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LinkedIn Endorsements vs. Recommendations

LinkedIn Endorsements

The power of third-party credibility is undeniable and social media is it’s biggest champion. LinkedIn provides two basic ways for people to showcase the third-party credibility others have given them on the network: Endorsements Recommendations LinkedIn endorsements are similar to Facebook’s “Like” system, where a single click shows a form of approval. LinkedIn recommendations have a bit more substance to them but tend to be less common. So what is the difference between a LinkedIn endorsement and a LinkedIn recommendation? LinkedIn Endorsements: Is One Click Enough? LinkedIn endorsements are a one-click process that allows a user to publicly endorse specific skills or expertise right on a profile. In general, the process functions very much like Facebook’s “Like” function or Google Plus’s “+1” option. You simply navigate to the area that you want to endorse and click on the appropriate button to complete the process. Because endorsements are a one-click process, people tend to hand them out like candy compared to recommendations. However, you should keep in mind that the less effort something takes, the less likely people are to put stock in it. An endorsement might be a great way to get new users to view your profile, but it [...]

I Have A LinkedIn Profile, Now What? [INFOGRAPHIC]

linkedin marketing strategy

The last infographic I shared about LinkedIn showed you how to create the perfect profile but you may have been left wondering what comes next. I like to give practical, methodical tips that can easily and quickly be put into action so I took that as a challenge to give you the next step in your LinkedIn marketing strategy. A great profile can help attract prospects to you but business often requires you to be more proactive then that, so it’s important to establish a lead generation system. You’ve made this fancy LinkedIn profile, it’s about time you put it to good use! LinkedIn Marketing: Creating Opportunities LinkedIn isn’t a place for chatting about the weather; it’s a place to do business. Think of it as a cocktail party for a giant business conference where every room is a different targeted niche to interact and build relationships with. When building this new infographic I wanted to think of an easy way to remember the key steps to LinkedIn marketing and lead generation. My solution? Meet the four E’s of LinkedIn marketing success: Explore Opportunities Expand Network Engage Connections Establish Relationships I swear by this method and it is the foundation [...]

How To Create A Kick-Ass LinkedIn Profile [INFOGRAPHIC]

linkedin premium

With the professional network now boasting more members than many developed countries, business professionals across the planet are racing to figure out how they will leverage LinkedIn marketing for themselves. Statistics have shown that LinkedIn marketing is 4 times more effective than Twitter or Facebook for B2B (business to business) purposes but there are still many people who get frustrated before reaching success. LinkedIn Marketing: Your Professional Presence Online Your LinkedIn profile is often your first online impression as it usually shows up at the top of Google results when someone Google’s your name. It is essentially your online professional presence and it’s imperative that it conveys that you truly are a professional. This LinkedIn marketing infographic details every single step you need to craft the perfect profile. If you follow each step, you will not only look good but also attract and engage your ideal clients to take action and reach out to you. Stand Out From Your Competitors LinkedIn is very SEO-friendly but many people don’t think about the searches that are actually done on LinkedIn every day. If your profile is properly optimized, you can take advantage of the many searches being done every day within each [...]

Real Talk: Did LinkedIn Play Dirty With This One?

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Recently I wrote a blog post about an email LinkedIn sent out to its members with the most viewed LinkedIn profiles in 2012 and I noticed a bit of backlash to my post with people commenting that they were not so impressed with this move from LinkedIn. Let’s start by calling a spade a spade: it was a brilliant marketing move on LinkedIn’s part.  Some people felt duped knowing that 20 million people got a similar message but I say so what? We all employ various forms of marketing to woo our target market and as long as it’s honest and truthful, what’s the harm? Here are some opinions from Twitter: Congrats, LinkedIn – for appealing to my ego… it worked :ptechcrunch.com/2013/02/18/app… via @techcrunch — Adrienne ♥ (@TheHeinster) February 18, 2013 I know there’s 2 mill in the 1% but still chuffed I have one of the top 1% most viewed @linkedin profiles for 2012. linkedin.com/pub/profile/0/… — Michelle Beckett (@MichelleBeckett) February 11, 2013 Hurray! I have one of the top 5% most viewed @linkedin profiles for 2012. linkedin.com/pub/profile/1/… – 1 in 10 million makes me feel special — Kemal Danisman (@danisman) February 11, 2013 I just got this email from [...]

LinkedIn Premium: Should You Bother Upgrading?

linkedin premium

LinkedIn is one of the top business resources on the Internet. Millions of people throughout the world use the social network as a way of promoting their business. The site provides free services as well as a pay service with premium options. But is LinkedIn Premium worth it? What does LinkedIn Premium Have to Offer? LinkedIn Premium has several different perks for paying customers. This includes the ability to view the full profiles of all LinkedIn members, the ability to use the site’s advanced search service, and the ability to see who has viewed your profile. You can also use the site’s InMail service to send messages to anybody on the network. You can also organize profiles more effectively, saving and sorting them using the Profile Organizer system. Depending on the level of membership you choose, this can cost your business anywhere from $24.95 per month to $99.95 per month. The InMail System Using InMails allows you to send a certain number of messages every month to other members on the network. The plus side to this system is that a response is guaranteed. If you don’t get a response within a week, you get the credit back so you [...]

21 Steps To The Perfect LinkedIn Profile

linkedin infographic

Signing up for a LinkedIn account is easy enough but if you want to know how to create a LinkedIn profile that will attract your target market, this article is probably the most complete breakdown I’ve ever done on the subject outside of my advanced LinkedIn training course, the LinkedIn Profit Formula. UPDATED February 27, 2013: Even though the last update for this LinkedIn training was December 2012, LinkedIn has made so many more changes recently that it became necessary to update every single graphic. You will notice a few steps got removed and a few more got added – this is because things have become much simpler with your LinkedIn profile thanks to all the recent changes. Even if you have already gone through this post before, make sure you go over it again so you don’t miss anything when creating your perfect LinkedIn profile! The key to your success on LinkedIn begins with a powerful and professional presence.  You must strategically write your profile with your ideal client in mind before you start connecting to maximize the impact of your first impression online. I’ve outlined 21 different key points that I believe are important to fully optimizing your [...]

5 Things The Most Viewed LinkedIn Profiles For 2012 Did (That You Didn’t)

I just received an email notifying me that I had one of the most viewed LinkedIn profiles for 2012. And I wasn’t alone, I have been flooded with emails over the last few days from people thanking me because they too received an email similar to this after implementing the many optimization strategies I teach. Here is what the email looked like: After LinkedIn reached the 200 million member milestone, it seems that things have continued to get better and better for the professional network. There has been a truckload of recent updates ranging from LinkedIn endorsements, the ability to follow major thought leaders and even a complete profile makeover. Most Viewed LinkedIn Profiles: How To Make It In 2013 Hopefully you have been following our posts for the past year and have implemented strategies taught in our webinars and articles – as many of you have and sent me a message to let me know that you were one of the most viewed LinkedIn profiles for 2012. Even if you didn’t make it to LinkedIn’s top 10%, 5% or 1% for 2012, you will have a fighting chance for 2013 if you implement a couple critical strategies that get [...]

LinkedIn Marketing: Getting Results In 15 Minutes A Day

linkedin marketing

To properly begin Linkedin marketing for your business we have created this LinkedIn training lesson. Let me first start by saying you should be dedicating more than 15 minutes a day to your social media strategy if you want real results. This post is for those days when that just isn’t possible since we all know how life can truly get in the way. So if you only have 15 minutes, what should you be focused on?

9 LinkedIn Mistakes That Are Making You Look Bad

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Everyone knows the value of a great first impression but many seem to forget these common sense rules online. When you are trying to generate business online, there is nothing worse than leaving a bad impression with new visitors and not even realizing it. Sadly, this even happens frequently on more professional social networks like LinkedIn. Business owners, employees and job seekers are not exempt from common LinkedIn profile errors so pay attention to these 9 mistakes … you could be making one (or all) of them!   Top 9 LinkedIn Mistakes (That Are Making You Look Bad) 1. Liar Liar Pants On Fire. You should never, EVER lie on your LinkedIn profile no matter how clever you think you are. Somebody, somewhere will eventually bust you for it and that is an instant credibility drainer. When it comes to your online reputation, always assume that people will find out the truth or you are putting yourself and your business at a risk you might not recover from. Sound scary? That’s because it is!   2. Your Profile Is Written Like A Resume. This is okay if you are a job seeker but completely ineffective for business owners. Entrepreneurs have [...]

LinkedIn Endorsements: The Latest Profile Addition

LinkedIn endorsements are the newest addition to a recent string of heavy profile updates for the professional social network. It’s a simple yet powerful feature to add third party credibility to your profile beyond the traditional LinkedIn recommendations feature we have all come to know and love. As per the usual, not every country will have the new feature right away and will likely see a staggered rollout with the US taking the lead. So what can you do with the new LinkedIn endorsements feature to help your business?   Endorse Specific Skills The spotlight has been put on the “Skills & Expertise” section you should have already filled out when you created your profile. If you haven’t yet, don’t waste any time and get it done. This picture shows the “Skills & Expertise” section before it got its overhaul last week. Make sure that the skills you are listing are keywords you want to be found for. By doing this, you are telling your connections which skills you want to be endorsed for. For example, I have listed skills such as Social Media Speaker, Social Media Management since these are terms I want to be found for when people [...]