I’m about to teach a revamped version of my popular course about LinkedIn. For those thinking “I’ve used LinkedIn but it hasn’t worked for me”, this article is for you. You probably have a LinkedIn account. So do most of the people you know who’ve had a professional life in the past 2 decades. Since there are 700 million accounts on LinkedIn, making it the largest, searchable professional networking platform, why isn’t it working for you professionally? There are only 2 reasons:
Let’s discuss both…
You’re not really using it
Maybe you created an account years ago and filled out your profile. So what? Did you think that random new ideal clients are going to eagerly contact you, just because you have a profile with your work history? When was the last time you used LinkedIn’s search engine, looking to connect with new people that you don’t already know? Exactly. Almost nobody does this, unless they’re a corporate recruiter or in corporate sales. Release the fantasy that, just by optimizing your profile, you’ll get found by cold audience members who will contact you about your services. Instead, see your profile as a reminder to the people you already know — a reminder to them about the work you do and what makes you credible to do it. Optimize your profile for your warm audience… not as a sales pitch to strangers. Use LinkedIn as a tool for keeping in touch with the professional contacts that matter to you. Occasionally, you might ask them to connect you with someone they know, that has mutual benefit with you professionally. Or they might ask you. Most of the time, however, the opportunities come to us from people who already know, like, and trust us — and see our content or updates on LinkedIn. LinkedIn hasn’t gotten you any clients… Did you try applying some tips about using LinkedIn, and even after years, it still hasn’t helped your business? Popular advice basically says the following — and I’ll put my brief thoughts in parentheses:
This is getting a bit long for an introductory overview, so I’ll end by saying this: If you use LinkedIn the kind of way that you care about your friends, then you’ll find that LinkedIn works wonders to grow your business. I wish everyone would update their LinkedIn profile, and curate their network thoughtfully. This way, we can all have more opportunities for each other. As mentioned, I’ll be thoroughly teaching my recommended strategies in my upcoming online course about LinkedIn. If this article has been interesting to you, I hope you’ll join us for the course! |
George Kao is a Marketing Coach for small business owners, especially solopreneurs such as Coaches and Mentors. He focuses on ethical & effective ways to grow one's platform and build true livelihood.
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