Steve’s 15 Minutes a Day LinkedIn Strategy

Who cannot find 15 minutes to dedicate to building and maintaining relationships?  It is a simple step.  Done for at least 90 days, it will become a habit.  It will take time before you see results, but not as much as you may think.  So let’s get started.

Step 1:  Preparation

Schedule 15 minutes a day on your calendar.  In order for you to be successful, schedule this on your calendar.  It is too easy to forget about it, or push it aside because something urgent (but maybe less important) came up.  Schedule it on your calendar for the next 90 days as a reoccurring event.

Step 2:  The Daily Habit

There are four things I believe you should do every day on LinkedIn:

1. Update your status.
2. Review your homepage for connection activities and respond as needed.
3. Respond promptly to any email you receive through LinkedIn.
4. Follow the daily tips below

Monday:  Make Connections

One great opportunity you have to provide value to your connections is to connect them.  Look at your personal connections or connections you have made through a LinkedIn group and join them.  It could be as simple as sending an email to both of them and how they could benefit each other.

You may not find a connection each week, and that is OK.  But keep up this discipline.  You will become more trusted and known as a resource to your network.

Tuesday:  Ask Questions

Ask a question in a group or to your network.  You will be surprised how many people will be there to support you.

I had met a social media intern about a year ago.  She was a master of this strategy.  She would ask questions to her personal connections and group connections about once a week.  Through out the week she would get some great responses.  The next week, she would send a thank you out to everyone with a summary of all of the answers that were given.  This provided her network with invaluable data in an area they cared about and encouraged her network to keep answering her questions.  I have complete trust in her today.

Wednesday:  Answer Questions

Review the groups that you are a part of and answer as many questions as you can in 15 minutes.  Answering questions is a great way to show you care and build up your creditability.

Thursday:  Gratitude

Send thank you’s to your connections for their assistance.  Thank you’s may be through email or even a personal note on a card.  Personal notes in your own handwriting are not as common as they use to be, but can create a lasting impression.

Friday:  Grow

This is the day to grow your connections and your contribution to your network.  First, look at all of the people you have met over the last week.  Should some of them be added to your network on LinkedIn?  Friday is also a great day to look at adding books you have read, blog posts, Twitter, or Slideshare presentations to your profile.

Make LinkedIn Rock

Are you ready to make LinkedIn rock? Try these recommendations for 90 days.  Let me know what kind of results you get.

Want ACCOUNTABILITY?  Post a comment letting me know you are trying this strategy.  We can connect on LinkedIn and hold each other accountable!

What is LinkedIn

LinkedIn is an online network of more than 30 million experienced professionals from around the world.   When you join, you create a profile that summarizes your professional accomplishments. Your profile helps you find and be found by former colleagues, clients, and partners. You can add more connections by inviting trusted contacts to join LinkedIn and connect to you.  Your network consists of your connections, your connections’ connections, and the people they know, linking you to thousands of qualified professionals.

Today, lets take a look at creating your profile.

Create Your Profile 

1. Join LinkedIn and complete the overview information http://www.linkedin.com/  Make sure you include all the emails you use (personal and professional) as this is how other LinkedIn users you know will find you.
2. Complete your employment and education history.  Be as complete and accurate as possible. This is how colleagues and friends will search and find you…and how potential business partners will evaluate you in their search for customers and vendors.
3. Add a profile summary.  This is a great way to profile what your company does and what you do in it.  This can also include industry keywords.  When people are searching for you, these keywords can be helpful.  Make it interesting!  Don’t make is sound like everyone else’s resume.
4. Include your photo!  No excuses.  Your photo is how people recognize you and how you relate to your connections.  
5. Select an industry and add your specialties
6. Add your website(s)
7. Create a Public Profile URL.  Consider using your company name or your full name in the LinkedIn public URL you set for your profile. For example: http://www.linkedin.com/in/stephengasser  This is one of the most underutilized functions on LinkedIn.
8. Set your Contact Settings.  This is where you determine your contact settings (introduction only or introductions and emails), about what subjects you are most interested, and how you want to be contacted (some rules of engagement).  Consider adding your contact information in your contact settings description.

Tomorrow we will take things a step further, and I will provide you with a checklist to get the most out of your LinedIn profile.  For now – go to www.LinkedIn.com and build or enhance your profile with this information.  Small steps lead to big rewards!  Take this small step today.

Still need more information? 

On the top right is a  short video that will show you a few more tips and tricks to optimize your profile.

At the end of the 30 days, I will be publishing an action plan with additional details from the comments you provided. I will only be sending this action plan to the followers of this blog. If you want a copy, please subscribe in the “subscribe via email” box above. PS: This is only the beginning! Take a sneak peak at what is coming up!