Third in a Five Post Series

For those of you just dropping by, this is a series of posts for those just getting started with LinkedIn.

As I mentioned previously, I’m helping a law firm get up to speed with LinkedIn. To help veterans and beginners, I’m creating a step-by-step cheat sheet that anyone who is just starting with LinkedIn can use to get up to speed quickly in a few bite-sized chunks that don’t take a lot of time.

Here’s LinkedIn Cheat Sheet for Busy Professionals – Week 3. You’ll find Week One here, and Week Two here.

 

This week, the five action items can be used by beginners as well as veterans:

1) Connect with 10 to 20 or more people, connecting with a handful each day this week. Think of past bosses, colleagues, clients and friends.

2) Check out LinkedIn’s new endorsement feature and endorse a few of your referral partners for their expertise. Your connections are bound to do the same for you.

• When you pull up a profile of a connection, LinkedIn will serve up a blue box asking you to endorse them.
• If you click on the “Skip” button, LinkedIn will serve up a box with four other people to endorse.
• Either endorse these for the skills or click the “See More” button that will appear in the blue box.

3) Follow Two LinkedIn Groups. Start with something in your profession if referral cultivation is your goal, or if you are seeking new clients, figure out where your target market hangs out and join those groups. Don’t worry if the group isn’t perfect – there are a lot to choose from.

Within those two or three groups, browse the posts to see where you could be of value, and participate in one or two discussions. Be helpful and don’t sell. You only want to showcase your expertise and knowledge.

4) Start thinking about who the best connections will be to ask for recommendations – not endorsements, but recommendations. Make a list and save it for next week.

5) Revisit and revise your profile – Can you add any keywords, additional information or documents to make it even better? Your profile can be improved every time you visit. Think of ways to make it standout.

 

What success have you seen following these steps so far? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.