LinkedIn is the essential social network for businesspeople. Whether you want to get a job, keep a job, or get ahead at your job, LinkedIn is part of the modern business landscape. But while everyone has a LinkedIn profile these days, few know how to use the platform effectively. Get concrete ideas for what, when and how to post on LinkedIn, advice on joining and benefiting from LinkedIn Groups, strategies for growing your network, and 9 free templates for personalized invitations to connect on LinkedIn.

1. 1
LinkedInin 15 Minutes a Day

2. 2
Contents.
Introduction 3
Scroll Strategically 5
Contribute Consistently 7
Keep Connecting 10
Conclusion 13
About 19 Oaks 15

3. 3
Introduction.

4. 4
LinkedIn is essential for modern
business networking.
You’ve heard that LinkedIn is
the best way to get your dream
job, recruit top employees, find
new prospects, and stay top
of mind with your customers.
So you’ve created a profile.
You’ve covered the basics, like
uploading a professional profile
picture, connecting with your
existing contacts and filling out
your work history. You have
even joined a few groups and
followed some key companies.
Now you need to learn how to
use LinkedIn to maximize its
potential.
LinkedIn is a social network designed for busy
professionals.
That means you can get a lot out of it without investing too much time. In
about 15 minutes a day, you can build a strong presence on LinkedIn and
establish expertise in your industry. Here’s how to do it in three simple
steps:
1) Scroll Strategically
2) Contribute Consistently
3) Keep Connecting
We’ll go through these steps in detail, but first, here’s the most important
point to understand: Engagement—not time­—is key to your success on
LinkedIn.

5. 5
1. Scroll Strategically.
Take a few minutes to strategically engage
with your network on LinkedIn.

6. 6
Navigate the stream.
Your LinkedIn home screen contains a stream
of Updates from your connections, as well as
companies and influencers you follow. It’s easy
to get lost in this stream. But LinkedIn provides
a quick way to navigate for maximum efficiency.
There’s an “All Updates” drop-down menu that
lets you filter what types of Updates you see.
These filters allow you to cut through the chatter
and engage strategically.
Play around with the filters to find the settings
most useful for you. For example, if you filter by
Companies, you can see which businesses your
connections are following—which could be interesting for competitor or
buyer analysis. For engagement purposes, make sure you try these:
Filter by Profiles.
You will see all recent Profile Updates from your network. Take a minute
to “Like” new projects or volunteer experiences, say “Congrats” for
promotions, new jobs, or work anniversaries, and wish your connections
“Happy birthday.” These small touches only take seconds, but they go a
long way. (Remember that all “Likes” and comments count as your own
Updates and will be shared with your network.)
Filter by Groups.
Now you will see only updates posted to the Groups you join. This feature
makes it easy to stay connected with your Groups—which are invaluable
for broadening your network and reaching new prospects. Take a minute
to “Like” and comment on new discussions. Lots of people ask questions
in Groups, which is your opportunity to offer solutions that highlight your
expertise.
Remember to engage with your prospects and affiliates on LinkedIn—in
addition to your co-workers and best friends. This will keep you top of
mind with the people who can grow your business and career.

7. 7
2. Contribute Consistently.
Share content with your network, or with
targeted groups and individuals.

8. 8
Give them something to talk about.
Your first step on LinkedIn is engaging with your network. Your second
step is to contribute content so your network can engage with you. That
makes perfect sense, right? When you contribute a piece of content on
LinkedIn, you accomplish three things with a single action:
1. You give people a reason to interact with you
2. You establish yourself as a thoughtful, forward-thinking member of
your industry
3. You give people a sense of your personality—what you think is smart,
important and right
The content you share helps shape your presence on LinkedIn—and by
extension, in the business world. Here’s how you can contribute:
Built-In Content.
One of the easiest ways to
contribute is to share LinkedIn’s
built-in content. LinkedIn offers
content from “Influencers,”
such as Meg Whitman and Guy
Kawasaki, “Publishers,” such
as Mashable and Forbes, and
“Channels,” like “Entrepreneurs
and Small Business,” or “Social
Media.”
Follow a selection of industry-
related sources and share
your favorite stories. Note
that LinkedIn gives you the
option to share with everyone,
post to groups, and/or email
individuals. This is another great
feature that helps you engage
on LinkedIn and target specific

9. 9
connections. You can rotate who you share information with on a daily
basis—this allows you to touch everyone and avoid “oversharing.”
Original Content.
In addition to sharing other people’s content, you should contribute
original content of your own. Here’s a list of content that’s quick and
easy to share, either to your whole network or to specific groups and
individuals:
• Events you’re hosting or attending
• Community news and events
• New projects or accomplishments
• Industry news and reports
• Questions or solutions for industry-related problems
• Your latest blog post
Anything you and your team are doing or creating at work can potentially
be shared on LinkedIn. Don’t worry about being overly self-promotional—
with our strategy, you’re sharing plenty of other people’s content and
accomplishments, too.
If you really want to impress your network, you can go beyond the usual
status update and choose to “Create a post.” This feature allows you
to share longer, blog-style posts with your connections and the general
public. You can even add images and video to increase visibility, and you
can cross-promote your posts on different social networks. (This option
may keep you on LinkedIn for longer than 15 minutes, but a weekly or
monthly post can do a lot to boost your authority on LinkedIn.)

10. 10
3. Keep Connecting.
Reach out to at least one person a day to
keep your network growing.

11. 11
Grow Your Network.
Even when you pass the milestone of 500+ connections on LinkedIn, it’s
important to grow your network and continue to expand your influence.
Take a few minutes each day to connect with new people. Your strategy
may differ based on your goals, but as a baseline, you should connect
with:
• Anyone you meet at events or conferences
• Vendors, reps and other associates
• New prospects, clients and affiliates
• Group members (Both your LinkedIn groups and real life groups,
such as a book club)
Did you get an email from a new business associate? Look up that person
on LinkedIn! Send an invitation to connect.
Advanced Search.
It’s great to connect with people you know and work with on LinkedIn.
But it’s even better to use LinkedIn to expand your universe. LinkedIn
has some restrictions on connecting with people outside your network.
However, LinkedIn does allow you to directly connect with your 2nd-
degree Connections. This gives you access to tens of thousands of
potential prospects and affiliates. Access them using Advanced Search.
(You can find it next to the LinkedIn search bar at the top of the page.)
On the Advanced Search screen, check the box marked “2nd
Connections” and enter a keyword, company name or industry. You will
get a targeted list of people you can then invite to connect. Note that
you can save your search and even set up email alerts. Now you have a
targeted list of prospective customers or partners to help your business
grow!
Personalized Messages.
LinkedIn provides a default message for connections requests. But as a
best practice, you should always personalize your invitations to connect

12. 12
on LinkedIn. This will go a long way toward helping you stand out from
the crowd.
A lot of people struggle with what to write in their invitations, but it’s
actually a simple formula. Just establish context, such as where you met or
who you know in common, sprinkle in a little flattery or rapport, and finish
up with a call to action, such as “Let’s connect.”
Here are some invitation templates you can use to connect
on LinkedIn:
It was great to meet you at the _________ event last night. Let’s stay
in touch.
I’m so glad our companies are doing business! Let’s connect here as
well.
I just read your blog post / article / op-ed / column on __________.
Great insights! I’d love to follow you here as well.
I’m a fellow member of the __________LinkedIn group. I always
enjoy your comments. Let’s connect!
We have a lot in common. You are in charge of _______ at ________,
and I do _________ at ___________. Let’s connect and share stories.
I loved your presentation on _________ and am already implementing
your advice. I’d like to stay connected!
It’s been a while since we talked. Glad to see you’re doing so well!
Let’s catch up.
I saw you connected with _______ and couldn’t wait to say hello!
Hope all is well. Let’s stay in touch.
I’m a local / fellow / aspiring _________and an admirer of your work.
I’d love to follow you here as well.
Try to send out at least one custom invitation per day to grow your
network, and by extension, your influence on LinkedIn.

13. 13
Conclusion.

14. 14
Make an Impact.
Now you understand how to build a presence on LinkedIn and expand
your circle of influence in just three simple steps.
1. Scroll Strategically
2. Contribute Consistently
3. Keep Connecting
What a typical 15-minute daily session will look like using
this strategy:
9:00 am. Filter your Updates
and engage with your contacts
by “Liking” and commenting on
their content.
9:03 am. Peruse LinkedIn’s built-
in content, read a story by an
influencer, and share it with your
network (OR targeted groups and
individuals).
9:12 am. Send out two
personalized invitations to
connect on LinkedIn.
And you’re done!
It’s that easy to build a presence on LinkedIn. And the impact it will have
on your personal brand, and by extension your business, is limitless. Soon
you will be seen as an authority in your field, your company will be top of
mind to a growing network, and you will have built trust and rapport that
makes you and your business the go-to choice for your target buyers.
Those 15 minutes a day will add up to success over time.
Get started now.

15. 15
About 19 Oaks
19 Oaks is a sales and marketing company based in Portland, Maine.
We help our clients define success and achieve it by developing creative,
measurable solutions for business growth.
Our services include: marketing strategy, content creation, website
development, sales integration, and data management.
If you have questions about this guide, or increasing sales, growing your
customer base, redesigning your website, using social media, or launching
a new product, contact us today.
19 Oaks Strategic Sales & Marketing
One Dana Street
Portland, ME 04101
(207) 619-7155
19Oaks.com