Wouldn’t it be nice to rank #1 on Google for a certain keyword in your industry or niche?

It would be amazing, and that’s why brands spend a lot of money every month to SEO agencies in hopes of making the front page of Google for a certain keyword.

I knew this concept was powerful as well, but realized the more I taught others this concept of ranking high on LinkedIn, they got excited about it!

Ranking High on LinkedIn

When you look at the image below, you will see that I rank first when you type in the keyword “sports” on LinkedIn.  For me this is very important as I want to dominate the online space with my site SportsNetworker, and the Sports Executives Association.  I want to be known as a credible resource in the sports industry, and by ranking first out of over 600,000 results for the word “sports” on LinkedIn this allows me to stay at the head of the pack in the sports business world.

5 Keys To Rank #1 On LinkedIn

This is a simple process to rank on the first page of search results in the “people search” section on LinkedIn.  Although this doesn’t work every time, it works most of the time and I’ve seen it well over 100 times happen for people in real time.  There are five places you need to put your keywords when you use this strategy:

1.  Headline

Your headline is the first thing people see when they go to your LinkedIn profile, therefore (in my mind) it’s the most important or most relevant part.  If your headline doesn’t have your keywords in it, then you are missing the biggest section of the equation.

2.  Current Work Experience

Your current work experience is the next most relevant thing because it is what you are currently doing in business.

3.  Past Work Experience

You start to notice that this works in the top to bottom approach within your profile.  Start from the top, and working your way through your profile to the bottom.

4.  Summary

Your summary is the meat of your profile, or the body of your speech.  Make sure it looks clean and you don’t just add a line of key words next to each other or it won’t represent your personal brand well.

5.  Specialties

This is the section you want to add a number of different keywords to showcase your talents in short phrases.

I go into more detail about each section during my video interview with the sassy Amanda Coolong and good friend Efren Toscano on the TechZulu show below.

There are a number of other reasons LinkedIn can help you improve your reach within your industry or niche, simply starting a LinkedIn group will help your build a loyal fan base of potential customers in no time.  Take advantage of this powerful site by optimizing your profile full of key words, then start using the other amazing features it has to take your brand or company to the next level.

How to Rank Higher On LinkedIn is a post from: Lewis Howes

How “Zen” is your social media marketing strategy?

If you aren’t getting the results you are looking for, you may be going about your strategy all wrong.

Sometimes, all we need is a shift in our mindset to take our results from zero to hero.  As an athlete, I realized that I would never be as big, fast, or strong as some of the others, but I knew if my mindset was in top shape then I could compete with some of the top athletes in the world.

This is true with social media marketing as well.

You don’t have to have a huge brand or a lot of resources to spend on social media marketing.  All you need is to know how to use the tools the right way, leverage what’s available to you for free online, and get your mindset in the right place.

The Zen of Social Media Marketing by Shama Kabani is a book that shares with your the tools you need to get your mind right using social media.  Check out my thoughts in the video below, and make sure to grab a copy if you want to be more Zen-like online.

Also, be sure to say hi to Shama on Twitter, as she has a lot of great things to share on a daily basis.

How Zen is Your Social Media Marketing? is a post from: Lewis Howes

There are two main approaches people have when connecting with others on LinkedIn.

1.  Is to connect with only those you know well

2.  Is to connect with everyone

Sure there are cases in between, but for the most part those are the two main strategies people use.

There was some recent discussion about a ProBlogger guest article I did on using LinkedIn to drive traffic back to you website, and the main reason why some only apply #1 is because they don’t want to jeopardize their top connections by having to forward along introductions from those they may not know that well.

However, you don’t have to forward all of your introductions, and you are missing a HUGE opportunity if you don’t connect with those you may not know very well.  Watch as I explain in the video below:

There are 6 main reasons you want to connect with everyone on LinkedIn:

1. To be found and contacted by more professionals: Increasing your 1st degree network grows your your 2nd and 3rd degree by millions more people.

2. To drive more traffic to your site: Any time you update your status or profile, it shows up on the homepage of everyone you are connected to.  More connections = more eyeballs.

3. To generate a TON more leads: Simple.  More connections = more potential leads

4.  To build your database: Your database is one of your most valuable assets in business.  LinkedIn allows you to export your contacts (the other “top social networking sites” don’t).

5. To create more opportunities: So many more opportunities come in that normally wouldn’t  because you are on the “top of mind” for people who might not know you that well (as opposed to the close network of people you already know).

6. To build thought leadership: The more people you connect with, inspire, help, and influence, the bigger impact you will have on the world.  This creates the potential for more recommendations, more referrals, and a bigger platform as a thought leader in your niche.

Do you connect with everyone who sends you an invite, or do you only add those you know very well?  What are some other reason for connecting with everyone, or not connecting with everyone?

6 Reasons To Connect With Everyone On LinkedIn is a post from: Lewis Howes