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LinkedIn 101: Event Recap

Blog by Rav Dulai

Image by @inlytics via Unsplash

Feb 23, 2021

If you weren’t able to attend our latest event to learn about the in’s and out’s of LinkedIn, this event recap is perfect for you! In this blog, we will provide a quick overview of the important aspects discussed during the event, so you won’t feel like you missed out. Also, a huge thank-you to our event host, UBC Sauder student Madiha Thaver, for sharing her tips and tricks with us! 

Who is this blog made for? 

You might be wondering whether learning about LinkedIn is worth it. Well, if you fit any of these descriptions, the answer is a resounding yes! 

If you: 

  • Made a LinkedIn account for a class so you could pass and didn’t think it was really important. 
  • Have some experience on the platform, and have recently started looking for jobs and internships. 
  • Are somewhat of an active participant on LinkedIn. You engage with posts casually and connect with people frequently, but are seeking more out of the platform. 

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION 

In this event recap, we will be reiterating the importance and power of LinkedIn, discussing the five keys to LinkedIn SEO, and sharing the importance of your personal SSI (Social Selling Index)! 

BUSTING THE MYTHS 

Let’s start off by busting a few of the common myths pertaining to LinkedIn.

Myth #1: LinkedIn is only useful when job hunting 

Many individuals, including myself, refrain from utilizing LinkedIn because they believe it is only meant for those who are seeking jobs. However, Madiha reassures us that this could not be further from the truth! There are endless opportunities and benefits awaiting those who utilize the platform, such as connecting with like-minded professionals to share resources and life experiences, finding interesting events to keep your mind sharp, and it keeps a virtual address-book of professionals (your contacts) that you can lean on for support (ask for advice, check out their path to career success, or recommend them for a job or gig you’re offering). LinkedIn can be useful even before and after job hunting. In fact, many mentorship opportunities may present themselves –  you never know who will reach out to you or come across your feed! Don’t be afraid to ask someone if they’ll be your mentor – extra experience is always an asset, and generally most professionals in the industry are happy to ‘pay-it-forward’ to help a student! After learning of all the possibilities and experiences that can be attained through this platform, I was the first to update my LinkedIn at the end of this event!

Myth #2: LinkedIn is purely a job hunting site 

It is important to remember that LinkedIn is a two way street. While there are individuals seeking jobs and looking to be recruited, on the other hand there are companies also looking for people with our skills: Be sure to research and interview your employer to see if they are a good fit for you as much as they want to know if you fit into their organization! Are they a place where you will thrive and extract value from? If you maintain a consistent effort to keep your LinkedIn updated, you are likely to become viewed as a viable prospect for companies looking to hire through LinkedIn, since it’s like a virtual resumé. Madiha’s best piece of advice on attracting opportunities best suited for you and your experiences: “Treat your LinkedIn as your personal website, and use it to showcase the best of your abilities”. Look to professionals in your network that you admire – how do they optimize their LinkedIn and showcase their personal brand? Finding profiles to emulate will help you to model your LinkedIn profile after theirs, which will help you attract recruiters. Eventually, the job offers might start rolling in without you even looking for them!

Madiha also recommends practicing SEO tactics on your LinkedIn account. 

What is SEO? 

SEO, short for Search Engine Optimization, is the practice of increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to your website through organic search engine results. The goal is to modify your account to best optimize it for the jobs you want to attract. By including keywords relating to a specific field, engaging with posts on your feed regularly, and taking advantage of all the different features available to you, your profile will start to rank higher in the search results for recruiters and others trying to find your page.

Madiha shared 5 keys to unlocking key words 

Remember, 5, 4, 3 ,2, 1…. 

5: Repeat your key words five times 

4: Have 4 relevant skills 

3: Endorse 3 people 

2: Join 2 groups 

1: Use keyword in your headline (at least) once

Myth #3: LinkedIn is a guessing game 

So, you have gathered all this information about the power of LinkedIn and all the opportunities it can bring for you, and are ready to get started on your LinkedIn journey. However, you may now be thinking to yourself, “Well even if I do all of this and follow all the tips, how would I even know where I am going to show up on the search engine?”  This is where your SSI Score comes into play. 

What is an SSI score? 

Your SSI, short for Social Selling Index, is a measure used to determine your position or ranking amongst others within your network on LinkedIn. Your SSI is a combination of factors relating to your effectiveness in portraying yourself. The four components that derive your SSI score are: establishing your professional brand, finding the right people, engaging with insights, and building relationships. To calculate your personalized SSI score and see how you rank in each of the four components, click here.

Madiha highlights the importance of building relationships when it comes to improving your SSI score. A great way to initiate this action is to build relationships with others by sending personalized messages. When thinking of what to include in your message, it is important to keep in mind the amount of messages that person may receive from others as well. So, it is important to stand out and start out with a personal note or tidbit to catch their attention. Try to look beyond the generic information, and focus on something beyond that, such as how  you both are part of similar groups (if that’s the case), and relate to them on that front. Also, try to get to know them and build a base for your relationship before jumping into setting up a call. Madiha likes to think of this as similar to a dating site! If they barely know you, chances are, they won’t be as interested in forming a lasting connection with you (so build that relationship first!). Lastly, always make sure to thank them for their time. 

Terminology:

Social Selling Index – A score derived from your combined ability to effectively portray your brand, build relationships, find the right people, and engage with insights. 

Search Engine Optimization – The practice of increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to your website through organic search engine results. This can be done by modifying your account to best match the jobs you want to attract. 

LinkedIn Keywords – Specific keywords on LinkedIn are used to describe your skills and expertise so that it is easier for recruiters or employers looking for your skill-sets to find your profile. By using buzzwords found in job descriptions of roles you’re aspiring to in your LinkedIn profile (provided you have these skills), you’ll be more easily discoverable!

INTRO-TO-PODCASTING-RECAP

‘Intro to Podcasting’ Event Recap

By: Oneil Aujla

This blog is designed to be a quick recap of discussed subject matters within podcasting, as well a resource to find books, magazines, podcasts, and notable people that were mentioned during the event. (Thank you Darian from Jelly Marketing for taking the time to host this virtual event!)

Who is Darian & What is Jelly Marketing?

Darian Kovacs is an expert communicator and businessman with over 15 years of experience in marketing, communications, and public relations. Through his award-winning company, Jelly Marketing & PR, Darian has worked with various local, national, and global brands. He has helped to build and execute Jelly Marketing’s digital & PR strategies, while also having co-founded the Canadian Internet Marketing Conference. Darian has been featured in BC Business magazine, Business in Vancouver magazine, and on the Canada Post training circuit. He is a contributor to Small Business BC, Entrepreneur Magazine, and to both Rogers and Shaw’s Business Resource Centre for topics including social media and PR.1

Q&A with Darian:

Q: How long should a podcast be?

A: As long as you feel your audience will listen to you! There is no standard time that works for every podcast. If you feel that people will stop listening after a certain point, then that is when you should end the podcast.

Q: How do I market my podcast?

A:  Reddit and Quora are two overlooked marketing channels that are great tools to spread the news about one’s podcast. They allow you to target your niche demographic directly with different “sub-reddits” [or discussion topics within Quora] that users already subscribe to. You can also market your podcast via other people’s podcasts by becoming a paid sponsor (inserting your own audio reel or having the other host mention your podcast) if you feel their audiences would be interested in your podcast. 

Q: What software should I use to edit my podcast?

A: One of the easiest softwares to use is GarageBand. It comes with all Apple computers and is very simple to use. If you don’t have a Mac, there are tons of other editing softwares online, such as Pro Tools and Adobe Audition.

Q: What kind of equipment will I need and where can I get it? (microphones, cameras, software, etc..)

A: Amazon is a great place to look for microphones, noise cancelling foam plates, and other equipment, however you do not need fancy equipment to make a great podcast! There is equipment available within everyone’s budget. My personal favourite microphone is the Blue Snowball brand.

Q: How much time goes into preparing a podcast?

A: It all depends on the topic for the podcast and if you have a guest. Sometimes a sponsored guest may have an agenda of what they would like to talk about. In that scenario, we have been given a list of what to talk about and what not to talk about. Other times, we have some guided talking points and we let the conversion flow naturally. However, sometimes we do spend a lot of time researching the guest or a topic and have a plan on what we want to talk about. Every episode has a different strategy and requires different amounts of time and prep work.

Q: How do I decide on a theme for my podcast?

A: Find a niche that you have a passion for. You can make a podcast about anything nowadays! If you have an existing audience already, then please ask them! They may have suggestions on what they’d like to learn about next.

Q: How do I publish a podcast (on Spotify, website, etc….)?

A: Anchor.fm is my personal favourite. This is a great place to post your podcast to instantly upload it to 11 podcasting channels! Great for saving time. Works similar to Hootsuite, but for Podcasts.

Bonus Content:

Template for Messaging Guests

Darian was kind enough to share a version of the template he uses to contact people to be a guest on his show, as follows:

It’d be an honour to host you on our show Marketing Jam – www.jellymarketing.ca

We’ve interviewed Malcolm Gladwell, Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki and many others from LEGO, Starbucks, and Disney. We also have our show on Amazon Prime Video! 

Here are some stat pages for your team – Jelly Marketing Stats and more info here: Jelly Marketing Sponsorship Deck

(Note* Please ignore all the sponsorship stuff – these are just the docs we have with all the stats. This is a pure editorial.)

Could we set up a time and date to look at this year to do an interview over Skype?

Links:

Below is a list of books, magazines, people, and podcasts that Darian recommends for anyone interested in being a better podcaster or marketer.

Books:

Explains how small differences over time can leave to big results later on.

An entertaining and informative guide to a wide variety of important business topics such as social media, customer service, and viral content.

Magazines:

Learn what it takes to Stand Out & Build Market Share in this Complex Environment. 

Strategy Magazine is dedicated to helping executives, strategists, managers, and other professionals better formulate, implement, execute, engage, and govern strategies.

People:

Godin is known as ‘the ultimate entrepreneur for the information age’. He is an American writer and has written 17 books addressing various aspects of marketing, advertising, business venturing and leadership.

Guy Kawasaki is a marketing specialist, author, and Silicon Valley venture capitalist. He was one of the Apple employees originally responsible for marketing their Macintosh computer line.

Podcasts:

Canada’s #1 show on all things marketing. The hosts interview some of the top people from Google, Twitter, and beyond to get their inputs on everything marketing. 

Provides historical context to how marketing was created and the transformation of it over the years.

Goes back in-time to reinterpret an event, person, or idea that was misunderstood by looping in new insights.

A publication about everything marketing-related in Canada. 

References:

1 https://talentbureau.com/speaker/darian-kovacs/

Serene Seas Instagram Post

Virtual Business Clubs Day

The KPU Case Analysis Network and KPU Marketing Association have teamed up to host a Virtual Business Clubs day. This event features five Kwantlen business clubs from each of the primary business majors (Human Resources, Accounting, Marketing, Entrepreneurial Leadership, General Business). We will be showcasing each of the business clubs and what they offer students, as well as how you can get involved. This is a great opportunity for new students to meet other students (especially with the reality of online classes), as well as current students wanting to get more involved. 

Where: Virtual! (Google Meet)

When: Tuesday, September 22 7:00pm

Who: Business Students & New KPU Students 

Which clubs will be there?

  • The KPU Marketing Association (KPUMA)
  • The KPU Case Analysis Network (KPUCAN)
  • The Kwantlen Human Resource Association (KHRA)
  • The KPU Entrepreneurial Leadership Association (KELA)
  • The Accounting Society of Kwantlen (ASK)

Click below to find out more about the Virtual Business Clubs Day!

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/virtual-business-clubs-day-tickets-119176497111