5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Session Agenda
• Maximize your presence
• Attract followers
• Engage followers
• Measure engagement
• LinkedIn ads
• LinkedIn posts
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
About Me
• Passion for all things technology, the web, photography and sports
• Husband and father of two boys
• 14 Years a WebLinker
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
About WebLink• SaaS Company (Software as a Service), Leading Software Provider
to Chambers of Commerce and Business Associations
• Established in 1996, 50 Employees, based in Indianapolis, IN
• 94% Customer Retention Rate
• Based in Indianapolis, Indiana
• 94% Customer Retention Rate
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
About WebLink• Membership
Management Software
• Website Design & Development
• Non-Dues Revenue Programs
• Partner in Your Success
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Why bother using LinkedIn?
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
LinkedIn Stats
• 300 Million Users
• 3 Million Company Pages
• 1.5 Million Groups
• 42% of users update profile regularly
• 81% of users belong to at least one group
• 50% have Bachelor’s or Master’s degree
Sources: Business 2 Community, LinkedIn
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
43% of marketers have acquired a customer through LinkedIn.
Source: HubSpot, 2013 State of Inbound Marketing
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
LinkedIn = Better Conversions
LinkedIn generated the highest visitor-to-lead conversion at almost
3 times higher other social platforms.
Source: HubSpot Internal Customer Study
Linked In:
Twitter:
Facebook:
2.74%0.69%
0.77%
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
LinkedIn = Big Deal for Business
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Which best describes your knowledge of LinkedIn?
Little or no knowledge
12%
Limited41%
Moderate43%
Extensive4%
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Do you store your members’ LinkedIn pages and profiles in your association management software?
Unsure33%
We don’t have that feature in
our system53%
We have LinkedIn data stored for a FEW of our members
12%
We have LinkedIn data
stored for MOST of our members
2%
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
How is your staff using LinkedIn?
No one at our organization is using LinkedIn
8%
Staff uses LinkedIn but we don’t use it as
an organization37%
We have a company page but don’t do
much to engage40%
We update our company page
often and engage in
discussions15%
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
8%
37%
40%
15%
How is your staff using LinkedIn?
No one at our organization isusing LinkedIn
Staff uses LinkedIn but we don’t use it as an organization
We have a company page but don’t do much to engage
We update our company pageoften and engage in discussions
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
5%
46%
49%
How is your staff using LinkedIn?
It’s essential for us and makes a big impact on membership
We use LinkedIn but it hasn’t made a big impact
LinkedIn has not made anyimpact on our organization
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
33%
53%
12%2%
How is your staff using LinkedIn?
Unsure
We don’t have that feature in our system
We have LinkedIn data storedfor a FEW of our members
We have LinkedIn data storedfor MOST of our members
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
How much of an impact has LinkedIn made to your organization?
It’s essential for us and makes a big impact on membership
5%
We use LinkedIn but it hasn’t made a big
impact46%
LinkedIn has not made any
impact on our organization
49%
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
How Can LinkedIn Benefit Your Organization?
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Extend Your Reach
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Increase Member Engagement
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Increase Member Engagement
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Grow Your Membership
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Maximize Your Presence
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
• Company Type
• Company size
• Website URL
• Industry (Non-Profit)
• Operating Status
• Year Founded
• Locations
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
• Company Name
• Description
• Language
• Admins
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Add Products and Services
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Add Products and Services
• Big event
• Benefit programs
• Affinity programs
• Government affairs efforts
• Membership tiers
• Foundation
• Educational programs
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Add Products and Services
• Name
• Category
• Description
• Image
• Company contact
• URL
• YouTube Video
• Features/Benefits
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Get Recommendations
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Add Job Listings
1 2
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Connect Your Blog
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Connect Your Blog
• Auto-post or schedule posts via Hootsuite or other service
• Buffer now supports LinkedIn pages
• Or, post manually each time
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Post Updates
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Targeted Content
• Company size
• Industry
• Job function
• Seniority
• Geography
• Include/Exclude company employees
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
LinkedIn Pages vs. Groups
Pages
• Add many more details about your organization
• Images
• Product/services
• Anyone can see updates and interact
Groups
• Private
• Have to join to see what’s going on
• Require moderation
• Good for discussion among group members
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Attract Followers
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Send Invites
• Co-workers
• Members
• Industry thought leaders
• Business associates
• Tell them why they’ll benefit
• Reward them?
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Create a campaign strategy
• Create editorial calendarfor posts (Plan!)
• Add link/icon on your website to LinkedIn page
• Email signature
• Reward users for following you or sharing your posts
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Leverage LinkedIn Groups
• Start conversations
• Give members a reason to share content or comment
• Join related or similar groups
• Post questions & content in these groups as well
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Engage Followers
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Content!
• Use content as question prompts
• Answers to common questions
• Blog posts
• Webinars
• Events
• Discussion questions
• Research, case studies, whitepapers
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Creating Great Content
• Understand your audience
• Connect with them
• Give them information they want & need
• Use emotion
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Tell a story
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Creating Great Content
• Informative
– Expertise
– Tips
– Insight
• Different
– Personality
– Fresh Take
– Surprises
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
The TwoYutes
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
What does “My Cousin Vinny” and the Two Yutes have to
do with creating content?
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
The Three “U”s
• Unique
• Useful
• Updated
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Great Content
“Don’t interrupt what people are interested in. Be what people are interested in.”
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
This isn’t the content you’re looking for
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
LinkedIn Posting: Best Practices
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Use Images (98% higher comment rate)
Source: LinkedIn
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Include Links (drives 2x engagement)
Source: LinkedIn
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Add Videos (75% higher share rate)
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
More Best Practices
• KISS (Keep it Short & Simple)
• Give audience a reason to engage
• Ask questions
– Worst/best customer service
– Biggest business mistake/success
– Hiring tips
– Networking advice
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
More Best Practices
• 80/20 rule - post 4 audience-focused items for every 1 promoting your organization
• Mix entertaining, inspirational with informative and insightful posts
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
More Best Practices
• Engage your co-workers
• Share updates
• Add comments
• LinkedIn Company Page, Groups and your own personal accounts
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Clear Calls To Action
• Sign up for an event
• Share an article
• Download a case study
• Tell their story
• Take a survey
• Contact their representative
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Frequency
Companies that post 20 times per month reach at least 60% of their audience (LinkedIn)
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Thank Your Recommenders!
• Send LinkedIn messages
• Mention/tag them on Twitter or Facebook
• Thank you notes
• Phone calls
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Measure Engagement
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Insight & Analytics
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
View Your Followers
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Website Traffic
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Try LinkedIn Ads
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Sponsored Updates Resources
• 3 Steps to Targeting LinkedIn Sponsored Updates
• How-To Use LinkedIn Sponsored Updates Campaign Options [VIDEO]
• Making Changes to Your Sponsored Updates On The Go [VIDEO]
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Have You Tried LinkedIn Ads?
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Bonus Tip – For your members
Add members’ social media links on their listing on your website. Connect them with potential customers.
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Use your AMS to store members’ profile data
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Personal Profile Tips
• Professional Photo!
• Concise description
• Use keywords
• Complete education and work history, with descriptions
• Make connections!
• Ask for recommendations and endorsements
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
WebLink Recap: An Integrated Solution
• ONE web-based centralized database
• Prospects, members, non-members and all reps in same system
• Financials, events, email, committees, website, reporting
Central DB
Financial System
Website
Email Marketing
Members
Events
Prospects
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Association & Chamber Websites
• 500+ client websites
• WebLink Local business directory drives 67% increase in traffic from organic searches
• Adds value for members
• Responsive website design
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
iPad App for Mobile Commerce
• Sell memberships
• Event registrations
• Integrated credit card reader
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Additional Resources
• 4 Reasons Your LinkedIn Company Page Needs Work
• In Good Company: How Best In Class Marketers Use LinkedIn Company Pages To Grow Their Business
• Announcing The 12 Best LinkedIn Company Pages of 2012 [SLIDESHOW]
• 20 Tips to Amplify Your Brand on LinkedIn [SLIDESHOW]
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Additional Resources
• 15 Tips for Compelling Company Updates on LinkedIn
• Creating the Right Content for Your Association's Content Marketing Strategy
• Why Chambers and Associations Have A Content Marketing Advantage
• Using Google Analytics for Chambers and Associations
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
Webinar Summary
• Great content
• Right audience
• Right time
• Right channel
• Ways to respond
• Ways to share
• Engage your audience
• Stand out from the crowd
5 Steps to Growing Your Membership Through LinkedIn © WebLink International#WebLinkedIn
“Turn strangers
into friends.
Turn friends into
customers.
Turn customers
into salespeople.”
- Seth Godin
WebLink International3905 Vincennes Road, Suite 210 Indianapolis, IN 46268P 317-872-3909 | 1-877-231-4970 | F 317-872-3929
weblinkinternational.com | weblinkblog.com
Benji Craig
WebLink International
3905 West Vincennes Road, Suite 210
Indianapolis, IN 46268
1-877-231-4970
https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjicraig
https://twitter.com/benjicraig