The document provides tips for optimizing one's LinkedIn profile and networking effectively on LinkedIn. It recommends having a complete profile with an optimized headline and summary, regularly updating one's status, joining groups and participating in discussions, searching for companies and contacts, and leveraging features like recommendations, projects, and publications to differentiate oneself and generate business opportunities. The overall goal is to establish oneself as a thought leader in one's industry and fully utilize LinkedIn's networking and professional development capabilities.

1. Making Connections
Raising your profile.
Networking for success, develop a
powerful LinkedIn presence
17th October 2013

3. You’ve been invited to …
• Worlds largest business event/conference
• All your colleagues, bosses, potential
employers and everyone you want to
impress will be there to talk, share ideas,
best practice, collaborate on projects
• You have an opportunity to add real value
to the event
Would you want to go?
…and keep going?

4. 5 key reasons why I use LinkedIn
Business
development
opportunity
generation
Improves my
search engine
optimisation
Great way of
staying in
touch with my
network
Because it’s
where the
people are
Raises my
business and
personal
profile

5. LinkedIn Facts
More than 220 million
members worldwide
UK 11 million members
New member joins every
second
Cant ignore
it!
Executives from all top
companies public and
private are LinkedIn
members
6th Largest country in the
world

11. • Average household income £73,000
• People are 2X more confident in
the information found on LinkedIn
that any other social media site
• 4X better results for B2B than
facebook/twitter

12. LinkedIn is a powerful way to…
Differentiate yourself
and be found in sea of
competition
Generate an endless
supply of opportunities
for you and your
company
No
Autopilot!
Share value, files and
ideas with connections
Manage your online
reputation and
highlight your
strengths

13. 3 key things to ask yourself…
1. How many connections do I
have?
2. How many recommendations
do I have?
3. What is your summary
statement?
‘These 3 front page stat’s pretty
much determine your LinkedIn
prowess and prospect.’
Gitomer

14. What do I want to say?
1. Who’s your audience?
2. What problems/pains/issues do
you solve for your audience?
3. How can you convince me you
deliver great results/earned the
right/credible?
The answers above drive your content strategy

15. Your overall objective?
Be recognised as a ‘Thought Leader’
in your field.
Know
Like
Trust

16. The biggest problem with
peoples online presence
‘I’ve put some time and
effort into it but I’m not
getting much out of it!’
2 issues;
1. You don’t have a goal or strategy
2. Not sure who are the people in best
position to help me reach that goal

17. Fundamentals of networking
What’s your networking attitude?
‘Sharing information in
a reactive and proactive
way without expecting
anything immediately in
return.’

18. Or to quote the late great Zig Ziglar

19. Building your connections
• 1st - Your connections
• 2nd - Connections of your connections
• 3rd - Connections of the connections of your connections.

20. ‘The real
power of your
network is in
the second
degree’

21. Building a profile
that ‘Rocks’

22. Your Public Profile Fundamentals
Optimising your profile
Make sure your profile
is set to full view
Headline should be catchy
and be key-word rich

23. Your Public Profile Fundamentals
Optimising your profile
Make sure your profile
is set to full view
Headline should be catchy
and be key-word rich
Include everything you
do, including past
companies
Give your profile a custom
URL (your name)
Link to your web site and
blog for enhanced SEO
3 quality back-links
Include the link to your profile on your
email signature

24. Your Public Profile
Load your
current and
past work
history with
terms you
want to be
found for

25. Your Public Profile
Load your
current and
past work
history with
terms you
want to be
found for

26. Your Public Profile
Load your
current and
past work
history with
terms you
want to be
found for

27. Optimise your profile- Key words
Your Headline
Current Work Experience
Your Summary
Past Work Experience

28. Tips for building your network
• Check everyday to see who’s looked at your profile
via the ‘Who’s viewed your profile? and ‘People you
may know’ features.

29. Tips for building your network
• Check everyday to see who’s looked at your profile
via the ‘Who’s viewed your profile? and ‘People you
may know’ features.

30. Tips for building your network
• Check everyday to see who’s looked at your profile
via the ‘Who’s viewed your profile? and ‘People you
may know’ features.

31. Tips for building your network
• Check everyday to see who’s looked at your profile
via the ‘Who’s viewed your profile? and ‘People you
may know’ features.

32. Tips for building your network
• Check everyday to see who’s looked at your profile
via the ‘Who’s viewed your profile? and ‘People you
may know’ features.
• Browse through and see who you want to connect to
• Check which contacts bridge you and the potential
new connection
• You can then send them an invitation to connect or
make contact ‘I see we have a number of connections
in common…’ or you can see who would be best to
make an introduction for you.
• When someone accepts an invitation to connect go
to their profile and see who they know

33. See who they know
Click on their
connections

34. See who they know

35. Invitations to connect
• 1st rule of LinkedIn ALWAYS personalise an
invitation to connect. Too many invites come
through where people haven’t bothered to
change the standard message.
• If you don’t personalise the message to me it
looks like you’re just ‘trawling’ for connections
• Would you walk up to someone at a
networking event , just give them your card,
say call me then walk off?

36. Invitations to connect: The lazy way
The default
message:
Sending this is
impersonal, it
makes it look like
you are trawling for
connections

37. Invitations to connect: The right way
A personalised
message:
Makes the recipient
feel like you value
them

38. Invitations to connect: how to deal with them
• Should I accept every invitation and how do I
decide?
In thinking about accepting ask yourself - does
the addition of this connection strengthen and add
value to my network? If yes, then accept. If no,
then reject them politely.
• How do I reject the invites I don’t want to
connect with?
Its ok to say no and is more polite than simply
ignoring them!

39. Invitations to connect cont…
Hi John,
I usually only accept invitations to connect from people I have
already done business with or by introductions and
recommendations from others in my network.
A generic request to connect gives me little to go on in terms of
if we've ever met or how your connection might add value to
my network.
It could be interpreted as trawling for connections!
If you have a twitter account lets get to know each other that
way.
I look forward to reading your tweets and maybe we can
connect some other time.
Kindest regards

40. Cultivating your network
Status Updates

41. Status Updates

42. Cultivating your network
Status Updates
• Aim to update every day/a few times a
week
• Comment on other member connections
status updates
• Stay business focused
• Be useful/create value

43. Status updates: Home link…
To see
specific
updates
•
•
•
•
•
Connections
Profiles
Groups
Companies
etc

44. Recommendations
• Accessed via a direct link on your profile and
under each of your previous roles or and in a
separate recommendations section
• Essential as they establish your credibility;
who else says so besides you?
• Great evidence of the value you create
• Excellent for improving SEO

45. Recommendations

46. Recommendations
To access
recommendations
click drop-box

47. Recommendations

48. Recommendations
Video
testimonials

49. Recommendations cont…
Here’s some done for me
Keep them current
Aim for a
minimum of 10
Don’t be afraid to
ask
What’s the best way
to get a
recommendation?

50. The best way to get recommendations?
• Work hard to earn them! Deliver Value. Only
ask if you think you have earned one.
• People will ask them from you. The best test
here is would you give them a reference
offline for a job? Or for a tender?
• If someone does recommend you, you can
reciprocate, but wait until the next day or so.
• Don’t be afraid to turn down a request, but do
it kindly.

51. Your LinkedIn Secret Weapons

53. My Groups
Can join up to 50
groups
What’s your group
strategy?
Discussions and
promotions
Posting strategy

54. NHS Groups

55. Groups
Don’t self
promote
it turns
people off
Create and
contribute to
discussions
Aim to
become key
influencer
Post
thought
provoking
questions

56. Thought provoking questions

57. After 5 days
103 comments!
Groups
Key Influencer in
Group

58. Thought provoking questions
12 days
152 comments!

59. Thought provoking questions
4 days
32 comments

60. Profile statistics/who’s viewed
14
to
75!

61. Post questions asking for advice
Top
Influencer!

62. Advanced Search

63. Advanced Search
One of the most exciting aspects on LinkedIn
Allows you search LinkedIn for anyone on
many criteria
What’s your definition of a high-quality lead?
•
•
•
•
•
Who are the Key Decision Makers you want to find?
What’s their job title?
What’s their seniority level?
How big is the company?
Are they in specific industries/organisations?

64. Advanced Search ctd…

66. Click on see all

67. Advanced Search ctd…
Internal
referrals
from
current
client
Map the key contacts

68. Company Search

69. Company Search
The power is in
the 2nd degree
connections

70. Company Search
A great
link/way in

71. Advanced Search ctd…
Looking for Senior HR
professionals in the region

72. Advanced Search ctd…
307 leads
Looks interesting

73. Advanced Search ctd…

74. Advanced Search ctd…

75. Your Connections
The power is in
the 2nd degree
connections

76. LinkedIn Media
Add slideshare
content to your
profile

77. LinkedIn Media

78. LinkedIn Media
Write down titles of 5 things
that you could write about that
demonstrates your personal
level of knowledge or expertise
and adds value to your network
of connections or potential
connections…

79. LinkedIn Projects
Use the ‘Projects’
section to promote
events, white papers,
free downloads or to
showcase products
you are currently
promoting
Click the link

80. LinkedIn Projects

81. LinkedIn Projects
Use the ‘Projects’
section to promote
events, white papers,
free downloads or to
showcase products
you are currently
promoting
Click the link

82. LinkedIn Projects

83. LinkedIn Projects

84. LinkedIn Publications
Click link

85. LinkedIn Publications

86. So in summary…
You now know
what it takes to
make your
LinkedIn profile
and presence
ROCK!
The imperatives are…

87. The 15 imperatives of LinkedIn
• Build a complete profile
• Update and engage frequently with
your connections
• Recommend others
• Solve other peoples problems
• Join and participate in groups

88. The 15 imperatives of LinkedIn
• Start your own group
• Search companies and harvest new
leads
• Respond to everyone who
communicates with you
• Set up the slide-share, youtube, project
and publication functions to add value
• Change your status regularly

89. The 15 imperatives of LinkedIn
• Put video on your profile
• Promote your blog
• Add the projects and publications
application to showcase your work
• Integrate twitter
• Leverage LinkedIn's search power

91. Contact me at
Performance Development Group
www.performancedg.com
0113 2288808
michael@performancedg.com
@LinkedIn.com/in/michaelbarkerpdg
@Twitter.com/pdgtips
@pdgclips
@ PDG-Performance-Development-Group