Building Your Reputation on LinkedIn

While social networks continue to undergo changes over the years, one thing that has remained consistent is that LinkedIn is still the main professional-oriented platform in the United States. Your LinkedIn personal profile is a combination of a resume and portfolio that you can use to showcase your skills and work. A LinkedIn company page is a free listing for your business similar to a Facebook Page but with an added focus on employees and jobs.

How can you use LinkedIn to build your professional reputation? Building a good reputation in business starts with a mission, clear values, quality products or services, and good customer relationships. Then there are tactics you can implement that take advantage of the features LinkedIn and other companies provide to help you put your best foot forward on the network. Here are just a few.

Monitor and Respond. Being aware of what others are saying about you and your company can help you gauge sentiment and address actual or potential issues. A third-party solution like Sprout Social or Hootsuite can keep you on top of mentions and the pro versions provide ways to manage responses.

List and Endorse Skills. Select the skills you want listed on your LinkedIn profile then ask your first-degree connections on LinkedIn to endorse those skills. If asking for endorsements feels awkward, visit some of your key first-degree connections and thoughtfully endorse some of their skills. Often this can prompt them to endorse some of yours. Having endorsements gives greater weight to your skills list. Revisit your skills list periodically to make sure the most relevant are featured prominently.

Give and Get Recommendations. While an endorsement on LinkedIn is just an acknowledgement, a recommendation on LinkedIn is a more detailed recognition of your work. Similar to endorsements, you can request a recommendation from colleagues, vendors, and others who are a first-degree connection. You can also recommend people you’ve worked with which may prompt them to recommend you as well. Once you receive recommendations, you can choose which ones should appear on your profile.

Publish articles. LinkedIn has a publishing platform where you can post original content. By publishing useful information related to your business or industry, you can build your reputation while also building a following.

Create a LinkedIn newsletter. A newer feature on the network is the newsletter, a tool that lets you publish content that is sent to your subscribers. You need to turn on "creator mode" in LinkedIn to gain access to the newsletter feature. To build a steady subscriber base, you should be prepared to publish compelling content on a regular basis. By default, your connections and followers will receive a notification inviting them to subscribe to your newsletter once you publish your first one. Once they subscribe, they will receive a notification and an email when you write a new newsletter article.

Join and Contribute to Groups. LinkedIn Groups are discussion forums for people with shared interests. Whether you join an alumni group or an industry trends group or one related to some other professional topic, being a vocal contributor to the conversations can lead to new professional connections while demonstrating your knowledge.

Start and Moderate a Group. Hosting your own LinkedIn Group can be a time-consuming pursuit, however, it puts you in the driver’s seat of the forum. As a host and moderator, you can lead the conversation and enhance your reputation while building connections.

Overall, social networking tools don’t make or break your reputation. The way you use LinkedIn tools does matter, but how you do business will always have the greatest impact on your professional reputation. Use LinkedIn to showcase what you do best.