www.mycorporatemedia.com

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Success With Linkedin 2009

The Fast Start Success Guide to Amazing Returns on Linkedin.By: Randy Schrum

Table of ContentsWelcome

Chapter 1Your Profile Is Your ResumeName & HeadlineSummarySpecialtiesExperienceBring It Together

Chapter 2Groups and You Selecting Groups Creating GroupsBringing It Together

Chapter 3Questions & AnswersAsking QuestionsAnswering Questions

Chapter 4Adding ConnectionsInvite Who?Loading a CSV FileTargeted Invite MessageAccepting Invites Is A Goldmine!

Chapter 5Utilizing Toplinked/ OpenNetworkerStep By Step

Chapter 6

What is your status?Driving Results!

Chapter 7Bringing It TogetherBonus Tips!

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Welcome!

Today you have begun a journey in your professional career that will pay amazing dividends. The information I share in this book WILL drive amazing results if you adhere to them. Many people try to take “partial” advice from me and fail! Be sure to follow specific directions to a tee. You will find some of the information in one chapter may cross over into or another. I have done this as to emphasize some of the most important points.I constantly see people seeking the best ways to market themselves, their product, service, & company. I am committed to providing deliverables that will drive results. If you have questions, I am always available to you via web, email, and skype.

Randy Schrum

www.mycorporatemedia.comemail: linkwithrandy@yahoo.comskype: randallschrumfollow me on twitter @ www.twitter.com/randyschrum

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Chapter 1 Your Profile Is Your ResumeName & HeadlineLets start with your “headline”, Your headline should be a 4 to 6 Keyword descriptive that identify your most overqualified professional qualities. You should put some real thought into what you want to put here; one thing I recommend you do not do is immediately put down what comes to mind. Because that is what is coming to mind to a couple other hundred thousand people who are on Linkedin as well. I am not saying you should not put common identifiable keywords, what I am saying is to put some thought into it. Can you come up with some “creative” descriptions of your qualities? This will only drive a better branding of your image in the long run.

Lifeline: Do not put keyword in your first or last name section of your profile, this no longer drives keyword results as some “experts” would lead you to believe.

SummaryHere you should explain why you’re on Linkedin and what benefits you may be able to drive for those who connect with you. Briefly mention some point of appreciation of life, relationships, family, or profession, as this will keep the viewer interested to read more. Also be sure to include your email for people to connect with you.

Lifeline: This is not the place to list your “specialties”, you will do that in the next step.

SpecialtiesThis is the place to list “keyword” specific experience, again put creative thought into this. If necessary do a keyword search on Linkedin on those in your related field who seem to have success on Linkedin via connections/ recommendations. Pay attention to what creative specialties they have listed. These should be bulleted with only 1 to 3 words, preferably per line. Keep in mind putting over 10 to 15 would seem a little overboard, but don’t just put 3 to 5 either.

ExperienceThis is your work, business, & possibly association history. You will want these to read like a brief summary “short paragraph” along with a short reference of responsibility/ specialty.

Lifeline: if you have past experience that you just don’t think will read well. Don’t discount it, just take additional time to re-think and be creative of how to phrase it. Maybe you can reference and title it differently so it’s not site experience specific. This may go a long way for those who are looking for “keyword” experience.

Big time lifeline: This is a place to really be creative in industry “keywords” as this drives Linkedin searches. Allowing your profile to show up more frequently in searches, creating more profile views resulting in more possible connections. I will talk more later in chapter four about connections and why they are important.

Bring It TogetherAs you can see your profile truly can read like a great resume! As you grow in your web 2.0 experience of professional networking you will see even better ways to refine this. I do recommend to not refine just to refine. These points have yielded me great success. Visit my profile on an ongoing basis and feel free to ask me questions, as my profile will grow as the Linkedin experience grows.www.linkedin.com/in/randyschrum

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Chapter 2 Groups and YouGroups and You Why participate in Linkedin groups? Here are a number of reasons. First you can join target specific groups, what I mean is that these groups are started around a particular theme. You can search the group’s directory to find targeted groups by putting in your specific keywords you are looking for. So why participate? You can get you and your brand in front of your target market. What is your target market?

Selecting Groups Your target markets are the groups of people you want to be in front of. Do a keyword search to join these groups. When you find the specific target groups be sure to join ones that seem to have momentum & participation i.e. new members added on a consistent basis.

Creating GroupsYou can also create group(s) if you don’t find what you’re looking for. You will need to create a group profile, mission statement, & logo. Then you will need to invite people to join. I will talk later about marketing and putting your message out.

Bringing It TogetherLet’s bring it home, You should join groups and participate with meaningful content. Think about creative headlines to post that will cause people to interact. Each group has its on set of guidelines, be sure to follow them as the group owner can banish you from the group. By participating you are able to get you and your brand in front of potential contacts. Think about a creative signature you can leave behind on every post. One that drives either an invite or a profile view. I often leave my email address or I simply say under my name as I sign off Invites Welcomed. (This is important) This to drives traffic & views of your profile.

If you’re unsure how to find the groups they are located in your back office profile. Near the top left.

Here is the screenshot of how to get to the group’s directory.

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Screen Shot of Groups Directory

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Right here you can search for specific groups. With

Targeted keyword searches.

Chapter 3 Questions & Answers

Questions & AnswersParticipating in questions and answers is another important aspect of Linkedin. Here you can become a recognized expert by getting your answers voted as “best” answer. This in turn can show up on your profile when people do a little more research on you.

Additional Tip: This is a great way to get a recommendation as well. If your answer is voted best answer, then go ahead and ask for a recommendation. Recommendations can come from your close associates and those whom you give advice. This too adds credibility to your profile.

Asking QuestionsWhen you ask questions, put some thought into how you post them. Be creative just as you would in your group discussions. The better the headline the more who will read. This is also an important area to remember your signature i.e. email, invites welcome, or web address.Take time to view others post, see how creative they are with questions. Also stay up on the news and ask questions that are “fresh” news and you in turn will get more active views. All in turn driving more traffic to you.Finally be sure to close your questions and rate the best one. This is good Linkedin practice.

Here is an example question headline:“SERIOUSLY! What was Treasury Secretary Timothy G. THINKING!”“WHAT? Linkedin changed its INBOX, What do you think?”

Answering QuestionsAnswering questions is again your opportunity to shine, get noticed, and be recognized as an expert. Put thought into your answers, be creative and ALWAYS & I MEAN ALWAYS USE A SIGNATURE along with a web address. If you do not have a website or blog right now, this is a good time to start. You can drive several hundred views to you or your brand a day by doing this actively.

So there you have it, great answers and questions will add credibility to your profile, additional connections, and more views of your brand.

Bonus Tip: You are able to target specific related industry questions. So if you want your expertise to shine then answers questions in fields you can offer solid insight at. Also put thought into the fields/ target markets you may want to put yourself in front of. You may not have all the answers, but you can take the time to research for a solid answer.

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Screen Shots of Answer/ Question Section

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Categories for questions &

answers

Advanced Question search ability to answer specific

questions

Chapter 4 Adding ConnectionsAdding ConnectionsWhy add connections? Adding connections affords you the opportunity to expand your search for targeted prospects via targeted keywords. Your search results only yield who is in your network or your connections network. Adding connections is also critical to getting you and your brand in front of other professionals. Everytime you send an invite or accept an invite is a significant opportunity.

Invite Who?Who should you invite, first you should invite your sphere of professional contacts. You can load / import contacts from most contact management systems. You can also save your contacts as a CSV file in Microsoft Excel and then load that way. Under “other address book”. Next you should invite those you see as open networkers/ toplinked members that they mention in their profile. You will need their email address. Most people who include their email address on their profile are open networkers.

Here is how to load a CSV file.

1. Once logged in to your profile. Click on “Imported Contacts” on the left side menu.

2. Once here you will see on the top tab for “Add Connections” click here.

3. Once here click on the top tab for “Import Contacts” again.

4. Once clicked on you will see a couple of fields, on the far right you will see “Try these other tools”, click on “Other Address Book”

5. Once here you will see the ability to browse your documents and import a CSV file.

6. Choose to browse your files and load your CSV contacts. You will then need to confirm the finish upload.

7. The next screen will load with fresh new contacts in your database. You can then choose to invite all the contacts in one single email by choosing the screen on the right.

8. You can either use a general Linkedin message already provided or offer additional thoughts as well that will go out to the entire database you just loaded.

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Screenshot of manual CSV file loading

Targeted Invite MessageWhen you invite others to your network you can use the general message Linkedin provides or create your own. I recommend you create a short bullet point invite message that also communicates you and your brand. Why? Every correspondence you have on Linkedin is an opportunity to “brand” you by leaving lasting ways to connect with you.

Accepting Invites Is A Goldmine!Truly this is a goldmine as you now know that the more connections the better your network will function for you. DO NOT RESPOND TO INVITES IN MASS ACCEPTING IN ONE FELL SWOOP. By doing this you are not able to respond with a message to the connection. You should again develop an invite message response, as the one you have received from me. If we are not connected then send me an invite at linkwithrandy@yahoo.com so you can receive my latest and greatest. Some will say this takes too long to respond to every invite. Not true, just create a 2-3 bulleted message response in a word document that you can save and paste into every response.

Here is my invite response as an example:Thank you for the invite, I am absolutely thrilled! Couple things I want to run by you. ---

Join our “Success with Linked In Group” we are growing fast!► http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/1765677 Teaching you how to continually benefit from Linkedin FREE!

Finally, Be sure to visit my profile to learn more about the added value of being connected with► me directly.

Your Friend for Success,

Randy SchrumI twitter, do you? Follow me at www.twitter.com/randyschrum to receive ongoing free tips!

Finally who knows what your professional future holds. Growing a massive professional network now may pay dividends down the road.

Bonus Tip: create an email address that drives people to connect.

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Chapter 5 Using Toplinked/ OpenNetworker

Utilizing Toplinked/ OpenNetworkerI have purposely kept this ebook affordable as I am going to recommend this service. As you read the next few paragraphs you will see why this service is THE service to be paying for. I have been using this paid service for quite a while, as you will see that I am one of the continued top supporters. When I first began I received for the first couple months several hundred invites a day! This results in getting your message out in a BIG way.

OpenNetworker.com is THE secret of how to build larger, more diverse, and more valuable networks on the world's top social networking sites. Open Networkers are people like you - people who know the incredible value of being open to new opportunities and new connections. They are the most helpful and connected people on any social networking site. OpenNetworker.com is THE quick and easy way to get connected with ALL of them! Each social networking site has its own OpenNetworker.com Invite Me List. This is critical as you can quickly communicate you and your brand to thousands of people in a matter of weeks.

As an OpenNetworker.com Member you can add yourself to any (or all!) of those Lists and be invited to connect by your fellow Open Networkers (and/or use those Lists to invite them)

The Linkedin List is over 44,000 Strong!

The cost is only $9.95 per month or $49.95 per year. Per year is clearly your best option.

Step By StepThe link below is the link to sign up for OpenNetworker, I am asking for a shameless favor in that you use the follow link so I may get compensated as well. Make no bones about it; this is an amazing service. OpenNetworker just so happens to be willing to pay me for anyone who signs up. Here is the link to sign up to OpenNetworker http://www.OpenNetworker.com/a/?a=11219 I do appreciate your consideration in using this link just click on it or copy/ paste. Either way sign up.

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Chapter 6 What Is Your Status?What is your status?I recently posted an article on www.mycorporatemedia.com about setting a 24-hour perimeter around your account. What do I mean? Simply update your status at least once a day as your entire network can see it.

Here are some examples:

“just update my blawwwwg @ successwithlinkedin.com”“follow my sweet tweets @ www.twitter.com/randyschrum”“helping others improve their linkedin profile @ Success With Linkedin Group”

Just be creative, put some thought into it, but do it daily!

Screenshot of Status update

Driving Results!This is a great way to drive people to target specific information. You can drive them to articles, websites, or even just update them on you! To shrink down URLs go to www.tinyurl.com to shrink them down it’s simple and easy. O and Free!

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Chapter 7 Bringing It All Together

As you should know by now your profile is truly your resume. This is critical for those who view your network. I don’t think I can emphasize enough to capitalize on communication! Put serious thought into bulleted action points to drive results when responding to invites or sending them out.

Use the resources available to you such as the groups, questions/ answers, and third party such as OpenNetworker.

Bonus Tips

♦ Add common misspells to your name in your profile summary. Do 2-3 different ways. Why? Because Linkedin search does not know that Randy Shrum is actually Randy Schrum. See my profile for an example.

♦ Add popular irrelevant keywords in your work experience sections of your profile. This will drive more profile views. See my profile for an example. In the end the more views of your profile, the better.

♦ Start or add your website/ blog to the group news feeds with relevant articles that will drive attention to you and your brand. I receive several hundred views of my blogs a day just from this!

♦ Be sure to give recommendations, even do this with out ones request. Secure as many recommendations as you can. This brings solid credibility to your profile.

♦ Use the Poll source on Linkedin to gain a temperature of your own ideas this can help identify time that could be well spent.

♦ You can post upcoming events as well on Linkedin and then in turn invite people to sign through Linkedin. This tool can be very “viral” and spin into amazing success.

♦ Join Linked Strategies Group on Linkedin for continued tips and strategies. This group is the single largest collaborative on Linkedin that shares Linkedin Tips.

Finally, I wish you continued success.

Randy Schrumwww.mycorporatemedia.com www.twitter.com/randyschrum

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