This document provides 11 tips for optimizing a personal LinkedIn profile and online personal branding. Some of the key tips include: thinking about appropriate connections like in real world networking instead of randomly connecting; using features like plug-ins to enhance your profile; using groups, events and associations to showcase industry involvement; and determining what contact information is appropriate to include. The overall goal is to use LinkedIn effectively for networking, jobs, and business connections.

1. LinkedIn for Personal Branding
Getting from “You” to your goal company, and
11 Tips on maximizing the power that is LinkedIn
Jake Aull | Zen Fires Digital Marketing | GSU Social Media Marketing Instructor
404.259.5550 | ZenFires.com | @jakeaull

2. WHY ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORKING WORKS

3. POWER NETWORKING…
 {you are here}
U

4. POWER NETWORKING…
{you want to work for, or sell to,
company ACME here}
U
ACME

5. POWER NETWORKING…
{how to get from here…} {to there?}
U
ACME

6. POWER NETWORKING…
LinkedIn tells you how many degrees you are away from Kevin
Bacon (or company ACME, more to the point)
U 2nd ACME

7. POWER NETWORKING…
LinkedIn tells you who’s between you and ACME.
It tells you if these are contacts from groups your in, or contacts
that friends of yours know – if the contacts are currently at
ACME or used to be… if they’re in HR, purchasing, etc.
2nd
U ACME

8. POWER NETWORKING…
LinkedIn tells you how to get from “U” to ACME (the more
LinkedIn Groups you’re in, and the more
connections you have, the ACME
HR
more possibilities). #1
Friend
ACME
U
HR
#2
ACME
Group
ACME
Purch
asing

9. 11 TIPS FOR OPTIMIZING YOUR PERSONAL
LINKEDIN PROFILE AND ONLINE BRAND

10. 11 Tips for LinkedIn
How can you best use LinkedIn for networking, job-searching, client connections
and overall personal, professional branding? It can make or break you as an expert
in your industry. Here’s the stuff to know:
1.) WHAT’S A LION?
 LinkedIn Open Networkers – attempt to connect to, and accept, any/all
connections.
 Traditionally, LinkedIn has structured its platform so people would think more
about who they know before connecting.
 For example, LinkedIn won’t display the exact size of one’s network once it
gets above 500 connections. LinkedIn has traditionally also attempted to
mitigate the vehicle by which connections are made. For example, only so many
connections via a common LinkedIn Group were allowed within a time period,
and only so many Introductions were allowed within a time period, etc.
 LinkedIn can be used, via DMs (direct messages), like an email list, but it is
purposefully set up to be not completely user friendly.
 So – you may wish to leave LIONs for the realtors, salespeople and recruiters –
and maybe connect to them! But otherwise – think about who you are in live,
in-person networking functions.

11. 11 Tips for LinkedIn
2.) LINKEDIN & SOCIAL “NETIQUETTE”
 How you behave in a real-world networking event is good
guidance for LinkedIn (and social networking) behavior.
 You don’t (hopefully) meet someone once and start in with
a hard-sell pitch. You may offer others your business card,
but if they don’t counter with their own - take the hint.
Don’t assume you can connect to your new acquaintance in
LinkedIn without good reason or discussion.
 Don’t assume you can connect to people you’ve never met
(unless you’ve gotten to know them already online).
 If you wish to invite someone in LinkedIn after first-time
meeting, ask them first. If it’s not comfortable to bring up
in conversation, probably shouldn’t connect right away.

12. 11 Tips for LinkedIn
3.) WEB 1.0 WAS YESTERDAY…
 For years, LinkedIn has had a good position, serving the
business and job-seeker community.
 But compared to other social sites such as Facebook, Twitter
or Tumblr, LinkedIn always looked a bit “Web 1.0.”
 In recent months it has been given a dynamic facelift, with
business content for your interests.
 With plug-ins more obvious and more used than they were
before (go to your profile “Settings” and then to applications) -
take advantage of these to enhance your dynamic LinkedIn
“resume+.”
 But don’t forget the basics – such as really fleshing out “Skills
& Expertise,” as well as recommendations and Honors and
Awards.

13. 11 Tips for LinkedIn
4.) LINKEDIN PLUG-IN FEATURES
 LinkedIn actually offers many features most people
aren’t aware of.
 For industry presentations, upload slide decks to
SlideShare (for example, see my account at
SlideShare.net/JakeAull ), and connect this to display
on your LinkedIn profile.
 If you want to highlight your industry expertise, blog
regularly – and connect your blog for LinkedIn display.

14. 11 Tips for LinkedIn
5.) TWITTER VS. LINKEDIN
 Twitter and LinkedIn used to have many syncing capabilities. But today
they are not seeing eye to eye.
 But if you have good content in other social channels, integrate these as
best you can. For example via the RSS feed into LinkedIn (which I believe
even Twitter will cooperate with).
 Remember to be careful about personal social content versus
professional.
 That is a good thing to keep in mind – there are often stories of peoples’
private Facebook posts being exposed. Whatever social channel you post
in – assume that sooner or later the world will see it.

15. 11 Tips for LinkedIn
6.) WHAT YOU’RE READING ON AMAZON
 I see many people with this application on their LinkedIn profile. I
don’t use it, because I look at is if: Would you discuss that in an
interview? Would you show that with your personal job case studies or
portfolio?
 You might discuss personal reading with co-workers, but it could
come off as immaterial or snooty to those visiting your LinkedIn
profile.
 And if you did discuss it, it’s probably more of a side note.
 Is that worth it to gunk up your LinkedIn profile? But – social media
is all about collaboration and connections – if your reading a popular
business book right, others just might use that as an opportunity to
talk to you about it - you never know.
 But these are all good questions to ask before you add that extra app
– the one that changes your page from LinkedIn to mySpace…

16. 11 Tips for LinkedIn
7.) GROUPS & EVENTS
 Associations, LinkedIn Groups and business events
could be worth displaying on your profile if targeted
to your industry.
 You’d talk about industry associations and major
events attended to fellow networkers, so why not on
LinkedIn?
 Plus the advantage for your colleagues to see if both
of you are attending the same events.
 Just don’t display these if you have nothing to
show…

17. 11 Tips for LinkedIn
8.) AND DON’T FORGET THE EXTRA GINSU KNIFE SET…
 There are always more applications to connect to LinkedIn than you
thought there were.
 If you’re a graphic designer, connect your Behance porfolio, or a
writer, Box.net for file display. Programers may wish to connect
GitHub. There are specific apps for realtors, lawyers, and so on.
 There’s a TripIt “My Travel” app – which could be useful for
colleagues to see when/where you’re traveling.
 If LinkedIn doesn’t feature an app you want, you may be able to
connect it from the outside.
 There’s even a browser app to automatically show you LinkedIn
connections’ info, in a side window frame, while bringing up
company job listings.
 And how about the fact that 93% of recruiters use LinkedIn for their
candidate searches and process?

18. 11 Tips for LinkedIn
9.) HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH CONTACT INFO?
 Simple question – do you want others to contact you?
 If you’re a salesperson or a job seeker, you may want
as much contact info displayed as possible.
 So let that be your guide - don’t prohibit that next
great phone call from coming through.
 Remember, this is LinkedIn – for professionals – it’s
not Facebook.

19. 11 Tips for LinkedIn
10.) WHY UPGRADE?
 LinkedIn has paid upgrade options (which I don’t highly
recommend).
 These give you the ability to send more DMs, and to track
them better.
 Also gives the option to send InMails – messages to people
you don’t currently know. But these come through with the
tag “InMail,” often suggesting to the reader a sort of spam –
or a message/connection “through the back door” of
LinkedIn.
 Is it really worth the money?
 But upgrading also gives you access to non-connections’ full
profiles, and more statistics. If those can really be helpful to
you, then very well.

20. 11 Tips for LinkedIn
11.) DOING MORE WITH LINKEDIN…
 Many social media gurus recommend supplying answers to user
industry questions in LinkedIn Answers. Doing the same in various
LinkedIn Groups around your specialty is also recommended.
 But you can also take it one step further and create these
communities – LinkedIn Groups or Subgroups – and attract those
interested. Supply the desired content, and eventual connections,
and you can have a captive audience for your content. Not to mention
yet another good claim for the resume.
 And again – you can use your LinkedIn posts and Tweets to promote
your own LinkedIn Group.
 By providing answers and collaboration in other industry online
communities or LinkedIn Groups, members can follow your LinkedIn
profile to your own Group (again without the hard sell) – pulled hook,
line and sinker…

21. LINKEDIN PROFILE GOOD EXAMPLES

22. Good LinkedIn Profile Example

23. Good LinkedIn Profile Example

24. Questions?
Thank You!
Jake Aull | Zen Fires Digital Marketing | GSU Social Media Marketing Instructor
404.259.5550 | ZenFires.com | @jakeaull