Presented by Karen Porter UM School of Business Administration & ImpactOnlineMarketing.com LinkedIn for Business Growth 9/19/2013ImpactOnlineMarketing.com

LinkedIn: Smart Tool for Leads Hubspot study LinkedIn vs. Facebook and Twitter. LinkedIn proved to be the most effective social media channel for lead generation - 277% more effective We’ll cover: Tips and techniques to get the most out of LinkedIn’s networking & social sharing capabilities Also: Goals, Profiles, Connections, Groups, Updates, Endorsements and Recommendations, and more… 9/19/2013ImpactOnlineMarketing.com

Setting Your LinkedIn Goals Determine what it is you want to accomplish Develop (or modify) your profile to reinforce goals If you’ve changed careers, focus most on current one Align time spent on LinkedIn to activities that achieve your goals Don’t let the distraction trap eat up your time 9/19/2013ImpactOnlineMarketing.com

Manage Your Profiles Manage your Profile vs. your Public Profile (did you know you have TWO?) LinkedIn.com/settings (you must be logged in) Edit Your Profile>> where you complete and edit your profile Edit Your Public Profile>> where you determine what the public sees Be transparent (to the extent appropriate for your industry) 9/19/2013ImpactOnlineMarketing.com

Create a Stellar Profile Develop a stand-out Profile Headshot Keyword rich Description (line right under name) – VERY important Summary – gets much focus (take it seriously) Rest of profile – still important so be very thoughtful  Words in profile drive your “Skills” that will presented to others to endorse (those that automatically appear)  Ex: Real estate agent skill listed as dog grooming Specific accomplishments vs. ‘hollow’ wording 9/19/2013ImpactOnlineMarketing.com

Make Your Profile “Complete” A strong profile is one that is complete LinkedIn will walk you through and let you know where you stand Profile “Strength” level appears on Profile page in right sidebar Leveraging ‘extras’: example is rich media content Go to Profile > Edit > Summary section Add key papers, videos, podcasts, etc. 9/19/2013ImpactOnlineMarketing.com

Connections and Updates Grow your connections list – Like 7 Degrees of Kevin Bacon The more people you personally connect to, the more connections you have to leverage through your network The 500+ milestone Make use of Updates (just like posting on Twitter and Facebook) Use time saving techniques… Can directly link Twitter and LinkedIn (do in Settings) Use a social posting tool like Hootsuite to pre-populate 9/19/2013ImpactOnlineMarketing.com

Join Relevant Groups Go to Interests > Groups > use Search function Note size and activity level of groups Join active groups where there is lots of discussion Great way to be proactive in targeting your market Participate regularly Be helpful and discreet Huge benefit: Direct access to anyone in Group No 1 st level connection? No problem! Join Groups relevant to your goals and participate Be helpful and discreet, never overtly “salesy” Participate regularly Be helpful and discreet Do not be pushy or “salesy” in your messages Huge benefit: You have direct access to anyone in same group Not a 1 st level connection? No problem! Join groups relevant to your goals and participate in those groups Be helpful and discreet, never overtly “salesy” 9/19/2013ImpactOnlineMarketing.com

LinkedIn Company Pages Can add a company page Description / company profile Logo Other photos Other details Make as complete as you wish Can now post and respond as your company/business vs. only as yourself LinkedIn posts are taken more seriously than posts on any other social network 9/19/2013 ImpactOnlineMarketing.com

LinkedIn Advertising Not necessarily the best way to go – quite expensive An alternative for those wanting to get in front of a particular audience Can directly reach that group without having to “work at it” more indirectly Con: never has the same level of credibility as direct interaction and personal interface 9/19/2013ImpactOnlineMarketing.com

LinkedIn Best Practices Endorse others and request they endorse you Recommend others/request they recommend you Be selective with recommendations (want well- conceived and well-written recommendations) Always be discreet and helpful – selling directly is never the goal (frowned upon and leads to a reputation as a LinkedIn spammer) Have fun with it - don’t let it bog you down 9/19/2013ImpactOnlineMarketing.com

Questions? 9/19/2013ImpactOnlineMarketing.com