10 Best Practices for Professional Networking on LinkedIn

MEMORANDUM

To: HKTZ Technical Writing Team
From: Zoe Maika, ENGL 301 Student
Date: October 22, 2021
Subject: 10 Best Practices for Professional Networking on LinkedIn

Compiled below are 10 best practices for using LinkedIn as a professional networking site. Used correctly, LinkedIn can be a useful tool for marketing yourself or your business.

Profile Tips

• Ensuring your profile is complete and up to date will maximize visibility. Complete profiles receive 30% more weekly views (“LinkedIn Pages Best Practices”).
• Using a professional headshot that shows your personality demonstrates professionalism, but doesn’t come across as too serious (Schaffer).
• Including links in your profile helps drive traffic from LinkedIn to your blog or website (Schaffer).
• Crafting a unique headline and well-developed summary will grab your audience’s attention (Schaffer).

Content Tips

• Post weekly, as companies/people who do this typically see double the engagement (“LinkedIn Pages Best Practices”).
• Customizing posts for your target audience and including industry trends and how-tos will maximize reach. Focus on posting helpful content rather than trying to sell something (Lua).
• Using data and analytics will help to determine what content does best and when is the best time to post to help the message reach the most people (Lua).

Engagement Tips

• Reaching out to those who have viewed your profile is more likely to result in a connection as they are probably already interested in what you have to offer (Schaffer).
• Personalizing connection requests will maximize the chance of them being accepted (“LinkedIn Etiquette and Best Practices [20 Do’s and Don’ts]”).
• Maintain strong connections by continuing to engage with existing relationships. Comment on their posts, share relevant articles and reply to comments (“LinkedIn Etiquette and Best Practices [20 Do’s and Don’ts]”).

Following these 10 best practices will surely result in a successful networking experience on LinkedIn. Please contact me if you have any questions.

Works Cited

“LinkedIn Etiquette and Best Practices [20 Do’s and Don’ts].” Top Dog Social Media, 20 Apr. 2021, https://topdogsocialmedia.com/linkedin-etiquette-and-best-practices/.

“LinkedIn Pages Best Practices.” LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, LinkedIn Corporation, 2021, https://business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/linkedin-pages/best-practices.

Lua, Alfred. “The Quick Guide to LinkedIn Marketing: 9 Best Practices.” Buffer Library, Buffer Library, 30 June 2020, https://buffer.com/library/linkedin-marketing/.

Schaffer, Neal. “21 Linkedin Best Practices for Business Professionals to Follow for Success.” Social Media & Influencer Marketing Speaker, Consultant & Author, 5 Sept. 2021, https://nealschaffer.com/linkedin-best-practices/.