There are a number of ways you can market yourself on LinkedIn.
#1 – Optimize your Profile
Use the professional headline carefully. Choose a headline that represents what you do, but make sure you place the keyword in the headline, the result of this is that when someone is looking for a certain person and they enter that keyword, you will show up.
#2 – Text-Based Advertising
These advertisements are referred to as “DirectAds”. Each ad will run for about thirty days. If you like the sound of for these advertisements, you can target your connection based on the following: Company Size, Job Function, Industry, Seniority, Gender, Age, or Geography. LinkedIn charges $25 for the ads and you get a guaranteed amount of impressions. The number of impressions and clicks will be visible on the Control Panel when you log in. The dashboard will even calculate the click-through rate (CTR). If you are happy to spend $25, using Direct Ads is a way to reach the people who you want to know about YOU!
#3 – Link your Profile to Twitter
If you have a Twitter account and you’ve already connected it with Facebook, then add it to your LinkedIn profile. By doing this it means you can update your LinkedIn profile just by adding the hashtags #in or #li to your Twitter update messages field. Don’t use @, as LinkedIn filters these out.
#4 – Check your References
If you are applying for freelance work, ensure one of your current positions references you as a freelancer. No-one can read your mind, and when someone wants to hire a freelancer they need to be able to see you are a freelancer, therefore make it known in your profile. This way they can find you and contact you about their work.
#5 – Include your Website
Ensure you include your blog, website, and any other site that identifies you as a freelancer or whatever you are promoting yourself as. This not only helps you get better ranking from Google, but it’s good because you become more visible.
#6 – What are you doing? or Status Update
Take advantage of the ‘What are you doing?’ feature with personality. When you add something to this field, you are in fact letting people know what you are doing because people like to know what you are up to. The more that people read your comments, the more they will follow you. This in itself is great marketing for you and your business. Take advantage of it, for it will serve you well if you use it.
#7 – Join Groups
There is power in numbers, so join any groups that you believe can help you reach your target market. If you are interested in a specific industry, find groups that relate to it and join them. This way you can connect with others and grow your network.
LinkedIn is no doubt a great social media site that can help you find clients and grow your business. You can find people, link with others, grow your network, and make yourself available for jobs. And another great thing is you can do these things on LinkedIn much faster than by using Monster.com or CareerBuilder.com, for example. There are millions of companies connected to LinkedIn, so if you are self-employed, or are looking for a position, you’ll find it on LinkedIn. Just create your profile, start connecting, and before you know it, you will find the job of your dreams, or a client offering just what you need.
