This is the third part in a series on the 3 Basic Keys of LinkedIn.  Part one covered “optimizing your profile” and part two looked at “building your networks”.  If you followed the tips and strategies you should now have a pretty good profile and be on the way to expanding your reach on LinkedIn.

Leveraging LinkedIn simply means that you are making it work for you.  You’re in control and taking the actions that support why you are on LinkedIn.  I’m here to make money so everything that I do is geared to communicating a message to my networks.

Over the last two years I’ve learned how to use the various social media/networking sites to develop new business for my Individual Health and Employee Benefits companies.  Last week alone I received 3 calls from prospects.  What’s interesting about that is that I’ve updated my profile and activity to focus more on the social media consulting that I’m doing.

My prior and continued activity has allowed people to get to know, like and trust me.  So, even though the focus isn’t 100% on health insurance it still drives results.  And I’m starting to see results from the social media/networking side as well, having received a call from a technology company to discuss their social media/networking strategy.  Four leads in a week with a potential of over $20,000 in revenue.

Social media/networking works if you leverage the tools available.  With that in mind, here are 5 Top Ways to Leverage LinkedIn: (more…)

Build a Better Profile:
The Linkulator:  The Linkulator is the first tool that grades your LinkedIn profile from 0 to 100, compares your score to the average LinkedIn user, and provides some tips to help you improve your score.  I’m partial to this tool because I built it.

Expand Your Network:
WebMail or Mail Client Import:  This tool simply looks at the people you communicate with through email, imports them into LinkedIn, and then shows you which of your imported contacts are already LinkedIn members.  You can then click to invite these people one by one or several at a time.

The Webmail option is simple and you just need to supply your login information.  The Mail Client (Outlook, Lotus, Mac, etc.) requires that you export your contacts to a CSV file and then import that to LinkedIn.  Instructions are available for the different programs making it a simple process.

Find a Job/Advance Your Career
Jobs Insider:  The Jobs Insider comes with the LinkedIn Browser toolbar.  With it you can see how you connect into a job listing and see how you are connected to the position.  The tool works with Monster, CareerBuilder, HotJobs, Craigslist, SimplyHired, Dice, or Vault

Build Your Credibility
LinkedIn Answers & RSS Feeds (the link takes you to the Start Ups and Small Business Category.  RSS feeds are available in each category):  Track topics based on keywords and categories in LinkedIn Answers to review and respond to questions posed by other LinkedIn members.  When you look at a category on the right side at the bottom of the Browse box is a text link to “Subscribe to new questions in” whichever category you are currently viewing.

Click on the RSS link and it will allow you to choose an RSS Reader from the list.  I use My Yahoo to view news stories and have set up an RSS feed to show me the most recent questions in several categories.  I can quickly find the most recent questions asked and build my credibility through sharing information and demonstrating my expertise.

Communicate Your Message
Blog Applications:  Blogs are a great way to provide value, share information, and communicate your message in a non-sales manner.  The WordPress or Blogger applications allow you to pull your blog into your profile, adding another dimension to it.  Blogs are easy to set up and you can have one up and running in less than 20 minutes.

Bonus Tool
Resume Import to Create Profile:  Building your profile can be time consuming when you first start out.  Many people start and stop and only get to a detailed profile after many update sessions.  LinkedIn now allows you to upload your resume to build your profile.

I have to admit that I have not used the tool…my profile’s been built for a while…but anything that makes it easier is a good thing.  Just be sure to double check it because you never know what translation errors may occur.

Wrap Up
That’s it for the Top Tool tips.  They are many other tools available to help you more effectively utilize LinkedIn.  What are some of your favorites that I did not include?

**LinkedIn is only part of the Social Media equation.  Some other tools that are effective are Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, and of course blogs.  If you have questions about how to incorporate these great tools into your business I’d be happy to help.  SONARconnects, the advertising agency I’m a partner in offers the following services:

1.  Social Media Training:  We create and/or optimize your accounts, show you how to build your communities, and communicate your message…all with the purpose helping you monetizing social media.

2.  Social Media Management:  We actively manage your accounts and take responsibility for building your communities, communicating your message, and establishing your online brand.

For more information contact me at (404) 939-7186.

Most people are familiar with the basic features of LinkedIn such as connecting, groups, answers, applications, etc. There are some cool features that often get missed by the average user.  Here we look at five under-utilized tricks you may not be familiar with.

One of the benefits of writing a book (in my case two books which will be released on June 1st) is that you reacquaint yourself with some features that are not always top of mind.  These five feature won’t make or break your LinkedIn experience but they are useful.  Drum roll please…

Add a You Tube Video to Your Profile

You can do this with either Slideshare or Google Presentation.  My perspective was that Google Presentation was a little faster, but you should try both to see what works for you.

Here is how you would add a video using Google Presentation:

• Add the Google Presentation application
• Go into Google Docs and create a new presentation
• Click on Insert (top link) and click on Video
• Search for your video on YouTube and choose your video
• Click on File (top link) and choose Rename – rename your presentation
• Go back into Google Presentation from your Profile
• Click on your video and Post to Profile

When the slide show is clicked the video will play. (more…)

Mondays are my big post day.  I try to post my most relevant post for the week.  If Monday is a good day then the rest of the week is gravy.

This week I was set to post the first Podcast from Linked Intuition, which was to be created on Saturday through my new Podcast show Radio North Fulton.  Unfortunately my cohort Scott Dunn, of Sonar Connects, woke up not feeling well and spent the day on a chicken soup IV.   Hopefully we can reconnect this week and I’ll post it next Monday.

So to keep Monday a good day, today’s topic is LinkedIn related tools and widgets.  You might have heard of some of these.  You might be using some.  But a lot of people are not aware of all of these, so here they are.

Non-LinkedIn Tools

LinkedIn Presence Scoring Tool
Ever wondered how your LinkedIn efforts compare to the average user.  The Linkulator grades your LinkedIn activity on a scale from 0 to 100, and shows you the average score among those who have graded their profile.  The results also include tips on what you can do to improve your score and presence.

Google Alerts to Track Topics
This isn’t a LinkedIn tool but it can be used to track LinkedIn related information.  Set up a Google Alert to track LinkedIn related topics to keep up to date with changes and information about LinkedIn.

Xobni Email Plugin
This Outlook plugin opens a summary window that displays information on each email sender and how you connect to that person.

LinkedIn Tools: 

Outlook Toolbar
The Outlook toolbar is an excellent way to have full-time access to your LinkedIn contacts and information even when you are not on the LinkedIn Web site.  The tool integrates your LinkedIn data with Outlook, provider you instant access to en email sender’s profile.

Browser Toolbars (IE & Firefox)
The LinkedIn Browser Toolbar allows you to directly access LinkedIn, it allows you to search from anywhere, and also get the scoop on inside job connections. With easy one-click access to LinkedIn, you can easily see the LinkedIn profiles of everyone sending you Web mail.

Jobs Insider
The Jobs Insider comes with the LinkedIn Browser toolbar.  With it you can see how you connect into a job listing and see how you are connected to the position.  The tool works with Monster, CareerBuilder, HotJobs, Craigslist, SimplyHired, Dice, or Vault

You can request an introduction to the hiring manager, get your resume to the right person, or find out more about the company

LinkedIn Widgets

Company Insider
Let your users discover how they are connected to companies on your site. You pass a company name and we’ll show how many people the user knows and a few sample names. This widget works great for news sites and blogs, letting readers connect to people at companies you mention. It also works well on jobs sites where job seekers can see who they know at hiring companies. Use it anywhere to inject professional networking into your site.

Profile
Show LinkedIn profiles on your blog, website, or application. The Profile widget shows the public profile of anyone in LinkedIn. Use it to show your own profile on your blog or website. Or use it in your business application to show profiles of people. The Profile widget takes a Public Profile URL and shows the public profile for that person. Your users can then click through to see the full LinkedIn profile page, including how they may be related and communication options.

Share on LinkedIn
Add a Share on LinkedIn link to your website or blog allowing your users to share your content with their LinkedIn connections or networks. This gives your content legs: one user visits your site and can notify literally tens, hundreds, or thousands of others. Works great for news sites, blogs, and other content rich sites.

I would also consider the various LinkedIn applications tools as well.  Down the road I’ll add a post reviewing these but for now you can access them from the LinkedIn site.

Which tools have you found useful?  And what are some LinkedIn tools that I missed that you think everyone should know about?