want more sales? my top 8 linked in do's & dont's

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Want More Sales?My Top 8 LinkedIn Do’s & Dont's

For Referral Marketing!

WARNING MESSAGE!


• These are my personal DOs & DONTs for Referral Marketing!

• They reflect my usage & my business goals - yours usage and priorities might be different - thats perfectly fine!

• LinkedIn’s UI (& their business model) is constantly updated with new functionality or old favourites get axed - so this list might change over time!

• The internet is full of excellent “how to” LinkedIn articles + many social media experts who can teach you the basics! This presentation is not one of them!

What You Will See


• Introduction• Some Initial Thoughts• Some Basic LinkedIn FactsThe Top 10

Dos & Dont’s• Some added hints, tips & tricksFinal

Thoughts


• LinkedIn is a business-oriented & professional social networking service founded in 2002. August 2014 - LinkedIn reports >310 million acquired users in 200 countries.

• "LinkedIn is, far and away, the most advantageous social networking tool available to job seekers and business professionals today," according to Forbes Magazine.

• Is networking, word-of-mouth, referrals and recommendations important to your business, then LinkedIn is probably an ideal tool for prospecting and connecting for you ie Social Selling

• How can you make LinkedIn work for you for business networking and referral marketing? Follow these DOs & DONTs and see them work for you!

Introduction

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_networking_service

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_virtual_communities_with_more_than_100_million_active_users


• LinkedIn has evolved from being the “facebook for business” concerned with job opportunities to being a fully featured sales solutions for businesses looking to connect with its customers.

• Good behaviour on LinkedIn gets the same results as in real life business networking.

• Getting great results from using LinkedIn to help your business & marketing efforts as ever takes hard work, discipline, perseverance and a plan!

• It ticks the 4 best low-cost marketing techniques available to all new and small businesses:

1. networking (letting people know you exist)2. reputation (building up perceived expertise, endorsements and recommendations)3. social media (of course LinkedIn is one of the best)4. referral marketing (social selling through asking for referrals, prospecting etc.).

Some Initial Thoughts


• It has now passed 300 million users & growing• There are now over 1 billion LinkedIn endorsements• 41% of LinkedIn visits are now via mobile• LinkedIn has 5,000 employees & worth an estimated $7.5 billion• 2.1 million LinkedIn groups• Average time a user spends a month on LinkedIn is >20

minutes• Top 5 countries by user numbers are. USA 93M, India 24M,

Brazil 16M, UK 15M and Canada 9M.• Top 3 fastest growing countries are Turkey, Colombia and

Indonesia• ALL YOUR PAST, CURRENT & FUTURE CUSTOMERS IN ONE

PLACE!

Some Basic 2014 LinkedIn Facts


• Basic functionality of LinkedIn allows users (workers and employers) to create profiles and "connections" to each other in an online social network which may represent real-world professional relationships.

• Users can invite anyone (whether a site user or not) to become a connection. However, if the invitee selects "I don't know" or "Spam", this counts against the inviter.

• This list of connections can then be used in a number of ways - Obtaining introductions to the connections of connections (termed 2nd-degree connections) and connections of 2nd-degree connections (termed 3rd-degree connections). Users can find jobs, people and business opportunities recommended by someone in one's contact network.

• Employers can list jobs and search for potential candidates. Job seekers can review the profile of hiring managers and discover which of their existing contacts can introduce them.

• Users can post their own photos and view photos of others to aid in identification.• Users can follow different companies and can receive notifications about the new

joining and offers available. Users can save (i.e. bookmark) jobs that they would like to apply for.

• Users can "like" and "congratulate" each other's updates and new employments. Users can recommend and endorse their contacts.

• Users can see who has visited their profile page.• The "gated-access approach" (where contact with any professional requires either an

existing relationship, or the intervention of a contact of theirs) is intended to build trust among the service's users.

The Basic Linked-In User Functionality

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_network


• Available on web & mobile + ancillary services & applications eg Slideshare & Cardmunch.

• Allows for Group discussions, company pages and special pages to highlight jobs or specialised products or services which people can follow, and comment on your updates.

• Keep abreast of the news - follow the LinkedIn blog where all new developments are highlighted.

• LinkedIn derives its revenues from three business divisions:• Talent Solutions: Recruiters and corporations pay for branded pages

complete with careers section. Pay per click-through Job ads that are targeted to users who match the job profile. Access to the database of LinkedIn users and resumes.

• Marketing Solutions: advertisers pay for pay per click-through targeted ads.

• Premium Subscriptions: eg LinkedIn JobSeeker for users looking for a job; LinkedIn Sales for Sales Professionals + services paid for on a per use basis like InMail.

Some More Functionality


My 8 LinkedInDo’s & Dont's

For Referral Marketing


• The point of being on LinkedIn is to connect with real professionals. You don't need to have more connections than someone else. This isn't a popularity contest.

• Sometimes it's OK to ignore connection requests. Remember, this isn't Facebook or Twitter.

• Some people choose not to connect with anyone they haven't met or done business with in real life. LinkedIn, after all, says you should only “connect with those you know and trust.”

• Others may opt to decline requests from people who seem like spammers or someone who simply didn’t take the time to customize his or her connection request.

• Whatever your policy remember the bigger your LinkedIn network the better your ability to prospect into companies and the less need there is to spend money on an expensive LinkedIn sales solutions.

• If you got to any networking event or meeting, then connect with the people there, and use LinkedIn’s own inbuilt CRM tools to record where and when your met them and your follow-up actions.

• It is an efficient tool for keeping in touch and keeping the conversation going for people to meet, and to introduce them to your connects.

• And remember the more connections you have the greater your reach for any Posts you write to build up your perceived reputation and expertise.

No1 - Do Connect


• Fill out your page completely with all the important details of your business, employment history, education, awards etc.

• An incomplete profile simply doesn't look good on LinkedIn. So make sure you fill out all the sections that apply to your business.

• Be sure to put the most critical details about yourself or your business on top, so people won't miss them. Explain exactly what your company is, who your clients are and how you help them.

• A LinkedIn profile with a photo is 11 times more likely to be viewed and updates with a photograph get five times more shares. So, yes, you want to have photos on your page.

• You want to stand out on LinkedIn, right? There are hundreds of millions of people searching LinkedIn and your profile should be easily found by the people who are searching for the types of services you provide.

• To help improve the chances of your name appearing in LinkedIn's internal search results, include keywords in your profile that are related to your business and industry. Think of these keywords as the words a potential client would type when searching LinkedIn.

• Don’t forget your awards, projects, causes you support etc to finish off your profile, and make you seem even more rounded and desirable from your competitors.

No2 - Do Complete Your Profile


• There are now over 1 billion LinkedIn endorsements LinkedIn has a new feature called "Endorsements." It allows users to endorse skills or expertise of any members in their network - including skills they haven't listed. This allows potential networking partners to quickly identify your strengths.

• So, how should you take advantage of this new feature? Before you send a mass email asking your entire network for endorsements, remember that networking, first and foremost, is about connecting people with value. Whether it's through your expertise, or someone else's skill, your goal is always be to bring value to your network.

• Consider these three tips for using endorsements on LinkedIn:

1. Endorse others first and endorse fairly.(just as with referrals). Begin endorsing your network first before asking for endorsements from others. You'll equip others to see where their strengths lie but this means you have to be honest. Don't just click on all the skills someone has listed, think about it and only choose those areas of expertise you'd be willing to put your reputation on the line for. As a bonus, the people you endorse will be notified about your actions though LinkedIn, which means they may return the favor.

2.Keep it easy for your 'inner circle.' Everyone has a professional inner circle of about 10 to 20 people we can call at any time to ask for a small favor or advice. These are the people we should be approaching first, but it should be personal and easy. Send your inner circle a personal e-mail or a call and ask if they've heard about the new endorsements feature on LinkedIn. Then let them know that you've already endorsed them and you'd appreciate it if they could pick one or two skills of yours to endorse. Not everything -- just one or two. That's how you can keep it personal and easy.

3.No mass e-mails. The last thing you want to do is send an e-mail blast to everyone on your list. A mass email or message asking for a favor is likely to feel like spam and be ignored.

No3 - Do Ask For Endorsements

http://blog.linkedin.com/2012/09/24/introducing-endorsements-give-kudos-with-just-one-click/


• LinkedIn is a fantastic opportunity for business people to get that social proof that their abilities and skills match their “marketing” message.

• Reputation is a key differentiator from your competitors who often have the same professional qualification - having people recommending you (as with endorsements) is for people to see that others value your work

• It is also a fair exchange also for free advice to be given a recommendation - CLICK HERE

• Recommend others first just as with referrals. Recommend people in your network first before asking for recommendations from others. As with endorsements, start with your Inner Circle or people who have especially impressed you. As a bonus, the people you endorse will be notified about your actions though LinkedIn, which means they may return the favor.

• So, how should you take advantage of this new feature? Before you send a mass email or message asking your entire network for recommendations, remember that networking is still about connecting people with value whether through your expertise or someone else's skill.

No4 - Do Ask For Recommendations

http://www.conspicuous-cbm.com/want-more-sales-get-a-recommendation-for-free/


• “For me, the No1 top marketing tip would be to write, write, write. Become an expert in your field so people want to follow you because when they follow you, they’re more likely to do business with you.” - Ivan Meinser, Founder Of BNI

• 2014 LinkedIn announced its new content strategy that allows “all members” to create and publish long form content on LinkedIn. This means that as a professional you can now display your knowledge and expertise to your peers and to the world. It is easy to use and allows you to even embed images and links.

• How important is this? For Linkedin it will make it more attractive as a “go to” place for reading thought provoking insights and also possibly the latest news and trends in an industry. It will drive engagement and also potentially increase time its users spend on the platform.

• For you? As a blogger or online publisher you can now create and display your content on LinkedIn. This provides another place to build thought leadership and create personal brand awareness through the power of content. For potential and current thought leaders it is an opportunity to shine in an ecosystem of over 300 million global professionals.

• If you get the headline right and the topic resonates with your audience it can appear on the homepage of LinkedIn.

• This is what can happen according to one well know blogger Jeff Bullas on a recent post - >160k views in 24 hours + 736 comments, 2,146 LinkedIn likes, 7,129 LinkedIn shares and 1,110 retweets on Twitter. Appeared on the homepage of LinkedIn; #2 ranked post for views on LinkedIn for the day; #3 article globally for the week!

• For him it demonstrated the new potential for writers and publishers on LinkedIn. Have something to say?….. then maybe its worth crafting a LinkedIn post or repurposing one of your past top blog posts. As ever publish it first on your “owned” online digital asset, such as your website or blog, then share it on LinkedIn to “earn” some additional attention and engagement.

No5 - Do Post

http://www.conspicuous-cbm.com/want-more-sales-do-some-writing-on-linkedin/



• Sending LinkedIn messages to dozens of your contacts with sales messages is not going to endear you to them! Slow down the sale to speed it up is always good advice.

• At least uncheck the option “allow recipients to see each other’s names and email addresses

• Try not to be offensive or too funny or too controversial in comments - this is a worldwide social network. Humour and language does not travel well if your indisciplined.

• If you are an Internet Troll by nature - leave it somewhere else, because if not you will soon be perceived as un-referable!

• But do make an effort to reach out and inter-act with your contacts - keeping touch on LinkedIn is as important as the real world - after all it is a social network.

No6 - Don’t Spam


• LinkedIn is now a fully featured sales solutions for businesses looking to connect with its customers.


• Getting great results from using LinkedIn to help your business takes hard work, discipline, perseverance and a plan!

• Being open for business on LinkedIn is the same as being open in the “real” world - answer your messages and connection requests quickly.

• Make sure you connect LinkedIn to an email address you check to get alerts and notifications or make sure you have the window or app opened constantly on your connected device of choice.

• Not responding has the same impact here as in the real world - reputation is damaged and people will then struggle to refer you on.

• This especially true of connection requests, recommendation requests etc. that use a LinkedIn workflow - speed impresses slowness does not!

No7 - Don’t Delay


• Getting great results from using LinkedIn to help your business takes hard work, discipline, perseverance and a plan!

• Twitter and Facebook have a different demographic and social engagement model. How you converse on one is not the same as conversing on another.

• Marketing messages can be the same across all social media platforms but how you intereact with people is not always the same.

• Twitter has a one to many model which makes the conversations on them very open. That can be a risk if people read into something you did not mean to say and damages your reputation.

• Facebook’s personal aspects don’t translate to business - keep you business message to your business fan page.

• So use LinkedIn for Business not for social fun, but remember to show your personality - don’t be a robot!

No8 - Don’t Treat This Like Twitter or Facebook


• Do you know you can keep a record of conversations and set reminders - LinkedIn has now become a mini CRM

• Do you know you can post on it everyday - Blogging is now as easy as anything to build your reputation

• Do you know you can exports your LinkedIn contacts into excel for use elesewhere - CLICK HERE

• Do you know you can post your Slideshare presentations and other evidence of your good work to your profiles including photos, video testimonials etc.

• Do you know that you can create a company page and showcase pages to interact with you followers with posts of interest on your business and products / services. Make sure it is complete and all your employees link to it in their personal profiles.

• Do you know that you can set up a group to promote you and your business interests• Do you know you can follow LinkedIn’s own “company” - LinkedIn Sales Solutions at

https://www.linkedin.com/company/linkedin-sales-solutions for more fantastic hints, tips and tricks on social selling.

• Don’t forget the excellent LinkedIn Blog for more news, hints, tips and tricks.• Do you know that if you have an iPhone, you can use the LinkedIn Connect app to

remind you of all those important anniversaries of your contacts to say well done or congrats - great for building relationships!

Some added hints, tips & tricks

https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140810191323-3188984-have-you-exported-your-contacts-out-of-linkedin-you-should?trk=prof-post

https://www.linkedin.com/company/linkedin-sales-solutions


• LinkedIn has gown and added more functionality over the last 10 years

• It has evolved from social connections to social selling.• It is where all your customers for many businesses are

present (16M in the UK alone!) - the trick as ever is to find them & connect to them!

• If you generate business through recommendations, relationships and referrals then LinkedIn has to be an essential part of your selling process

• Follow the DOs & DONTs to get the most out of LinkedIn and make the most from this fantastical tool.

• Do this before your competitors do!

Final Thoughts

Contact Us


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