LinkedIn - Online Networking for You and Your Business

You've heard the buzz about LinkedIn: More than 25 million business professionals located across 150 countries take advantage of the exchange of information, ideas and opportunities it offers. Adding LinkedIn to your marketing arsenal can help you build business relationships, promote your company, generate leads, make sales, tap into new markets, recruit new employees and more.

And it's easier than you might think.

PERFECT YOUR PROFILE

Creating a profile and building a professional network on LinkedIn is free. The actual signup process takes little time-within minutes you can create a username and password and enter basic information about yourself and your company. From there, how much you customize your LinkedIn profile is up to you.

Include anything that you would have in a resume or bio, recommends Ellen Sautter, coauthor of "Seven Days to Online Networking." Don't be shy when describing your work history-you should be as thorough as possible. And rather than solely focusing on what you do, include information on who you are as a person too, advises Scott Allen, Entrepreneurs Guide for About.com and coauthor of "The Virtual Handshake." "Your profile should paint a picture of who you are," he explains. "These things really attract people and make them want to learn more about you."

Take your profile to the next level by including these components:

An elevator pitch. You've honed that 30-second elevator pitch explaining what your company is and what you do, right? Now put it to work online by including it in the Summary section of your profile.

Specialties. Along with your elevator pitch, make sure you include your specialties. List as many specific terms as you can think of that describe your company and what you do-that way, when someone is looking for a business like yours, you'll increase the odds that you'll show up in their search.

Recommendations. Don't brush off the Recommendations section of your profile. This is where you put glowing testimonials from former business associates, clients and other contacts who value your work. Once you add these people to your LinkedIn network, send them a message asking for a recommendation. Doing so can help sell prospects on you and your company.

Details. In the Additional Information section, include links to your business Web site, your blog or any other online presence you might have. List interests, honors or awards you have received and any professional groups or organizations you're a member of. Remember: the more that people can learn about you from your profile, the more likely they are to seek out a connection with you.

Personality. LinkedIn profiles can be boring. You want yours to stand out. So go ahead, add a dose of voice and personality. Make your profile sound like you.

GET CONNECTED

Once you've nailed down your profile, it's time to start networking. Inviting people to join your social network is easy. If you use a Web mail service such as Yahoo! (TM), Gmail or AOL, you can automatically upload your contacts to see who is already using LinkedIn. Then all you have to do is send them a request to connect.

One caveat: Don't send a blanket invitation to everyone in your address book. Rather, weed through the imported contacts to make connections only with those people who you know well or want to get to know better.

Once you establish contacts from your web mail, it's time to hunt for other people to connect with. Flip through your rolodex and generate a list of individuals or companies you regularly work with now or have worked with in the past. Search for people you went to school with, companies you used to work for and former colleagues. You'll be surprised at how many people you can find simply by typing their names or companies into the search box at the top of the LinkedIn screen.

But what to do with those contacts once you make a connection? Plenty. As you're seeking out connections, remember that networking is a give-and-take process-your goal shouldn't solely be to obtain more clients; it's to build and foster strong professional relationships that will potentially lead to something good, says Michelle Tullier, coauthor of Seven Days to Online Networking. "Always be sure that you're truly sharing knowledge and working to help others, not just blatantly marketing your products and services," she says.

Take the time to stay in touch with your contacts once you make them. Remind them that you're out there and that you're ready to serve them by sending a message occasionally. That personal touch will set you apart in an online world where many people are on a mission to make as many connections as possible without actually building relationships.

DO MORE

There's more to LinkedIn than simply building your network. Get the most of it with these tricks:

Spread the word. If something big happens-perhaps your business receives a reward or you move to a new location-notify your contacts via LinkedIn. It keeps them in the loop about what's going on with your company. As a bonus, if you've fallen out of touch with a contact, when they receive that tidbit of news you may be back on their radar once again. Just don't overdo it.

Learn more. Just by viewing people's profiles, you can get the scoop on what they're working on now, where they've worked in the past, what roles they've held, where they've gone to school-and sometimes even what they like to do in their free time. Before you head into a meeting with a new client or contact a business prospect, learn what you can about them from their LinkedIn profile. You might find the perfect nugget to help break the ice.

Join a group. LinkedIn Groups allows you to connect with professional groups, alumni groups and more. Look for a group related to your business or industry. Don't see one? You can create your own and invite contacts to join. The group can serve as a sounding board, help you make connections and increase visibility in your field.

Ask questions. You can use LinkedIn as a resource for your business-related questions. LinkedIn Q&A allows you to ask a question to your network or the entire LinkedIn network. You may end up getting answers from some of the brightest minds in your industry. Perhaps you'll even stumble upon a business mentor.

Establish yourself as an authority. Asking questions is a great way to get information from the many business minds using LinkedIn; answering questions allows you to showcase your expertise and generate traffic to your profile. Craft thoughtful, helpful responses to questions and people will notice.

If you decide to try out LinkedIn, it may take a bit of time to whip your profile and connections into shape. But just remember: the connections you make can boost your business.