Recently I have started to use LinkedIn to build my business and relationships with people within my niche and I have been surprised at the great results I have had so quickly. I always knew LinkedIn was somewhere I needed to start spending time in but I guess I just didn’t realize how quickly I would see results from my efforts.  So today I wanted to share with you a few tips on how to effectively use LinkedIn and as the weeks go by and I make my progress I will share with you my results.

One of the great things about LinkedIn is the vast network of fabulous people that it connects you to in such a short amount of time.

If you notice the screen shot above so far I only have 80 connections but those initial 80 connections have opened me up to a potential of 5,000,839+ professionals. And just within the last few days I have 14, 826 new people added to my network just from the few people I have connected with.  That is an amazing group of people to have the potential of connecting with your business and what you have to offer ….all you have to do is know how to use those connections to potentially grow your business.

One of the key things to know when using LinkedIn is how to find the right people to connect with.  Just like every other marketing technique out there you will get the best results if you are targeted in your efforts.  A great way to find your target market on LinkedIn is by joining “Groups” related to your niche.

The Groups on LinkedIn are a fabulous place to connect with like minded individuals and also the best way to start building your network of people to connect with.  In the short amount of time I have been focusing on my efforts on LinkedIn I have met several potential JV partners and also received 2 new clients.  The key is to get involved and start connecting!  One tip that has been extremely effective is to consistently add new connections every day to your network and gradually you will see some fantastic results.

One of the other most important things to do when you start using LinkedIn is to make sure your profile is set up 100% compete.  The more information you can share about your business the better and having things done 100% just shows that you are serious about your business and makes you look more professional.  One of the main things that normally holds people back from having a 100% complete profile is the recommendations section. You have to have 3 recommendations for your profile to be complete.  So what you need to do is “Just ask” …that’s right…don’t be shy….just find someone within your network…a friend or a colleague that trusts your work and ask them for a recommendation and even offer to do a recommendation for them….you will be surprised at how willing people are to help each other out when growing your business. As you can see I only have one recommendation but have put my requests in to my colleagues for more recommendations and should be complete by the end of the week. (I will keep you posted)

The next thing that is a “must do” for LinkedIn success is to set your profile up based around your target keywords. I am a Facebook Fan Page Designer so I used that in my job title and I am listed as the 4th person when you do a search for “Facebook Fan Page Designer” and actually have already received one client last week that found me this way on LinkedIn.  So believe me this tip is effective!

Make sure you do some keyword research before you set this up so you can make sure you are focusing on the most effective keywords for your business.  The free google adwords keyword tool is a great place to start with your keyword research.

These tips are a great starting point for anyone interested in building their business using LinkedIn.  Even though I have been building my business over the past few years using social media marketing I never took the time to use this fantastic resource…and I am excited with the quick results I have had so far with my efforts.  That’s the key to all of your social media efforts…taking the time to be consistent with your marketing efforts on whichever platform you choose to focus on. I will keep you up to date on my results with LinkedIn and if you are interested in learning more about how you can use LinkedIn effectively you might want to check out this awesome Virtual event happening on Wednesday given by Michelle Scism “The Results Lady”. It’s called the Take Action Get Profits Virtual Event and I am excited to be a part of it.  Everything I have learned so far about using LinkedIn effectively I have learned from Michelle and so far everything has been right on target. I will be attending the event on Wednesday and will share my results with you once I have implemented what I learn from Michelle! If you decide to attend make sure you let me know so we can connect in the networking part of the event! Also I would love to connect with you on LinkedIn here is where you can find my profile.

To Your Success!

Kate Wilber

The Marketing Momma

PS Disclaimer:  The link in this blog post is an affiliate link and if you decide to purchase from it I will make a small commission.  Thanks!  Just remember I only recommend products that I use myself and feel would be beneficial to you and your business!