LinkedIn tips for jobseekers

September 2, 2020 by Rachel Tombs Posted in Business, Legal Business Development, Legal Marketing, LinkedIn, Marketing, Social Media, tips Tagged LinkedIn, marketing, social media, Tips for jobseekers

When used effectively, LinkedIn is an incredibly strong tool for jobseekers. The leading professional networking site allows those looking for a new challenge to showcase their strengths and achievements and target their ideal organisations and positions.

Recruiters and HR managers routinely trawl social media sites looking for new talent, so it pays to make sure your profile is as strong as possible and designed to attract the attention of people in the right sector. Once your LinkedIn page has been perfected you can also use the platform to search for positions.

1. Headline and photo

These are the first things a potential employer will see when they look at your profile. Your headline, which appears below your name, should clearly state your position and include keywords relating to your niche, for example, Head of IT or Chief Operations Officer. You can add a few words of explanation if your job is less well known or if you feel it adds to the headline. Your photo should be clear and professional and in a similar style to that of others in your industry.

LinkedIn Stories is now live in the UK

June 29, 2020 by Rachel Tombs Posted in Law Practice, Legal Marketing, LinkedIn, Marketing, Social Media Tagged Legal marketing, LinkedIn, linkedin stories, LinkedIn tips, marketing

UK users of LinkedIn now have the chance to create Stories to share with their connections. The new feature has gone live, offering the chance to communicate via a short video message.

This has long been a feature of other platforms. By introducing it, LinkedIn hopes to give professionals every possible format and feedback opportunity.

Pete Davies, Head of Content Products at LinkedIn, says: ‘We’ve learned so much already about the unique possibilities of Stories in a professional context. For example, the sequencing of the Stories format is great for sharing key moments from work events, the full-screen narrative style makes it easy to share tips and tricks that help us work smarter, and the way Stories opens up new messaging threads makes it easier for someone to say, “and by the way… I noticed you know Linda, could you introduce me?”’

Taking advantage of the new LinkedIn polls feature

June 8, 2020 by Rachel Tombs Posted in Business, Legal Marketing, LinkedIn, Marketing, Social Media Tagged Legal marketing, LinkedIn, linkedin feature, social media, Social media for lawyers, using social media as a professional

LinkedIn is rolling out what it refers to as a new ‘lightweight’ poll feature. The platform states that it takes only 30 seconds to put a poll together, making it a quick and easy way to engage with other users on both LinkedIn and Twitter, where it can also be shared.

How it works

Once the feature has been rolled out, users can find a ‘Create a Poll’ option within the post composer.

Once the question has been formulated, up to four possible responses can be added.

The post can run for a choice of one day, three days, one week or two weeks.

There is also a choice of who to share the poll with. You can select either your own LinkedIn network, the members of a group that you are in, event attendees or simply open it to the whole of LinkedIn and Twitter. The default setting is ‘Anyone’, and once visibility has been set and the poll published, it cannot be changed.

A post can be created to accompany the poll, with hashtags to help people find it.

The results are visible only to you and if the poll is created by a LinkedIn page, by the other page admins. You will be able to see the aggregate results in a percentage format as well as to who voted and how they voted. Respondents will not be able to see how other people voted.

Respondents to the poll will also be able to add comments and reactions, should they wish to do so.

Using the power of LinkedIn events during the COVID-19 lockdown

April 20, 2020 by Rachel Tombs Posted in LinkedIn, Marketing, Social Media Tagged Linkedin events, marketing, networking, online, online meetings, virtual meetings

With the majority of people adjusting to a new remote way of working during the COVID-19 restrictions, LinkedIn’s Events feature is a timely reintroduction.

The option to create and promote online events was first tried several years ago and ultimately withdrawn, however in 2019 LinkedIn brought the option back, saying that it ‘helps grow active, professional communities by building authentic face-to-face relationships.’

Uses of LinkedIn Events

The Events feature can be used to arrange workshops or training, interviews or for product demos as well as business meetings and informal meetups, in-person or online.

It combines LinkedIn’s unparalleled online professional network with the power of a face-to-face meeting. The platform’s official blog states that their data has revealed people are twice as likely to accept a connection request if they have attended a meeting with the other person.

The ‘Events’ link is found in the left-hand sidebar of your LinkedIn home page, just under ‘Groups’. You can create an Event page, including a logo, image, description and details of the event, time zone and a link to any website page for the event.

As well as arranging business meetings, take advantage of any spare time you might have during the lockdown period to get together with others in your industry. Talking to those in the same business can energise you and encourage goal-setting and marketing ideas for the future. It also gives you the opportunity to keep abreast of current developments and see the challenges that others are facing and how they are dealing with them.

What can LinkedIn Events do?

Arranging a meeting through LinkedIn Events allows you to invite those within your connections, or to open the event to everyone, in which case you can share the event with your network. You can also post details of the event in any relevant group to which you belong.

Those receiving an open invitation can forward it to their connections and they will also be to see who else is planning to attend, giving them the option to connect with each other before the event and arrange to have a chat during it.

Filters can be used when searching for appropriate people to invite and after the event has been arranged, notifications and updates can be added.

LinkedIn analytics will track the performance of your posts and management of your event can be controlled from your smartphone.

While the features aren’t extensive at the moment, over time expect to see more options added, such as ticketing and the ability to promote events beyond your own network.

In summary

LinkedIn Events is in direct competition with Facebook Events. While Facebook is a much larger platform, the advantage of LinkedIn is that it is entirely professional and has a higher organic reach than Facebook.

Keeping events within LinkedIn allows you to target your ideal audience and build your reputation and network. In the current climate, it is an ideal way to stay active within your industry and have the face-to-face conversations that will connect you more securely and memorably with people who are important to you and your business.

Links2Leads offers tailored and flexible one-to-one online LinkedIn coaching through to help you make the most of your LinkedIn membership. Those who have gone through coaching with Rachel Tombs confirm that her targeted approach has helped them achieve their business goals. Find out more here, speak to Rachel on 0118 380 5980 or fill out our Contact Form.

Don’t let self-isolation make you feel isolated – keep connected digitally on LinkedIn

March 13, 2020 by Rachel Tombs Posted in Business, Law Practice, Legal Business Development, Legal Marketing, LinkedIn, Marketing, Social Media Tagged LinkedIn Connections, LinkedIn for Business, networking, Social media for lawyers

As the impact of the Coronavirus is felt on a huge scale, both physically and economically, many businesses and their employees are considering working-from-home as a way to help mitigate the spread of the Corvid-19 and keep people safe. As someone who has worked-from-home for many years, and who also manages a remote home-based team, I know there can be fears of loneliness when the opportunities to interact personally with colleagues, clients and people in your network are severely restricted.