Winning Listings and Converting Buyers with LinkedIn

Editor's Notes

1. LinkedIn Profiles are the top search result for your nameLinkedIn profiles are one of the best tools available for professionals to start developing their personal brand. Think of it as your online resume. when creating and/or boosting your LinkedIn profile make sure that it is 100% complete. You would not send a half-finished resume to an employer when applying for a job, so do not leave your online resume incomplete either. Not only does this give LinkedIn additional opportunities to identify search-related keywords in your profile, but the company is also more likely to rank completed profiles over partially finished ones. Fully completed profiles are 40% more likely to be found.If you aren't sure if you've filled out your profile completely, LinkedIn provides a helpful tracker in each profile that shows both the percentage of fields completed and any specific areas that still need information.only about 50% of users have a completed profile. This under-completed profile is an enormous missed opportunity to be found 
2. LinkedIn frowns upon using anything in your name field other than your name. Hence, this is not the place to try to rank for keywords.
3. Linked in LinkedIn profiles are one of the best tools available for professionals to start developing their personal brand. Think of it as your online resume. when creating and/or boosting your LinkedIn profile make sure that it is 100% complete. You would not send a half-finished resume to an employer when applying for a job, so do not leave your online resume incomplete either. Not only does this give LinkedIn additional opportunities to identify search-related keywords in your profile, but the company is also more likely to rank completed profiles over partially finished ones. Fully completed profiles are 40% more likely to be found.If you aren't sure if you've filled out your profile completely, LinkedIn provides a helpful tracker in each profile that shows both the percentage of fields completed and any specific areas that still need information.only about 50% of users have a completed profile. This under-completed profile is an enormous missed opportunity to be found 
4. The Profile Strength meter is on the right side of your profile and gauges how robust your profile is. The strength will increase as you add more content.Move your cursor over the circle in the box to view the next level of strength you can reach. You can click the Improve Your Profile Strength link for a guided tour that’ll guide you through adding content to your profile.If you’ve reached the maximum strength, you’ll have the option to share your profile on Facebook or Twitter.Work History You can amplify this field with your proudest accomplishments or particular responsibilities you want readers to know about. It’s important to include the dates (and employer names) for each past assignment so LinkedIn can match you up with colleagues who have worked alongside you.Do not underestimate the power of the interests section, it is searchable by LinkedIn and can help other professionals find and /or connect with you. try to keep the items listed relevant to your job.Name: Use your “business” name. If your given name is Elizabeth but no one calls you that, use Liz in your profile and on your business card. Don’t add extraneous information in the Name field (like “5,000+ connections”) unless you want to brand the size of your Rolodex rather than yourself.
5. You get to add up to 50 tagsReal EstateReal estate DevelopmentReal Estate TransactionsCommercial Real EstateReal estate EconomicsCorporate Real EstateReal Estate FinancingReal Estate LicenseResidential HomesFirst Time Home BuyersFirst Time Home SellersNew Home SalesSingle Family HomesHome Staging Real Estate StagingExisting Home SalesCertified New home Sales ProfessionalCondosApartmentsValuationFinancial AnalysisHigh Value HomesBuyer representationMove up BuyersNational Association of Realtors
6. On LinkedIn, the people who are part of your network are called your "connections." A connection on LinkedIn is different than a "friend" on  Facebook. Connections imply that you know the person well or that they're a trusted business contact. LinkedIn warns against adding complete strangers to your network, or accepting an invitation from someone you don't have a trusted relationship with. In order to connect with people you have to have some sort of history with them. Going to the same school working at the same company or attending the same sales meetings are all valid ways to connect. Virtually anyone that you know will one day want to buy or sell a home, so there are a lot of possibilities—past colleges that could turn into clients, old friends and colleagues, or a favorite organization with the potential to reach new buyers and sellers. Address Book: If you have an address book on Gmail, Hotmail, Outlook, or another popular e-mail application, you can download your entire contact list into LinkedIn. Don’t panic—LinkedIn won’t send spam; it will just tell you which of these contacts are already using LinkedIn.Connections: Look for the green Add Connections bar on nearly every page of LinkedIn. Use this link to invite folks to join your first-degree network. In most cases you’ll need their e-mail addresses. If LinkedIn gives you the opportunity (some invitation channels do, and some inexplicably don’t), change the standard boilerplate invitation language to sound more like your own voice. Be wary of sending invitations to people who aren’t expecting them—you could lose your invitation privileges that way.
7. North Carolina REASN - Real Estate Agents in Social Networks
8. North Carolina REASN - Real Estate Agents in Social Networks
9. About Groups http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=F5CF1FEm_oA#!Raleigh Regional Association of Realtors
10. Define your groupBefore you set up your LinkedIn group, do your homework, develop a list of keywords and topics that will revolve around conversations within your page. Once you have obtained a solid list, conduct a search for those terms in the Groups Directory. Review your findings to see if the group that you want to create is already in existence. If your topics have active groups, attempt to identify a disparity or taper the topic and/or contemplate regionalizing or localizing. Don’t forget to take a closer look into each group that comes up in your query, because there are many abandoned or unpopulated groups out there.
11. It’s easy to name the group after your brand, but doing this could turn off potential members who, while interested in your topic, are unfamiliar with your brand.  Time to put your marketing thinking cap on! Ask yourself, if you were looking for groups to join, what language would attract you? What from your list of keywords could be incorporated into the group name?About Groups http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=F5CF1FEm_oA#!
12. Use on your Email signature and on your business card.