Advanced LinkedIn Strategies October 2025

LinkedIn is a powerful tool for networking, researching, and marketing yourself to clients and employers. This session teaches strategic practices for building your LinkedIn presence and marketing yourself. The use of # and @ symbols is covered as well as going mobile with the LinkedIn app.

1. Advanced LinkedIn Strategies brought to you by Bruce A. Bennett Career Coach Corner October 15, 2025

2. Introduction & Notes for Workshop Introduction MCWN Volunteer since 2010 & Contractor from 2018 Career Coach Corner Blogger & Presenter LinkedIn user since 2006 General Notes for Today My contact info is on the last slide Workshop is interactive, Q/A & Parking lot Follow-up email includes a link to the deck (no recording) and an evaluation survey Red Arrows

3. Outline for session Outline Why LinkedIn? General tips Enhancing your profile Advanced Strategies Searching & Settings Mobile App

4. Goals for session Learn how to create and post content Understand how to use the hashtag # symbol Recognize how to use the at @ symbol Identify opportunities to market yourself Discover the LinkedIn mobile app benefits

5. LinkedIn - What is it & Why use it? Over 1.15 billion professionals in more than 200 countries use it to connect, learn ideas, promote, & opportunities! Your LinkedIn Profile Is Not a Copy of Your Resume for 5 Reasons

6. Your View of My Introduction Card

7. Your View of My Introduction Card Use the More button to reveal additional options including the Connect

8. My View of the Introduction Card

9. LinkedIn Profile - Add Profile Sections

10. LinkedIn Profile - Add Profile Sections

11. LinkedIn Profile - Add Profile Sections

12. Editing Your LinkedIn Profile URL

13. Editing Your LinkedIn Profile URL Delete computer generated digits & Save

14. Editing Your LinkedIn Profile URL Use on resume, cover letter, business card, job applications, & email signature. Check Your profile’s public visibility while on this page.

15. Adding a Custom Banner Providing a custom banner enhances a profile

16. Adding a Custom Banner Use a relevant image of your profession or branding statement 1600 x 400 pixels is the suggested banner size LinkedIn has over 2 dozen custom images to select from generic to current topics, e.g. Stop Hate

17. Adding a Custom Banner This is the Upload a Photo option that allows you to adjust the image to size

18. Adding a Custom Banner Use Google Images to search alternate options

19. Other Custom Banner Options https://www.canva.com/ https://www.freewordcloudgenerator.com/generatewordcloud

20. Editing Your Profile Contact Info Check your contacts for email & phone

21. Editing Your Profile Contact Info Does your contact info include an email & phone?

22. Advanced LinkedIn Strategies All Star profile Headline that is descriptive and accurate, not title Add media to the Featured & Experience sections About section with a call to action - TMAY Utilize the Skills section and other keywords Create relevant job search agents Create a post, share an image, write an article, etc. Use # and @ for better visibility on LinkedIn & other social media platforms Recommendations Name pronunciation - Mobile app

23. Advanced Strategies - All Star Profile All-Star profiles are 40x more likely to receive job opportunities There are several stages to developing your LinkedIn profile Beginner Intermediate Advanced Expert All-Star LinkedIn will suggest actions to reach the next level under your Introduction card until you achieve an All-Star Profile How To Get LinkedIn All-Star Status as a High-Skilled and Underrepresented Candidate in 2022 Article

24. Advanced Strategies - Profile Photo Your photo should have a professional appearance Passport format with a headshot Any digital photo can be cropped to fit Rename the photo file for SEO before uploading it e.g. Bruce Bennett Fishing Guide.jpg

25. Advanced Strategies - Headline Headline can have 220 characters Separate your skills with a space and pipe symbol or create a Unique Value Proposition (UVP)

26. B2B Sales at MNO Company Bilingual B2B Sales Professional at MNO Company Fluent Bilingual B2B Sales Professional Helping French and American Companies expand their International Presence Marketing Manager at XYZ Company Successful Marketing Manager of Brands at XYZ Company Internet Marketing Expert | Looking For New Business Partnerships That Need Help With  Marketing ... Lets Connect! LinkedIn Headline Alternative - UVP

27. Advanced Strategies - Add Media The Featured section is ideal for sharing a photo op, documents, work examples, etc.

28. Advanced Strategies - Add Media Adding media to your Experience section is ideal for photo ops, documents, work examples, etc.

29. The About section can have 2600 characters The first paragraph should be about your skills, job titles, work experience and passion Second paragraph should relate how you added value for a previous employer(s) - tell a STAR story The final paragraph should tell how you can solve a company’s problems and/or career role you are seeking Close with a call to action: “let’s connect…contact me if…call me if” Incorporate the new logo and your top 5 skills Advanced Strategies - About Summary

30. Advanced Strategies - Skills Only Two skills are featured but you can have 100 skills Ensure the top 2 skills you want to be found for appear on top You can add a new skill by clicking the + hyperlink symbol The skills can edited by clicking on the pencil Add a new skill Edit your skills

31. Advanced Strategies - Skills Type a new skill and LinkedIn suggests variations of the skill Customer = Service, CRM, Satisfaction, Retention, Experience, Support, etc. Skills at the top of the list are more widely searched

32. Advanced Strategies - Skills LinkedIn suggests key skills based on your profile Click on the skill and Save it to add to your profile Or type in a skill to add it to your profile

33. Advanced Strategies - Skills You can select the role in which you gained the experience Multiple positions can be selected for the skill

34. Strategic - Skills & Endorsements You can edit the skills by clicking on the pencil Click on 3 dots to reorder your displayed skills or check Endorsement settings

35. Strategic - Skills & Endorsements Click on the symbol and drag the skill to the new position

36. Strategic - Skills & Endorsements Endorsement settings Enable endorsements to boost your skills

37. Strategic - Skills & Endorsements It is imperative to add all your skills to your profile You might ask yourself why is it so important ? This Is Why I Emphasize Skills

38. Advanced Strategies - Skills Nuance Strategically place skills in your work experience Job Title (then list skills used in that position) Insert key skills again in the detailed section

39. Advanced Strategies - Job Search Job search agents (10) can be easily created

40. Advanced Strategies - Job Search Agent Set an alert to create a job search agent Many filters are listed in the toolbar Date posted, Experience, Company, All filters have many more search criteria

41. LinkedIn Easy Apply Application Use Easy Apply if NOT listed on Company Website

42. Advanced Strategies - Your Activity Activity posting can be linked articles, recognition, videos, hyperlinks, milestones, photos, etc. Anyone can view all your posting activities Click on Show all posts to view additional content

43. Advanced Strategies - Your Activity Show all activity lists all your Posts, Comments, Images, and More (events, documents & reactions) Scroll down to see all activity with the engagement and impressions statistics View analytics to recognize trends in your posting activity

44. Advanced Strategies - Your Activity Impressions show you how many times your content appeared on someone's screen Views inform you of the number of people interested enough to click on your content to explore it.

45. Analytics

46. Analytics The Analytics section is only available for your review Additional info is available under each category

47. Advanced Strategies - Your Activity Periods range from past 7 days, 14 days, 28 days, 90 days and 365 days Post analytics Impressions offers insights about the coverage of your activity

48. Advanced Strategies - Creating Posts Post analytics Engagements detail the reactions to your activity

49. Advanced Strategies - Creating Posts Demographics information covers several categories Top demographics can display Job titles, Locations, Industries, Seniority, Company size and Company

50. Advanced Strategies - Creating Posts Creating a post is an easy process Start on the Home page and click on Start a post

51. Advanced Strategies - Creating Posts Click on the Post to Anyone for the drop-down menu to select who receives the post

52. Advanced Strategies - Creating Posts You can send to Anyone, Connections only, or a LinkedIn Group

53. Advanced Strategies - Creating Posts You can select only ONE LinkedIn Group to post your message

54. Advanced Strategies - Creating Posts Type a message and add # to increase the number of recipients Or use @ to tag specific individuals or company

55. Advanced Strategies - Creating Posts Add hashtags to reach a larger audience #jobinterviews 14.1M #personaldevelopment 14.5M #careers 22.2M The content is complete and ready to Post

56. Advanced Strategies - Creating Posts The text, image and hyperlink is successfully created and posted to the network feed

57. Advanced Strategies - Creating Posts Clicking on the ellipse reveals several options, including editing the post or deleting the post Wait an hour after the initial post to make any corrections.

58. Advanced Strategies - Creating Posts You can schedule your post for a later time

59. Advanced Strategies - Hashtag - # The hashtag # symbol is a powerful tool Use it to reach a larger audience Gain more visibility and/or marketing Appropriate use is #LinkedInTips Those individuals following #LinkedInTips will have it appear in their feed Enter a hashtag to find articles about it

60. Advanced Strategies - Hashtags This article introduces a Chrome Extension that can identify the number of hashtag followers

61. Advanced Strategies - Hashtags

62. Advanced Strategies - @ The @ symbol tags a specific person or company The tagged person receives mention notice e.g. @DenisCurtin Or @BruceBixler Or @Brunswick Corporation Both symbols work with other social media

63. Advanced Strategies - @ Use the @ symbol and type their name Click on the person in the dropdown list to “tag” them in the post

64. Advanced Strategies - @ LinkedIn completes the name for you & hyperlinks it Complete typing your comments and click the Post button

65. Advanced Strategies - @ The individual receives notice that you tagged them It will appear in the feed of those individuals and/or companies who follow the individual

66. Three levels of connections Your LinkedIn Network - 1 st , 2 nd , or 3 rd

67. Advanced Strategies - Build Network LinkedIn suggests many ways to build a network People you may know from the University of South Florida Top emerging creators to follow Pages to follow based on your activity People you may know with similar roles People in the Professional Training & Coaching industry Online events for you Groups you may be interested in

68. Advanced Strategies - Build Network People you may know with similar roles Click on their name or photo to connect

69. Advanced Strategies - Build Network Click on the blue Connect button

70. Advanced Strategies - Build Network A dialogue box pops up with two options Add a note customized to the person Send now produces a generic spam-like message

71. Advanced Strategies - Build Network A personal note greatly increases the likelihood of a successful connection Only 200 characters can be used for the note

72. Building Your LinkedIn Network Click on the More button to Connect and reveal several other options

73. Advanced Strategies - Recommendation Recommendations are meaningful and add an important element to your profile for consideration Include a quote from the Recommendations and add it to specific work experiences to validate your capabilities to the viewer

74. Advanced Strategies - Follow Company Keep current with your Interests & target companies LinkedIn enables you to easily view news & jobs This also enables you to engage with the company

75. Advanced Strategies - Follow Company LinkedIn company page features many details Following the company makes it easy to stay informed and up to date about it Jobs can usually be found on their company page

76. Advanced Strategies - Follow Company The About section features an overview with many details about the company You can let a company know you are interested in working there

77. Advanced Strategies - Follow Companies Like, Comment or Repost to engage with a company

78. Advanced Strategies - Follow Company Additional Job search agents can be specific for your target company You are more likely to be viewed when liking, commenting or sharing their content It demonstrates you are engaged with the company

79. Who Viewed You? Review Profile Views from the home or profile pages A free account will list t he last five people who viewed you

80. Who Viewed You? The 5 most recent five people are identified with a free account except those that want to remain anonymous

81. LinkedIn Searching Find people, companies, jobs, groups using the search option Use LinkedIn’s array of search filters to fine-tune results

82. LinkedIn Searching Searching by Connections, Location, Companies, Industries, etc.

83. LinkedIn Searching Identify individual people by job function & company

84. LinkedIn Settings

85. LinkedIn Settings

86. LinkedIn Settings

87. LinkedIn Settings There are three profile viewing options You want to let individuals and companies know that you are looking at them

88. LinkedIn Social Selling Index https://business.linkedin.com/sales-solutions/social-selling/the-social-selling-index-ssi

89. LinkedIn Social Selling Index

90. LinkedIn Mobile App LinkedIn mobile makes it easy to network & stay connected with your network High level of functionality Instant communication Record audio message #Networking

91. Home Page The mobile app opens on the home page to view your network feed. LinkedIn mobile makes it easy to network and stay connected with your network. Touch your photo in the upper left to view your profile page.

92. Name Pronunciation Name Pronunciation displays a speaker next to your name. LinkedIn mobile app allows you to add it. Click on your profile settings to add your name and a brief message. Save the 10-second recording.

93. Adding a Connection You can personalize a request to connect on LinkedIn mobile. 1 Go to their Profile. 2 Click the symbol. A new screen will be displayed. 2 1

94. Video Page View videos from LinkedIn contributors or influencers.

95. My Network Page Manage network connections from this page. Accept invitations or select an individual to invite & write a personal note to connect. Notes are limited to 200/300 spaces.

96. Posting LinkedIn has made it easy to post and many options are available using the app. Note the bubble at the top of the page. Touch the symbol. A new screen will be displayed.

97. Posting Click on Anyone to reveal options for whom you are posting the message. The + symbol on the previous slide will display the options to include in your post.

98. Mobile Messaging Messaging offers ability to search messages. A green circle indicates they are active on LinkedIn 1 To create a new message. A new screen will be displayed. 1

99. Mobile Messaging You can send more then a plain text message. Click on the + symbol to add attachment, camera, video, photos, or GIF. Or send a short (100 seconds) audio message by selecting the microphone.

100. Notifications This page replicates the desktop version. It will display recent activity about your network.

101. Jobs The Jobs tab displays most of the features available on the desktop version. Click on Show all to display more top job picks for you.

102. QR Code LinkedIn has made it easy to share your profile with others, especially at networking events. Begin by selecting the Search bar at the top of the page. 1 Click on the symbol and a new screen will be displayed. 1

103. LinkedIn Mobile App 1 Open your camera so you can scan another person’s code. 2 Your code is displayed for scanning. 3 Share your code via email, Facebook, etc. 4 Save QR code to your phone. 3 4 2 1 2

104. I want to add you to the 2025 Success Stories Lisa - Administrative Assistant Deborah - Medical Billing Olivia - Mortgage Industry Bob - Market Research Kevin - IT Tech Support Regi - Human Resources Rafael - Accounting Lisa - Marketing Jennifer - Business Development Rose - Marketing Susan - Market Research

105. McHenry County Workforce Network Career Workshops & Services brochure for October Free Personalized Job Search Assistance Services To sign up, email the professional directly LinkedIn Critiques 60 minute session Virtual Session is a one on one profile review and/or Q&A about LinkedIn usage Email me to set up an appointment: [email protected]

106. Upcoming Webinar Events Resumes, Cover Letters & Applying Online Wednesday, November 6, 2 025, from 10:00am to 12:00pm Guide for a Winning Interview Mon day, November 10, 2025, from 10:00am to 12:00pm NTS - Effective Networking in Your Career Wednesday, November 12, 2025, from 1:00pm to 3:00pm LinkedIn for Your Job Search Monday, November 17, 2025, from 10:00am to 12:00pm NTS – Learnings from Successful Job Searchers Wednesday, December 10, 2025, from 1:00pm to 3:00pm

107. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn Bruce A. Bennett Mobile: [phone] Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/bruceabennett Career Coach Corner Blog: http://bruce73.wordpress.com/ https://bruce73.wordpress.com/upcoming-presentations/ Podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/show/b-squared-linkedin