What if there was a social media tool that could tell you:
- The best keywords to use in your social profiles?
- Who the likely influencers are are how to get in touch with them?
- The exact companies you should be targeting with your particular skill set?
- What kinds of groups you should join for optimal relationship-building?
- What companies you should work for and who you know at those companies?
That would be pretty cool, huh? LinkedIn’s Skills and Expertise page offers all of that. Let’s take a look at it.
LinkedIn’s skills and expertise page
After entering “Inbound Lead Generation”, for example, here’s what I see:
1. Keywords: “Related Skills” show up on the left-hand side of the page. Think of these Skills as keywords. Use these keywords not only in your LinkedIn profile, but use them in your other social media profiles, too. Also use them on your website and blog.
2. Influencers: LinkedIn shows you the influencers in each particular skillset by name, picture and title. It also shows you how you’re connected to them. If they are a first-degree connection, send them an email. For other levels of connection or out-of-your network, connect with them in shared groups. This is an easy way to find mentors, advisors, and potential clients!
3. Groups: LinkedIn Groups provide a place for professionals in the same industry or with similar interests to share content, find answers, post and view jobs, make business contacts, and establish themselves as industry experts. On the Skills page, you’ll see some of the groups that are related to the skill you entered. Using Groups is a great way to get to know people outside of your network and to be able to interact with them.
4. Companies: Dig down into the related companies to find their senior executive and see what groups they are engaged in. Or use this list of companies to figure out where your next job is!
5. Jobs: The Jobs area give you a list of jobs that are on Linkedin, with the job title, company name, and location. Click on a job listing for more information.
The LinkedIn Skills page will save you a tremendous amount of time when researching keywords, strategic relationships, or groups to join.
Extra credit: Use LinkedIn search and get updated on new results
Now that you know the value of the Skills page, you can setup and save a search for exactly the kind of connections you’re looking for. LinkedIn allows users to create up to 3 saved searches. After conducting a search, clicking the “Save This Search” option allows you to save a search and easily run it again later. You can also choose to receive weekly or monthly reminders via email once new members in the network match your saved search criteria. Just click on the “Saved Searches” tab on the Advanced Search options page and select one of your saved searches to run again.
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