In April I had the opportunity to attend the  Social Media Club South Florida Panel Discussion Event about Leveraging LinkedIn for business. Here are my notes (and the videos I did with my Kodak Zi8 during the event) :

LinkedIn is a powerful business tool once you know how to properly use and leverage it. 45% of the people regularly using LinkedIn are decision makers.

Technology has changed. Intelligence has not. Leveraging LinkedIn is about effectively using the technology. Intelligent people use it effectively. The Social Media Club, South Florida chapter’s monthly meeting for April took place on Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at the Ana G. Mendez University System in Miramar, Florida. The topic of the meeting was “LinkedIn: Oh, What’s The Use?” Featuring a panel of experts including:

Patrick Barbanes discussed using LI to connect – The Power of LinkedIn for an individual. His Twitter ID is @pbarbanes

Seth Elliott discussed using LI for B2B – The Power of LinkedIn for business. His Twitter ID is @sethaelliott

David Suarez discussed using LI as a research and CRM tool – The Power of LinkedIn for monitoring. His Twitter ID is @DavidSuarezMBA

David Rose discussed what hiring managers/recruiters look for in a LI profile – The “hire power” of LinkedIn. His Twitter ID is @YELLOWDOG_01

The panel moderator was Denise Jacobs, author of the “CSS Detective Guide.” Her Twitter ID is @denisejacobs

Useful LinkedIn tips shared by the Panel (and the audience) included:

*Have the same image across all social media channels (brand consistency).

*If you use acronyms on your pages, be sure and define/explain them for those who may not be familiar with your company jargon.

*Be sure you use keywords (think like someone that is looking for you), complete your profile including any job descriptions.

*Share what you are interested in outside of work. This will help others find common ground.

*Make your social media headlines as descriptive as possible including using keywords.

* Your summary on LinkedIn should be just that. A summary. Use bullet points for easy reading and comprehension. Look at Seth A. Elliott’s summary as an example.

*Don’t be cute or clever in your profile, be clear.

*Put a video on your profile.

* Add your skills to your profile.

*Find Power users to connect with.

* Join all the groups you can manage. You can join up to 50 groups at the free level. Lurk and then participate. You can also connect with those in the groups you join so you can target your networking on LinkedIn.

* When you send a connection that does not reply, you can delete them to make room for inviting more.

*Creating a Group is Just as important as joining a group.

*Use the “SHARE” button to share what others are saying.

*Use the Advanced Search feature to find people in specific Zip Codes. Before connecting see when they last updated their profile. If its been a long time, chances are they are not using LinkedIn on a regular basis.

* Ask questions.

* Use LinkedIn Answers as a positioning tool to establish expertise by answering questions asked by others.

* Connect your Profile to Amazon Reads, SlideShare, YouTube and Your Blog(s).

*Get a Vanity Url instead of the one they assign.

*Export your connections (CSV file) so you can connect offline.

*Monitor the number of people who view your profile.

* Increase your recommendations by giving them to others, first. If the person you recommend is so inclined, she or he too will give you one in return.

After the meeting, I immediately implemented several of the suggestions for my LinkedIn Profile as well as the ones I manage for clients, including sending recommendations, asking for connections and seeing which groups my clients could join for best results.

If you are not currently a member of the Social Media Club, I suggest you check it out. Social Media Club meetings are free to attend, so if you’re in South Florida, you should definitely drop by! If you’re not, or can’t attend the meeting and you’re on Twitter, watch the hashtag #smcsf to follow what people are saying during the meetings. For more information, visit: http://socialmediaclubsf.org/

Follow me on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/heidirichardsmooney

Heidi Richards Mooney is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of WE Magazine for Women, a WordPress Web Designer, the author of a dozen books and a social media consultant and trainer. Heidi has interviewed hundreds of experts on Social Media Around the World. In 2003 Heidi was named one of 50 women shaping the Internet by the International Virtual Women’s Chamber of Commerce. In 2009 she was named a Twitter Woman to Follow by Only2Clicks.com. She works with solopreneurs, professionals and small businesses in ecommerce, direct sales and retail. Follow Heidi on Google Plus