At some point during each day or week, chances are you will read at least one blog post.  However, the chances are slim at best that you will leave a comment after you read that blog entry.  I’m guilty of this as well.  I try to comment as much as possible, but it takes some effort to come up with something that will be useful feedback for the author and future readers.

But, by not leaving a comment, an opportunity is missed to connect and network with someone new who may not know you… yet.  This is a perfect way to further expand your personal brand.

Some great ways to add value through a comment:

• Include a link – Links are an ideal way to further engage the author and future readers.  You might include a link to a prior blog entry you wrote on the same/similar topic.  You could include a link to someone else’s blog with a counter point.  You could include a link to SlideShare to highlight a presentation you found helpful.  The possibilities are endless; just make sure you are on point with the link.  Relevance is key.
• Suggest an alternative – Let’s say that you do not agree with the post; commenting on the opposite position is another way to enhance your brand.  Taking a position, even playing devil’s advocate, is a means to engage the writer and possibly continue the conversation further.  It might provide a deeper picture of something that wasn’t considered by them previously.
• Provide statistics – Supporting your comments with statistics shows that you are doing your homework on particular topics.  Show your expertise, your interest and passion with supporting numbers.

Comments are a means to begin a dialog.  If you are looking for a new position, what better way to connect with others in your industry and begin to interact than on their own blog and on a topic that interests them.  Yes, this is a bit of an ego boost to them, but it also puts you in a better position to take the conversation further.  I do not know many bloggers who will not respond to comments so take advantage (but don’t be pushy) of their knowledge.

I challenge you to leave comments and include links to your blog or homepage, but make sure you are easily found, or else the benefit is lost!

—

Keith McIlvaine is a Social Media Strategist within HR and Recruiting for a Fortune 500 company.  When he is not focused on leveraging social media and networking, Keith is also a personal branding coach and social media mentor.  He is passionate about his family and is a major soccer fanatic.  Connect with Keith on Twitter and LinkedIn.  The statements I have posted on this site are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.

Support me by sharing this post:

For many, LinkedIn causes confusion – what is it, exactly?  Is it a virtual Rolodex, a place to showcase one’s resume, or is it a social network?  My answer – yes, yes, and yes.  Here are 7 tips and tricks to greatly improve your LinkedIn experience and make it a site you want to visit every single day.

1.  Expand Your Network

With a limited number of connections, LinkedIn is going to be pretty darn boring for you.  There will be few updates for you to see, and virtually nobody will read your status changes.  So, how do you expand your network to include relevant connections?  Send the invitations yourself!  Don’t be shy about it, either.  I say go for the gusto, invite the CEO of your company to connect, invite the awesome presenter that enthralled you at the latest conference, invite anyone that you either know well or want to know better.

But, when you do send the invite, follow these tips for how to properly construct the invitation.

2. Be Creative With Your Headline

Most tend to assume that a LinkedIn headline should include only your precise job title.  Why?  The LinkedIn police aren’t going to hunt you down for adding a bit of creative flair to your profile.

After all, it is highly unlikely that your job title alone does you justice. You might officially be an “Account Executive”, but that title tells us next to nothing about what you actually do. Look to these examples for inspiration on how to amp up your LinkedIn headline.

Marci Reynolds – Operations Leader | Expertise in Call Centers – Sales Ops – eBusiness | Blogger & Social Media Enthusiast

Dan Schawbel – Personal Branding Expert, Bestselling Author, Speaker, Consultant, Columnist, Publisher and Blogger

Liz Isaacs – Connector ♦ Passionate Writing & Marketing Communications Strategist ♦ Writing Coach ♦ Author & Screenwriter

To make the change, navigate to LinkedIn > Edit My Profile > Edit Headline.

3.  Incorporate Twitter

LinkedIn and Twitter integrated with one another in November of 2009.  The unlikely pairing instantly changed the way many use and think of LinkedIn.  By incorporating a select* number of tweets into your LinkedIn status updates, you can form a much closer bond with many of your business contacts.

*But a word of caution – many LinkedIn users won’t be used to a Twitter-like bombardment of updates, so be thoughtful with your frequency.  And remember to keep everything business-appropriate.

4.  Access LinkedIn Via Mobile

Only staying connected to your network when you are chained to your desktop is so 2009.  Several months ago LinkedIn released a completely new interface for their iPhone app.  The result?  Functionality shot through the roof, and the mobile experience instantly improved.  The LinkedIn iPhone app is the reason I now visit LinkedIn every single day.

5.  Ask Questions

Most often my advice is for folks to answer questions on LinkedIn, showing their specific expertise via the official “Answers” section.  But this is about making your experience better, so go ahead, start off by asking a few questions of your own.  Here you will see the power of the LinkedIn community – try and stump them by asking a doozy of a question.

6.  Join Groups (Even Cool Ones)

I know what you are thinking.  “Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard of LinkedIn groups, but why would I want to join? They seem boring.”  Maybe you are a skateboarding champ who happens to love The Simpsons, and you think there is no LinkedIn Group worth your while.  Think again!  You can join the “Action Sports Connect” and “Simpsons Fan” groups, and find a few like-minded individuals in your industry.

7.  Create Your Own Group

What is better than joining a group that suits an interest of yours?  Creating your own, of course.  You can create a group around any niche you want – be it topical, age-based, geographic, anything.  Sure, your group might start out small, and maybe it will stay small.  Who cares?  The connections you make via a small, tight-knit group in your industry are likely to be stronger than any formed in a group of thousands.

These are just seven ways of many to improve your LinkedIn experience.  If you haven’t logged in to LinkedIn for a long while, give it a shot again – I think you will like what you see.

Now seems like the perfect time to connect on LinkedIn, right?  Connect with Ryan Rancatore on LinkedIn here, or on Twitter here  @RyanRancatore.  Swing by Personal Branding 101 too if you are cruising for more personal branding tips and tricks.  

Support me by sharing this post:

The social media world has tools,  tools, and more tools at your disposal to connect you with any number of networks.  You are most likely on Facebook and LinkedIn.  Maybe you are on Twitter and YouTube.  And maybe you’re even on a few additional sites like MySpace, Ning, Plaxo, Yammer, any number of blogs, and too many other sites to list.

The ability for you to expand your online network has never been greater.  And while all of these avenues are available for you, this is not what is important.  What is important is how you use any of these networking tools to your advantage.

If you want to converse with anyone on any topic, you are most certainly able to do this.  What you need to consider is how to best assert yourself, and your brand, in the best light.

Yes, it is important to be on a network with a lot of people.  But it is even more important to be on a network where the “right” people are located.  If you are working for the government or government agencies, you will want to check out GovLoop to network more effectively with those in your core business area.  If you are a doctor then you might be interested in Physician Connect.  If you are in Human Resources or Recruiting then you will be interested in SHRM or ERE.

Whatever your profession, passion, or area of expertise, you should consider an alternative social network.  It’s one more way for you to expand your connections and your passions with those sharing similar interests.

Take the time to do the research to find what communities may impact you the most.  Two books I definitely recommend, written by Gary Vaynerchuk and Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, both speak about passion at great extent.

Follow your passion and go to where you will add to your personal brand, make the most impact and create trust with your network.

—

Keith McIlvaine is a Social Media Strategist within HR and Recruiting for a Fortune 500 company.  When he is not focused on leveraging social media and networking, Keith is also a personal branding coach and social media mentor.  He is passionate about his family and is a major soccer fanatic.  Connect with Keith on Twitter and LinkedIn.  The statements I have posted on this site are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.

Support me by sharing this post:

This YouTube video by my friend, @animal about how to get popular on Twitter has some very good points, but the best point of all is painfully obvious. You have to be original in order to stand out. Recruiting Animal is well-known in the recruiting industry because of his brash sense of humor. He is quick to provide extremely honest feedback even if it hurts. People in the industry have come to expect his zaniness, and respect the Recruiting Animal for his individuality.

The video begs the question–what’ s your online differentiation strategy? Is it working?

Photo Credit Kamran Web.

Support me by sharing this post: