Missing the LinkedIn trick

I’m a huge fan of LinkedIn and as a site that has over 90 million users around the globe, I figure one or two of you out there might be too.  It’s a great tool for business (I’ve got clients as a direct result of them seeing my profile) complementing the more social nature of Facebook and Twitter as a way of getting your personal brand out there.  Which is why it baffles me that so many people have yet to discover its benefits.

I’m given a number of reasons when I ask someone why they’re not on there, so I thought it would be helpful to share my thoughts on each one:

“I don’t see the point – I’m happy in my job.”
The job market is by no means as secure as it once was, and just because you’re happy in your job, you never know when someone’s going to pull the rug out from under you.  And if that happens, raising your profile will become pretty important (statistics show 70% of recruiters use LinkedIn to find candidates).  So why not get the ball rolling now, building up your network and keeping in touch with your contacts to sow the seeds of opportunity you may need to reap later?

“I wouldn’t know what to say about myself.”
As I’ve said numerous times in my blogs, people buy people, so it’s important that you’re clear about what they’ll get if they buy into you.  If you don’t know what’s great about you, how the heck can anyone else?  So make the effort to define your personal brand and put that into your profile; there’s plenty of practical tips on how to do this in my previous blogs and if you’re really stuck there’s always the option of getting professional help (you know where to find me!)

“I don’t understand how it works.”
The internet is a cornucopia of information, so not knowing about something is a poor excuse these days.  There’s tutorials on LinkedIn itself plus a whole host of other people offering advice on YouTube. And if you prefer to learn in person, go on a course or for the cheaper option, just ask your friends if they know what to do.

“I really can’t be bothered.”
Suit yourself, but there’s plenty of others who can be bothered and when it comes to job offers, or new business, or partnership opportunities, or free resources, or work recognition, they’ll be the ones who get the spoils.

And even if you’re sitting there smugly thinking, “That’s not me then…I’ve got a profile,” I have one question: when’s the last time you did anything with it?  Posted an update say, or changed your summary to reflect your latest work?

Because putting your name, job title and company doesn’t constitute a profile.  With no photo, no experience and no summary you’re sending a message that you’re someone who only does half a job – and how good is that for your personal brand?

So if that’s spurred you into action, stay tuned for next week’s blog when I’ll tell you how to use your profile to really make the most of LinkedIn for your personal brand.

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