In 2007 I wrote a post called “Top 10 Ways to Quickly Becoming a Recognized Subject Matter Expert on LinkedIn®.” It won me a free trip to the first BlogWorld, mentions around the web and was featured in books including “Sticks & Stones: How Digital Reputations are Built Over Time and Lost in a Click” by Larry Weber.
Here’s the updated 2014 version. Although I wrote it seven years ago, I only changed two out of the 10 ways. Why? LinkedIn® took out the answers feature. Also, I changed the title a bit by exchanging “subject matter expert” to “authority.”
Are we connected on LinkedIn®?
Top 10 Ways to Quickly Become an Authority on LinkedIn®
1. Grow your connections in the categories you want to reach; review every invitation before you accept to see if there’s a fit with your profile.
2. After you accept an invitation, reply with a quick personal message that includes a few bullet points about what you do, an opportunity to ask questions about your industry and additional ways to connect with you online such as your blog, ezine or forum.
3. Present your profile to match the audience you want to target with benefits or accomplishments that highlight your expertise to draw them in.
4. In the websites section of your profile, add a link to a page that lists your news, social media bio, articles or publications.
5. To add more visual interest, and presentation capabilities, connect your LinkedIn® account with SlideShare.
6. Post a flattering LinkedIn® profile image. You’ll show up more times in search and people can see who they’re connecting with.
7. Match your industries and groups to your network, unless you’re a consultant to a specific industry who will benefit from being visible to your peers as well as your consulting base.
8. Talk about your LinkedIn® networking experiences on your blog, on other social networks and in your marketing communications and make your LinkedIn® site [www.linkedin.com/in/yourname] as prominent as your home page URL in all communications. Here’s how to add a LinkedIn® badge to your site.
9. Get recommended as an expert resource by asking those who value your insights to write a reference that promotes you [and them!].
10. Redirect interest to your own personal community outside of LinkedIn®, such a blog or forum, where people can learn, contribute and continue the dialogue with a link to or mention of the community in your public profile and track traffic to measure results.
BONUS >> 11. Why the image of the cardinal? As of this writing, more people have liked this picture than any other update I’ve posted on LinkedIn®. If you like to take pictures, try sharing them on LinkedIn®.
Want to learn more about LinkedIn®? Check out my LinkedIn® course on Udemy.com.
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