Introduction to the LinkedIn Pro Series: Over the next month, I will be doing a series of articles on LinkedIn.com and how to effectively set up and use LinkedIn as a tool for generating new leads, developing new business opportunities, and keeping in regular contact with contacts, prospects, current and former customers, and members of your sphere of influence.
This Week's Installments... The posts during the first week will focus on setting up a basic profile. In today's installment, we discuss:
How to Develop a Business Headline or Tagline
The Importance of Adding a Photograph
How and Why to Enter Your Education and Employment Information
The Importance of Keywords
How to Test the Effectiveness of Using Your Key Words
Setting Up Your Website and Blog Links
Strategies for Driving Traffic to Your Website
How to Set Up Your Summary and Other Interest Sections on the Profile
Feedback, Questions and Comments are Encouraged: Despite the title, this is a "back to basics" series intended to expose real estate professionals to the power of LinkedIn based on simple, easy to understand instructions and tips. Feel free to leave questions, suggestions, etc. in the comments section. For more advanced users of LinkedIn, please share your tips, comments, examples, war stories, etc. in the comments section.
For real estate professionals in St. Louis. Missouri, the materials for the LinkedIn Pro Series will be used in a live quarterly training session on real estate technology jointly hosted by PREA Signature Realty, New Castle Home Loans, and Assured Title (formerly Landamerica). Reservations are required and seating is limited to 30 persons per session.
For more information on the real estate technology sessions, please contact Ryan Shaughnessy at PREA Signature Realty at 314-971-4381 or by e-mail to Ryan@PREASignatureRealty.com.
PREA Signature Realty is a full service brokerage located at 1709 Park Avenue in the Lafayette Square neighborhood of the City of St. Louis. PREA Signature proudly serves the following city neighborhoods: Lafayette Square, Soulard, Benton Park, Benton Park West, Downtown Loft District, Forest Park Southwest, Central West End, Tower Grove East, Tower Grove South, Compton Heights, Shaw, The Hill, Dogtown, Carondelet, Holly Hills, St. Louis Hills, Dutchtown, and the Other Historic Neighborhoods of the City of Saint Louis, Missouri.
The opinions expressed herein represent the opinions of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of PREA Signature Realty. All photos and written content were produced by PREA Signature Realty. All Rights Reserved - PREA Signature Realty (2009). This content may not be reproduced or reprinted, except for Active Rain re-blogging, without express written permission of PREA Signature Realty.
I just steeped your puddle here in the rain and I am so glad I did. I just subscribed to your post so I will be back to learn more about LI. Thanks. www.maryyonkers.com
Debbie: Thanks. Keep checking back. We will be covering groups, connections, uploading documents, photos, etc. in future posts.
The Lovely Wife: I find that hard to believe. Your posts are fabulous and offer great insight.
Mary: I often stick to my favorite blogs. However, I have always found a new blog or two when I step out into the rain. Thanks for reading and hope you come back.
Jeanette: We covered this for the staff. From the initial staff presentation, we were invited to speak at a monthly luncheon. After that, it took on a life of its own and we now have been invited to do a monthly tech lunch meeting for title professionals, builders, and their sales staffs. I can't repay what I have received from ActiveRain so here is my minor contribution.
Andrew: I have been on LinkedIn for about 12 months. I didn't realize its power until I started getting some leads via its groups. So, I'm a believer in LinkedIn as well as Facebook, Twitter, and a few others.
Brian: We have some interesting topics coming up - and hope you come back for more.
Zilkia: I am a big fan of trial and error. The biggest mistake is thinking that you put up a profile and that's it - people will flock to you. It is like a plant - it needs sunlight and water to grow. I didn't realize it and thought it wasn't a useful tool. In reality, it is a great tool - I was just using it wrong.
Michael: The title is a play on words - not the product. We are and will be discussing the "free" version which is a great tool.
Judy: I'm having fun with it. It has been a good tool - just thought I would share my experiences. These sites don't always tell you how to use them effectively. These articles are a culmination of 6 months or so of active trial and error.
Ann: Keep reading - groups, applications, connections and recommendations are the really important parts. A good profile is just the price of admission.
Maya: You are welcome - I'm enjoying using social media as a part of our law and real estate sales practices. It has alot of great (and previously underutilized by me) tools.
Ryan - This is fantastic but I am going to disagree with you on one of your points. On the website section it would be better if the persons keywords were used as anchor text for the links. For example you would use something like St.Louis Real Estate or St.Louis attorney or realtor. Using a term like "search for homes" may be helpful but it will do nothing for SEO.
Bill: I agree that SEO value would be better served by the anchor text. However, I was looking for ways to drive traffic to the site. Keep commenting - your insights improve the post. For the next lunch meeting, I am going to change the materials to reflect your comment.
Maria: Thanks... I am in the process of revising my profile to include more applications.
Robert: I kept deleting invites until a good customer told me to get with the program. Spent a few months lurking. Been actively working it for about 6 months. I get a steady stream of leads - but it varies based on the time that I invest on the site.
Jim: Thanks. I am glad that the post was helpful.
Chris: My first profile said "Attorney - Real Estate" and had only my education and last employer. I didn't actively work the groups and didn't build my connections. And I wondered "Why doesn't this work for me?"
Missy: It is a work in progress. I am using AR as my editorial board for a upcoming tech meeting. Always looking for a better way to do something. I noticed after each tweak of the profile that I increased traffic to my website. My profile is a work in progress... but I look for progress not perfection when it comes to tech items.
Ryan - Very nice job on this one! I have been spending more time on LinkedIn over the past few weeks (ever since Mike Mueller was first on the show with us). Keep up the good work! By the way, did you have a chance to do the show notes for last time yet?
Ryan - Thanks for the great info. I just started revisiting my LinkedIn profile and have been tweaking a little when I have time. Your post has really been helpful and I look forward to utilizing some of your tips!
Ryan, I thought I'd done a decent job setting up my LI profile . . . but your very enlightening tutorial shows some definite room for improvement. I've devoted more time to blogging, FB, etc., but am sure more attention to LI will produce results there as well . . .
Diane - I have been tweaking mine over several months. It isn't done - but I see progress. My new goal is to add improvement 1-2x per month. Things change so I try to change my profile periodically to keep it current.
Jason - Thanks. There isn't a day goes buy that I don't learn something new. I underutilized LinkedIn until I made some changes and saw a few leads. Show notes are almost done - should be ready on Sunday.
Michelle - Thanks... I look forward to seeing some of the profiles. I am more technical and less creative and tend to get ideas from others and than try to improve them or add my personal twist.
Christine - The learning never seems to stop...
Scott - I write usually to share something ... but this one was purely a need for better materials at upcoming meeting. I hope it and the additional posts help.
Mark - You are welcome... If you learn some new tricks that I have missed, please post them.
Trent - Same here. LinkedIn has languished, got a bit of attention, languished... Now, it is on the top of the list just behind blogging.
This is excellent! And just what I've been waiting for to go back and polish up my hibernating profile on LinkedIn. I'm going to tackle this project tomorrow. Thank you!! Thank you!!
Roland - I'll be posting some tips - they are geared to title agents, builders and their sales staff who haven't even heard of LinkedIn or tried it out on their own.
Mara - Welcome... Welcome... I'm working on Part 2 for tomorrow... I guess there will be 5 more LinkedIn posts before it is all said and done - Applications & Content, Recommendations, Building Connections, Groups, Realtor Use, and Tools.
Hi Ryan! For some reason, my comment either didn't get written last thing before bed last night, or it was lost! Anyway, I do use LinkedIn, as you know, but, if I were to want to change my business headline, would that be possible? I don't remember but, it seems that it is--that's something that I really need to do. Just as real estate is hyper-local, so should our specialty (niche) be and we really need to hit that home in all of our Web 2.0 activity.
Great post and LOTS of good stuff here--this took you quite a bit of time!
Great timing! We just discovered LI about a week ago and have done only rudimentary work on it so far. My plan was to try to delve into it to learn how it might be most beneficial to our business.
Your post (and future posts) will probably save me many hours of research and work. I can't thank you enough!
Debe: Absolutely - go to edit Profile then to the blue box at the top of the profile then click on the "business headline" (the term used by LinkedIn). It is pretty easy - I am currently experimenting with different headlines. Hyper local is absolutely correct. If I just say I'm a "Realtor" or an "Attorney" without more I show up lower in the LinkedIn People search. However, for more narrow searches on my geographic area, I end up at the top. I would rather be the big fish in the small pond than a small fish in a big pond.
Tim: I hope I can help. I've been tinkering with it for about 6 months. 1 lead generated from LinkedIn is closing next month.
Excellent points on the LinkedIn profile. I have to admit my profile looks like the amount of time I spent on it which was not much. Thanks for the ideas and the push I needed to spend the time to improve it.
Lorena - It was a play on words - not the pro product. It was intended in the sense of becoming an "old" pro at it.
Jill: We get some good leads from it. It also reminds me to keep in touch with area Realtors, develop our network, etc. I like the tools that LinkedIn provides.
Ryan, I set up my profile last fall and then have done nothing with it. Thanks for getting me to jump start my profile there. I look forward to your other tutorials on LinkedIn.
Paul - All of the social networks - from LinkedIn to Facebook to Twitter - have started producing leads for us. The old adage is true - "you get out of it ... what you put into it.
Tim - I have received a steady stream of leads from LinkedIn as well as Facebook. I passively participate in 40 or so social networking sites. However, I focus on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter as well as Zillow and a few other real estate portals. These sites together with Activerain have been very good to me in terms of leads and referrals.
Nice work on this Ryan. I've been neglecting LinkedIn lately while I've been building a presence on Facebook and Twitter. Your series should encourage me to bring my LinkedIn site up to the level of the others.
Thanks John... It is a never ending process because as soon as I think I got the hang of LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter - they role out something new to play with and the process starts over. A lot of these features weren't around in 2007 and were added in 2008. The second part of the series about adding content is now out.
Thank You so so much. I really needed a lot more information than I had before You Blessed me with your gift of awesome generosity. I was in a slump over this very topic. You truly came as an Angel.
Wondering what the next step is. With facebook and twitter it is easy to make yourself seen and heard. How exactly do you actively market on Linked In?
Start with profile... add content using LinkedIn applications... open up privacy settings... build network... obtain recommendations and testimonials... participate on Q&A and groups posting information... becoming a thought leader by creating a group with a following...
I use it passively - like linking to my e-mail, other profiles, website, etc. It is a live resume and give me instant credibility. I also use linkedin actively - but not like you think. People can go to my profile to get sales brochures, see slideshows, watch webinars, etc. However, I use the same philosophy whether it is AR, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. The key is to give assistance. It repays itself 10 fold. I don't push products. I provide information. People know what I do and how I can help them. They bring me deals - both real estate and law - for me to take a look at. The less I sell ... the more I seem to get.
The greatest strength that LinkedIn provides me is the introduction. I still live in the real world and do 4-5 coffee meet and greets per week. 1 out of 10 produces some type of business - not great returns but it only costs me a cup of coffee and 30 minutes per day. I just sold a commercial property based on a LinkedIn status update. Large commercial deal - closes in May.
Kay - Congratulations on some quick thinking to keep your office where it should be - in your town/neighborhoold. I hope you take a look at the series. We are working on a presentation at Assured Title's St. Louis office on technology. It looks like it will be a monthly event...
Thank you for the thorough, thoughtful post. It seems like lots of us are happy to just get started with Linked In. Good to see some specifics about making one's Linked In profile more meaningful to clients / readers.
Linked In continues to be amongst the first sites noted in my Google search.
This is so timely. I was invited to LinkedIn last week and already have linked with several people from the past. I have several recomendations already and am going to next step thanks to your article.
Deanne - This is a part of a series so I hope that you check back to read the other articles - so far there are 5 - sutting up your profile, building contents, setting your privacy, and invitations and introductions.
Thanks for this Ryan. Folks, I'm the same local market, so have had the privilege of picking his brain in person. He's really a great guy. I've been spending more and more time on linkedin. Have to start using Activerain alot more now!
Shannon - It was my pleasure to have coffee with you. I love meeting our colleagues in St. Louis in person and enjoyed our tech talk. I appreciated the opportunity to exchange marketing and other ideas. You definitely have alot to offer - learned alot about photography from you and appreciated your comments on my recent ad. I hope 2009 is going well. P.S. You had one of our earlier sales at the Georgian. I hope you come back soon - and often.
I discovered Linkedin through a client's reommendation. I have been working on it a great deal. I have buyers and sellers sending their recommendations to the site to be very helpful, but at times they email instead of using the Linkedin site. I want to add all my business applications into the site. I would like to find some Realtors who have done this. For example, videos, powerpoint, listing and sales presentations put into the application section of Linkedin. My feeling is this could be powerful in securing clients.
You posting is excellent. Keep up the good work. I intend to be someone who follows your blogs.
Jerry Gray CRB,CRS /Prudential Carolinas Realty/Serving the Triad of NC Since 1980
Jerry: For the recommendations, only the recommendations posted to linkedin from linkedin members are visible. However, you can put all of the recommendations into a pdf and upload it to slideshare.
Hello Ryan, Thanks for posting this and continuing with the series. I've needed to tinker more with my profile and other features available with the site, and your tips are very helpful. John
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Ryan, this is by far the MOST helpful post I've seen lately. Thanks!