Social Media Marketing: Five Steps to Getting Started with LinkedIn

Social Media Marketing using LinkedIn is made easy by following five simple steps. LinkedIn is the perfect site to build your professional networks, keep in touch with connections, discover opportunities, develop relationships, build authority in your industry and also find leads and opportunities for you and your business. Keep it simple and check out these easy methods to getting started with LinkedIn.

1. Create your account
2. Complete and update your profile
3. Create a summary
4. Get connected
5. Engage with others
Creating an account

Go to www.linkedin.com and fill in your name, email and create a password and click the green join now button.
Complete your profile

Your LinkedIn profile is an important part of your social media marketing strategy. Upload a current, professional looking photo of yourself. You'll want to complete your entire profile, and include previous work experience that you've had. Remember your profile is a representation of you. The little details are important to your profile; it should have substance, be grammatically correct and have no spelling errors. Include your chosen keywords liberally throughout your profile whenever you can so that others searching for those keywords can find you. Don't forget your email addresses, new and old, to increase the opportunity for connections.
Summary tips

A summary should give a good snap shot of who you are and what you do. Use two to four sentences in your summary that incorporate your specialties or expertise. These sentences should include your keywords and add what you enjoy doing to help others to connect and get to know you.
Connecting on LinkedIn

Connecting with others on LinkedIn is controlled. In order to connect with someone on LinkedIn, you must show how you know them. Getting recommended by LinkedIn members who know you and what you are all about is a wonderful way to connect to with others.
Engage with others

Joining LinkedIn groups gives you the opportunity to maximize your networking and social media marketing efforts while connecting you with great people with similar interests. Start by joining employer alumni groups, were you will have connections with people you have something in common with. And finally, enhance your LinkedIn social media marketing experience by participating and interacting with others through posting, responding to posts and networking with other group members.