During most of the seminars I teach at, I often hear “I created a profile on LinkedIn, but now I don’t know what to do with it”.

You’re not alone.

Most people don’t know what to do with LinkedIn, and quite frankly it’s not exactly the most exciting Social Media site of the bunch.

But the truth is, it’s by FAR the most powerful Social Media site.

Why?

It’s your business network.

It’s not the site where people share pictures of cats. It’s not the site where people tell you what they had for breakfast.

LinkedIn is the site where business people share business information.

It’s more than just your resume – it’s how you position yourself as an expert

It’s more than just a Rolodex – it’s a way you can extend your reach for NEW prospects

It’s more than just a time-suck – it’s a useful resource for information.

Setting up your profile may take you some time (depending upon how much detail you put into it). And, I have a 12-minute FREE video that will help you get started

In the meantime, here are 5 way you can manage and optimize your LinkedIn profile in 5 minutes per day:

1) Log in first thing every morning and update your status.

Ideally you want it to be relevant to your audience and not just “noise”. Make sure it’s interesting and compelling.

It can be:

• an update about your industry at large
• and update about a great announcement at your company
• a recent accomplishment
• just a general, interesting article from a reputable news source or blog

This way you stay top-of-mind and reinforce that you are an expert by keeping on top of “what’s hot”.

Your Action Item: Update your status at least 2x to 3x per week 

2) Continue to build on your connections

Either, introduce yourself to someone new – who could be a hot prospect or connect with someone you already know.

Be sure to always send a personalized note and remind them how you know each other, or why you want to get to know them better.

Your Action Item: Build at least one new connection weekly

3) Comment and connect

Join a group and contribute to the conversation or simply comment and connect with your current connections.

Remember, Social Media is a conversation – you’re not pushing your stuff.

You’re creating relationships. You’re building trust.

What are you contributing to your presence that people think “Wow, this person is someone I have to pay attention to”?

Your Action Item: Add a comment or start a conversation at least 2x per week

4) Add a little bit more

Rome wasn’t build in a day. Your LinkedIn profile isn’t going to be either.

Like you, your profile should evolve over time. Add some applications, tweak with your summary or other copy.

There is always something you can do to tweak with it to make it just a little bit better.

Your Action Item: Tweak with your personal profile at least 1x per week (hint: there are some great tips in the free video)

5) Most importantly – stay on strategy.

Social Media is a huge time suck if you let it control you. When you stay focused on your strategy, your objectives and why you are using these kinds of tools to make more sales, you’ll find you receive results.

Your Action Item: If you have to, set an alarm to ensure you are only spending 5 minutes a day.

I’m sure once you start to dig into LinkedIn, you’ll find it to be a HUGELY useful resource to gain more quality connections into your sales funnel.

Ideally, if your company can invest in helping train staff to build out their presence – even better.

Because statistically speaking, Top Salespeople Use LinkedIn To Sell More

If you like statistics…here are a few more reasons why LinkedIn should be a priority on your “to do” list.