Practical LinkedIn Usage for Professional Growth and Business

Target group: 

• Specialists, consultants, and entrepreneurs interested in promoting their services and businesses internationally, expanding their client base, and seeking business partners, investors, and contractors.
• Marketers, digital marketing specialists, and other professionals wishing to master LinkedIn tools for brand and product promotion.
• Business development specialists focused on establishing and developing business connections, attracting contractors, investors, and partners via LinkedIn.
• Freelance professionals offering business services.

Conditions for starting the course:

This course requires a B1 level of English and will help you develop your conversational business English skills.

No prior experience with LinkedIn is required, but having an account is recommended.

A personal computer is required for online participation.

The group will open with a minimum of five participants.

Volume and structure of studies:

The course comprises 40 academic hours, including 26 hours of online classroom work with the instructor and 14 hours of self-study.

Description of the learning process:

The course lasts 6 weeks.

Group practical sessions are held online once a week on Fridays from 10:00 to 13:15 (4 academic hours with a short break) and are mandatory. Recordings of sessions are available for additional practice and homework review.

Teaching methods: 

The course structure is practical, with students actively participating and contributing to the learning process by creating, experimenting, and shaping new knowledge and skills. Various adult learning methods are employed based on the objectives. 

Online Classroom Work Includes:

• Practice in using SEO, SSI, advanced Boolean Search, AI, and automation in LinkedIn with instructor feedback.
• Case study analysis and group discussions.
• Group practical assignments.
• Simulation of professional scenarios and experience sharing.

Self-Study Includes:

• Completing homework for subsequent review in the next practical session.
• Studying additional educational materials and articles.

Learning environment and materials:

All course events are conducted in an electronic learning environment, accessible only to instructors and students. 

Online sessions represent practical sessions with instructor feedback. 

The course organizer prepares all educational materials through publication on the electronic educational platform. 

A personal computer is required for participation. 

Having a LinkedIn account is recommended.

Enrollment closes when the group reaches 20 participants.

Module 1: Introduction to LinkedIn. Defining Your Professional Niche and Setting Goals

• Overview of key platform features.
• Differences between a personal profile, a business page, and a company page.
• Defining your niche and target audience on LinkedIn.
• Setting specific, measurable goals for your profile. Defining success criteria and methods for measuring them.
• LinkedIn subscription types and selecting the right one for your goals.
• Analyzing common mistakes and creating successful case models from good examples.
• Practical work on setting measurable goals and methods for tracking progress.

Module 2: Creating and Optimizing a Profile for Your Goals

• Differences between a job-seeking profile and a client-attraction profile.
• Step-by-step guide to creating an effective profile.
• Recommendations for basic and advanced profile settings.
• Defining and implementing keywords to improve profile visibility in LinkedIn's search engine.
• Analyzing common mistakes and creating successful case models from good examples.
• Practical work on advanced profile settings.

Module 3: Advanced Search and Automation on LinkedIn

• Step-by-step guide to using Boolean Search for finding business contacts.
• Step-by-step guide to using query generators and Chrome extensions for automating search queries.
• Analyzing common mistakes and creating successful case models from good examples.
• Practical work on targeted search based on specific criteria.

Module 4: Choosing and Creating a Content Strategy

• Framework for expanding your network. How to write messages that get responses.
• Choosing and creating a content strategy to attract and retain the attention of your target audience.
• The impact of LinkedIn algorithms on post and profile visibility. Recommendations for engagement and interaction with examples of successful case studies.
• Using artificial intelligence tools to create engaging posts and response-driven messages.
• Using artificial intelligence tools to create a content plan.
• Analyzing common mistakes and creating successful case models from good examples.
• Practical work on adapting strategies of market leaders to your goals.

Module 5: Creating and Optimizing a Service Promotion Funnel

• Developing and optimizing a service promotion funnel based on LinkedIn.
• Examples of successful funnels and modeling your own strategies based on them.
• Analyzing common mistakes and creating successful case models from good examples.
• Practical work on designing your own funnel.

Module 6: Performance Evaluation and Self-Analysis

• Using the Social Selling Index to analyze profile effectiveness.
• Identifying areas for improvement and developing strategies to increase conversion rates and networking efficiency.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of the applied methods and their impact on career and business goals.
• Defining next steps and strategies for long-term development and goal achievement.

Learning Materials:

• Instructor-provided learning materials.
• Additional articles and videos on module topics.

1. Evaluation Method: Practical Group Work: Real-time group work with instructor feedback.

Evaluation Criteria:

• Demonstrates deep understanding of LinkedIn functions and capabilities.
• Navigates profile settings and differences between personal profiles, business pages, and company pages.
• Actively participates in group work, proposes solutions for case studies, and justifies their choices.

2. Evaluation Method: Comprehensive Case Analysis: Conducted after each module.

Evaluation Criteria:

• Creates and optimizes a LinkedIn profile to attract target clients and partners effectively.
• Implements keywords and SEO principles to improve profile visibility in LinkedIn’s search engine.
• Finds clients and partners using Boolean Search and automates searches with query generators and Chrome extensions.
• Demonstrates understanding of LinkedIn's internal algorithms.
• Applies AI tools for creating posts and messages.

3. Evaluation Method: Written Self-Analysis: Conducted upon course completion.

Evaluation Criteria:

• Uses the Social Selling Index to analyze profile effectiveness.
• Identifies areas for improvement and proposes strategies to increase conversion and networking effectiveness.
• Assesses the effectiveness of applied methods and their impact on career and business goals.
• Plans next steps for long-term development and goal achievement.

Graduation conditions:

Learning outcomes are assessed module-by-module based on practical work. Successful completion of the course requires attendance in at least 70% of classes, completion of 70% of practical assignments, and submission of a final self-analysis.

Issued documents:

Certificate

is issued to students who attend at least 70% of online sessions, complete 70% of practical assignments, and submit the final self-analysis.

The proof of participation

is issued if learning outcomes were not achieved, but the student participated in the learning process. Issuance depends on the number of attended classes, but it is not provided if the student attended less than half of the sessions.

Our teachers are recognized practicing professionals with relevant education, extensive experience in their fields, and a background in adult education. Thanks to these qualifications, they provide high-quality education that aligns with students' expectations and ensures the successful attainment of learning outcomes.

Julia Jolkin:

Master’s in Communications (Tallinn University, 2004).

Top Voice of LinkedIn. Entrepreneur and expert using LinkedIn as the main platform for personal branding and business promotion since 2010.

Lecturer with experience in adult education.