How to Use LinkedIn Answers to Build Your Reputation

LinkedIn provides a powerful feature to allow individuals with business-minded questions to voice these questions on a public venue for experts to answer. This venue is called LinkedIn answers, and it could be the ticket to building your reputation as an expert on the number one professional networking site. Offering advice and displaying your expertise on Linkedin Answers can help you land a job or find clients for your services.

So  how do you go about using Linkedin Answers?

1. Click “Answers” at the top bar of the Linkedin Answers page. It is the tab furthest to the right.

2. On the right side you can browse questions by category. So if you want to position yourself as a marketing expert, pursue questions with a marketing and sales theme around them.

3. You will then see a list of questions from your chosen category. Browse through these questions, and select a question you wish to answer.

4. You can also use “Advanced Search” to find questions that are even more focused on a particular topic. It lets you search for both the keyword and the category your potential questions fit into. You can then have more control in finding the kind of questions you want to answer.

Remember that Linkedin Answers expects a degree of professionalism and accuracy in your answers. Anecdotal experiences may be useful for you, but will often be insufficient in proving the soundness of your answer. This means that you need to give your answer evidence to verify the accuracy of your answers.

You also have to keep in mind that LinkedIn Answers works on a keyword basis. Just as you can use Advanced Search to look for questions via keywords, so too can other Linkedin users use Advanced Search to look for answers to their questions via keywords. So if you are answering a question about labor disputes, make sure that important words from the question itself are found in your answer.

Last but definitely not the least, you can use LinkedIn Answers to direct traffic to your blog or website, especially if the answers you gave are in some way related to what you have previously discussed in your blog. Keep in mind, however, that the objective of putting any link into your answer is to add some references to the information you have just provided. Blatantly promoting your blog on Linkedin can and will result in you getting banned from the network. Subtly introduce your website as a reference and make sure to indicate that it has something to do with the answer you have provided.

Use LinkedIn Answers correctly, and you will steadily find yourself becoming more and more prominent in the network. As your reputation grows, potential clients, employers and media will find you and seek you out as an expert on your topic.

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