Tag Archive: LinkedIn Tips

Do you think LinkedIn is at all useful to the B2C Market?

Categories:

#LinkedInChat, LinkChat, LinkedIn for B2Bs

June 14, 2011

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June 14, 2011


#LinkedInChat now on Stanzr and Twitter

This week we’ll be trying www.stanzr.com to do #LinkedInChat. You can join us at 5 PM PST, 8 PM EST on www.stanzr.com/linkedinchat or http://stanzr.com/3rcwx6yk

This week’s questions are:
Q1. Are you a B2B (Business to Business) or B2C (Business to Consumer) business?
Q2. As a B2B, do you also connect to people as a consumer?
Q3. As a B2C, are you connecting with individuals to help you with your business or buy your product – or both?
Q4. As a B2B or B2C – are you finding the right clients on LinkedIn?
Q5. What kind of B2C products “work” on LinkedIn?
Q6. What kind of B2C products “don’t work” on LinkedIn?
Q7. s there ever a time when you can use LinkedIn as a platform to sell your consumer product?
Q8 What, in your opinion, is the best thing for a B2C to do on LinkedIn to avoid what might be considered spam?

Here are some other LinkedIn user’s opinions to get your juices flowing. Do you agree? Disagree? Please share your opinions with us tonight on the LinkedInChat.

From LinkedIn Answers:

Gloria Katrina Bea
My personal take on this issue is that LinkedIn caters to another market. It has been branded and marketed as a “professional network”, primarily for business professionals looking for people in the same field. This is most probably the reason why this network has been limited to business owners and professionals only. Though I would say that there is always a chance to find a customer amongst our colleagues.

Peter Pudaite
I echo Katrina’s comments. 

The key thing is what segment of your market do LinkedIn users represent given they are mostly professionals? I think for those selling Blackberries it would be a very high percentage and it would make absolute sense to use LinkedIn as a marketing channel. For someone selling Disney products maybe less so. 

I think it is too easy to compare Linkedin vs FB and say 100 vs 500 millions users and other broad comparisons. You need to step back and look at the basics, what are your marketing objectives, what segment do these users represent, is this an effective way to reach/engage them, what stage of the purchase stage are they, etc…. Then make your decision based on the congruence or lack of.

Ed Han
I think it *can* be but it’s a bit harder to see the relevance. That, coupled with the often-encountered difficulty in quantifying social media ROI, may be making people skeptical. 

I think it also depends considerably on the business in question. Some businesses (e.g., a toy manufacturer) will have a much harder row to hoe in leveraging LinkedIn to connect with consumers, while others (e.g., a bookseller) will enjoy a much easier path.

Miles Austin
I believe it can be. As Gloria and Peter pointed out, the majority of LinkedIn users are professionals. A foundation of successful sales and marketing is to “fish where the fish are”. Hang out where your customers are! Wouldn’t you want to do business with professionals?

If I am a carpet cleaner, aren’t my potential customers “professionals” that spilled wine on their carpet this weekend? I believe the biggest strength of LInkedIn is it’s ability to foster relationships. If you have a strong, “professional” presence on LinkedIn, communicate within the Groups and channels where your prospects are hanging out such as regional or city focused groups you have an opportunity. 

Or try out an advertisement on LinkedIn that is targeted at the industries/titles that might need your services. Maybe hotels and property managers-they need to hire carpet cleaning services all the time. 

Include LinkedIn in your marketing activities, build a strong foundation of your own professionalism, and you will be surprised at your results. Let the competition continue to think that LinkedIn is only for B2B!

John Fawkes
Only for certain types of product. There are certain things which are business-y, but are sold to consumers. Sales books, professional development stuff, and the like. These are useful on LinkedIn, particularly if they help people land jobs, as the unemployed tend to be on LinkedIn more often, to prospect for jobs. For most B2C products I’d say no.

Steve Cassady
I think Linkedin can be a useful tool for business to consumer business. As several have pointed out, the majority of LinkedIn users are professionals. But even as professionals, we buy consumer products even though we may not be in that mindset on LinkedIn. How a company and an individual are represented on Linkedin adds to their brand reputation. 

As Miles Austin, states participation in groups is a great way to do this. For example, in several of my Kansas City local groups, there is a strong presence of B2C individuals. While they are not directly marketing their services (Roof Building, Carpet Cleaning, Jewelry Store, etc.) they are building a brand reputation discussing how they are addressing business issues in our Kansas City Business owners group. When I need those types of services, I will already have a brand awareness and affinity for them. 

Now I wouldn’t use LinkedIn as my sole or even primary Social Media presence for B2C marketing, it is a tool that should be in the portfolio and can actually be a two way benefit. Active engagement in Linkedin provides education and connections for all to benefit from. While I do not expect to see an ad for Coke products in Linkedin Ads, my overall brand feeling towards Coke is influenced by group participation, company news, etc.

Devin Pringle
As someone as mentioned, Linkedin is focused on an entirely different segment ‘working professionals’. However, I will say that I will follow a company that I have interest in as a consumer, where this platform becomes viable to confirm whether or not a company may be credible. For B2C, I would focus mostly on other social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter – blogs if you are working on syndication and other content.

Kim Saldanha
The way i look at social media in general is as a geography. Linked in, is the hangout joint for professionals and therefore this is a consolidated group of consumers for a given set of products. While, smart marketers will use this channel, enjoy a first movers advantage in a truly uncluttered environment. The environment itself has not been set up to be able to truly market in the ‘B2C’ sense of the word.

David Zuckerman
Generally not for developing consumer base, but yes for developing sales channels, vendors, and recruiting. Most users don’t want to be solicited on LinkedIn. FaceBook gives you fan pages, blogging allows consumers to provide feedback, Twitter gives you ability to get frequent updates out there. LinkedIn isn’t the place for frivolity.

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Using Groups for Better Relationships and More Business

Categories:

LinkedIn Groups, LinkedIn Open Groups

April 13, 2011

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April 13, 2011


Using LinkedIn Groups

Free webinar available here

LinkedIn Groups

Like the Philosopher’s Stone, “Groups” alchemically transform LinkedIn from a “rolodex on steroids” into a true social media network.  A place where you can expand your network by creating true relationships with your connections.  And the magical element? Sharing valuable information and helping people.

Not so magical, and yet many people are still using the “Discussion” and “Announcement” section of their groups, and groups they belong to, in order to sell their crap.  (That’s what your website is for – so I hope you have good conversion ratings)

Let’s back up.  I’m going to pretend you know how build relationships.  Where exactly are you going to share this wealth of valuable information you already have access to?  You can do this by joining groups and by creating your own groups. Let’s take a look at a few best practices…

First of all, with over a million groups on LinkedIn, which ones should you join?  In my opinion, you need to join the following groups:

  1. Your own industry groups – find out what is going on in your industry, find strategic partners and JV’s, find a job
  2. Your ideal client’s industry groups – impress potential clients with your knowledge, build relationships, generate interest in your product or service (but NOT by sending out sales messages)
  3. Big groups – you don’t know who you don’t know – it makes sense to join some big groups just to be able to access some key folks – I recommend LinkedHR
  4. Alumni groups – because (theoretically) we love to help each other out.

 

Once you join some groups (you can join up to 50) do a bit of lurking to find out what people are talking about, who is doing the talking, what the “feel” of the group is.  Once you get a feel, dive in and begin to participate in an interactive and helpful way.

You can choose the regularity at which LinkedIn informs you about group discussions: The group digest will be sent to you daily, weekly or not at all.  It won’t take you too long to see which groups are the most valuable to you.  These are the groups where the discussions intrigue you.  Where the people are communicative.  Where the discussions are active and interactive.   These are the groups that you find stimulating,  that seem to be a good source for relationships. These groups you will participate in daily – even if it’s just minutes a day – so you can become an “influencer”, perhaps attracting the coveted “Manager’s Choice” position, getting you more recognition, authority and visibility.

To Do:

  • Do share your knowledge.
  • Do help people out
  • Do express your true opinions
  • Do take time to answer and respond in a considerate manner
  • Do re-purpose content you might already have that answers and adds to a group discussion (ie. Blog posts you’ve already written)
  • Do start your own discussions

What NOT to do:

  • Don’t use groups as a channel for your sales letters
  • Don’t use groups to share a “business opportunity”
  • Don’t use groups to solicit a downline. (No one will participate in your discussion, you are likely to get flagged, and you’ll just irritate people.)

If you spend too much time in the “don’ts” you’ll also be more likely to get negatively flagged by other members of the LinkedIn group.  So just – don’t

From some groups you’ll receive a weekly digest.  These are the groups that have interesting information, but you don’t see as much a need to invest your time in creating relationships with the members.  At the most you may spend a few minutes a week in these groups, and follow a few of the key members.  You’ll keep these groups on the back-burner for potential future connections with members.

Some groups you will connect to only to build your network (Remember you are only as visible as the size of your network) You will join these groups because they have a lot of members (LinkedHR).  Or you join the group because a person you want to communicate with is member of that group (Hint: This is the way you can get around paying for an ‘InMail’)

But no matter if you join groups you interact with daily or only very occasionally, you want to remember that you are on groups to share valuable information and build relationships.

TIP:  If you are one of those strategic and organized people, consider creating a database (Excel, etc) to keep track of your groups, how useful they are, what their topics are and key players.

Valuable Information:

  • What have you already created that your network finds useful?  (How do you know this?  They tell you “That was really useful.”)
  • Repurpose, repurpose, repurpose.
  • What do you have stored in your computer right now?
  • What do you have in your blog site.
  • What have you just read that YOU find interesting.  That’s what you share.

Groups are not for posting your sales letter.  Engage your network.  If they like you, they’ll go to your website or profile.  They’ll want to learn more about you.

Growing relationships:  Ask and answer questions.  Really.  People love to be helpful.  Let them be by asking them questions.  Ask them for clarification.  Ask them for advice.  Ask them – almost anything.  And when someone asks something that you can answer, especially if you already have supporting docs (blogpost) answer them.

Its not rocket science, but it does take consistent effort.  Even if its only a few minutes a day.

Here is the link to LinkedIn’s latest blog on the new Groups features.  Watch the video, it worth the time.  http://learn.linkedin.com/groups/

And remember.  This is social media.  We are here to help each other out.  To attract clients and partners through relationship and service.  To be Go-Givers lending a hand and raising up each other.

Let me know how you use groups to create relationships in your business.  I want to know!

 

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LinkedIn Skills – Is It Worth Your Time? (Revised)

Categories:

LinkedIn Skills, Mashable, The Miami Herald

March 17, 2011

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March 17, 2011


LinkedIn Skills

I was recently interviewed by both Mashable and the Miami Herald about LinkedIn Skills.  Here’s my thoughts on the whole thing.

Skills is a double-edged sword for me.  I train people on how to optimize their profiles so they can be found on a LinkedIn search, and of course as more people realize that to get found on LinkedIn, all they need to do is optimize their profile more efficiently with keywords, the actual value of a traditional LinkedIn profile is decreased.  Many people are inputting experience formulated simply to get a higher result on the LinkedIn Search results thereby inaccurately displaying their real qualifications.  This is where I see the real strength of the skills, publications and certifications sections. You can of course fake all of the above, but since it doesn’t seem to affect search rankings, there is no reason to.

These results I can agree with...

Showing up in the skills search does NOT seem to be affected by how many times you put variations of your keywords in the skills section (Trust me – I’ve tested it!)  From what I can tell, LinkedIn is using a search algorithm that is either like – or combined with  – a Google search.  Or maybe someone in the back office is just picking their favorites.  Its hard to tell!  Many of the experts listed in the skills section do not have optimized profiles, and do not show up in a simple LinkedIn People Search under those same skills.  This indicates to me that perhaps the skills section more accurately displays those with true skills.  And I would highly recommend to LinkedIn users, job-seekers and candidates that they make sure to list their TRUE qualifications and skills in this section.  Not because it will get them found in a search, but because this is where you can differentiate yourself from the pack.

I would warn that you might be expected to prove what you claim to be true to actually be true.  Don’t list yourself as an expert in your field if you are not.

Bridget Carey from the Miami Herald recently interviewed me about the Skills section:

We both agreed the we’d “like to see the location tool focus more tightly on how the skill ranks in a particular region… and would like to see what nearby cities breed those jobs.”

As Carey states, “searching for a generic skill (video, office management) is pretty much useless… it will be interesting to see how this tool evolves, but for now, use it as encouragement to update that profile.”

As in most things LinkedIn, the idea of skills is great, and I think it has definite application.  I would encourage users to explore it, and to be aware, like many of the new apps (Signals, Groups Jobs) there are still some bugs that need to be worked out.  I’d also warn a recruiter that until we really know how the search algorithms work, not to disqualify a candidate just because they do not show up as the as one of the chosen professionals.

If you have no idea what this skills thing is, visit LinkedIn’s Blog on their latest offer:  http://blog.linkedin.com/category/new-linkedin-features/skills/.  You can find it under “More” in the LinkedIn toolbar (You know, that place where they stuck everything they ran out of room for?)

 

Here’s a few more cool things I discovered – Skills is a great place to find synonyms for your keywords.  As an example, I type in Social Media, and other skills that show up are:

Not only that, but they give me great descriptions I can use to amp up my profile and experience descriptions:

“Social media is media designed to be disseminated through social interaction, created using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques. Social media uses Internet and web-based technologies to transform broadcast media monologues (one to many) into social media dialogues (many to many). It supports the democratization of knowledge and information, transforming people from content consumers into content producers.”

Play around a little, do a search or two, and let me know what you think!

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LinkedIn Company Search Analytics Have Changed

Categories:

LinkedIn, LinkedIn Answers, LinkedIn Company Profiles, LinkedIn Connection Tags, LinkedIn Tips

March 15, 2011

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March 15, 2011


Company Search Analytics

Things on LinkedIn that make me nervous!

My inbox has been flooded by people asking me why their companies no longer turn up in the Company Search – even under their own name.  And the short answer is – I don’t know why.  I’ve spoken with other experts and none of us has the answer.

When you query LinkedIn, the response goes something like this:  “Searches are usually done by geography and by (X number) of (industry specialists) in the US.  It makes SEO a huge business. My suggestion is to find and hire a consultant. Your account has no technical problems.”

But the fact is I probably have one of the best SEO’d personal and company profiles (its what I do for a living) and I have disappeared.  So have many of the other experts in my field.

  • I know its not SEO.
  • LinkedIn also suggests it’s the size of your network – but I have 20+ Million folks in my network so that’s not it.
  • I have a paid account, so that’s not it.
  • I’ve been on LinkedIn for 5 years, so that’s no it.

My guess is it might have something to do with the new Google Analytics – but I don’t know how that could possibly effect such a change WITHIN LinkedIn.

Company Home Search VS Search Company... Really????

What is interesting is that if you search under “Companies Home” as opposed to the  “Search Companies” field – you will get better results – even with keywords.  I always thought it was the same search, but apparently not!  As one of the LinkedIn Reps let me know:  “Really the one up top (search) is the shortened version of what is available on the full pages. The system is optimized for the type ahead functionality to select from a list. When you use the search box as you have it is searching anything about that company not just company name.”  No answer for why the change in results – but its something I suppose.  As I learn more I will let you know!

In the meantime, its now more important than ever to actually start connecting with your network.  Here are some tips:

  • Make sure you TAG your connections so you can more easily create and execute a communications campaign
  • Respond to every invitation with a quick “Thank you for reaching out to me how can I help you best” letter.
  • Reach out weekly to 3 people you haven’t talked to in a long time with a “I was just going through my LinkedIn connections and I saw your name.  How are you doing and what are you up to lately?” letter.
  • Reach out weekly to 3 people you don’t know with a “I was going through my connections and saw your profile.  I know we don’t know each other well, so I would love to know what you do.  Who is your best client?  How can I help you?  If I can ever refer anyone to you, please let me know” letter
  • Showcase your expertise in “Answers” to draw people to you (Check out Dave Maskin and Christine Hueber to see how to do it like an expert.)

"Answers" Experts!

  • Really engage with others in your groups – did you know there is a keyword search within the “members” section of your groups?

As the old AT&T Slogan goes – you gotta “reach out and touch someone”.

Stay tuned for more about the new search analytics turning LinkedIn users on their heads!

 

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Please Join Michele Price and Me on Women In Business Radio

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Uncategorized

February 27, 2011

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February 27, 2011


Women In Biz Radio w/ Michele Price

Woot!  I’m thrilled to be a guest on Michele Price‘s Women In Business Radio to discuss LinkedIn and how you can use it effectively in your B2B business.

Michele has had some amazing speakers on her Breakthrough Business Strategies Radio show.  Her popular weekly broadcast has featured famous business authors such as Neal Schaffer,  Tony Hsieh of Zappos, author of “Flip the Funnel” Joseph Jaffe, and author of “UnMarketing” Scott Stratten.  The broadcast gives listeners the chance to ask the experts questions in advance as well as tweet them out during the live broadcast.

Michele herself is no newbie to social media and is a peer who has amassed a lot of success in both speaking as well as consulting not only on social media but also on one’s personal or business online presence.

The theme of my show with Michele will be based around LinkedIn and my LinkedIn for B2B ebook, for which I will be giving away to our lucky listeners!  For full details, make sure to visit Michele’s BlogTalk radio page here.

 

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B2B Best Practices on LinkedIn – Part Three

Categories:

LinkedIn, LinkedIn Company Profiles, LinkedIn Connection Tags, LinkedIn Expert, LinkedIn for B2Bs, LinkedIn Groups, LinkedIn Introductions, LinkedIn Open Groups, LinkedIn Polls, LinkedIn Strategies, LinkedIn Tagging, LinkedIn Tips

January 15, 2011

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January 15, 2011


10 ways to target your ideal client as a B2B

To read part one of how to use LinkedIn as a B2B click here

To read part two of how to use LinkedIn as a B2B click here

10 ways to target your ideal client as a B2B

LinkedIn is all about creating relationships.  Whether you have a large or small network on LinkedIn, you are probably going to want to spend a little time researching and getting to know some strategic connections in your LinkedIn network.  Here 10 tips to get you started:

1.  Use the Advanced Search which will allow you to specifically target the “type” of person who would make an ideal client (sort by “relevance” and “expanded” view)

2.  Use a Boolean Search (AND, OR, NOT and “”)  Invite the strategic people you find to connect using groups if possible, or get “Introduced”  through a mutual connection.  (HINT: Find experts in your field and invite them as a guest blogger on your blog or speaker at your event.)

3.  Find and “follow” ideal clients in groups (this is not the same as connecting – but gives you many of the same benefits) – Use search within member section of a group (Boolean)

4.  Search “Companies” to find key people you might want to connect with (a wealth a valuable information is often over-looked here)

5.  Search by location when travelling and meet your connections IRL (in real life.) This is one of the best practices I know to create new business relationships.  And all it costs is a cup of coffee or lunch.

6.  Ask for the “introduction”. You only get 5 at a time, so it’s best to ask for an introduction from someone who:

- obviously uses LinkedIn,

- knows and likes you.

If an introduction has not been passed within a week, withdraw it and go another route.

7.  Use the new “tagging” option in your LinkedIn Contacts list once you are connected (only good for 1st level)

8.  Download vCards of your 1st level connection and organize them using Outlook, Act, Apple Mail, BatchBook, etc.

9.  Do market research and gain knowledge with Polls, and then share survey and poll results with your contacts.  (Read this article about Open Polls)

10.  Share useful articles and resources that will be of interest to customers and prospects in groups, link to articles and content posted elsewhere, with a summary of why it’s valuable to add to your credibility. List your newsletter subscription information and archives. (Read more about Open Groups here)

If you have any great ideas on how to connect with folks on LinkedIn, please share with us in the comments below!

For more great information like this, make sure to join our free #LinkedInChat every Tuesday night on Twitter.

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How Do I Delete a Connection on LinkedIn?

Categories:

Communications Strategies, Connections, LinkedIn Tips, Removing Connections on LinkedIn

January 6, 2011

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January 6, 2011


Deleting connections on LinkedIn can be a little tricky  – so I shot a really quick video to show you how to do it:

  1. Go to “Contacts”
  2. Click on “Remove Connections” (this is where it is tricky because it feels like you should click on the person and then remove connection)
  3. Choose the letter of the alphabet of your connection’s last name
  4. Find them and check them off (you can do up to 200 at a time)
  5. Click on Remove Connections
  6. Affirm that yes, you really do want to remove them

ONCE YOU REMOVE SOMEONE YOU CAN NEVER INVITE THEM TO CONNECT AGAIN, so make sure you really really really want to remove them

LinkedIn will not tell them you have removed them, they will just no longer have direct access to you.

Unfortunately, if you remain in their network (2nd, 3rd or share a group) they will still be able to see your profile.  To see if they are connected to you, go to their profile and see the number next to their name.

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OUT with the OLD and IN with the NEW – with LinkedIn!

Categories:

LinkedIn Tips

December 31, 2010

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December 31, 2010


A New Look at My LinkedIn Tips for Your Profile

With the New Year upon us, I’ve decided to refresh my “20 Tips”.  If you haven’t taken a look in awhile, it might be worth your while to go through your LinkedIn account and make sure it is up to date. This is one social media resolution you don’t have to break!  One a day and you’ll be done with your LinkedIn Profile by the end of January!

1.  Treat your LinkedIn profile like a website:

Make sure it is formatted, clean, and free of spelling and grammatical errors.  I strongly suggest creating your LinkedIn profile first in a word document – not only so you can “catch” errors, but also so you can get a better idea of what your profile will look like on the LinkedIn website.  In some sections of LinkedIn you can also pull in bullets and special characters.  Alas – still no bolding or italics other than what LinkedIn itself formats. Another bonus, if you’ve already created your profile in a Word document, sections of it can easily be copied into other social media platforms to keep your branding unified.

2.  Know your keywords:

Like any website, LinkedIn’s internal search engines weigh your keywords heavily in its searches.  Make sure you place your most important search or keywords strategically throughout your profile.  Some places you might want to consider are your

  • Professional Headline
  • Title Fields
  • Specialties
  • Interests
  • Recommendations
  • Education (Activities and Societies)

3.  Keep your name clean:

Put only your first name in the first name field and your last name in the last name field.  If someone is searching for you by name, LinkedIn will have a hard time finding you if your last name looks like this:  Smith, PhD. John A. (johnsmith@gmail.com) LION 941-555-1555

4.  Keep your photo professional:

I recommend a close up and a smile. A full body shot of you and your family, you and your car, you and that fish you caught last week is unclear and unprofessional.  I have seen some artists use artistic renderings of themselves – which is clever if your image is still clear.LinkedIn doesn’t like logos.

5. Don’t ignore the “post an update” function:

LinkedIn’s update function is much more robust than it used to be (taking some tips from Facebook and Twitter).  People can now “like” and “comment” on your updates – which helps to build relationships within LinkedIn.  And with the introduction of LinkedIn Signal, the update section can now be a functional part of your SME (Subject Matter Expertise) and content strategy.  Make sure you take a little time each day to “like” and “comment” on the updates of network as well. (*Found on the home page.)

6.  Personalize your public profile URL:

  • Make sure your public profile reflects your name, your business, or your area of expertise: http://linkedin.com/in/linkedinexpert
  • Nothing says, “I’m a LinkedIn neophyte” like a public profile that reads:  http://linkedin.com/pub/firstname-lastname9890734-akjshfiho

7.  Personalize your websites:

When you edit your website, the drop down menu gives you the option of  “other”.  When you click on that, a new field opens up that allows you to type in your business name, website name, call to action, or description of your website.  So instead of “Company Website” or “Personal Website” this section can read “Social Media for Women” or “Click here: IP Legal Advice”

8.  Juice up your “Experience” section:

“Experience” is not your resume. Make sure the jobs you choose to list support each other. Make sure you put all your keywords in the title section.

9.  Utilize the “Experience” description area:

Use the 1000 characters in the description section to tell people why they should hire you or your company or buy your product.  Tell a “save the day” story.  Put in a testimonial.  “Experience” is a great place to list “wins”, different companies you have helped, seminars or workshops you have presented, a mini-shot of your personal website.  Use this section as the foundation for your Company Profile

10.  List your “additional education”:

Make sure you list your certifications and licenses as well as traditional education. LinkedIn has now added new sections where you can list areas of expertise, publications, patents licenses and certifications.

11.   Get Recommendations:

LinkedIn tells you your profile is complete at 3.  I recommend at least ten recommendations.  And when you are asking for recommendations, give a bulleted list of what you might want them to say so that your recommendation is more than: “She’s nice”.  If you are comfortable doing so, you might write a recommendation that the recommender can use or base their recommendation from.  You might want to add some of the better recommendations to your website.  Ask for recommendations form thought leaders in your field, old employees, and well-known clients.

12.  Join strategic groups:

Join groups in your own market or industry, your ideal client’s industry, groups that you are interested in, groups that your target prospects are members of, alumni groups, open groups and some big groups (Consider LinkedHR with 370,000 members).  Once you join a group you can send a message to strategic members /prospects or invite strategic members to connect with you.

For more posts on groups check out:

13.  Create a group:

Consider creating an open or closed group.  Make sure you, or someone in your company is tasked to moderate it to keep it interesting and relevant.  Make your group a destination and active forum.

14.  Limit the invitations you send out:

You only get 3000 invitations in a lifetime – use them wisely.  Even though LinkedIn gives you the tools to upload your entire list, make sure you only invite people who are already on LinkedIn and don’t invite more than 2500 people – leave a few invitations for the future. At this time you cannot buy more invitations (although you might be able to beg some more from customer_service@LinkedIn.com)

15.  When inviting others, tell them how you know them:

LinkedIn used to have an IDK “I don’t know” button that could get you in a lot of trouble.  Now a person’s response to an invitation is “Accept” or “Ignore”.  Nevertheless, when inviting someone to connect with you, I highly recommend telling him or her how you know them or why you want to connect.  I would also add the disclaimer:  “If you feel you have received this message in error, or simply don’t want to connect, please ignore this invitation.

15.  Use “Answers”:

The answers section is a great place to position yourself as an SME or thought leader.  Answer enough questions and you can drastically increase your exposure on LinkedIn as the “go to” person.  Its also a great place to get fodder for blog articles, and to re-purpose blog articles you have already written!

17.  Always be courteous:

LinkedIn is a business-networking site.  Be courteous.  Try to Answer Inmails, messages, and requests for introductions within 72 hours.  Remember your “Please” and Thank you”.  Help someone out.

18.  “Give” more than “Get”:

LinkedIn is a great place to get information, to get connections, to get clients, to get employees.  But follow the golden rule:  “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  Don’t spam.  Don’t infiltrate email boxes with constant sales messages.  Instead share valuable information via your groups, updates and answers and let clients come to you.

19.  Use Applications:

Everyday LinkedIn is adding more useful applications.  You can embed up to 8 in your profile.  Take a look and see which ones will be most useful to you.  I recommend their blogging apps (either Blog Link or WordPress), Box.net, Slideshare, Google Presentation (to show YouTube Video) Legal Updates and JD Supra if you are a lawyer, Amazon Treading List (especially if you are an author).

20.  Listen to my interviews and read my blog!

If you are more of an audio person – here are a few radio interviews:

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Permanent link to this article: http://linkedintobusiness.com/out-with-the-old-and-in-with-the-new-with-linkedin/

Sharing your upcoming event with LinkedIn

Categories:

LinkedIn Events, LinkedIn Strategies, LinkedIn Tips, Promoting events with LinkedIn, Uncategorized

December 30, 2010

by

December 30, 2010


There are several ways you can share your event with LinkedIn

• Events
• Forwarding Profiles
• Answers

Here’s a short video to show you how to do all three ☺

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Permanent link to this article: http://linkedintobusiness.com/sharing-your-upcoming-event-with-linkedin/

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