We know about LinkedIn, right. Now, how many of us know actually know how to use it properly. You will not get many names.

We create profiles, set our many years old business photo, and copy/paste our professional details straight from your resume to the profile and hope to get our next gig. I hate to break that to you, but this is not all you can do to leverage this platform.

LinkedIn is full of opportunities and employers skimming across different profiles looking for the right person to choose. You cannot take this lightly; no professional can. Unfortunately, it has been observed that many people are not aware of the best ways to use LinkedIn. However, you have earned many gigs and job proposals from it, then how on earth you are not using it well? Agree! You have been benefiting from it, but here we are going to talk about how you can get the best out of this professional networking website.

Consider It an A Media Exposure

94.2% of journalists can be found using LinkedIn. If you have done something extraordinary for your clients or helped your customer make a lot of profit, you can use LinkedIn to get the major media exposure quick. Journalists are craving for quality content and you have it. All you need to do is to let them resonate your words.

One thing you need to consider here is your profile. Make sure you have a great photo, invest your time in making your profile look influential and do not forget to flaunt the work that demonstrates your skills and credibility.

LinkedIn “Archive”

If you are using LinkedIn for years, you can have a hard time tracking your LinkedIn activities. Luckily, LinkedIn provides its users with a free archive of your LinkedIn data! You can request the archive under the “Privacy and Settings” tab that will include your first Degree Connections, Likes, Status Updates, Group Posts, and Messages in a simple spreadsheet. You can use the data to keep a check on your activity and assess the specific return of your time and effort invested in LinkedIn.

Create Partnerships

Partnerships are the lifeline for any business. If you are not continually finding new partners who can help your business grow more and more then you will wither away. Entrepreneurs who lack funding are constantly searching for new financiers and partners to make things run smoothly.

Most people either are spamming you or are trying to recruit you to switch you to another job. Thus, a partnership proposal is a golden ticket among all other interactions taking place on LinkedIn. You can also generate astream of leads for your business with such connections.

Using LinkedIn, you can approach new partners, create an approach script that works for your business and then start circulating it to the right network. Remember to stay strategic when it comes to your approach. Check how the advanced search filters of LinkedIn can benefit you in searching new, quality, well-targeted contacts.

LinkedIn CRM

LinkedIn backs a great Contact Relationship Management (CRM) feature. Once you have someone as your first contact on LinkedIn, you will see the CRM on clinking his or her profile. LinkedIn’s CRM is an influential tool, which lets you keep essential notes on your connections, including where you met, the subject of your conversation, along with any follow-up strategy you would want to execute. The LinkedIn users can even use the CRM to remind you about reaching out to that contact later. It can be a powerful way when it comes to having a track of all the information and data you might require a contact so you stay fully informed when you meet him or her.

Sync your Gmail

LinkedIn allows its users to “sync” their Gmail, Google Contacts, and Google Calendar. The option is present under the “Connections” and “My Network Tab”. Once you have synchronized your accounts, meetings,and email, it will display your LinkedIn contacts, interactions, and email coordination accordingly. You can also add the treasure trove of your valuable data in your personal contacts, calendar and email to your CRM; therefore, you can be armed with all the important information when you approach a contact.

Tag Your Connections

LinkedIn helps you “Tag” your connections, which means you can make certain categories through which you can section out your LinkedIn contacts and find those connections that meet your unique criteria all under one single roof. It allows the users to check all their clients simultaneously and check who is interested in a follow-up meeting. It is also easy to create multiple “Tags” and add the same contact under different “Tags.”

Create a Group

One of the most effective ways to get quality connections—that can be good for your business or career growth—is to make a focused LinkedIn group. Such groups can help you attract professionals eager to talk about specific topics and provide a platform for your posts.

Moreover, LinkedIn groups are very useful for sharing information with people even if they are not added as your connection.

Leads Domination

We’ve perhaps been connected to almost everyone on LinkedIn and this is one of the prime reasons you should avoid the spamming people at any expense, there is an efficient way to produce leads on LinkedIn and it does not involve spamming everyone in order to connect with your product.

Generating leads on LinkedIn boils down to delivering the right content to right people at right time than creating a relationship that’s not just advantageous to you, but for your prospects on top.

Same goes to partnerships and lead generation, create an effective approach, but make sure you do not bother your partner or beg for a partnership. LinkedIn is a professional platform so try to act professionally.

Hopefully, by now, you will use all the features that LinkedIn has to offer and be more comfortable with it’s both, basic and advanced features. Remember that there is no such thing as LinkedIn magic, and therefore just staying at LinkedIn is never enough. Try to create a business strategy and make a plan that can help you in attaining the success.