The properly optimized social media profiles can generate better networking and business opportunities with a minimal investment of time, a social networking consultant told attendees at a technology conference ongoing this week in Las Vegas.
For mortgage lender executives, that starts by including a title beyond the typical president, vice president or director, and including keywords like mortgage, technology and other relevant terms that will lead to a profile being more search engine optimized, explained Kristin Kane, director of social media at staffing and recruiting firm Kane Partners, based in suburban Philadelphia.
Focusing on keyword extends to a professional’s summary. Kane recommends 15-20 industry-specific keywords in a user’s summary to catch the attention of search engines.
“What are the keywords people will search for to find your company?” Kane said.
Other ways to optimizing profiles include opening access to profiles so more people can search and find users, creating a custom URL for their LinkedIn profile and having a professional profile photo that other users can see when searching.
In addition to have optimized profiles, Kane said users should set a goal and identify the audience they want to connect with before embarking on social media platforms. For lenders, that could include potential customers as well as business partners. Kane said connecting on LinkedIn is like an online business card exchange that can help start a conversation.
“If you get a request from someone you don’t know, that’s ok,” she said. “Think of it as exchanging business cards.”
Users have to not only identify their audience, but also know the social media outlets they use to craft a targeted message.
“If they’re not on Twitter, don’t waste your time on Twitter; if they’re not on LinkedIn, don’t waste your time on LinkedIn,” she said.
When looking to connect with new business partners on LinkedIn, Kane said the biggest mistakes happen during the initial introduction. She recommends users not use the default message to add a connection, but rather have a number of user-specific introductions to use with new connections.
She also warned against using a mutual connection’s name in an opening message without permission, because it may lead to a bad first impression.
When users get initiations from people they don’t know, Kane said they shouldn’t just blindly accept them. Instead, reply without accepting and ask the other user who they are and why they want to connect; which leads to a stronger networking relationship.
“The day I stopped just accepting initiations is the day that my business went 100% referral,” she said. “Canned messages, short and sweet; know who you’re connecting with.”
