A speaker at a conference I attended recently gave her Linktree address at the end of her presentation and I saw how useful it was in summarising your key links and contact points.
I had seen Linktree being used by businesses, but never by individuals in a professional capacity. I find LinkedIn to be be a bit unwieldy and overblown for what I need it for – making contacts and sharing useful links, so it was an appealing solution.
Inspired by this, and by trying to be more proactive in my networking, I decided to set up a Linktree account to take along to the in-person Aurora session. I thought that this would allow me to share a simple link with people I met, that would point them to my contacts and content.
Creating the Linktr.ee Account
I logged into Linktr.ee and found my FirstnameSurname as my Linktree address had been taken by some other user. Instead I added my middle initial between my Firstname and Surname and set up my account as linktr.ee/emmahsykes. My initial appears already on my work email address and felt like it was a more professional option than a nickname or a number.
I was tempted to add something to reference the University of Leeds in there, but whilst I can’t see myself leaving, I didn’t want to lock myself in place. I also kept it separate from the name I use on my social media accounts, not because that name is too silly or or inappropriate, but because I like to keep my personal and professional accounts separate.
I found it really easy to set up and customise without a guide, although as a disclaimer – I’m a confident tech user. There is a help site with a step by step guide on how to get started with Linktree, for those who might need it. I chose a free account, but it was clear what paying for an upgraded plan would offer you.
Preparing for the event
Thinking forward to the Aurora event, I created a few links that I thought may be useful on the day. I thought about questions I’d been asked in the past and things I wanted to share with other Aurorans.
Under a header About Me, I added my email address under Contact for Aurorans so people could download my address to their contacts easily and would be more encouraged to reach out.
I had links to this Aurora Blog in case it got brought up in the session, and my LinkedIn page for those who wanted to connect.
Under Other Links I added a link to the University of Leeds Aurora page and the Advance HE page, in case someone asked about Aurora more generally.
Finally I added a link to Ask A Manager a wonderful (albeit American) site giving useful advice to work problems, including those in leadership or management positions. I’d mentioned this a few times at Aurora sessions and hoped others would find it useful.
What happened next?
Anticlimactically, I didn’t use my Linktree link at the Aurora in-person event. It was such a packed day, with limited time for general networking so there wasn’t an opportunity. I met some lovely people on my table, who I chatted with and exchanged contacts with, but there wasn’t a need for me to share my details in that way. Rather than force it, I’ve squirrelled it away for another time, and will update this blog with a Part 2 when I’ve used it.
Stay tuned to find out more!