You can improve your searches on LinkedIn using a Boolean search. Simply searching for keywords on the search bar can give you very broad results and result in you shifting through a vast range of people who aren’t the right fit to network with. So, here is a quick article to show you how to use boolean searches on LinkedIn.
What is a Boolean Search?
Boolean searches will give you much more detailed results for a keyword search with more than one word. Add quotation marks before and after your search and you’ll specifically target that keyword. If you are using boolean to search for a profile to connect with, this will ensure the keywords appear within the user’s headline or title. If you don’t use quotation marks to cover your keywords you’ll end up searching for each keyword individually. So a search for “Marketing” and “Digital” will search for Marketing and Digital separately and place them into one search. Whereas using a boolean search for “marketing digital” will show you digital marketing professionals.
LinkedIn search will only support standard quotation marks. Curly quotation marks, which are also known as smart quotes or typographer’s quotes, aren’t supported.
Using NOT, AND and OR
Using NOT within your boolean search will filter out those accounts which may fall into the same category as your search, but aren’t the right fit. As an example you can search for “Marketing NOT Social” to search for more traditional marketing professionals.
You can also combine searches using AND. example: “Digital AND Sales”
If you want to search for multiple results use OR. example “Sales OR Marketing OR Digital”.
When using NOT, AND, or OR as a boolean search you must type them in uppercase letters.The difference between AND and OR is how the search is combined. And AND search will give you a profile which features both, whereas an OR search will give you one profile for each search term. You won’t need to use AND if your search has two or more terms, you’ll automatically see results that include all of them.
Why You Need to Use Boolean Searches on LinkedIn
If you implement these boolean searches within your social selling strategy you’ll be able to target better and have greater end results for your message and content campaigns. If you’re going against LinkedIns terms of service by automating or have a social media account holder and they aren’t using boolean searches, you will soon find yourself connected with the retired, robot accounts and those a million miles away from your target client base.
Always use a boolean search if you’re looking to build up a targeted audience who will engage and work with you. It’s an important tool that sometimes gets overlooked in the wider LinkedIn community.
