Be Visible - People Want To Meet You

LinkedIn’s tagline is “Relationships Matter.”

I believe LinkedIn™ is the best social media site in the world for online business networking, for jobs, for resources and more. I do not say this lightly. I am not known to gush about anything, anywhere. However, this site has done so much that is right, has thought so hard about the needs of working individuals, of corporate recruiters and of small and medium-sized business owners, that any of us would be hard put to find a site that matches it.

However, like any other endeavour in life you need a strategy on LinkedIn, and it’s an easy one. I can tell you what it is in one short sentence. Meet people halfway.

Join discussion groups and let others on the site get to know you: your personality, your business experience, your skills and interests. Let them know how you can help them – with advice, anecdotes, opinions – and what you have to offer. Do you want to be employed or sell something or move to a new city? Once other members get to know you, you may well find them rooting for you or even offering you a job. All you need to do is make the effort to meet other members halfway.

Yes, I’ve said that twice now. It’s so important that, one more time, I shall repeat it and then expand on it: meet others halfway. Your basic strategy is to use LinkedIn regularly so that others will notice you and want to meet you online. Part of this is making connections. Another is joining discussion groups and maintaining a presence on them. Be interested in what others are saying on the discussion threads, join in two or three conversations on each site (not many of us have the time to follow them all) and keep returning to those discussions, reading other people’s comments and adding more of your own. Name people when acknowledging their great advice, even when it’s for someone else. It’s easy – here’s an example of what you could post to a discussion: “John, I think Suzie’s advice about direct mail would fix the problem. Another thing you could try is…” You get the idea. People will realize you’re paying attention to them. As well, click the Like button occasionally when you don’t have much time to jump into the thread. Eventually, other members will come to recognize you on the site and some will become good LI friends. Give and ye shall receive.

Here’s the thing. Those members putting in the time to talk online really, really appreciate it when someone listens, and the way to show them you are listening is to address them by name or to Like their statements. Another important way is to comment briefly when you find one of your connections has posted something that appears on your Home page. Add a comment or a Like right there, and presto, you have given your connection a wider audience because now all your other connections will see that member’s post and your comment on their Home pages. You’ve given your connection some exposure. Your contacts will eventually return the favour, and more importantly, they’ll remember you.

After some time on the site, you can begin letting others know what you do for a living, what your product or service is, any new business ventures or hopes for new employment. If you have been consistently helpful and polite (hey, you can be funny too sometimes – we’re all human and like to smile), then others will want to refer you, make helpful suggestions, even meet you. Many members have found business and jobs this way.

LinkedIn is a virtual world that becomes part of our real world via our connections. Ensure your photo really reflects who you are, keep your headline and summary up-to-date and engaging, and add rich media and links to your blog or website.

Keeping your profile vibrant does the same online as does getting dressed in the morning and heading out for a social event in your town. You would not be a wallflower at an afternoon conference or an evening networking event, would you? You’d be pleasantly attired, smile and introduce yourself and chat, asking people about themselves and telling the occasional anecdote, right? You got it – you behave in the same way on LinkedIn, starting with having a great photo, headline and summary. Make sure that photo is head and shoulders or head to waist, with only you in it (and please, don’t crop yourself from a picture where you’ve got your arm around your buddy – it look like what it is; i.e., that no effort has been made to create a special picture). Remember, first impressions count and hundreds of potential business connections or employers are going to see you, so dress and present as you would for a real meeting. 

Reap the rewards of your efforts, just like you do at those Thursday evening networking events. And hey…enjoy yourself.