I’ve been on LinkedIn since 2009 and use it quite a lot, not just solely for me, but also for my business (only started that this year) and for a number of other organisations that I support.

I always thought that I was ok, posted regularly, used hashtags, spaced out commentary / posts, copied people and companies into my posts (using @), included pictures and liked and commented on other people’s posts. - And all of that is certainly good practice.

But how much more could I be doing with it?
What am I missing?
How do the algorithms work?
Am I spending too much time on it?
What is my SSI - Social Selling Index?

These are a number of the questions that I had floating around my head, and the last one I didn’t even know about. That was until two days ago when I attended a masterclass at Digital Jersey delivered by JAMES A MATTHEWSON (who also includes a couple of flags after his name).
James is an ambassador for Digital Jersey and has over 20 years’ experience of working with luxury brands in and amongst other things.

So firstly, why the capitals? - It makes your name stand out from the crowd. In addition, if your data gets harvested and your receive emails in capitals then you will know where it has originated from.

Other take-out from the day were to find out about my SSI - You need to be logged in to LinkedIn on your laptop (preferably) and then open another page and go to this - https://business.linkedin.com/sales-solutions/social-selling/the-social-selling-index-ssi - You then click on the ‘Get your score’ box and find out how well you rank. - Single figure % for your industry and network is clearly good as is a higher SSI - mine is 65!

Other tips - Set up your profile well by following these steps:

• Include a good, clean business portrait photo

• Have a header photo - preferably telling people where you work

• Turn on Creator mode - more details below

• About - Sell yourself - Doesn’t have to be third-person (but mine is)

• Link your profile to your employer page

• Use hashtags to show what you talk about

• Consider recording your name, especially if it has a difficult spelling - (this is the microphone bit after my name)

• Use flags after your name to highlight where you are from, live and operate

• Include contact info

• Consider using a professional account* - (This comes at a monthly cost, but brings additional features and also tells others that you really care about how you are seen on and use LinkedIn)

On an iPhone you can see how much time you spend on LinkedIn over a month. - When you are on the home screen, swipe right and then scroll down and click on the screen time box - It’ll show you how much time you spend on each application.

Creator mode - Go to your profile/ Scroll down to Resources/ Click on the Creator mode button. - By turning this on the LinkedIn algorithms will work in your favour and get you more noticed.

Employer page. - Most employers will have a page, and all should even if like me, it is just me operating as a sole trader. - Make sure your search for the company name and bring up their logo. - The same applies for schools and universities.

Editing your profile. - Go to the pen icon on the RHS underneath the header. - This will bring up a page to edit your name etc. - Scroll down and add in as much info as you can.

Flags after your name. - Do this on a mobile is easier. - Go to edit your name (as above) and after your last name search through emojis and add which ones are relevant.

Testimonials and endorsements. Leave them for others and then they may do the same for you. - All positive things are good to have and share.

Posting. - Good practice is to post regularly. James suggested between 1 and 5 times a day, to tag people in your post and to use hashtags. - These all help the algorithms.

When you write a post, it is advisable not to include links in the post to sites that are off LinkedIn. - LinkedIn want to keep you on their site, not to navigate away, so the likelihood is that if your posts includes a link that the algorithms won’t work as well. - Tip here is to post the link as the first comment on your own post… Also, you can like your own post and share it on your own profile (if it was a company post). - Remember that the more activity there is then the move the algorithms are likely to work for you.

This is a snapshot of what the day had to offer, and I’d highly recommend signing up to it if they run another, or for that matter to any of the other courses that are currently being put on for free on the back of a Government of Jersey initiative.

In conclusion, the more you use LinkedIn and its features and the fuller your profile, the more it will work for you. - Don’t be afraid to have a play, and if you have any questions then I’ll do my best to help you out!