Archive for the ‘Linkedin’ Category
Instagram and Facebook might have earned the biggest headlines in the social networking world this week.
However, that hasn’t stopped some of our other favorite social media tools from adding new features.
A New Way to Target from LinkedIn
While it’s only in limited-release mode right now, LinkedIn is rolling out new features that make it possible to share content from your Company pages with a defined group of people.
The purpose of this feature is two-fold:
- It should help companies increase engagement on the content that they post
- And for regular LinkedIn users, it should help to ensure that their News Feed is filled with more relevant content.
How Does this Feature Work?
The folks at LinkedIn have published a video that provides an overview of the features:
Will It Help You Grow?
We are certainly looking forward to using this feature for our own Company pages on LinkedIn.
Please feel free to follow our Grow Socially and interlinkONE pages today!
Also, if you’d like to learn how your company can benefit from utilizing LinkedIn more, our team of online marketing specialists would love to help!
Contact us today to get started >>
When it comes to LinkedIn, many people use that social network as a way to accumulate connections.
And while it can certainly be used for so much more, we do need to recognize that many LinkedIn users primarily use the tool to examine personal Profiles.
Because of that, it’s very important to ensure that we keep our LinkedIn profile filled out and up-to-date.
LinkedIn Profile and the Websites Field
One feature that many people overlook in that regard is the Websites field of a LinkedIn profile.
Sure, they might list one Website there. Typically, it point to their company’s website.
But many people fail to realize that LinkedIn allows you to enter up to 3 websites in a Profile.
Why would you want to do that? The answer is simple: because it can help expose the always-growing LinkedIn audience to more online content about your brand and/or your company.
Connecting Multiple Websites To Your Account
If you’re wondering how to connect multiple websites to your LinkedIn profile, it’s easy.
- Log-in to LinkedIn, click the “Profile” link in the top menu, then click the “Edit Profile” link.
- Find the “Websites” section (currently this is listed below the “Connections” field)
- If you have not already added 3 websites, then you should be able to click the “+Add a Website” link.
What Websites Should You Include?
The answer to that question really depends on two things: what online content do you have available to share, and which of that content will have the biggest appeal and impact on your target audience?
One option would be to include a link to your corporate website, your personal Blog, and to a YouTube video.
But you could certainly decide to include a link to another social networking profile, if you thought that would help to engage the people that are visiting your LinkedIn profile.
I hope that you find this tip helpful!
If you have any questions, please let me know in the Comments section below.
When it comes to helping companies achieve business goals, many of the popular social networks have released features this year to assist in that endeavor.
LinkedIn recently contributed to this with the release of a Poll feature inside of Groups.
LinkedIn Groups typically consist of a decent amount of folks that are fairly engaged. Thus, the Poll feature could absolutely be used to help a company in a number of areas. For example, a LinkedIn poll may help you:
- Conduct market research on technology and trends
- Gauge interest in the new products, services, or enhancements
- Gather feedback on how the company is being perceived among its customers
How to Set up a Poll within a Group
This part is very easy! Head over to your Group, to the main page where you would typically start a Discussion. There, you’ll see the new option for starting a Poll.
From that screen, you can quickly enter your Question and the possible Answers.
Poll Reporting
LinkedIn does a nice job of presenting the overall results inside of the Group.
I recently launched a Poll in the interlinkONE User Group on LinkedIn to see if our customers will be attending Drupa in May of 2012. Here’s a screenshot:
With all of the demographic data inside of LinkedIn, it certainly would be nice to be able to see a deeper breakdown of what types of people are selecting each answer. While you can do that via the Polls that you launch under your personal profile, I have not yet seen how to do that with the Polls that are launched in Groups.
However, even if that does not truly exist right now (I may just be over-looking it), I wouldn’t be surprised if Linkedin rolls out an enhancement to support that sooner than later.
Does your company have a LinkedIn Company Page? If so, you may want to pay attention to a feature that was announced recently.
LinkedIn’s latest enhancement allows administrators of Company Profiles to share updated statues from their page. Their status updates will then appear on the LinkedIn stream for anyone that follows their company.
This new feature can certainly be used by companies to share relevant information with their audience. It can help them to stay “top-of-mind” as their customers and prospects look through recent LinkedIn Network Activity.
Most importantly, this feature should help to create more opportunities for engagement and interaction. Company followers are able to comment, like, and share the postings.
LinkedIn posted this information about the new feature on their website:
“Company Status Updates are posts made by the company to share anything from company news to product releases to promotions to relevant industry articles. Company posts can be seen on the company’s Overview tab by any LinkedIn member. Anyone who follows the company will see the posts directly on their homepage. All LinkedIn members have the ability to view posts, click on embedded links or view videos. They can also comment, like, or share a post.”
-LinkedIn (http://learn.linkedin.com/company-pages/#updates)
Check out the video below to see how your company can begin utilizing this feature today:
How To Get Started
To start utilizing this feature you’ll have to follow a few steps. If you’re an admin, login and make your way over to your company page. Once there you’ll want to click on “Admin Tools” and then “Edit”
Next, you will have to choose who is an admin of your page.
To use this feature, you must currently choose the “Designated users” option. Simply begin to type in names of people that you are connected to that you would like to have Admin access.
Each Admin that is added will be sent an email notification.
Are you looking to get more value out of LinkedIn?
If so, one of the best things to do is ensure that you are a member of Groups that are relevant to your industry and to your passions. And while it can also be very beneficial to actively participate in Groups, a rewarding first step could simply be joining the right Groups and then listening and learning.
But how do you find Groups that could help you out in business? Here are three suggestions:
The Search Feature
LinkedIn has a very helpful search feature to help you find Groups based on different criteria. Here is a screenshot from the main Search Results page.
Along with being able to search for Groups based on the topics they cover, you can also filter based on the Group Type as well.
Look at What Groups Your Connections Are In
There are always people that seem to “do” social networking better than us. They seem to be more connected and thought of as leaders in our industry. Do you want to tap into the same knowledge sources as them? If so, check which Groups those people belong to in LinkedIn.
LinkedIn’s “Groups You May Like” Feature
LinkedIn also offers a helpful “Groups You May Like” feature.
I’ve only recently discovered this thanks to their blog, but it’s provided me with some great recommendations already.
The logic behind this feature tries to match features from your profile to key features in different Groups. From what I’ve seen so far, it does one heck of a job identifying Groups that may appeal to people.
So I’m sitting here on this rainy Monday morning in the office and I started thinking about ways that I can optimize my time while working at my computer. Some times I will go onto my iTunes and listen to a podcast that discusses social media and mobile marketing but this weather is just making me feel lazy and tired and the droning voices of my podcast’s are putting me to sleep. Then it dawned on me, why couldn’t I go on YouTube and watch videos that provide me with the same content quickly and with a much more appealing presentation. As I scan through the vast collection of videos and slide shows I thought it might be helpful to share with you my thoughts on helping yourself gain the most out of your YouTube channel.
Depending on the content I explore I like to share and collect content that I find interesting. I currently help promote a couple of different social media accounts and depending on where I feel necessary I share content that is relevant and interesting to that account. So if I stumble across a video that provides good content I will usually “like” the video from a related account and then work on connecting with not only my audience but the audience of that video. I will either comment directly on the video or I will leave a comment on my Facebook wall or the wall of a page that I find the content relevant to. For example, I help manage the social networking sites for the Charlton College of Business at UMass Dartmouth and if I came across a video that teaches me how to maximize my presence on LinkedIn and it is relevant to college graduates I will “like” it through the Charlton College of Business’ YouTube channel and then shorten the link and post it to my Facebook page and Twitter handle. I can follow how effective these videos are to my audience by tracking my links and posting links that are relevant and interesting. Most people don’t realize the effectiveness of using YouTube as a social network but it is personalized TV where you can gather a collection of videos that you want to view and share them with people you think will benefit from them. Here’s a video to get yourself started;
Now create a channel, produce content of your own and connect with other channels that are producing similar content to maximize your YouTube experience. There is so much you can learn on YouTube so start creating your collection of videos that are there to help you for completely free.
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Yes, there is a lot of buzz in the marketing world about Google+. While much of it may be justified, there are still many opportunities for individuals to take advantage of existing features in social networks that have been around for a bit longer.
Below are 6 questions (and answers!) that may help you get more out of LinkedIn, especially if you are looking for work.
1. What are some of the most important features on LinkedIn?
LinkedIn allows you to upload your resume right to your profile, which is a fantastic feature. Potential employers have the most important document that you can produce. The time you spend crafting a solid resume is validated when you open it up to the LinkedIn audience. You can also integrate your Twitter feed into your LinkedIn profile. If you are Tweeting about topics relevant to your industry or field of study, this feature becomes very helpful. Finally, utilize the Groups and Discussions that LinkedIn offers. This is the best way to connect with other professionals in specific fields and interests. You can add your two cents to an ongoing discussion, or you can simply connect with people you would have not met otherwise.
2. Can LinkedIn actually get me a job?
It absolutely can. If you are connecting with the right people, and you provide the right information, anything can happen. There is even a job listing section right on LinkedIn, which makes it very easy to apply for the jobs you want in your area. Also, some company pages have an “Apply Here” section.
3. How do I get my profile out to the public?
When you sign up for LinkedIn, your profile will have its own URL, much like Facebook or Twitter. You can customize this URL, which is in your best interest. Now, you can use this URL anywhere. Place it on your resume or Tweet about it, so that all of your Twitter followers can easily find you on LinkedIn. Also, make sure you join the groups that your former employers are involved with. Be as connected as possible.
4. How do I make my profile stand out to potential employers?
Unlike your resume, your profile can house as much information as you could possibly want. Elaborate and add past jobs and responsibilities. Your profile is like your personal billboard. Advertise yourself. Have past colleagues write recommendations for you.
5. What kind of people should I connect with on LinkedIn?
Everyone! Every connection you make is an opportunity to make a meaningful contact for the future. LinkedIn is inherently different from Facebook. On Facebook, there is a certain level of apprehension when considering to friend request someone you don’t really know. On LinkedIn, you should adopt the opposite mentality. Connect with people in your field, people that interest you, or someone you just think might be helpful down the road.
6. How much personal information should be put up on LinkedIn?
Well, as in all things, we need to have balance. But do not be afraid to share personal details to your LinkedIn connections. Share information that showcases skills you have acquired in your work experience. Potential employers will search for you on Google or other social networks. Thus, they’ll most likely find what’s out there! Take as much control over what they’ll see as possible on LinkedIn.
This day and age, it’s becoming increasingly more difficult to stand out as a business marketing student when it comes to the job hunt. It took some considerable time to think, “What makes me different?” When I sit and evaluate myself I like to take a step back and think, “What have I always loved and what is it that I have always been good at?” Until you can figure out what your true passion is its hard to figure out what you want to do with your life.
I know I am a people person. I’m the type of person who enjoys meeting people and getting to know them. I like the idea of going to a place that is completely new for me and make at least five new friends. Networking has always been something I loved. I have one year left of college and now that it’s time to join the “real world” how do I apply this to my career or more importantly my near future in the job search? Well the advances in social media have provided me with an amazing venue for advertising myself and creating innovative ways to display my work.
I am not the only one that has found unique ways to market myself through social media venues but I have done some research and developed a base of useful tools to help me. Some websites I love are LinkedIN for its unbelievably professional approach to getting yourself noticed worldwide on a professional platform. Although I still advise cleaning up your facebook, having a LinkedIN profile and expanding that network is vital and becoming increasingly more important to the job search. I also like to focus my attention to two other tools used online that have helped me get where I am academically and in my career. Twitter and a software program called iFlyMobi.
Twitter is amazing because I can surf through twitter looking for contacts that have similar interests, can teach me something, and can share my work. The concept of micro blogging is genius in this fast paced world we’re all growing up in. I along with most Americans are only looking for the most important information and want it as quick as possible. Twitter provides me with the opportunity to explore the web and experience different things all while learning. I end up finding myself blogging more and exploring blogs because they come up in my Twitter feed. I’m learning and I don’t even realize it because I enjoy reading this stuff! I never thought in my entire life that I would say that.
The last tool I use because it is something that sets me apart from everyone else and I am only sharing it with you
because I think everyone should be doing it to promote themselves. iFlyMobi is a software developed by a company that I work with called interlinkONE. What they do is create a mobile optimized portfolio for you where you can display your professional image, bio, links, and a portfolio of your work. Scan my code to see what I’m talking about.
Once your personal mobile website is created you generate a QR code that I put at the top of every resume I have printed in the past year. I attended the SIFE competition in New York last spring and we visited a very largely attended job fair with hundreds of business students from all over this region. Each person I talked to was very interested in my QR code and put my resume right to the top of the pile because they knew how “cool” and unique it was. This little code helped me stand out because it was something that was new and innovative. I highly recommend anyone who’s looking to use this type of creative tool to get one today and start using it as much as possible. It’s a small fee but it’s totally worth it. Put it on a business card, your resume, or even your website, you never know what it could do for you because it surely helped me.
No matter how competitive the job market gets there’s always ways to help yourself stand out and whether you’re like me or not it is important to network and do it in the most unique way possible. With that being said listen to how other people market themselves and create a path that helps you stand out. You could be the next trend setter you just need to think creatively. You never know what’s going to be the next big thing. Who knows it could be you!
Check out some of my other work on Facebook Pages, YouTube and WordPress:
Camp Forty Acres- Facebook | Twitter | YouTube
Charlton College of Business- Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Blog
My Mobile Made Easy- Facebook | Twitter
Blogs- Grow Socially
During LinkedIn’s April Hackday, Sudeep Yegnashankaran, a software engineer on the LinkedIn Mobile team, came up with a brilliant way of connecting LinkedIn to text messages. His inspiration for this idea was due to the fact that feature phones are still very prominent in the mobile market. Sudeep did not want to alienate LinkedIn users who did not own a smart phone. After trying it out for myself, it’s safe to say that this is an extremely easy tool to use and is great for smart phone users as well. Here is a simply step by step guide on how to use TextIn:
Go to TextIn.LinkedInLabs.com to enter your cell phone number. As you can see, this is only available in the U.S.
Once you hit go, you’ll have to enter your LinkedIn login. As soon as your cell phone number and LinkedIn account are synced up, TextIn will provide you with a number to text that is made specifically for your phone. Saving this number as “LinkedIn’s TextIn” would be the best way to keep it handy. Once you retrieve the number from TextIn, try it out!
Here are the available commands you can use:
#search <keywords or name>
#profile <email address>
#invite <email address>
#update <status update>
#help
I tried searching my own name and was very impressed with the quick results TextIn provided me with. Once I searched my name, it gave me a list of people with similar names and their employer. My profile came up first, so I then texted “1″ to get more information on myself. It then listed my current and past jobs. It was a very quick and convenient way to get information.
TextIn also provided a link right after the job description which would take the person straight to my LinkedIn profile. This is convenient for feature phone users because they will have a link to refer back to the next time they are on LinkedIn. For smart phone users, they can easily tap on the link on their phone and be directed to the profile instantly.
As mobile marketing continues to rise, more and more of these features will soon be developed across all social networking sites. Embrace the innovation and convenience of these fantastic new tools!
Discover how mobile and social media marketing is affecting the print industry by reading John Foley’s book, Business Transformation: – A New Path To Profit for the Printing Industry!
Are you starting to think that applying for jobs online is ineffective? Then you should change your job searching strategy and try building contacts and job leads with social media! You should start with the popular social network, LinkedIn. This particular social network was created specifically for professionals, so they would have a place to share expertise on various subjects, network, and exchange business information. If you aren’t on this social network, join now! LinkedIn allows you to upload your resume, finds work contacts who you have spoken with via Email, and lets you join professional groups.
When starting out, you should fill out your profile as much as you can. If you maintain a personal blog for sharing thoughts, expertise, and professional information, you should post the URL on your profile. If you have a personal website for the purpose of sharing the same professional information, post that as well. Make sure you fill out your previous work experiences, and include a list of all job skills you have obtained and strengthened during your time there. If you have past employers who you know would make good references for you, find them on LinkedIn. If you do find them, ask to connect with them and see if they would like to give you a LinkedIn recommendation. These recommendations can be viewed by the public, so any kind words from past employers or co-workers would be beneficial.
Once you have set up your profile and searched for existing contacts, you should then explore what type of companies and industries you are most interested in seeking employment with. Some companies offer open discussions for fellow LinkedIn users to participate in. This allows professionals the opportunity to showcase their expertise and share information that they think would be of interest to the group. If you ever have something to say that is worth sharing with professional peers, definitely take this chance to voice your opinion. Companies do monitor their social network pages and would see what you had to say. If you participate on a regular basis, you may begin to create a relationship with professionals who are also engaging in discussions and the company may view you as a trusted source.
LinkedIn is also a place where you can post slideshows, podcasts, videos and more. If you have a lot of material from past work that you would be able to post to the public, do it. By posting your past work, employers are able to see the quality of work you produce and what you have done in the past.
Events and calendars are another feature you can post. Next time you are on LinkedIn, check out whhich conferences the companies you are following are attending. If there is a conference happening near you and you know that they will be there too, think about attending yourself. You could post on their profile, “I am attending this event as well, look forward to seeing you there!” They may respond, or may not, but either way, you are getting yourself out there. If you do end up going to the event, it would be a great chance to meet some of the people you have been following online and it may initiate further conversation of topics previously discussed online.
In general, professional networking is always beneficial to your accumulation of work contacts. If you decide to use social media for job seeking, it may not guarantee you a job within the next month, but it is a step closer to making an impression on the industry you want to work in. By engaging with professionals on LinkedIn, you will be able to share expertise, gain more insight on topics and trends, and familiarize yourself with professionals and companies in that industry.
Show off your personality and expertise with your own YouTube Channel!
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