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Optimize Your Influence on LinkedIn

Anne Pryor, LinkedIn strategist and internationally recognized top 10 LinkedIn expert, is a keynote speaker at the upcoming Summit. She stresses the importance for job seekers to build their reputation on LinkedIn since it is used by 95 percent of recruiters, human resource and hiring managers to find candidates for jobs.

“I first recognized the power of LinkedIn to influence others in 2008 when I lost my job as senior director of Innovation at Carlson Marketing,” she said.

In 2009, she began teaching job seekers how to use LinkedIn and build their personal brand. Pryor emphasizes that a powerful personal brand will help them gain influence with recruiters, hiring managers and other LinkedIn members.

An effective LinkedIn presence establishes thought leadership and overall brand value.

You can increase your visibility — by identifying how you can add value to individuals and teams, posting a professional photo, creating a branded LinkedIn profile, and using a strategy to share your area of expertise.

She advises against posting a resume to your LinkedIn profile. “You should add your key accomplishments to your profile in a functional format.”

Job seekers should pay attention to the increased use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

“The implication is that you need to understand algorithms around LinkedIn which are always changing since individuals like me identify them,” she said. “Did you know that using ‘I’ too much can indicate to recruiters that you’re egotistical?”

LinkedIn reveals that more and more members continue to add AI as a skill in their profile and Pryor recommends that you possess an understanding of AI and machine learning as it relates to communication and marketing strategies.

She strongly suggests that LinkedIn users add AI credentials to their LinkedIn profile to improve their chances of being viewed by recruiters and others searching for candidates. There are several free ways that individuals can gain knowledge in AI.

Attendees who connect with Pryor on LinkedIn will be able to view her posts with LinkedIn tips in their feeds. Join us at her keynote presentation to learn best practices and get advice from the LinkedIn expert.

LinkedIn Facts

LinkedIn Demographics

·         There are 722 million LinkedIn users. (source)

·         More than 171 million LinkedIn users are from the U.S. (source)

·         90 million LinkedIn users are senior level influencers and 63 million are in decision-making positions.

LinkedIn Content Marketing

·         How to and list posts perform the best on LinkedIn.

·         LinkedIn makes up more than 50% of all social traffic to B2B websites and blogs.

·         280 billion feed updates are viewed annually.

Fun Facts

·         41% of millionaires use LinkedIn.

·         There are 35,000 skills listed on LinkedIn.

·         LinkedIn is available in 24 languages.

Note: Figures for total LinkedIn users and U.S. LinkedIn users were released in October 2020.

“Moving forward is taking what you’ve learned from the past and ensuring it influences the future. Not just hoping it influences the year ahead, but ensuring it does,” said Camie Melton Hanily, past president, IABC Minnesota.

“Moving forward to me means embracing what’s possible,” added IABC Minnesota President Michael Walsh. “It means recognizing there are better days ahead, better ways of communicating and working together.”

IABC member Daniel Brady, agrees.

 “…Whether in politics, social commitments, or work/home balance, 2020 has sent much into the gutter. Now we have a unique opportunity to elevate ourselves and build a brighter future.”

The theme of the 2021 CONVERGENCE Summit, Moving Forward, is especially relevant considering recent events impacting our nation. Other IABC members, Ellen Vander Linden, Maureen Mook, Tammy Nienaber, Dr. Amelia Reigstad, Cindy Schmieg and Cory Weaver, chimed in with their ideas about how they are moving forward in their roles at their businesses and organizations in 2021 and beyond. Here is a sampling:

• Giving yourself grace and time to make progress and reach your goal. Reflecting on our victories at work as well as our mistakes.
• Drawing excitement from new ideas and disruption caused by the downturn in our economy as companies become more resilient and creative for survival.
• Helping clients learn from 2020s challenges to make a stronger 2021
• Saying goodbye to colleagues who you’ve worked with for years

The meaning ofmoving forward in their career was also addressed by members:

• Adapting to significant changes in the way job seekers find work
• Building and maintaining a strong network in a virtual world
• Establishing a broader view of what a career can be, working remotely, embracing innovative and mission-driven workplaces.
• Joining or working at a company that allows for flexibility. Valuing results of work with less attention to where it is performed. 
• Taking a leap of faith and being my authentic self. Steering from my academic path and getting back to my entrepreneurial roots to write my first book and focus on my business

2021 CONVERGENCE Summit will feature an agenda that focuses on ways to help you start anew and move forward. Learning about creative solutions, problem solving, developing resilience, facing ever-changing environments and new best practices in addition to networking opportunities are all excellent reasons to attend this year’s summit.

According to Schmieg, CONVERGENCE Summit 2021 chair, another reason to participate in the summit – becoming inspired to achieve your goals. “Lately it seems like I’m chained to getting done only what has to be done — doing what has become comfortable to me based on the past.

It’s not that I’m held back by the unknown. I’m drowning in information, but it takes effort to make it relevant to my career and personal interests.  It takes effort to determine how the information will enhance me. I’m simply not motivated.

Finding a direction and taking that first step to move forward comes from realizing information in a new way that connects to my life and points to a new goal to accomplish. I’ll be attending the 2021 CONVERGENCE Summit to move me from this docile spot and put me on the path toward new and interesting accomplishments.”

How will you be Moving Forward in 2021? Get inspired at the sixth annual CONVERGENCE Summit on March 18. Register now for the best pricing.