As a speaker, many of you are already on LinkedIn and know that it is a network of more than 40 million professionals from around the world representing 170 industries.   It’s also one of the best tools you can use to gain new business and exposure.  Start with these 5 easy time-saving tips to see what LinkedIn can do for you.

1.  Improve your Google PageRank with LinkedIn.

Instead of using the default URL for your “full view” LinkedIn profile, customize the URL to be your actual name – www.linkedin.com/in/awesomespeaker.  Use this link on your website and in your email signature to strengthen the visibility of this page in search engines.  Search engines rank LinkedIn profiles with a fairly high page rank.  This is a good way to influence what people see when they search for you.

2. Increase your visibility by adding connections.

This allows you to appear at the top of search results.  Sometime during your presentation, invite your audience members to connect with you on LinkedIn.  Provide them with your customized URL as noted above www.linkedin.com/in/awesomespeaker.  People are more likely to recommend or book a speaker that one of their friends has already seen and enjoyed.

3.  Improve your connectability.

Just because you are a professional speaker, you shouldn’t limit your profile to only your current company – President of www.Awesomespeaker.com. By doing so, you are not providing the full picture of who you have spoken for.  If you have a presentation at the same organization every month, bi-monthly or annually, include them in your profile and treat it like it’s an executive bio.  Include repeat clients, educational institutions, affiliations, and activities.

4. Enhance your search engine results.

In addition to your name (see tip 1), you can also promote your blog or website to search engines like Google and Yahoo! Your LinkedIn profile allows you to publicize websites. If you select ‘Other’, you can modify the name of the link. If you’re linking to your personal blog or website, use descriptive terms in the link like “health law speaker”.

5.  Connect with the contact person of a current booking

Before going to a presentation, look up your contact person on LinkedIn and review their connections.  See if there is anyone that you would personally like to meet while you are at the presentation and ask for the introduction.  This can save you valuable time once you are on on-site.

These 5 tips were modified from Guy Kawaski’s blog article entitled ’10 Ways to use LinkedIn’ and geared towards the speaking industry.  Utilizing these 5 simple tips can increase your LinkedIn and Google exposure tremendously.

And best of all – it’s not time-consuming.