which would you choose?
7

Give and take
To get recommendations remember to also recommend
businesses you have liked working with instead of just
hoping to be endorsed. It’s all about give and take.
Be genuine and bold –
ask clients to leave a
recommendation for
you as part of your
feedback process.
7

Publish Articles

Include visuals

Include visuals

Extend Your Reach – Better Than A Blog

How you rank in your network

7. Create a business page
People can find you based on the keywords that you
use, and likewise you can search for potential strategic
alliance partners, find people and businesses in the
same industry and email people directly without having
to go through numerous channels. A LinkedIn
Business page can act as an extra website so people
can find out more about what you do. You can also
post updates and information and read reports on the
7

Make it work
•Aim to update it 1-3 times per week
•Make it highly visual
•Start with an action verb or ask a question
•Include links to articles and presentations
•Update status – strictly business (this is not
Facebook) but be friendly, interesting and use video to
show and tell

Ask questions

Use video show & tell

Keep it Short & Sweet

Provide Great Info

Use Neverfail Lists

• Use LinkedIn to do research about people. For example,
if you about to meet with the CEO of Goldmine Co. you
can look him up on LinkedIn and find out more about him
before your meeting.
• All recruitment companies use LinkedIn to find and
screen suitable candidates.
• Remember to link your company website, business card,
email signature to your LinkedIn page.
• Make contact with potential clients or joint venture
partners.
• Upload presentations like this one via SlideShare!
What else can I do with

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DISCUSSION
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