This is not a new flag. No.
But it does attempt to show diversity being embraced.
Relationships are formed when there’s connection.
And that can happen when we try to enter each other’s world.
In the last post, I discussed how LinkedIn allows the use of secondary profiles in 24 different major languages. I’ve had great feedback about the post and 2 common questions surfaced which I’ll address here.
A quick recap
We saw that in order to connect with your online audience (or web visitors) at a deeper level, you need to demonstrate that you can identify with them. One way to do that is to connect using their language.
Literally, use their native language and not just the terms and phrases that they use.
Secondary LinkedIn profiles makes that possible. If you are multi-lingual this feature works wonders.
Question 1: But what if you are not ready to learn another language?
No worries. You can always make use of LinkedIn’s a media rich platform.
Showcase publications and visually attractive presentations, infographs and YouTube videos on your home page. And connect through these the visual faculty.
LinkedIn accepts photos, images, presentations, and videos at the section level so lots of room for you to work with.
1. Use multi-media in the LinkedIn’s ecosystem
Executives and professions are accustomed to consuming information in the form of presentation slides and white papers. Use these to enhance interaction and engagement.
This is their “language”.
Slideshare is part of the LinkedIn eco-system now. The next time you upload a deck of slides to Slideshare, consider including that onto your LinkedIn profile.
This is an example of a presentation uploaded to Slideshare.net.
LinkedIn Publishing: Why You Should Be On The Platform
Incidentally, publishing long form articles on LinkedIn is another powerful tip that has been discussed in this post so I won’t repeat it here.
So re-organizing blog posts into the presentation mode suits executives on LinkedIn. Increasingly, inforgraphs are used more widely and you can now upload those to Slideshare as well, together with videos and pdfs.
2. Project your online presence with authenticity
If you choose not to use visuals, which will put you at a great disadvantage, there’s still the universal language of authentic care.
Can sincerity and having a genuine concern for your visitors shine through on your online presence? I think so.
You can pretty much tell those you’d rather avoid from the ones you are open to connect. You decide in a split of a second, it’s called the blink factor.
The key is authenticity. Be real.
This includes not exaggerating, being vague of using too many buzz words and hype terms in your profile write up. Can your claims be substantiated with photos showing you in action?
Show, not tell.
Having a profile photo, one that visibly shows your face (in a professional manner) is said to increase likelihood of your profile being viewed by 11 times.
I don’t see how using a logo for your profile picture would help. People don’t connect with logos or buildings for that matter.
The LinkedIn profile is your online presence. It needs to be you, the real deal. If you want to feature your company, there’s the LinkedIn company page.
The profile is for the face behind the brand.
If web visitors can’t sense the genuineness of the profile account giving them genuine information about who you are, what you do and how you can help, they are not going to connect – even if you have the secondary profile set up. ~ me.
Present accurate and helpful information on your profile and attract real engagement. Authenticity is not mysterious.
Question 2: I don’t know how to use the secondary LinkedIn profile
This video shows how to use LinkedIn in your preferred language. It also shows you how to view a profile in its secondary language.
Watch it till the end and give it a like and share it with someone who will benefit from knowing this.
If you want to know more about the secondary LinkedIn profile, this post discussed it in more details.
If you have any more questions just leave them in the comment section below or on YouTube.
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