Are You Making the Most of LinkedIn?
By: Vicki LaBrosse
_______________________________________________________
If you have not integrated LinkedIn into your marketing and sales strategy, what are you
waiting for? As of September 2013, LinkedIn
reported that it has more than 225 million members in over 200 countries and
territories.
Since its launch in 2003,
LinkedIn has diversified its business model to include other channels that seem
like a logical adaptation to the application such as LinkedIn For Recruiters,
For Job Seekers and For Sales Professionals.
Getting
started
Think of LinkedIn as a social media platform as well as
a lead-generating machine. Just as on other social media platforms, you need to
be careful of what you post as what you say will be tied to your identity. The
goal is to demonstrate that you are part of the community and you are there to
add value rather than sell your product or services.
The key to having success on
LinkedIn is to use it on a daily basis to provide valuable support to your
connections and groups. While this may sound intimidating in terms of time
commitment, it really only requires 10-15 minutes of your day and, as you get
better at it, most likely only 5-10 minutes altogether.
Although deals won’t get closed via LinkedIn, it is the
perfect place to gather intelligence not only about your industry but about
your colleagues, prospects, clients and companies.
Use this checklist to make sure you have the basics*,
completed:
- Ensure your LinkedIn profile is complete
and attractive to prospective clients.
- Grow your network by increasing the
number of people with whom you are connected.
- Post useful and interesting status
updates with links to helpful third-party websites, blogs and
commentaries.
- Provide recommendations for other
LinkedIn users where you have firsthand knowledge of their services or
skills.
- Provide endorsements of skills you
believe other users have, as prompted by LinkedIn when you visit their
profiles.
- Participate in local business groups or
niche groups.
All of the suggestions above come free
with the Basic subscription to LinkedIn. There are more advanced features and
plans available for the more robust users.
Different
kinds of plans:
·
Basic (free)
·
Business ($19.95/mo)
·
Business Plus ($39.95/mo)
·
Executive ($74.95/mo)
Search and connect
Every time you receive an email or hang up the phone
with a new professional contact, your next step should be to go and find them
on LinkedIn and connect! This is where the real magic happens on LinkedIn. Not
only are you more or less scratching their back, but you can then find out more
about that person with a simple search and click. You can also search for their
company name.
You can use the advanced search function to search for
businesspeople in your local area, in your niche or both. You can go further
and search for key people within specific companies or within companies of the
size you prefer to approach and find the name and job title of the decision
maker you wish to engage with. Some of these features come with a paid
subscription, but I think you are beginning to see the payoff of having access
to this information instantaneously.
InMail
This is simply a LinkedIn tool for sending messages
directly to someone within LinkedIn whom you are not already connected with.
Some professionals use InMail a lot like how they use their email campaign
system. You can send InMail to individuals, and you can also send messages to
fellow group members, even if you are not connected to them.
The unwritten rule of thumb is to not send sales
promotion InMails; this is an immediate turnoff and most likely will do more
damage than good.
Who’s looking
LinkedIn will show you who has viewed your profile. This
is important as you will notice that some of the visitors may be prospective
clients; however, most will be other practitioners, recruiters, suppliers or
perhaps even competition.
It is a good idea to keep your profile updated and to
show activity as it is more compelling to your ideal target clients.
Building opportunity
Here are some basic tips and
strategies you can employ in order to start building new business
opportunities:
Connect Personally ~ Don’t just hit the “connect” button, add a personal note and try to
make it memorable. Even if you had an amazing conversation a week ago, someone
may not remember you after a few busy days. People appreciate quality
connections, so make your request to connect less automatic and more personal.
Groups ~
Start joining groups and engaging in discussions. If you don’t have a blog,
group discussions are a great way to demonstrate thought leadership and get
attention for your personal or company brand.
Company Page Posts ~ Engage your team and encourage them to post on their pages as well as
the company page. Sharing on these pages is much less expensive than paying $2
per click to advertise on LinkedIn.
Status Updates ~ Update your business status on LinkedIn and keep your personal updates
for Facebook. People who are connected to you will see your status updates.
Demonstrate your knowledge and expertise as well as your company’s
accomplishments.
Finally
If you are on LinkedIn, you want
your network to grow. You want to connect with as many people as you can
because there is some serious business that can be built from these
connections. If you’re not taking advantage of this free resource to build your
reputation and business, consider diving in as it will most likely give you the
best bang for the buck when all other types of social media marketing are
considered.
About the Author
Vicki LaBrosse is media
relations director with Edge Marketing, Inc. Leveraging more than 13 years of
experience working in professional services industries, LaBrosse works with
clients to develop and execute comprehensive marketing strategies that will
help grow their business.
