Let’s talk about the ultimate professional platform: LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a non-negotiable. If you don’t have one, get one today. Unlike Facebook and Instagram, LinkedIn is a bit of a different ball game. LinkedIn’s purpose is specifically to connect business professionals whereas Instagram and Facebook are used to connect anyone. We can start understanding how different LinkedIn is by looking at the demographics of users.

Who is on LinkedIn?

First, as opposed to Instagram and Facebook, LinkedIn has slightly more male than female users. It is not large enough of a discrepancy though to really affect the way you use the platform but it is worth mentioning. LinkedIn is also unlike the two other previously discussed platforms in that 82% of its users are over the age of 30, according to Hootsuite. This doesn’t mean that you scrap your hip millennial marketing plan, about 18% of LinkedIn users are millennials, but it does mean that you need to take off your “extreme focus on millennial” blinders.

Anatomy of Your Page

• Profile Picture: Much like the other social media platforms discussed, on LinkedIn, your profile picture should be your company logo and in a Realtor’s case, it should be your face! While on Instagram and Facebook you may be able to work with a more casual photo of yourself, LinkedIn is all business so you will want to use a professional-looking headshot.

• Banner Photo: This is basically the same thing as a Facebook cover photo. It should represent the essence of your brand (you), and be attention-grabbing.

• Bio: Ok so if you were skimming before, start paying attention now because here’s where setup is different from the other platforms. When filling out your bio and all the information that will be featured on your profile, LinkedIn will walk you through all the steps and make it very easy. You can opt out of filling out some information, but you’re not going to want to do that. The more information you have in your bio, the more likely you are to come up as a result when people search LinkedIn. So fill in as much as you can and fill it out thoroughly.

Engaging the Platform Well to Establish Credibility

First and foremost, post on your LinkedIn. Post statuses regularly with content that demonstrates your expertise. Post statuses that inform your clients or potential clients about your latest professional developments. LinkedIn is a social network created for the purpose of connection, not just a place to post your resume and find a job.

Along with posting statuses, another great way to connect on LinkedIn is by joining groups. You can now join private groups on LinkedIn in which you engage in meaningful conversation about subjects that you are either an expert on or wanting to learn more about.

As I have mentioned before in reference to posting on other platforms, never post just to post. Post meaningful content, both when posting statuses and when posting in groups, especially on LinkedIn. People on LinkedIn are viewing your profile and checking to see your level of expertise.

The Importance of Knowing Your Audience and Your Goals

Basically, because LinkedIn is a business to business connection platform, you are going to want to post content that will show off your ability to add value to others. In order to do this, you will need to know who your audience is and what your goals are for reaching them. The closest thing LinkedIn has to “Insights” is the ability to see who has viewed your page if you have a “Premium” membership. This is helpful as you can see who has taken the time to come and view your page, but if you want an even more in depth look into the traffic on your LinkedIn page, you can use Google Analytics to track those kinds of statistics.

Once you know your audience, it is a good idea to have specific goals for that audience and then post content in line with those goals. If your audience is mostly clients, you are going to want to post content and engage in conversation about the area which you work in and your extensive knowledge of how that area is growing and where it is going in terms of real estate.

LinkedIn Features

Among the typical features such as status updates, where you can post ideas, photos, and videos, there are a number of features that are unique to LinkedIn.

• Articles: Another kind of status that you can post is an article. While sharing a short status is great for job updates and inquiries, writing an article is a great way to show off your expertise in a more acceptably extensive way. It is pretty much the same set up as any typical blog article and is very easy to navigate.

Along with the features that are on the official LinkedIn website, there are also a number of products that are associated with LinkedIn that can be accessed through LinkedIn under the “Work” tab.

• Groups: I previously mentioned the “Groups” feature but to expand, it is basically for professionals seeking meaningful conversations with other professionals in the same field in order to extend knowledge or to receive it. It is a good idea to engage in groups to learn about the latest real estate trends in your neighborhood or to learn in mentor-like relationships.

• Learn: This extension of LinkedIn is a way for you to grow your knowledge in a wide range of areas such as confidence as a professional, Excel, or data analysis. It is a great way for you to build upon your hard and soft skills through helpful articles and videos from experts.

• Advertise: This feature helps you to create advertisements to be posted on LinkedIn and allows you to track who views those LinkedIn-specific advertisements. The ads can be used to target a specific audience, furthering the importance of knowing your audience, as I previously mentioned.

Connecting on LinkedIn

Because LinkedIn is a platform for professionals, that implies that in using the platform, you should do so as a professional. While this may make the platform sound dry, it is the contrary and actually encourages more meaningful connection.

When connecting with people on LinkedIn, connect with purpose. Do not just try and have the most connections that you can possibly have. When you connect with someone, have a reason for connecting with them and send an introduction message that explains your reason for connecting. Because real estate is such a relational field, showcase your beaming relational skills on this platform.

Recap:

To sum up everything featured in this post:

• The LinkedIn audience tends to be older, but that does not mean you just count Millennials out.
• Filling out the entirety of your profile is hugely important.
• Post regularly and with purpose.
• Engaging well on LinkedIn can help you to establish credibility in your field.
• Know your audience, and use outside services such a Google Analytics to gain more extensive information.
• Utilize the extended features that are associated with LinkedIn to go above and beyond on the platform.

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