Branding is something that we as professionals need to take very
seriously on an individual level. It’s essential to develop a unique and
personal “professional brand” that communicates the value you have to
offer to prospective clients. This is where LinkedIn excels. It allows
you to take control of the major elements of your professional brand:
the people you connect with, the groups you join, the recommendations
you give and receive and how you express your skills and experience in
the real estate industry. This 8-step marketing plan is designed to help
you grow your personal brand and generate leads through LinkedIn.
1. Complete It!
LinkedIn is your online resume. You don’t want clients and other
business contacts to see a sliver of your experience or read through a
hastily thrown-together description of what you do for a living. Take
the time to sit down and put some effort into filling out your
experience and summary. If you ever need to see what parts of your
profile you’re missing, just go to Edit Profile. The right side of the
page will show what sections of your profile are blank or partially
completed. Be sure to include past companies, education, affiliations,
and activities. Adding these will allow you to find and connect with
people who went to the same school, worked at the same company and were
involved in the same activities as you were.
2. Make your profile public
This is a great way to influence what people see when they search for your name.
Making your profile public allows your information to be indexed by
Google and other search engines. Since LinkedIn profiles receive a
fairly high PageRank, they are typically the top search result for your
name. Learn how to make your profile public. [1]
3. Set up a vanity URL
A LinkedIn vanity URL looks like this: www.linkedin.com/in/YourName. It
takes out the random string of numbers and will help boost your search
results. I recommend using your business name; if your name is Robert
Smith, but you go by Bob use Bob Smith for your URL. You may have
noticed that I left the company absent in the URL. That is on purpose.
Your URL should be set up for you as an individual so it can follow you
if you move between companies. Where you work should be listed under
your profile. View a quick tutorial for setting up a vanity URL [1].
4. Add a link to your email signature and website
There is no use putting the effort into completing your profile if
people can’t find it. Putting a link and a call to action on?) your most
basic tools for communication will make it easier for people to find
and connect with you. It sounds so simple, but you’d be surprised how
few people follow through with this step.
5. Take it offline
Everything you do offline should have a call to action online. Add your
LinkedIn vanity URL to your business cards and printed materials to
drive people to learn more about your experience and connect with you.
6. Connect
Reach out to your clients and connect. Increasing your number of
connections will help increase your visibility and search results.
Studies have proven that people would much rather work with an
individual whom their friends know and trust. When sending a request,
make sure to include how you know them instead of using the default
invitation language.
7. Endorse
After you’ve made a connection with someone go ahead and endorse them.
Trading endorsements on LinkedIn is a common practice and shows people
that you respect what they do for a living. Think of it as digital
karma; the more you give, the more you get.
8. Join and be ACTIVE in local community groups
This is the most important and commonly overlooked step. As a general guideline for groups, you should: Join as many relevant groups as you can.
There is an upper limit of 50 but it is unlikely you’ll have that
many related to your specific community and interests. Joining groups is
the easiest way to expand your sphere of influence on LinkedIn. You’re
allowed to send connection requests to anyone who is in the same group
as you.
Be active in a few. Strive to keep up with your five most active and relevant groups.
Lead one. Create and manage your own group for your
local community. Community groups are the largest untapped resource on
LinkedIn. They provide you with valuable opportunities to connect and be
seen.
Start by blocking off 20 minutes twice a week on your calendar to
participate in your groups by replying to comments and questions. In the
groups that you lead, you’ll need to initiate the conversations and
activity in the beginning.
Now it’s time to sit back and let the leads roll in. WRONG! Stay
active, keep at it and don’t quit. You’ll need to nurture these
connections and build a presence before you start getting a steady
stream of leads. This is where a majority of people lose focus and move
on but with a real commitment you can turn your LinkedIn profile into
effective business tool.
Article courtesy of RISMedia
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