If you feel lost in the crowd on LinkedIn, here’s a clever way to make yourself stand out from the others in your industry.
I discovered it as I was asking a question recently on LinkedIn.
When you ask a question, LinkedIn gives you the option of emailing it to people in a particular industry, or geographic location. I chose “Public Relations.” A window opened and listed PR people on LinkedIn with whom I’m connected, along with the names of their companies. You can place a checkmark next to the names of people who you want to receive your email.
When I scanned the list and got to Paul Furiga’s name, I stopped and stared. Here’s what I saw (the red rectangle is mine):
How was he able to include within his email address and a pithy benefit-driven elevator pitch that solidifies his brand? I know Paul, owner of WordWrite Communications in Pittsburgh, Pa., and I’ve heard him repeat his marketing message many times. Every organization, he says, has at least one great story to tell: its own. His firm helps clients share their great, untold stories with everyone who needs to hear them. But there it was, in that small half-inch space in the list of names!
So I went to his LinkedIn profile page and saw this:
No mention of his title or the name of his company. Just once sentence that makes him stand out from all the other PR people.
When I emailed Paul to tell him that I thought it was clever, he said:
“Thanks for noticing!
“Yes, others have seen it and commented on it. It gets right up front there who you are and what you do. Most people waste that space by regurgitating their bureaucratic or generic title.
“You are correct about how it works. I learned this technique from a Linked In expert you might want to check out, Patrick O’Malley. Here is his LinkedIn profile:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickomalley”
Here’s Patrick’s profile which quickly lets visitors know where they can find his videos:
I’m known as The Publicity Hound. So with my tail between my legs, I’m headed back to LinkedIn to tweak my own profile and create a memorable tagline that sets me apart from all the other publicity experts.
Thanks, Paul and Patrick, for teaching an old Hound new tricks.
Share Your Two Cents