Whether you own your own business, want to reputation manage, self promote, or you are simply looking for a new job, LinkedIn is the place to be.
1. Consider your Keywords: headhunters, prospective new hires, business parters, and future clients use the search function on LinkedIn to find the right people to connect with. Consider your social media audience on LinkedIn on how these people will search to find you. What keywords will they use? What keywords do you want to show up when someone hits search? Figure out your keywords and make sure they’re in your profile. Some key places to have these keywords are in your profile heading, summary, skills, and if possible in one of you job titles. LinkedIn search (link to my profile) tends to grab from the profiles that have a lot of connections point toward them and profiles that include the keywords searched in critical profile areas like the ones discussed.
2. Participate in Group Discussions: One way to get noticed as well as show up in relevant searches on LinkedIn is to be an active participator in your industry’s relevant groups. While not every person on the site will spend a lot of time in on the LinkedIn discussions, those that do are looking for something specific pertaining to the discussion topic. Find and post on topics relevant to your business and add to the conversation like you would adding to a blog post. If the comment adds value and is well written you are certain to receive more visits to your profile from relevant people to your profile and perhaps potential customers or new job offers.
3. Answer Questions: The question/answer function on LinkedIn is a great way to build credibility in your area. Similar to Yahoo Answers, the LinkedIn Answers allows users to post questions and experts to post answers. This can be especially beneficial to service or consulting businesses to build credibility and prospective customer awareness and gain referrals.
In essence, there are multiple ways to optimize your presence on LinkedIn. These first three are a great start to get you going in the right direction. For more tips and how to’s on social media optimization visit The Social Capitalist.