For those of us who may only check LinkedIn once we are prompted by an update email, a connection requestion, or general curiosity, paying additional $’s to the platform may seem silly. And it may be for you but many others are making the investment and finding success.
In this #31DaysOfLinkedIn post, we will look at the differences between free and paid access to LinkedIn. Full disclosure: I am a free user but have paid for advanced access in the past…just to see what it was about. More on that in a moment.
In the chart below, you can see the “powers” you get with free and paid access. Hit the tweet button to the side of this post if you actually are using all of the free tools provided to you. I will wait for all the @mentions!
If you are looking for a more proactive approach to LinkedIn which may lead to greater professional experiences, the paid options include Job Seeker, Sales Navigator, Recruiter Life, and Business Plus. For a beginning monthly investment of $30, or up to an annual investment of $1000ish a year, you can gain powers like:
Direct messaging of recruiters
Deeper access to “Who’s Viewed My Profile?”
A greater number of InMail messages which allow you to message folks you are not connected with
Advanced search options to see who is working for or on what and if you might know them
Greater sales research on companies you are interested in doing business with
The ability to manage your entire candidate pool for hiring possibilities
Special design tools for recruiting purposes
Now, I have tried what used to be known as LinkedIn Premium in the past. My findings were that it really wasn’t worth the investment, for me anyway, as many of the prospect individuals and companies I was seeking to connect with, learn more about, or have become aware of my efforts were simply no active enough on LinkedIn for them to pay attention.
I do see the Recruiter Life being a cool tool for professional recruiters…if the pool of prospects is deep enough in frequent LinkedIn interactors. I do know some recruiters who have to prompt prospects to clean up and update their LinkedIn profiles before they can add them to a prospect list. That seems like it would be a hard day at the office every day…
(A poorly kept secret about LinkedIn extra services is if you try it out for a bit and cancel the service, they will throw free months of service to you to try to keep you in the loop. Remember, LinkedIn is the social media platform which turns a profit!)
TL; DR:If you are interested in raising the profile of your LinkedIn profile (ha!), a $30 investment isn’t a bad idea. It all boils down to if the ones you are trying to attract are actually active on the platform.
What do you think? What have your experiences in paying for LinkedIn been? Share some stories in the comments below or reach out to us on social media with your details. Thanks for reading/watching this piece of the #31DaysofLinkedIn and stay tuned for the next updates. We’re sure to get to something troubling you very soon!
It is very easy to fall into the temptation of sharing your awesome* blog post from your website to your social media channels all at once. Especially when you have options on platforms on LinkedIn like:
Publishing a post from your personal profile
Using the Publisher tool to create/share a blog post
Going to your LinkedIn Groups and posting the links there
Dropping links in comments to posts your connections have made
There are lots of top-level reasons (bad form being one) to not do this but you will also:
Crowd the LinkedIn newsfeed of your connections since every action you take on the platform broadcasts a newsfeed update
Look like you are just there to broadcast your awesome* content instead of making/helping connections or engaging with the content of your connections
Admit it, you will look like a damn spammer to your connections and it will impact your connection count and your legitimacy
Make the posts to the different locations but take the time to do so over several hours, or preferably days. Most LinkedIn users are not using LinkedIn every day so they will see your stuff when they see it. If they log in and see it at all.
And at least six times… RT @CTrappe: Content not used on at least six channels is underused. #contentmarketing
Be cool with LinkedIn, and LinkedIn will be cool with you!
How are you digging the #31DaysofLinkedIn so far? As we enter the second week of this effort we will be getting into some of the heavier obstacles and challenges we all face on the platform. Feel free to drop questions of your own in the comments below or on social media to me. I’ll be glad to address them and give you credit if you’d like!
Talk soon,
*All posts by you, me, or anyone else are not awesome. Check out how the audio downgrades about halfway through the video above. We took a risk live-streaming from a noisy place and it kind of half-way paid off! #LessonsLearned
Today’s topic in the #31DaysofLinkedIn is about making connections, namely, avoiding the use of the default messaging in the connection request. “I’d like to add you to my professional network.” No joke. That is why we are here!n
Separate yourself from mistakes on LinkedIn connections
It only takes a minute or three to craft a personal message about why you would like to connect with someone on LinkedIn. Just as you would in real life, IRL, take the time to do so. Here are some options:
Remind them how you know each other in the real world
Mention that you live/work in the same neighborhood
Comment you both work in the same field or went to the same school
Refer to a common connection or acquaintance in your invitation
Since 2003, when LinkedIn launched, people have grown wary and leery of connection invitations using the rote pre-typed language. Many have made the decision to refuse to connect with invitees who continue to use it. What can you do to separate yourself from the hundreds, dozens, ones of invitations, that people are getting that you’re trying to connect with, on a weekly basis?
This goes back to one of our other messaging campaigns here at The Rocket Group, LAUNCH. In our “What’s Your Story” piece we talk about how if you don’t tell your story, someone else will. Well, if you don’t take the time to tell someone in an invitation why their connection is important for them to make, they will make up their own story and preconceived notion about you and most likely ignore you.
Think about how you would introduce yourself to someone new, or aspire to know better, at any other type of networking event and act the same way on LinkedIn. You’ll be way more successful. People get a lot of invitations on LinkedIn. People don’t accept them as openly as they used to. You might want to consider all of this, when you’re making your LinkedIn invitation request, your connection request.
Say no to the default and have a better time on LinkedIn. Keep those questions coming. Keep those comments coming. Keep that interaction coming. If we haven’t met yet on LinkedIn, send me a personal invitation. Don’t send me the default, I’ll reject your default invitation. Send me a personal invitation that you saw this video, and that you listened to what we had to say here. Thanks a lot.
One of the biggest drawbacks to LinkedIn is the connections process and it will get worse before it gets better. Let’s talk about this in the third installment of #31DaysOfLinkedIn.
Making connections on LinkedIn is treated like collecting baseball cards to a lot of folks on the platform: gotta get ‘em all! Other folks are rarely proactive in making connections, rather they wait for folks to come to them (guilty of this myself). While others don’t make any connections at all, choosing to use LinkedIn as a resume dumping ground.
It is up to you to decide what type of LinkedIn user you are going to be. If you are going to choose the first proactive role, then make sure the connections you make are legit and beneficial to both parties.
The right ways to connect on LinkedIn
Look for people who are in your field of work, in your geographic area, or who you may aspire to be when you grow up.
Look for people who you have mutual connections with. LinkedIn does a good job of playing the Kevin Bacon game by telling you how many levels you are away from your aspiring connection.
In the connection request form, DO NOT use the language which is already in the box. They know you want to connect with them, tell them what is in it for them or how you know them so they will be more likely to accept your invitation.
Do not make your sales pitch in the invitation. We’ve been seeing a run on these (probably from spambots) lately and they are annoying. Stick to the basics of who, what, where, and how you are. Talk about the why in a non–salesy way.
Don’t go binge connecting with people. Again, you are leaving a digital trail across LinkedIn with your actions (depending on your security settings) and if you connect with dozens of people a day, every day, it makes you look salesy or desperate to prospects.
Be sure that your profile is filled out in the best and fullest ways possible. They are going to look you up after your request and if you don’t even have a profile pic, you will get a big “talk to the hand” from your prospect.
These are some high-level rules (See also: TRGrules.com) to follow when it comes to making connections on LinkedIn. It boils down to making the connections which will provide value to both parties. Are you ready to do that?
What would you add to these points? Feel free to mention your connection rules in the comments below or by pinging us on social media. Let us know if you have any questions, comments, or struggles with LinkedIn you would like to see addressed in this #31DaysOfLinkedIn effort!
Outside of the timeline, your personal profile, and the Publisher tool, a very powerful tool to use on LinkedIn is Groups.
Welcome to our second entry in our #31DaysOfLinkedIn effort. Here we will be going through a journey of the (probable) most powerful and least utilized platform of social media, LinkedIn.
What are LinkedIn Groups?
LinkedIn Groups are literally subsections of LinkedIn where users can gather around any specific topic: industry, location, IRL organizations, etc. They can be set up as open groups or closed groups. In closed groups, you will have to apply for membership to be allowed in. Heck, you can even start one yourself.
Why should I care about LinkedIn Groups?
Being a member of a Group will allow you to meet your peers, neighbors, and fellow members of associations. By being an active member of a Group, you can share your knowledge, raise the awareness of your prowess (or lack thereof), and maybe even create a little profit for yourself. Just as with the rest of LinkedIn, you can share posts, interact with other members, and publish your own content. Most Groups have rules against selling products or being overly promotional so be sure to know what you can and shouldn’t post before going crazy with the salesy stuff.
Your membership in groups is also published on your own LinkedIn profile so if visitors get that far down your page they will see this extra level of authenticity. LinkedIn also is proactive in sending Group emails to members, which they can unsubscribe from or choose the frequency in which they receive them, and your activity within the group, if you are, will be shared in these messages. It’s a whole second level of branding for you!
Do LinkedIn Groups really work?
Just like any type of community, online or IRL, the success depends on the people within it. As you are aware, LinkedIn feels like homework to many of its members so much of the audience is just lurking. If you want to be active in a group, do what you can to bring other members up to your level of activity.
Here are a couple of actions to help you grow the activity of a LinkedIn Group:
Comment on others posts so the OP sees at least someone cared.
Share the link to the Group on your other social media channels. Perhaps some of your fans and followers will be interested in it as well.
Invite additional LinkedIn connections to join the group.
Reach out to the Group admin and see if they have a content strategy for the group or if it is just a free-for-all and see what they would like your help with.
If the Group is for an IRL organization you belong to at the local, national, or international level, be sure there are calls to action at events, in publications, and in other digital communications for members to join the group.
If all else fails to spark action, take the lead within the current Group to get it active, leave the Group as it is dormant, or create your own Group with fellow active members who want more interactivity.
Question:what LinkedIn Groups do you belong to which you really enjoy? Share in the comments below or across social media!
Thanks for taking the time to check this post out. If you have any LinkedIn questions, issues, comments, which you would like to see addressed in this #31DaysOfLinkedIn feel free to reach out anytime. I usually have an internet machine within reach!
Here we go with the first post of my #31DaysofLinkedIn challenge (Learn the what’s and why’s of this effort here). Let’s talk about professional versus personal activity on LinkedIn.
Obviously, LinkedIn is the stuffed-shirt of The Big 6 social media platforms. This is why people (read: your connections and your lurkers) expect to see professional-level content from you. This means profile photos, links, published content, comments on others posts, and in the types of connections you make.
Your profile photos on LinkedIn
As we have discussed at length before, LinkedIn is NOT the place for your profile photo to be of your family, your pets, or your drinking. That being said, I would (barely) rather see an unprofessional photo than the gray-and-white cartoon which says to the world, “Hey, I am on LinkedIn and want you to connect with me for professional purposes but I can’t be bothered to upload a photo.”
The links you share on LinkedIn
LinkedIn has a status feature for sharing content you create or find online which your connections may see as they scroll through their timeline. Your posts may reach some of your connections but not anywhere close to all of them. Think about how you use LinkedIn, sparingly, and know most everyone else is doing the same. This is one of our main #TRGrules.
Publishing content to LinkedIn
The (fairly new as I write this) LinkedIn Publisher feature is actually a very cool and productive tool which you should be using. With what basically amounts to another blogging tool, LinkedIn has given you the power to publish your evergreen or new content to their website. The content, with limited keyword tagging, is then cross-linked to your own profile and a notification is sent out to your connections. You’ve probably seen these notifications in your probably once-a-month visits or in the proactive emails LinkedIn sends you.
Interacting with others on LinkedIn
There are several ways you can interact with others on LinkedIn: commenting, liking posts, connecting (more in a minute), and sharing other’s posts. In these respects, LinkedIn has very little difference from Facebook. Another way LinkedIn is proactive is that your actions with others content does publish to your interactions with others into the timeline of your own connections. This brings up the “problem” some have when not acting professionally on LinkedIn, the digital trail you leave on the platform is public for all of your connections to see.
Connecting and networking on LinkedIn
One of the biggest no-no’s of LinkedIn is to send the generic connection request message. Since the platform launched in 2003, folks have been using the plugged-in request message to make connections and many users now ignore generic requests from folks they don’t really know. Take the time to craft a non–salesy personal message about how you know your prospective connection, why you want to connect with them, and what you might like the next steps to be. You’ll have a much higher response rate from folks you would like to connect with. When it comes to networking, apply the same practices and you’ll be received warmly by others on the platform.
Remember: everybody wants to know what’s in it for them. Answer that question and you’ll be much better off.
Another action to not take is to send a sales message to your new contact as soon as they accept your connection. That’s a great way get someone to disconnect with you and ruin your professional reputation.
Aside: We’ve been learning more and more of some people using LinkedIn as a dating platform. Some people have been using the connections request to distribute creepy lines about attractiveness, etc. That’s just ridiculous and if it happens to you, block and report the offender as soon as possible. If you are one of the offenders, knock it off.
Alright, as we move forward through these 31 posts we’ll get into greater detail on the tools and functions which will help you succeed in LinkedIn. I’ll be putting these methods to work on my own profile as well and reporting results as we go through this journey with each other.
If you have any LinkedIn questions, obstacles, or opportunities you would like to discuss, reach out any time and we’ll work on launching a success story together!
As I’ve been working to collect all the #TRGrules, I have become even more observant as to what people, businesses, organizations, and nonprofits are doing to hurt their success stories on social media.
In recent days, we have seen several recurring errors which may seem innocent the first time but frustrate audiences as accounts make the same mistakes over and over. Here are just three frequent violations:
Posting Facebook links to other platforms: It’s totally cool to want to drive your audiences on social media to your main marketing hub. Unfortunately, if that hub is Facebook then tweeting or Instagramming links to your Facebook page and posts will only lead to frustration. Both Twitter and Instagram, and increasingly Facebook itself, are mostly used by audiences on their mobile devices. If you hit a Facebook link on Twitter, it takes you to the mobile website, not the mobile app. People are logged into the mobile app but, most likely, not the mobile website. When they are taken to the mobile site they aren’t logged into they can see your content but cannot interact with it. This is frustrating.
And something I am guilty of myself when there is no other recourse.
No biographies: I am seeing this happen more and more on Instagram but still see it on Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms. Poorly constructed accounts either provide sketchy details or no details at all in their biographies. I had recent interactions on Instagram with something called the “Tri-City Classic” but their bio and content gave me no idea where these Tri-Cities are located. The Comerica Theatre recently followed me on Instagram, but I have no idea where they are located. I am guessing Detroit, but it’s only a guess.
If you don’t fill out your bios, using all the space and prompts provided to you by the platforms, you are decreasing the chance people who can actually do business with you will actually do business with you. You will also increase your chances of looking like a spammer.
Bad group photos: Everyone is the media these days because we all carry cameras for photos and videos within an arm’s reach (Quick, how far away is your phone from you right now?). We can also share the media we create with hundreds or thousands of our followers a minute later. Life has been like this for a couple of years now so we should all be used to the spur of the moment group photo. There is no need for the subjects in the front row to bend at the knees or waist to allow others to be seen, the photographer should move the group subjects around. Especially if that group photo is being taken in a stadium.
nPhotographers you need to post the best of your photos to social media, not all of your photos to social media. There is never a need to see a dozen photos in a row of the STP (Same Ten People) doing the same thing. Here are some tips about uploading multiple photos to Facebook you should check out.n
A Bonus Thing You Shouldn’t Be Doing on Social Media!
Automating gratitude: There are a lot of great tools out there like this and this to help you manage your social media content and audiences. One of the drawbacks to these tools is the option to express THANKS! to new followers or active listeners. It automatically fills in three or four account handles with a branded link for the company you are working with.
This all seems like a great thing, but everyone involved knows it’s a robot-tweet advertising for the management company. If you see something cool on social media, no matter the platform, take a real moment and leave a real comment or response of appreciation. It may seem like it will take you forever but it won’t and the audience returns will be much greater.
With that, thanks (for reals) for reading this far. If you have any questions, comments, or even disagreements with what I have posted here, feel free to comment below or contactme at any time!
PS: Here are some positive pieces to leave you on a high note with:
Profile photos on social media profiles are critical to your online success as a business, organization, nonprofit, or individual. Let’s talk about the reasons why.
Because of (sporting) world events, I recently had to change the cover image on The Rocket Group’s Facebook page. It got me to thinking about how we all use our other profile photos. Many of us online are doing ok professionally with our images, some of us are doing great, and some of us doing really, really bad jobs.
What is the purpose of a social media profile image?
There are a lot of reasons why your profile photo is so critical. To put this in terms some of us may understand, the image is basically your online dating profile for your professional efforts.
It represents your business, organization, nonprofit, or yourself: Another way to think of modern social media images is as business cards. The days of raised letters on off-white cards are gone. Now your card needs to be dynamic and stand out from the stack it’s going to piled in on someone’s desk.
It needs to be recognizable: The image should not just look like you and yours but it should remind me of you and yours when I see it. For mine images, I use tools I use in my speaking and training presentations to drive another connection with the viewer. What can you use in yours to drive that business connection?
It needs to create a positive first impression: Just like in the online dating example, many folks who encounter you online will first see you through your profile photo. If it’s a silly or bad photo, they will think you are silly or bad. Think about how you form opinions on the people and brands you encounter online based on their profiles. People are doing the same with you. In fact, this is one of our #TRGrules.
It needs to stand out in crowded timelines and newsfeeds: The average person sees some 250-300 posts each time they scroll through Facebook and Twitter and the other social media platforms. Making your profile image one that stands out from the crowd in all that thumb scrolling will lead you to greater success. Use colors, use props, use your products to get noticed in the timelines!
Don’t Do These Things with Your Social Media Profile Image
Don’t hide behind a logo: Unless you are in or around the Fortune 500 you should probably use images of happy, smiley faces versus your logo for a social media image. People connect with people not logos online. This is especially critical for small- and medium-sized operations. If you do need to use a logo, make it a photo of your door or sign or something human they can relate to instead of a vector image. If you can get a pic of you doing your job, well, all the better.
Don’t use too- or non-professional images: Scroll through your LinkedIn and see all the profile photos shot in a studio with a drab background. Now scroll through your Facebook and see how many friends are using party pics as their profile photos. Avoid this trap, get a high end camera (everyone has one these days) and go outside, go to your shop floor, go to a local landmark and take your new amazing photo. When it comes to possibly using non-professional images, make sure your clothing is appropriate, your alcohol level is non-existent, and your face is pleasant.
Don’t fall for hacktivism: It’s cool to support the many worthy causes out there but adding ribbons to your image or making your image a superhero is only helping to blend your profile into a mass of unrecognizability or political discussion you don’t want to be in. Want to be an activist through your pro channels? Write a blog and post it to social media.
Where Can You Find Inspiration for Your Profile Images?
Look to accounts you admire: I just did a quick scroll through my Twitter feed (as I admire everyone I follow) and found three cool profile photos in less than a minute. I also saw a couple hundred photos that all looked the same. Author James Altucher is known for his “unique” appearance and his great ideas, his profile photo reflects that. Broadcaster Mark Reardon has a cool image of him at work in the studio. Brash T-Mobile CEO John Legure has an image which is brand-loyal and shows him passionately at work.
Look for great photos of you and yours: Content that shows behind the scenes of any operation is always a great driver of interaction. There are probably hundreds of photos (everyone has a camera these days) of you and your efforts at work. Look to one of them that will stand out and put it to work.
Look to unusual sources like album covers: Just like all good marketers we have swipe files for graphic design, web design, content ideas, and even profile photos. Look to magazines, news images, and other sources to inspire you to create your perfect image. The profile image on my own personal Instagram and Facebook accounts was inspired by the Hayes Carll album cover to Trouble in Mind. I am fun like that sometimes.
A couple of other tips for your professional social media images
No family photos. LinkedIn is not a place for your wedding photo.
No pixelated images. Make sure your image is the proper size. Use Canva if you need to make sure.
Smile if you can. If your business in serious stuff, a smile might not be appropriate. If you work for a clown college, then go for it.
No crossed arms. You probably aren’t in the WWE and negative body language is a bad thing.
Don’t change the photos every day. Or that frequently. Once or twice a year is good enough. Remember, we want consistency.
Your social media profile photo is one of the first impressions, and recurring brand points, of your professional image. Use it to your benefit. Or detriment.
The choice is yours.
Thanks for checking this post out. If you found it useful and still have questions, challenges, or obstacles to your social media or marketing success story you would like to discuss, feel free to reach out at any time!
*All posts by you, me, or anyone else are not awesome. Check out how the audio downgrades about halfway through the video above. We took a risk live-streaming from a noisy place and it kind of half-way paid off! #LessonsLearned
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