Aja Frost says, “When it comes to icebreakers, “describe yourself in three words” is by far one of the toughest. You’re a complex person, with unique ambitions, experiences, preferences, and traits — how are you possibly supposed to distill yourself down to three mere words? Unfortunately, get-to-know-you conversations aren’t the only time you’ll face this prompt. LinkedIn headlines are essentially the professional version: They ask you to describe who you are and what you do in just one line. It’s not surprising most people end up with the platform’s default option, their... [...]

Leo Welder says, “Just a few weeks ago, Microsoft made company history by announcing a $26.2 billion LinkedIn acquisition. The deal is Microsoft’s largest to date and has sparked nonstop speculation in its wake. What changes will be made to the Internet’s largest professional networking interface? As the deal will not officially close until the end of 2016, we’re left with plenty of time to hypothesize about why Microsoft made the move it did and how LinkedIn users stand to benefit. Related Article: Windows 10 Looks Like a Great Play for Microsoft and Here’s Why Microsoft’s... [...]

Sarah Landrum says, “Some people call LinkedIn the Facebook of the working world. While the platform definitely draws comparisons, employers don’t search it to be updated on your latest party or to play Candy Crush. They want to learn more about you and your professional experience. Once an employer reaches your profile, they’ll want to know some things right away. Your profile should answer these ten questions quickly in order to satisfy employers who don’t have a lot of free time to spare. What’s your current position? First, employers need to know what you do. They need to know... [...]

Kristina Jaramillo says, “Recent research shows that most LinkedIn programs do not drive revenues. In fact, studies show that only 1 in 5 sales, marketing and business leaders are able to clearly demonstrate a social media ROI. I believe this is because these leaders are focused on brand awareness, brand engagement and the top of the funnel. LinkedIn marketing is simply becoming a numbers game. My recent LinkedIn marketing study shows this. I asked sales and marketing leaders as well as some well-recognized, trusted social media marketing experts and firm owners: What metrics are most important... [...]

Jeremy Goldman says, “I see it time and time again: Stellar content marketers spend so much time developing great content for their brands that they don’t spend enough time thinking of their own brand. While Instagram, Snapchat, and many others are great platforms, LinkedIn is the single best tool you have at your disposal to build your own brand. (highlight to tweet) I want to shed light on LinkedIn’s top personal brand-building features: 1. Comment on Your LinkedIn Feed Your connections are posting articles, commenting on the activity of others, and starting group discussions—and... [...]

Joe Pulizzi says, “In December 2013, CMI released its annual content marketing predictions report (as we do every December). That year, my first prediction was as follows: Microsoft will buy one, maybe two, media companies in certain industries. The outcome of these moves will pave the way for further media purchases throughout the year by non-media companies. So, I was a mere 30 months early with that prediction. Correct, but two years early. Microsoft acquires LinkedIn A few weeks back, Microsoft agreed to acquire LinkedIn for $26.2 billion in cash. LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner talked about... [...]

Tim Peterson says, “Remember bookstores. Remember how if you wanted a book you had to put in the extra effort required to physically go somewhere to get it. Then remember when you started buying books online and it was so much easier and the bookstores started going away because it was cheaper for them to sell the books online. The same thing is happening to desktop display advertising. LinkedIn has decided it will officially start auctioning off its desktop-only display ads because it will be easier for brands to buy those banners and more cost-effective for the social network to sell them.... [...]

Ginny Marvin says, “While much of the talk about Microsoft’s plans to buy LinkedIn for $26.2 billion in cash, announced Monday, has focused on beefing up its cloud business, there’s much to be considered for advertisers, particularly B2B advertisers. In past years, Bing Ads executives have talked about the breadth of user data that Microsoft has spanning work and personal accounts and hinted at a newfound willingness to open access to that data vault for ad targeting under Satya Nadella. In 2014, David Pann, Bing’s General Manager, told me in an interview that they were looking at ways... [...]

Ayaz Nanji says, “Freelancers with marketing skills are the most searched for on LinkedIn, according to recent research from LinkedIn Profinder. The report was based on internal LinkedIn search data from March 2016 as well as profile and geographic data from 2015. The number of freelancers on LinkedIn has increased 43% over the past five years, the analysis found. After marketing, the most searched for freelance skills by potential employers/clients are accounting, business consulting, design, and software development”. The Most In-Demand Freelance Skills on LinkedIn MarketingProfs  [...]

Leslie Ye says, “If you’re a sales rep, you’re probably on LinkedIn. (If you don’t, drop everything and go create a social selling-optimized LinkedIn profile right now.) Take a closer look at your profile. If you’re like most people, it’ll include your job history, educational background, and your professional achievements. But you’re not most people. You’re a salesperson — which means your LinkedIn serves a different purpose than anybody else’s. In the course of my job, I’ve probably seen 1,000 salespeople’s LinkedIn profile. They’re B2B and B2C reps, sell in... [...]