how to use linked in to advance your business

How to Use LinkedIn to Advance your Business

Friday December 20, 2013Presented to: SENG Networking Group, Lutherwood

Gordon Diver, Diverse Achievements@gdiver62

diverseachievements.com Gordon Diver [email protected]


About Gordon

Principal at Diverse Achievements, focuses on Micro and Solo Entrepreneurs. Helping these organizations level the playing field with overall business strategies, primarily in Marketing, Social Media training, CRM business processes.

What we’re not - social media ‘gurus’. I’m an experienced business strategist, having been a worker bee, a manager and a solo entrepreneur.

Digital Strategist at AptiSense (Kelly Craft, Founder) focuses on primarily the SMB markets. Helping these organizations build effective strategies, then use proven tactics and business processes to reach their goals as “Social Business” leaders in their industries. We focus on CRM, Social, Digital Marketing and more.

We occupy the middle ground

We’re tacticians as well.


Evidence of LinkedIn Power

A survey by Ardath Albee and Jill Konrath discovered:

• LinkedIn contributes opportunities (4.9% lots, 39.4% several)

• 61.4% of respondents were able to initiate offline conversations

• Most valuable activities, sharing relevant content and showcasing personal expertise

• Biggest concerns; Not knowing how to use it (58.0%) and not having time to learn (41.2%).

Get full information here: http://bit.ly/Crack-LI-Sales-Code


What we’ll cover

• Quick overview of LinkedIn Profile

• Quick overview of Company Pages

• Deeper look at the Search abilities within LinkedIn

• How to effectively use LinkedIn to add to your personal and professional networks.

• LinkedIn Etiquette


Your Profile Keys to a proper Profile:1. First and foremost, complete

your entire profile.2. Claim your name “URL” 3. Avoid rewriting your resume,

instead focus on key stories that reflect your skills that your prospects and connections will need to know.4. Take advantage of the “Summary” area to demonstrate your services.5. Use a professional photo

Build your profile, connect with those you

know

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Your contact information

Know how you want your connections to be able to contact you. There are lots of opportunities for them to reach you. Choose wisely.

You can protect who sees want on your profile in your settings.

If you’re just starting out: Go here

You can connect up to 3 web addresses, all can point to

one site. For ex, Blog, Services and FAQ

http://slidesha.re/1gEgat0


Build you NetworkNow that you’ve built your profile, it’s time to make connections.

You’ll note that folks have taken two tactics for the most part being an Open Networker (LION) or being a Trusted Networker.

There is a third more valuable way, choose the middle and be strategic about who you connect with.

Your success will depend on how much you give, as much as you get.


How to Add Contacts

LinkedIn is a great way to stay in touch with professionals you know. You may not work with them today, but might be able to help them or they you in the near future – it’s your virtual rolodex.

Add connections by uploading your email contacts into LinkedIn and connect other social networks. In addition, LinkedIn will provide you with suggestions of people you might know, based on your connections. For example Randy, is in Calgary and we are connected on G+ and have many mutual acquaintances.


LinkedIn Company Pages


Getting started with your Page

To Create a LinkedIn Company Page you must meet these requirements:

Be an employee of the company

Your position is listed in your Experience section

You have a company email address

Your company email domain is unique to your business

Your profile strength must be intermediate

You have several connections already in place.


LinkedIn adding your Services

1. Go to main company page and choose “Products”

2. Click Edit Page and then choose “add a product or service”

3. After you fill it all out, click publish and your good to go.

It may seem daunting, but it is really worth your time and effort

Get more detailed instructions by clicking here.

http://www.slideshare.net/GDiver62/linked-in-company-page-creationdec13


LinkedIn Search

Basic LinkedIn Account Premium LinkedIn Account

Full Profiles of 1st and 2nd degree Full Profiles of 1st and 2nd degrees

Profile Summaries of Third degree

Full names of network and groups

A Maximum of 100 profiles Summaries for out of network profiles

Basic Search Filters Premium filters to refine

Extensive results – varies by category


LinkedIn is Networking Power

Quickly identify who can help you connect.


LinkedIn: Save your Search

On the Basic version, you can save three searches for future reference.

One of the added advantages is that LinkedIn will send you an alert when new names are added to your saved search criteria, directly to your InBox.


LinkedIn is Networking Power

Based on our search results, Scott might be someone I’d like to connect with.

What should be the next step?


LinkedIn looking into his Company


See who we know in common

You’ll see how you’re connected and who is the best person to make a “warm’ introduction for you.

What other way could I connect with Scott?


Create Tags for your Contacts

Add tags to your connections based on role, industry, how you know them, etc. to make it easier to find relevant people when needed


LinkedIn Groups

LinkedIn allows you to be a member of 50 different groups.

Best practices suggest joining industry, alumni, association groups of interest and groups where your prospective customers might be in.

When you join a group – it’s to be a friendly and helpful contributor, by starting and sharing in conversations.

It’s not about asking for business.


LinkedIn Etiquette

Asking someone to connect – Please write a personal message why

Recommendations and Endorsements – only ask those who can honestly do so.

Avoid “Cat pictures” and overly personalized posts – it’s a professional network; but your humanity should shine through

Funny is ok – tasteless, not so good!

Use a good, clean professional photo

Share relevant and timely information, that will be of interest to your connections.


LinkedIn Rich MediaIn 2013, LinkedIn added the ability to add rich media to your LinkedIn profile.

This is not only a great boon to those in creative industries, but for the rest of us as well. In fact, you can find the SlideShare decks I’ve created and posted on my LinkedIn profile.

You can add, video, pictures, documents and much more.

Here’s a great deck from LinkedIn on how to do so: Add Rich Media to your Profile.

http://slidesha.re/JLfNif


How to Add Rich Media.


LinkedIn: The Big Pet Peeve

It’s about making it as easy as possible for the person you’d like to connect with to say yes.

To succeed, be succinct, yet personal.


An Example of Success

In LinkedIn Sales Secrets Revealed, Jill Konrath provides some excellent examples. Read how Robbie Johnson of SPS Commerce landed a $500k contract, 9 months after being told to drop pursuing the company he eventually worked with.

The secret to his success, effective networking and the power of LinkedIn to identify the right contacts. He was able to use LinkedIn to determine who might be in a position to help him get a “warm” introduction. By connecting through groups, he built up a relationship with the right – key person that he could help.

http://bit.ly/LI-Sales-Secrets


Thank You for your time

It’s been a pleasure to meet with you.

As a thank you for your attention, I’d be happy to do a review of your LinkedIn profile and recommend suggestions to you to get the most from it.

Drop me an email or connect with me on LinkedIn here.

http://www.linkedin.com/in/gordondiver

how to use linked in to advance your business

Technology

evidence of linkedin

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company email address

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crm business processes

main company page