One of my favorite social sites is LinkedIn. I say this is because usage is especially high among people with college degrees, higher income earners and people between 50 – 64 years of age. (According to Pew Research Center) If you think about it, some of the people most likely to be selling their homes are baby boomers looking to sell the family home and downsize or move to retirement communities. LinkedIn is the perfect place to look for this demographic.
If you also hold this belief, then you want to make sure that you make the most of your LinkedIn presence. Here are some tips to help you do that.
1.) Make sure that your profile is complete and updated.
This is where you start. Have it completely filled in, and be sure to claim the vanity URL that LinkedIn provides. Include links to your web site and other social sites. Don’t accept the lame “Company Website” or “Personal Website” that they offer. Instead choose “Other” and use a phrase that intrigues the reader enough too get them to click on it.
2.) Make it “Picture Perfect”
This means that you NEED to include a headshot. This should be a professionally done picture and NOT your high school prom picture. Too many agents display a picture that is 10 or more years old. Come on folks, the whole reason that you are using LinkedIn in the first place is to get people to contact you and perhaps hire you. At some point you will need to meet with them in person…and unless you look like that 10 year old photo, there will be a major disconnect!
3.) Clean up your current contacts
Start building your network on LinkedIn by deleting everyone that you are currently connected to who cannot or will not list or sell with you or refer business to you. This means that you need to disconnect from all those other agents, lenders, title people, home inspectors and other industry people. The exception to this is if they are from out of your marketing area. They could possibly send referrals your way. You do not want to educate your competition on how you use LinkedIn in your business do you?
4.) Add your past clients
If you think about it, the people most likely to refer business to you are the ones who have already done business with you. Why not use LinkedIn as a great way to stay in touch? Use the search box at the top of LinkedIn to search for them. If they have a LinkedIn account, they will turn up and you can send them a connection request.
5.) Post great content
At least 3 times a week, search out great articles on real estate, your community, home maintenance and the like that you can post on your LinkedIn page. Unlike Facebook, what you post here can be seen by everyone of your contacts. Look for those little “Share” icons on almost every web site article. It’s perfectly ok to click on those icons and share the content on your LinkedIn page. In fact, doing so is what the writers want you to do!
Doing these simple steps will increase your effectiveness on LinkedIn, and may result in increased business coming your way.
