Using LinkedIn – 5 Easy-To-Follow Tips to Profit!

I have been busy this week learning about Social Media Marketing.

Now I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking this multi-headed mysterious monster marketing strategy doesn’t seem to be going away. In fact, it’s growing exponentially in popularity.

And that’s exactly why you may want to stick your toe in the water and see what it’s all about.

Charlie Cook has been hosting a terrific free teleseminar series on Social Media Marketing this week and today I wanted to pass along some big time tips from Linked IN expert Jan Vermeiren that can take you from newbie to not-so-newbie in a hurry.

Here are are 5 LinkedIn Fundamentals – from a pro – that you can use right now to start boosting your business:

1. Have the right attitude – Many people join LinkedIn thinking it’s like turning on a tap and watching new business leads come out. Not so. In fact, Jan doesn’t even like to describe LinkedIN as a medium for “give and take.” He finds the word “take” negative. He prefers “give and receive.” I’m with him.

2. People do business with people they know, like and trust – You’ve heard me bang this drum many times. And with good reason. It’s an immutable marketing “truth”. LinkedIn provides you with all kinds of opportunities to share information with others. You can do it one-on-one, join discussion groups, answer questions and on and on. LinkedIN, like much of the Social Media phenomenon, is the “new town square.” And each time you share, you have an opportunity to develop your KLT factor.

3. After you sign up on LinkedIN, check out the Advanced Search Screen – This, according to Jan, is the most important screen on the site. Here’s why: Let’s say you your target market is marketing managers at pharmaceutical companies with sales of $50M a year. You’re based in Dallas and you want to bump up your national client base. Using the advanced search, you type in all the parameters that pertain to what you want. eg. United States, Marketing Managers, pharmaceutical companies, $50M annual sales etc and watch the names that pop up on Linked IN.

4. Check who you are connected to! You gotta love this! Once you start building your connections, you will see that your target prospects are likely connected in some way to people in YOUR network. In other words, you have an opportunity for a referral.

5. Leave LinkedIN – Huh? I’m just getting going. Why would I want to leave?? This tip is why Jan was giving the presentation and I was sitting in my chair listening to him. Once you find someone who is a potential prospect that has a connection with one of YOUR connections, you pick up the phone and ask YOUR connection to send a “Magic Email” introducing you. Now, the level of relationship you have with your connections will determine the content of the email intro. It’s only intended to be a short hand off with a bit of background information which paves the way for a potential mutually beneficial discussion between you and someone in your connection’s network. Is THAT cool or what??!!

That will give you some idea of the potential of LinkedIN as a business tool. Next week, I’ll include some stuff about setting up your LinkedIN profile.

Gerry Black is a marketing writer based in Toronto, Ontario  who works with clients in Canada and the U.S. .

How to Create a LinkedIn Profile That Sells!

Your LinkedIn Profile is very important because it’s what anyone who refers you will use as
an introduction starting point.

If it’s weak, they won’t want to send anyone in their network to it.

This article identifies 6 ways you can inject some selling power into your LinkedIn profile.

1. Use your usual name. The one people know you by. And the one they will search on. If your clients and prospects know you as Bill Baker and you use William Baker, chances are they won’t find you.

2. Include your picture. And use one that shows you smiling. Remember, this is where you have an opportunity to send a message that you are a pleasant person to associate with. The last thing you want to do is look like the latest misbehaving celebrity on The Smoking Gun mug shot list.

3. Use LinkedIn’s Professional Headline to sell yourself. This is the most important part of your profile. When you join Groups in LinkedIn, a small profile of you will show up on the left hand side when you’re participating in group activity. Gerry Black, Helping Small Businesses Identify and Fix Costly Marketing Gaps is going to give me a lot more marketing traction than Gerry Black, Owner, Relax Communications. Simply go into Edit Your Profile and edit your headline to say what you want it to say. Now! Or you won’t do it.

4. In your profile, there’s a line where you can list your website. You can leave the default at My Company or edit it to give the reader a clear message about what you offer. The hyperlink to my site says, Marketing and Copywriting Help. Try to put something there that will make people click if they have an interest in what you offer. Google will pick up on this as well. Google likes LinkedIN.

5. If you display your Twitter link, make sure it isn’t set to “Yes, share all Tweets.” LinkedIn is a business environment. Not all Tweets are business related. You will upset some people if you’re a frequent Tweeter or Twitterer and prone to ranting about your neighbour’s cat or why the good laundry detergent never goes on sale.

6. In your Public Profile, make sure your name is there. Also, in the Summary section, use plain English. Save the jargon and buzzwords for your Specialty section.

That’s it for today. See ya next week.

Gerry Black is a marketing writer based in Toronto, Ontario who works with clients in Canada and the United States.