Below are some ways you can use LinkedIn to increase your online influence and have it working for you positively.

Fill in your profile 100%

Don’t just add your name without filling in any other details. LinkedIn will rank very well for your name in search engines, so if you want LinkedIn to work for you as a business referral tool, make sure you pack your profile full of information. If someone searches your name on Google, they will find your profile and if your work experience and skills is filled out, it will help strengthen their case to work with you and refer business to you.

Use a high quality image

Using a good quality image for your profile is extremely important. Unfortunately people do judge a book by its cover, so it is important to use a quality image that allows you to market yourself. Nobody wants to see a photo of you snuggling with your cats. Save those for your friends on Facebook if you absolutely must showcase them. Make sure your photo is professional and high resolution.

Send thank you messages to new connections

Send a short and quick thank you message to anyone who wants to make a connection with you on LinkedIn. It is a great way to break the ice and introduce yourself to someone who wants to have a professional connection with you on LinkedIn.

Join some targeted groups

There are literally thousands of targeted groups you could join on LinkedIn that is relevant to your industry and interests. Most groups allow you to place a link into their news feed that has the potential to be seen by thousands of qualified users. For example, if you have a business blog, post the blog post through some of the groups on a consistent basis so you are seen as the industry expert.

Get on people’s radars

Being social is all about trying to communicate along with being a team player when it comes to social media. This means leaving comments on a competitors posts, liking others submissions and generally doing things that leave behind some sort of connection between you and the community. This lets the original owner of the post know that you enjoyed what they have to say and it gets you on their radar screen.