LinkedIn forCommunicators:

You're on it...but have you embraced it?

Phil NugentNCG Strategic Marketing, LLC

NCGmarketing.com

Boulder Writers AllianceNovember 5, 2016

© 2016 NCG Strategic Marketing

You are...

AcademicsArtistsCopywritersEditorsMarketersNovelistsPoetsPublic RelationsScreenwritersStorytellersTechnical writers(Web) designersOther...?

You are also...

EmployeesJob seekersFreelancersEntrepreneursOther...?

I am...A marketing guyA JD/MBA (seeking balance)Survivor of 1990s tech bubbleFormer Fortune 500 directorof global marketing Founder of NCG StrategicMarketing (2009 - present)Focused on marketing forattorneys & accountants (andother smart people)LinkedIn trainer andstrategist since 2007

What do youthink aboutLinkedIn? a) Love itb) Hate itc) Somewhere in the middle

Why?

15 questions you'reasking about

LinkedIn

1. Does it matter that thecool kids are sitting at a

different table?

In the high-school cafeteria of social media,LinkedIn is the captain of the debate team (i.e.,it's not even Facebook, let alone IG or Snapchat)

But isn't geeky actually cool these days?And what's cooler than finding a new client or yournext job?

LinkedIn's geek cred

470 million users worldwide (6% of world pop)28% (135 million) in U.S.LinkedIn's long-term goal: 3 billion users

Gettin' geeky: Avg age (44) & college edu (2x FB/Tw norm) 42% of U.S. adults on the platform

But just 30% of all social media usersIs that good? (Yes.)

110 million (23%) visit LI at least once/monthUsed by 93% of all recruiters todayOnly 8% of recent high school seniors were on LI

But 41% of millionaires use it

2. But really...is LinkedIn worththe bother?

1. It's where potential clients & hiring mgrs can find you2. It's where YOU can find potential clients & hiring mgrs3. It's where you can find out ABOUT these individuals --- Who’s the right person to talk to in an organization?

--- What can I find out about this person?

--- Who else is on his or her team? Do I know any of them?

--- Who might be able to make an introduction for me?

--- What should I know about them before our first meeting?

Just to repeat:

There are 470 millionbusinesspeople on LinkedIn

Some of them want to hire someone just like you.

(Don't you want them to be able to find you?)

3. How is LinkedIn like agym membership?

Just being a member doesn't do anything for you.

People are saying:

"I've been on LinkedIn foryears...and it hasn't done

anything for me."

1. Is your profile complete AND compelling?2. How many connections do you have?3. How much do you engage with others & publish posts?4. Have you used it proactively for business development?

I say:

4. What are the four stepsto LinkedIn success?

ONE: Make your profile complete AND compellingTWO: Grow your network (past, present, future)

THREE: Engage with your connections & publish postsFOUR: Drive biz dev campaigns via Adv Search

5. Is my profileimportant?

Very.

LinkedIn's seven ingredientsfor a 100% complete profile

(and why you want to be an All-Star)

1. Industry & location (but don't go too local) 2. Profile photo (but don't go too Facebook)3. Current position (don't be shy)4. Two previous positions (ditto)5. Education (reverse order recommended; HS optional)6. At least three skills (e.g., Writing, Editing, Drinking Coffee)7. At least 50 connections (please!)

My additional, 7-step processfor a really complete (and

compelling) profile1. Professional headline (NYC's Fifth Ave; 120 characters)2. Summary (2,000 char; storytelling; Who's your market?)3. Descriptive job descriptions (2,000 characters EACH!)4. Content modules (orgs, publications, awards...) 5. Contact Info (to share email, phone, websites, Twitter)6. LinkedIn URL: Customize it (don't criticize it) 7. Keywords: Don't be shy (Dept. of Redundancy Dept.)

6. Am I connecting with(enough of) the right people?

QUANTITY VS. QUALITY

The more LinkedInconnections, the merrier

Pro: You'll make it into a lotmore LI searches

Con: It won't matter (most ofyour connections aren'trelevant to your career)

Takeaway: Inviting the wholeworld to a party at your house

Do you meet my very highstandards for a LI connection?

Pro: You'll know everyone inyour network very, very well

Con: It won't matter (you don'thave enough connections tofind - and get found by - others)

Takeaway: Your brand newBMW is stuck in your garage

Connections: The Great Debate

7. What don't Iknow aboutinvitations?

More than you might think.

More than you might think.

Should you accept invitations?

Is it from a real person? (Hints: How complete is theirprofile? Do they have endorsements & recommend's?)Are they a potential client or referral source?Are they in your geographic market?Might they have useful contacts?Do they have many contacts? (i.e., 300, 400, 500+)Are they connected to someone you know?Did they write a personal note (or do you know them)?

Yes, but...it depends (of course).

Should you send invitations?

You don't want to rely upon the kindness of strangers tobuild your LinkedIn network

Your network needs to be meaningful (i.e., relevant)You have 5,000 lifetime invitations

You can always ask LinkedIn for more. (However...!)Please don't send the generic invite ("I'd like to add you to myprofessional network on LinkedIn.")

Personalized invites have much higher acceptance rateAnd it IS business development, after all

Yes. (How often?)

8. Is there any privacy onLinkedIn?

Hey, check this out...Account & Settings > Privacy & Settings > Privacy >

Profile Viewing Options

Is this what you were looking for?

9. What's so advancedabout Advanced Search?

It's a biz dev machine.

Non-Advanced Search

936,929

Advanced Search

Advanced Search results

15,597

Advanced Search (refined)

295

Remember Boolean?Searching using specific operators (modifiers) so youcan drill down and find exactly what you’re looking for,without also having to dig through what you’re notinterested inBuilding Boolean search strings in four fields in LI:

Keywords, Title, Name, CompanyFive modifiers: Quotes, AND, OR, NOT, Parenthesis1. Quotes

Enclose the exact phrase you’re looking forBoston College “Boston College” (withoutpicking up Boston University, Amherst College,etc.

Boolean tips & tricks2. AND-- technology AND cloud = Only those profiles with both words or phrases3. OR-- Google OR Twitter = Either Google or Twitter4. NOT-- Owner NOT President NOT Vice President = Doesn't include anyone who previously was Pres or VP5. Parenthesis (in this case, with OR)-- To combine terms and modifiers: designer AND (ownerOR founder) = designer and owner, designer and founder

10. Should I pay for it?

Maybe.

The Free plan works for most,but with Paid you can...

1. Have visibility to all visitors to your profile over last 90 days(not just last 5 visitors)

2. See all visitors to your profile even if you’ve selectedanonymous browsing (private mode)

3. Gain improved visibility into your third-level and groupconnections (this changes)

4. See unlimited search results (no more daily limits)5. Use up to 7 additional filters in Advanced Search6. Send increasing numbers (15, 30…) of InMails to anyone

on LI (even those outside your network)

Not to mention...

7. In the search results, your “Premium Profile” will be twicethe size of non-premium profiles

11. What's so great about Groups?

They're just like this.

They're just like this. (Kind of.)

Groups are...different

More than 2.2 million LinkedIn GroupsOver 8,000(!) Groups formed every week

4 big changes to Groups last fall:No more sub-groups

But you can join 100 Groups (not just 50)No more "open" Groups. All are "members-only" andall conversations are private

Standard Groups: Found in Search; request to joinUnlisted Groups: Not in Search; only admin invites

Groups are...different (pt 2)

Big changes to Groups last fall (cont'd)Much less spam & fewer promotional posts

There may be more of a sense of communityMembers may be more inclined to engageBut anyone in a standard group can report you tothe moderator for spam

It’s much harder to send messages directly to otherGroup members

Was unlimited; now 15 per month (total)Top takeaway: Engage with quality (and caution)

Wanna start a Group?

When you’re ready: Start your own group--- Establish your expertise, show leadership in your field--- What’s your niche? With over 2M groups, you’ll need one--- Most difficult thing about managing a group: Energizing its members--- It’s kind of like hosting a party: Invite twice as many as you’re hoping to accept and keep the energy flowingJust as simply joining a group doesn’t do much for you on itsown, starting your own group is just the beginning--- The group needs to be active--- You need to be an active member & moderatorLarger groups give you more visibility, but only if they’re active

12. What's up with Company Pages?

They could use a little caffeine.

Reasons for a Company Page

Web Presence: It’s an additional location for yourfirm on the web and in the search resultsGrowing Expectations: People are starting to searchfor your firm on LinkedIn (and will expect to find itthere), just like as they do when they search the webCommunications: Your Company Page gets its ownfollowers, and you can send them targeted updates(messages, articles, etc.)

Company Page: Is it for you?

How large (or small) is your company?Even large company pages get very little engagementFor all companies, focus first on your personal pagesBuild out your connectionsBe socialProduce relevant & compelling content

The 80/20 rule of LinkedIn (or is it the 90/10 rule?)Personal pages get the vast majority of attention on LI

Do you have a continual stream of content to post?If yes, definitely put together a Company PageIf no, set up your page (low investment) and...?

Company Page: Showcase Pages

Showcase Pages replaced “Products & Services” pages onCompany Pages

200-character limit replaced 2,000-character limitShowcase Pages: All about the updates you post there

A Company Page can have as many as 10 Showcase PagesEach Showcase Page is for a business area, specialty, orspecific target marketThey’re not for events or short-term or seasonal offers

13. Should I get social?Oui.

Happy (work) anniversary, baby

Let people know you're out there(and that you know a few things)

Publishing Posts:

If you’re not already blogging, this could be a goodreason to start

One of the toughest things about blogging isfinding an audienceYou have a built-in audience on LinkedIn – not justyour network, but the entire LI universe (if yourpost is shared)Huge amount of traffic can make it much easierfor your blog posts to get the attention theydeserve

Content Marketing & Thought Leadership on LinkedIn

14. Got ProFinder?(It's a work in progress.)

ProFinder: Increased visibility for you

15. What's next?

Change. Probably lots of it.Profile changes?Adv Search?CRM functionality?The rebirth of Sales Navigator?The #1 Issue: Free vs. Premium

Need a hand?

Final words:

Go mobile.(Check out the LinkedIn apps.)

Phil NugentNCG Strategic Marketing, LLCLet's connect: linkedin.com/in/philnugentTwitter: @philnugentphil@ncgmarketing.com303-641-7001