Personal online networks (B2B)

Paul Tansey – Intergage

• Started in December 2003/launched May 2003

• Valued in June 2008 at $1 billion

• Freemium model

• 78m+ registered users

LinkedIn (very) brief history

LinkedIn users

• 78m+ Members globally

• 18m+ in Europe

• 4.6m in the UK

• Average age 41

• 46% business decision makers

• Average household income $109,000/£65,000

Online networking – It’s easy

Online networking – Sharing contacts

Your network – How big???

• Guess the network size

• 351 contacts….

• Include specialist groups351

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Online networking – What does it mean?

The business benefits of online networking

• Growing a business

• Maintaining relationships

• Finding business partners & suppliers

• Recruitment (and job hunting)

• Checking references

• Organising and promoting events

• Building a reputation and demonstrating expertise

• Get help and advice

• Help people!

The business benefits of online networking

• Provide help and advice

• Find events and even attend them

• Introduce people

• Recommend and endorse people

• Laser targeted advertising

• Market research

• Prepare for networking events

• Help people!

B2B online networking

• How to do it

• What not to do

• Employers’ considerations

1. Decide why you are doing this!

• Clear objectives – begin with the end in mind

• Build a big network

• Build a quality network

2. Choose a tool

LinkedIn – Getting More Popular

LinkedIn vs Competition

• Not the only show in town

3. Create an account and a profile

4. Connect to contacts

• Searching and browsing

• Add via email addresses/address book

• Former colleagues and classmates

• People you may know feature

5.The home page

• Your information centre

• Your inbox

• Update your status

• Keep your finger on the pulse of your network

6. Explore and join groups

• Join groups of people with the same business interests

• Join discussions, “meet” experts and build relationships

• Demonstrate expertise

7. Questions and answers

• Find help

• Provide help

• Make new contacts

• Demonstrate expertise in your niche

• Dave “The Wireman” Maskin

8. Add a company record

• Companies have records too

• Individual people profiles linked to companies

• Upload logo and create description and specialties

• It will show up in the search engine results!

• Links to your website

• Is shown to non-members

• You can now “Follow” companies

9. Recommendations

• How do you feel when people recommend you?

• How do you feel about the person that recommended you?

• Why you should recommend others

• Users with recommendations are 3 times more likely to get enquiries through searches

10. Attend and organise events

• Create an event

• Share it with up to 50 of your contacts

• If they attend or flag it as interesting they pass it on

• Online and offline events

11. Applications

• Reading lists

• Events

• Polls

• Blog link

• Slideshow

• File sharing and collaboration

• Travel tools

• Company Buzz

• Projects & team spaces

12. Promote your profile

• On your email footer

• On your website

• On your blog

• On your business cards/brochures

• Via Twitter

13. Ongoing updates

• To your status

• Adding connections

• Save your searches

• Request introductions

• Ask and answer questions

• Join group discussions and contribute

13. Ongoing updates

• Upload presentations to share

• Make recommendations

• Organise and publicise events

• Update your reading list

• Add polls

• Read blog updates and update your blog

14. Advertising on online networking sites

• Targeting

• Video vs static text ads vs e-mail

• CPC vs CPM

• Search advertising vs social network advertising

The 14-point plan

1. Decide why you are doing this

2. Choose your tool

3. Sign up and create a profile

4. Connect to contacts

5. Learn how the home page works

6. Explore and join groups

7. Try out questions and answers

The 14-point Plan

8. Add a company record

9. Make and request recommendations

10. Attend and organise events

11. Check out the applications you can add

12. Promote your profile

13. Ongoing updates

14. Explore the advertising opportunity

Using Your LinkedIn Account

• Put Time Aside At Least Once A Week

• Go Through All Those Business Cards You’ve Collected!

• New! Link to Outlook – see YouTube

• Use RSS

Summary

• There are four ways to grow a business (advertising, PR, word of mouth and cold calling). LinkedIn can help with all of these

• LinkedIn fulfils a need in all of us and is actually fun

• It’s not a silver bullet however…