In a professional capacity, this question no longer arises: Should we be present on social networks? The answer is obvious. The real question is which message for which social network? What is the little story that I am going to tell? This is called personal branding or reputation. LinkedIn is one of the social marketer’s basic tools.
Indeed, it remains a completely private decision (and for a good reason). As part of your professional activity, it is almost a duty. And this for many reasons :
- For the “Googlization” effect. It would help if you met someone: A prospect, a candidate, an agency. What are you doing? You type that person’s name on the Internet. Know that everyone does.
- To keep in touch. In the course of professional life, we meet hundreds of people, if not thousands. Keeping a contact list up to date is difficult.
- To find contacts. Want to meet a prospect? It’s a great way to make initial contact. This needs to be done with intelligence.
- Because it’s the future of recruiting (for executives), this is mainly true for ‘ IT, but it is clear that the LinkedIn reflex develops increasingly to HR.
- To highlight your skills. These tools give you the ability to share many things. Do it with intelligence.
These networks are sometimes the first contact you have with a client or prospect. The most important thing is to make a good first impression. And there aren’t two opportunities to make a great impression; you might as well not miss it. Here is a quick overview of advice. This guide will help you improve your use of Linkedin and Viadeo.
The Linkedin and Viadeo user guide
Use Linkedin or Viadeo well
There is already a lot of advice on this subject. Much is done with common sense. We are not going to list them. What follows is a series of personal reflections that I have made by seeing what has been done by others.
Have a good profile picture
This could be considered boat advice at first glance. It may sound silly to say, but it is often forgotten. Choose a professional photo of yourself. Remember that your photo is the first thing you see on a profile. Look at this eye-tracking study by Robert Yale. First, your photo is seen. And what better than a good photo for a good first impression.
- Don’t use a party photo. You know, the one you cut out with someone next to you, and you can see half of their shoulder.
- Don’t try to have an original photo. Unless you’re creative, stay conventional. Unless you have expertise in design or photography, stay conventional.
- Have a photo that looks like you. Don’t post a picture of yourself from ten years ago. Are you losing your hair (like me)? Those who remain turn white (like me)? Update the photo from time to time. This will save you some inconvenience.
Intelligently share quality articles
Have you read an interesting article on a topic? Found a relevant infographic? A Slideshare presentation? Could you share it? You will highlight the work of others but add your paw to it.
The document sharing option allows you to add a comment. Do not hesitate to highlight a key figure, relevant information, an excerpt from the article, and comment on it. This shows that you have read the article. You don’t share just for the sake of sharing. A quality comment on a quality article is to highlight your intelligence. Plus, you’ll have a better engagement rate, so don’t wait any longer.
Write articles on Linkedin Pulse
Today, LinkedIn offers a microblogging platform. She is currently very disappointed with what she could be. But it’s a very effective content marketing tool. For the moment, it is mainly the Anglo-Saxon content that is highlighted. Also, we feel that certain habits are not yet present among users. Comments, likes, sharing.
But from my little experience, it’s an interesting tool. I will write the first report of my experience on the subject soon. Giving Slideshare presentations and then posting them on Linkedin Pulse is a great way to have an effective content marketing strategy.
Keep your experiences short
Your Linkedin bio file is the equivalent of several printed pages. No one is going to read it. Keep it short and to the point. Your LinkedIn or Viadeo profile must be your robot portrait. It must make you want to meet you but without giving all the keys to your expertise.
Use Linkedin as your CV
There is a very handy SAAS tool. It turns your LinkedIn profile into a CV. http://resume.linkedinlabs.com/. Use this feature. And if you’ve followed the previous tip, you won’t need to update your CV again.
Personalize your messages to prospects
Want to meet someone? In your introductory email, personalize it as little as possible. I regularly receive messages from agencies without any personalization. Hello, first impression!
What I advise you not to do to use LinkedIn or Viadeo properly
The first pitfall of LinkedIn or Viadeo is to consider them only as address books. If you don’t do anything, you won’t get anything. And to think that having 1,000 connections on Linkedin is a good network is a mistake. Wait until the day you need help. A good network is working. That takes time. Here are some tips to help you avoid making mistakes.
Do not share your privacy
Linkedin is a professional social network. It is not meant to share your privacy. It is great that you have had happy events. Do you want to share them with members of your professional network? Then prefer direct personal messages. It is more rewarding for the person who receives it. And you are sure to reach the right people.
Don’t be too “Corporate.”
Stop liking all the posts in your inbox. Or share photos of booths at trade shows your company participates in. In the end, it’s like other people’s selfies. We like it in small doses. But all day long, it is quite boring. And we end up hiding the profiles of people who do it too often.
That your company has events, successes, things to communicate is good. And we must be proud of it. And do not hesitate to share them. The slightest micro event is subject to a like, a comment, does not demonstrate your intelligence.
Don’t be AFP
There is a huge merger between two giants. It made headlines in the newspapers and the media. Don’t share the article thinking you’re going to be a trailblazer. As said before, share articles intelligently. Your goal is not to do a press review.
I think you shouldn’t share mainstream media. Anyone who wants to read Echoes or LSA can do so. He doesn’t need you. Share studies, blog articles, infographics,… It can be of real interest to people in your network.
Don’t update your profile when looking for a job
Your colleague has just changed his photo. Update your skills. Add that he volunteered in an association ten years ago. I don’t know about you, but I still have the feeling that he’s looking for a job.
If you are connected to people in your company, hide updates from your profile. Or better yet. You must update your Linkedin profile when you take a new position. Generally speaking, your profile should be up to date at all times.
Don’t waste time with your summary
Nobody reads it. Take a look at the eye-tracking study above to convince yourself. Before writing this article, I asked those around me who had read a LinkedIn summary. Answer: “person”. Or “If maybe once, but I don’t remember who. So, frankly, make it very short and very synthetic. People who write novels are doing themselves a disservice (unnecessary waste of time).
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