Most people use LinkedIn to “get to someone” in order to make a sale, form a partnership, or get a job. It works well for this because it is an online network of more than 8.5 million experienced professionals from around the world, representing 130 industries. However, it is a tool that is under-utilized, especially in the Remodeling & Home Improvement industry. So I’ve compiled a list of 8 ways to increase the value of LinkedIn: 1.) Increase your visibility. By adding connections, you increase the likelihood that people will see your profile first when they’re searching for someone to hire or do business with. In addition to appearing at the top of search results (which is a major plus if you’re one of the 52,000 product managers on LinkedIn), people would much rather work with people who their friends know, like and trust. 2.) Improve your connectability. Most new users put only their current company in their profile. By doing so, they severely limit their ability to connect with people. You should fill out your profile like it’s an executive bio, so include past companies, education, affiliations, and activities. You can also include a link to your profile as part of an email signature. The added benefit is that the link enables people to see all your credentials. Past customers can recommend you and increase your credibility. This is an excellent way to also find their connections in your area and see where they “group” and “connect” to people in your community. 3.) Improve your Google PageRank. LinkedIn allows you to make your profile information available for search engines to index. Since LinkedIn profiles receive a fairly high PageRank in Google, this is a good way to influence what people see when they search for you. To do this, create a public profile and select “Full View.” Also, instead of using the default URL, customize your public profile’s URL to be your actual name. To strengthen the visibility of this page in search engines, use this link in various places on the web. For example: when you comment in a blog, include a link to your LinkedIn profile in your signature. 4.) Enhance your search engine results. In addition to your name, you can also promote your blog or website to search engines like Google and Yahoo! Your LinkedIn profile allows you to publicize websites. There are a few pre-selected categories like “My Website,” “My Company,” etc. If you select “Other” you can modify the name of the link. If you’re linking to your personal blog, include your name or descriptive terms in the link, and voila! Instant search engine optimization for your site. To make this work, be sure your public profile setting is set to “Full View.” 5.) Thinking of hiring a new sales person, production manager or working with a strategic partner like an architect or designer? Perform blind, “reverse,” and company reference checks. LinkedIn’s reference check tool to input a company name and the years the person worked at the company to search for references. Your search will find the people who worked at the company during the same time period. Since references provided by a candidate will generally be glowing, this is a good way to get more balanced data. Increase the relevancy of your hiring. Use LinkedIn’s advanced search to find people with sales, production and work experience like yours to see where they work. For example, a programmer would use search keywords such as “Ruby on Rails,” “C++,” “Python,” “Java,” and “evangelist” to find out where other programmers with these skills work. 6.) Be transparent. Earn know, like and trust. Companies will typically check your references before hiring or working with you, homeowners may also check on you before meeting you or before making a decision. This is a great place to privately get to know you and can be a better benefit if you advise them you are there through publications, website, business cards, literature and more. Maybe a potential partner will look for you too. What a great way to be transparent and earn people’s know, like and trust. 7.) Make your appointment go smoother. You can use LinkedIn to find the people that you’re meeting. Knowing that you went to the same school, play hockey, or share acquaintances is a lot better than an awkward silence after, “I’m doing fine, thank you.” This can be a great warm up tool for a sales appointment. Have a sales team? Get them on LinkedIn. 8.) Ask for advice. LinkedIn’s newest product, LinkedIn Answers, aims to enable this online. The product allows you to broadcast your business-related questions to both your network and the greater LinkedIn network. The premise is that you will get more high-value responses from the people in your network than more open forums.