3 Things You Can Do on LinkedIn Right This Second

LinkedIn can be a valuable tool for networking, but many business owners look at their profiles and think, "Um...what?" While many professionals, both young and old, use LinkedIn for job-hunting, they are unsure how to leverage this social media platform after the job is landed. That's why we've got three things you can do with your LinkedIn profile today (or any day, or EVERY day) to enhance your networking experience. ​

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​Add a New Connection

To add a connection on LinkedIn, you and your potential connection must be connected in real life in some way. These can be people you've worked with previously, went to school with, are in a LinkedIn group with you, or any of the other qualifiers LinkedIn allows. We recommend finding connections who are in the same LinkedIn groups as you...you'll automatically know you have something in common. 

Talk to Your Current Connections

​Under the "Connections" tab, LinkedIn does something magical--it lets you know about big events in your connections' professional lives. You'll find a list of connections who are celebrating new jobs, birthdays, and work anniversaries. This list updates daily, so you can touch base with your connections every day to show that you're paying attention to them. Just don't use the auto-text that LinkedIn provides; instead of, "Congrats!" you can say, "Happy work anniversary, Sharon! I'm sure A.X. Manufacturing is happy to have you."

Update Your Status

Your status on LinkedIn shouldn't be treated the same way as your status on Facebook...no potential clients care about your workout or what you had for lunch. Instead, try one of these statuses:

• Cool work projects: "I'm excited to announce the opening of our new location!"
• Relevant links: "This article has given me some great ideas...check it out!"
• References to in-the-flesh networking: "Thank you to the Chamber of Commerce for hosting another great luncheon."

Do you have any tips for using LinkedIn? Share your ideas in the comments below!