Professional speakers will often talk about career advice and the role that personal branding and social media can play in it. However, in 
addition to the keynotes, workshops and classes we provide for meetings and events of every size, we recently had the chance to write a guide on how to use LinkedIn more effectively for millions of working professionals as well. If you’re looking to discover more about how to make social networks such as this (and Facebook, Google+, Twitter, etc.) work from a professional standpoint, we highly recommend having a look at the column, which is free to access in the February issue of Oryx magazine (www.oryxinflightmagazine.com). A few highlights and tips to keep in mind, based on this professional speaker’s insights:
- Send personalized, not generic messages, to contacts you’re hoping to connect with
- Join groups and communities of like-minded professionals interested in similar topics and be a positive contributor
- Don’t assume social media or social networks are a replacement for face-to-face interactions
- Think about the the tone you strike in messages you send – personality and nuance can be lost in the translation to text
- Be careful about what you share: controversial or opinionated statements may send the wrong message to casual observers
- Build common search keywords into your profile, but be certain text and dialogue sound natural
- Find ways to constantly be highlighting others’ work in addition to your own
In general, it’s not difficult to use LinkedIn and other social media platforms to get ahead: You simply need to familiarize yourself with the tools at your disposal, and best practices when it comes to rules of conduct on each social network. Even better, LinkedIn and other services can be a hugely powerful tool for making contacts and business connections, and exponentially increasing both you and your organization’s ability to succeed. Best of luck in your efforts to get connected!
