Today we have another guest post from Lewis Howes, former pro athlete and founder of SportsNetworker.com and the Sports Executives Association. Lewis is a social media expert and co-author of LinkedWorking: Generating Success on the World’s Largest Professional Networking Site. Get more LinkedIn tips on his blog.
It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of LinkedIn.
When I co-wrote the LinkedIn book LinkedWorking over a year ago with Frank Agin, there were around 30 million users. It has doubled to 60 million since then and it also has the highest average household income per user over the top social networking sites (currently $109,000 per user).
These stats excite me, and they should excite you as well if you are serious about your personal brand, your career, and your business.
Are you serious about that?
If so, then LinkedIn is THE place to bring your briefcase, build amazing relationships and get down to work.
Whether you are using LinkedIn aggressively, or you don’t even have a profile, there are a number of questions you should be asking yourself during the time you spend on this sexy business site.
Ask Yourself These 7 Questions On LinkedIn
1. Who am I?
Do you know who you are? Do you know what you are passionate about? If not, your profile will look more like your resume and you will lack the personality you need to shine on LinkedIn. Make sure you know who you are before you craft your message on LinkedIn.
2. What are my goals?
Got goals? If not, you might as well give up, or stop using LinkedIn all together. The only way you are going to achieve something (unless you hit the lotto) is by setting goals for what you want to achieve. By doing this, you will have a clear plan to take action, and you will focus on what matters most.
3. Who do I help?
What is your niche and who are the people you help in that niche? Do you help entrepreneurs, small business owners, fortune 500 companies, or others professionals? Be clear about this so you can attract the people you help most to your profile.
4. How do I help them?
If the people you help (work for/consult with/ etc) don’t know how you can help them, then why should they reach out to connect with you and eventually pay you? You need to make it clear on your profile how you help the professionals in your niche, and it will attract more of the right clients by doing so.
5. Who do I want to connect with?
Simple. Do you want to connect with everyone (recommended), a select few, those in your niche, outside your niche, top level executives, decision makers, or gatekeepers? Figure it out, and start connecting with them.
6. How do I want people to perceive me?
This is a question you really want to focus on. Your LinkedIn profile (usually) ranks very high on Google when someone searches your name. This empowers you to make a conscious decision on what people see, how much they see, showcase who has recommended you, and so on. How do you want to be perceived by the world? Make sure you fill out your profile accordingly to match what you want others to perceive.
7. What results do I want?
We all want results. What are yours? Do you want more leads, more traffic to your site, find a job, market your business, get a book deal, find a sponsor, find funding, or are you just trying to make a name for yourself in your industry. Figure out the exact results you are looking for and take action to reach them.
Questions are important. They help us find the answer to what we are looking for. Asking questions are especially important when using LinkedIn (along with other social networking sites) because you can waste a lot of time if you don’t know why you are spending time on it.
Are these questions helpful for your LinkedIn experience? What other questions should you be asking yourself? I have a question now… what are your thoughts?
Post your LinkedIn questions for Lewis in the comments below. Or send them to me via Twitter or Facebook.
Image from Yuri Arcurs Website
Elena is founder of a technology PR agency that works with startups to billion-dollar companies. She is passionate about helping marketers and small business owners with practical publicity strategies.
Did you enjoy this post? Subscribe now and get new posts either via RSS feed or your email. Please click on the RSS button below or type your primary email address below and click "Subscribe."
And more 
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Alltop PR, JennyKincaid. JennyKincaid said: Are you doing any of these? 7 Great LinkedIn Tips http://bit.ly/hUWQ7s [...]
I have a LinkedIn Account that i recently signed up for, but I dont really know what it is for or how to use it. These 7 questions are definitely important and helpful for someone like me who does not really know the ways of LinkedIn. It gives you a goal to reach instead of creating the account and forgetting it.
Thanks Emily, glad it could help you!
As a soon to be college graduate I’ve come to take LinkedIn very seriously, especially when it comes to my image and how it can help me find a job in the future. I think the questions you came up with are a great base to establishing a great personal brand and image. It is very important for you LinkedIn profile to represent your professional side and I am still working on that. By asking these questions I was able to brainstorm and contemplate different ways to show me experience and express my creativity.
[...] When posting your resume or creating a profile on any of these sites, it’s important to ask yourself a few questions as Lewish Howes, former pro athlete and founder of SportsNetworker.com, indicates on Elena Verlee’s blog. [...]
I started my LinkedIn account when I transferred from a prestigious small liberal arts college in Pennsylvania to a medium sized university in California. I transferred after one year so that I could be closer to home and to have the opportunity to take business classes. Do you think I should keep that first college on my resume/LinkedIn even though I only went there one year? I thought that it would be better to leave it off since it wasn’t the place for me, but there will be one year missing from my education on paper.
Hi Vanessa – I would leave it in. It allows those you went to school with that year to also find you, valuable in finding connections from that year.