This document provides tips and strategies for optimizing a LinkedIn profile and increasing visibility on LinkedIn. It discusses setting up a strong foundation by optimizing one's profile, using LinkedIn's publishing platform to share content, exporting LinkedIn contacts, and requesting recommendations. Specific tips include writing an impactful headline and summary, adding keywords, customizing one's URL, regularly engaging with one's network through comments and messages, and posting valuable content several times a week.

2. Agenda
• Introduction to LinkedIn
• Strategies for Increased Visibility:
– Setting up your foundation: Profile Optimization
– LinkedIn Blogging Platform - NEW
– Exporting your LinkedIn contacts & importing them into workable
Excel file
– Request a recommendation

3. Because it is the worlds LARGEST professional
online network geared towards engaging with
business connections.
* (300 million strong and growing)
Why LinkedIn?
Each Month…
184,000,000
Unique Visitors
Each Month…
184,000,000
Unique Visitors
Every Day…
172,000
New Signups
Every Day…
172,000
New Signups

4. LinkedIn: The
B2B Communication Network

5. Why LinkedIn?
• Connect. Find. Be Found.
– stay in touch with colleagues, prospects, partners, and brand
advocates
– Useful for those interested in making business connections, cultivating
leads, developing personal brands
• Power your career
– Discover professional opportunities, business deals, and new ventures
• 50% of members are more likely to purchase from companies when they engage
with them on LinkedIn.
• Learn and share
– Get the latest news (LinkedIn Pulse), inspiration, and insights.
– Can provide a rich online networking experience and can help you
quickly ramp up your visibility.

6. Purpose, Goals, Tactics
• First You Must Ask: What is your purpose and priority “Why”
– Position yourself as credible an authoritative/thought leader, personal
branding, business development, lead gen?
• You need to know who you are and who you serve
– Who is your audience? What do they want to know?
– 60% of members are interested in industry insights
– 43% are interested in new products and services
• Visibility
– Leverage in and outside of your network by sharing valuable content
and strategic distribution
• Optimization
– Headline, summary, groups, targeted keywords, testimonials
• Lead Generation/Qualifying Leads
– Utilizing a “soft sell” approach to reach clients and prospects

8. Profile Optimization
Your LinkedIn Profile is not your resume. Use it to demonstrate the value you bring to
your clients. (*Optimize using Keywords and URL links)
•Profile Picture
– Clear, professional, 40% higher response rate
•Headline
– Write a descriptive headline which includes relevant topics and keywords
– Who you are, who you serve, what you do, what’s the outcome?
– (Example: B2B Software Professional | Specializing in Custom Software Solutions for
Better Business Results)
•Summary
– 30 second elevator pitch; 3-5 sentences; use bullet points if possible
– Describes who you are, your purpose and goals, Include CTA (contact
you), visit the website
– You to tell a compelling story that will capture the attention of your ideal
buyer. Keep it short and engaging (think of the buyers journey). Who are
your prospects and what are the keywords that they are using? How are
your clients benefiting?

9. Profile Optimization
• Keywords
– Help prospects and clients find you online. You will receive higher
profile views and expand network
• Throughout your profile..
– Add links and upload files: you can feature white papers, case studies,
rich media such as videos, pictures, blogs (hint: repurpose existing
content from your company blog page)

11. Customize Your URL!

12. Increase Visibility: Nurture Your
Network
1. Provide Insight into or advice about a challenge someone is facing
2. Send an article you know will interest the recipient
3. Introduce two people in your network to each other
4. Let someone know about a meeting of a professional organization, a
networking event, a speaker, or some other event you think will interest
them
5. Invite them to attend that event with you
6. Add an insightful comment to a post in LinkedIn Groups – stay engaged
with your audience. Ask thoughtful questions
7. Publish a Blog on the LinkedIn blogging platform and distribute to
relevant groups - ALWAYS include a clear Call to Action > when
compared to updates without links, including a link can drive 2x the
engagement
The key to nurturing your network is to be intentional by creating a plan, a
system, or a structure so you can easily stay in touch.

14. LinkedIn Publishing Platform
• LinkedIn has a blogging tool for creating long-form posts
which will surface your content with far more visibility and
aid in your credibility – *OTHER THAN PROFILE, ONLY OTHER
PLACE THAT PULLS KEY WORDS FOR OPTIMIZATION
– Publishing allows you to further establish your professional identity
and credibility
– Recommended: Posting once/twice a week MAX, do not overload
audience with information. You don’t need to be creating brand new
content for LinkedIn. Instead you can repost content from your own
website, blog, etc.

15. *The best times to post on LinkedIn:
Tuesdays & Thursdays, between
7am – 9am Local time

16. LinkedIn Publishing Continued
• When you publish a long-form post on LinkedIn:
– Your original content becomes part of your professional profile. It is
displayed on the “Posts” section of your LinkedIn profile
– It’s shared with your connection and followers (For extended visibility and
reach, share post’s within groups that your prospects would find relevant)
– Your long-form post is searchable both on and off LinkedIn.
• Keywords increase your chances of getting found
– Once you finish publishing a post DON’T FORGET YOUR KEYWORD TAGS
and call-to-action (CTA)
• Add different formats and LINKS
– Video, picture, PDF’s, etc.
– According to LinkedIn company status updates with links resulting in 45%
higher engagement than those without links

17. LinkedIn Publishing: Content is KING!
• Try Different Topics:
– Industry news
– Trends
– Fun Facts
– Business Updates
As people like,
comment, and share
your posts – your viral
reach will continue to
grow
As people like,
comment, and share
your posts – your viral
reach will continue to
grow
Before you know it, your
updates and posts will mark
you as someone in the know
– someone that your
network can count on for
the latest and greatest…
Before you know it, your
updates and posts will mark
you as someone in the know
– someone that your
network can count on for
the latest and greatest…

19. Demo: Exporting Contacts
• Leverage your existing natural network
– Can provide a rich online networking experience and can help you
quickly ramp up your visibility.
• Exporting into Excel
– By Exporting your LinkedIn contacts you can sort, filter and edit. From
there you can easily add contacts to your CRM, create prospecting
lists, and keep in touch with your connections.
Step 1: Go to your LinkedIn homepage, click on the tab “connections”

20. Step 2: Click the ‘Settings’ symbol in the top right corner of the page
Step 3: Click ‘Export LinkedIn Connections’ in the right column of the page

21. • Exported Excel spreadsheet captures your connections
contact information including:
– First name, last name, email address, company, job title
• Import file into your CRM or email marketing platform to
nurture contacts
Step 4: Choose ‘Microsoft Outlook (.CSV file)’ and click ‘export’
Step 5: Save the document

23. Recommendations
• Recommendations are your validation
– Viewers are influenced by recommendations
• This is a place where employers, clients, or colleagues can
give you reviews
• A good recommendation:
– Describes how you’ve worked together
– gives specific examples of how the client/employee/friend
benefited from working with you.
• Make it EASY
– Create the recommendation you are requesting. It may seem a
little odd, but your connection will appreciate you drafting this
up. Let them know it can be modified to their satisfaction
– Thank them!

24. Recommendations: How To
1. Hover over your profile photo in the top right
corner of any LinkedIn page
2. Choose “Privacy and Settings” from the drop
down menu
3. Under the “Settings” header on the “Profile”
tab select “Manage Your Recommendations”
4. Click on the “Ask for Recommendations” tab
at the top and follow the prompts

26. Additional Insights/Recommendations
• Profile Optimization/Keywords
• “Softselling” – Leveraging LinkedIn for broader reach,
prospecting, and strategic sales
• Harnessing the Power of Groups through LinkedIn
Pulse
– Groups: communities within LinkedIn that focuses on a
particular topic or interest
– Groups have an established user base
– Additionally, once you understand who your target
audience is, find out what groups they associate with,
what do they want to know, what are they talking about?

27. 10 Tips to Leverage LinkedIn
(and gain new wins in lead generation from your LI network)
1. When you invite people to your network,
be sure to always tell them why you want
to connect and never send the default
invitation. This starts building the
relationship in a positive way that the
invitee is more likely to welcome more
conversation w you in the future.
2. Make an effort each week to follow-up
with a minimum of 5-10 people who are
already contacts in your network. Circle
back around and let them know that you
are reaching out to touch base.
3. If you have specific people you are trying
to nurture a relationship with, pay
attention to any status updates they post
and then write a comment with the idea of
creating a conversation around the
comment. By asking a question in reply
they are likely to respond back keeping the
exchange going. (Licking “like” never gives
you the same result.)
4. Be committed to post 3-5 posts (updates or
blogs) per week that offer relevant content to
your connections. If you are posting curated
content be sure to add your comment in the
status update as to what you find valuable in
the content you are sharing. When your
connections continue to see you posting
regularly with good content, you increase
your credibility and value.
5. Choose several key groups to be active in.
Being active means starting discussions that
are interesting with topics that will engage
the members of the group. Ask the group a
question that will solicit some type of
response and then be sure to reply to all
comments.
6. Move the relationship off line by inviting
someone to meet with you. Again adopt the
strategy of specifically letting the person
know why you want to meet and what you
hope to accomplish in the meeting.

28. 10 Tips to Leverage LinkedIn
(and gain new wins in lead generation from your LI network)
7. Create content that offers value and
give it away for free. By offering a
free PDF or slide share in the media
section of your profile where you can
share your expertise is a great tool to
stay top of mind with your network.
8. If you regularly produce content such
as to a blog, POST – this gives you the
opportunity to share your content
and adding value to your network. By
being consistent and relevant you will
stay top of mind with your network.
9. Mention someone in a status
update by tagging their name in a
post is a great way to stay atop of
mind as long as you use this in a
relevant way.
10. Thank people when they endorse
you for a skill. Everyone enjoys
feeling appreciated. When another
member has taken the time to view
your profile and endorse you, don’t
let it go unnoticed.
Resources to note:
•http://mashable.com/2014/08/07/linkedin-tips-and-tricks/?diuhfakdl&crlt.pid=camp.VOTqd