Posts by Ai Loking

Let me guess, you have a LinkedIn account you created a couple of months ago and you think you did your job in making a splash in the public pool that is LinkedIn. Sadly, this is how most business owners go about with their LinkedIn accounts. They create one and leave it there. It’s either they have no idea what to do with their accounts or they actually can’t recognize the importance of LinkedIn to businesses all around the world.

So how can you really use LinkedIn for your business? Well, LinkedIn goes beyond looking for contacts. LinkedIn can also help you in selling your products, finding gigs, extending your network, and gaining free publicity.

To make it much easier for you, here are some things you can do in order for you to maximize your LinkedIn profile for your business.

1. Manage your profile – Make sure you complete your profile to build trust with your connections. You can also use the widgets available for you in LinkedIn to spruce up your profile. Some of these widgets can import your recent blog entries or Twitter stream. You should also constantly update your LinkedIn profile to match your current status. Working on a new project? Update your status to include that information!
2. Research – With the user base of LinkedIn, you will surely get a lot of respondents when doing research. Hold an impromptu market research using the Polls functionality in LinkedIn. You can share the results you get with your connections considering they might be interested in the topic.
3. Ask and Answer – Take time to visit the Questions and Answers department of LinkedIn. Answering some questions will promote your expertise on the subject or industry. Don’t hesitate to ask a couple of questions too. This will prompt discussions between different people. This will also give you an idea of what your prospects or customers want and how they think.
4. Join a group – Join in on as many groups as possible related to your industries. You don’t have to spread yourself thin, though. Just select the ones which are active and that have a lot of exchanges going on. You can also create and manage a group or fan page for your own brand, product, or business. Make sure you share relevant information to your group to create discussions and promote your expertise.\
5. Find a quality network – Find people who are experts in your industry and invite them over for a small chat. If this is not possible, you can also invite them to be a guest blogger in your blog or as a speaker in an event. Take time to write honest and realistic recommendations for your connections.
6. Take care of your network – Make sure you don’t do anything that will jeopardize your connections. Don’t berate people when in discussions. Don’t use hard selling techniques. Do not bug them with constant messages. Make them feel that you are worthy to be part of their network. Reply to their messages as soon as possible.
7. On and off LinkedIn – Include your LinkedIn profile link in all your business and marketing copies such as emails, business cards, and flyers. You can also use the power of social media by linking your status updates with your social media accounts. You can also answer questions on LinkedIn and post links on Twitter or other social media platforms.