The document provides tips for using LinkedIn effectively for networking purposes. It discusses developing an optimal networking strategy, refining your profile to attract connections in your industry, and engaging in regular activities on LinkedIn like joining groups, posting status updates, and asking connections for introductions to expand your network. The goal is to utilize LinkedIn to meet potential customers, clients, and partners in your field and generate business referrals through an active online presence.
7. 1. Strategy
• What do you want to achieve
networking?
• Who is your ideal customer/client?
• Where do you find more of them?
• Why do they want to connect with you?
• When might be the best time to
connect?
• How might you approach them?
15. Click through to view
• http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?
id=16972536&locale=en_US&trk=tyah
16. 3. Activity
• Ask your contacts to connect with you
and give them a good reason why …
• Keep in direct contact with your
connections
• Target your messages when you ask
for help
• Join groups to increase appropriate
connections
• Comment on discussions & news feeds
39. And then …
• Orchestrate cross referrals
• Engage in group discussions
• Update your expertise
• Create a Company Profile
• Use it for market research
41. Have a go! This winter’s
weekend!
• Connect with the person you have been working
with tonight – thank them for their input.
• Recognise their contribution as a recommendation
– what have they been good at?
• Have a look at their connections, do they know
anyone who’d be a useful contact for you?
• Who do you know that might be a useful
connection for them.
• Happy Networking …
Hinweis der Redaktion
I’m not the expert on LinkedIn – Linda Parkinson-Hardman is …
I’m the expert on networking and LinkedIn is the tool that I use
Why – because it allows me to find people with whom I wish to meet or am about to meet.
This is what we are going to discover tonight
LinkedIn may NOT be the online social network for you … but the principles are the same.
Why do you network and why do you want to network online? Collecting a whole load of names is a pointless waste of time unless you are going to do something active with it.
For example getting known … getting to the top of Google even!
Where do you sit in relation to the relationships that you generate? Before anyone will buy from me, I needed to have bonded. Your business may be different. Only you know that and it will determine what you do on LinkedIn.
Quick whiz through what you might do at a networking event; and compare that to what you are doing with your profile on LinkedIn? Just how well are you presenting yourself?
ZMOT = zero moment of truth. Your first impression, your elevator pitch!
Here’s Andrew Knowles who tells you what he does
And demonstrates it in his ACTIVITIES
This is our expert
Check out her profile to see how much you might be able to tell people about yourself
The previous 2 sections have been about thinking – this is about doing! If you go out networking you should do all of the above – the same thing applies online. This is networking regardless – the etiquettes apply in both areas.
Get started – click on contacts and let the algorithms work their magic. Those that you already have in your email databases, know you and if they are already on LinkedIn they will understand its process and will help you create a critical mass.
Who’s been viewing your profile, they might not have asked you to connect with them but something has sparked their interest. What does their profile say and might they be a little interesting for you? If so ASK!
When someone asks to link up. Check their profile. Do you know them, can you help them, might they help you? If you don’t know them, have they sent a canned invitation or have they sent you a considered invitation to link up? What do you want? Your business strategy may work for a mass connections, mine does not.
After accepting – send a message of thanks and to say why you have accepted them.
Voila!
Under the contacts tab and the colleague tab within that you will see a list of all the people who worked at the same place as you as around the same time. These are warm leads. They know … how good you really are!
A bit further on down that page LinkedIn will list all those people that your current connection know – just in case you do too. This can be a bit dubious – like James Robinson for example. However, I do know and have met Gabriele Prestidge.
So I clicked to invite her to link up with me. I would ever send a canned connection request, but this is also asking me to put in Gabrieles email address.
This explains why
So in addition to adding Gabrieles email address (to remain a secret). I also added a personal note.
Did you know that you can manage your connections on LinkedIn? Under the connections tab you can use your own TAGS to identify your own groups to which they belong.
AND LinkedIn already select a number of tags for each of your connections too. So when I want to make a contact in the construction industry – I can scroll down click on the tab and get a list of who I know.
Really useful – a couple of years ago I put on an event for the engineering industry. Not a sector I am that familiar with. Started out with a questions … comme ca! Got 4 answers and the 3D rapid prototyping printer I wanted to demonstrate for free.
Posed a second question as I’d come up with another obstacle. The result was two more presenters of repute. One from Dek and one from Ultra Electronics.
Another different example … I liked the look of a job advertised. So searched for the company (top right hand search box). Found I had 30 second degree connections. Interesting,
Ryan White had the most connections – checked this out …
Interesting …
Oooh even more interesting … but not really at the appropriate level … sorry Ryan!
So what about James – 1 connection but the Sales and Marketing Director. And my connection is Jeremy Peck – oooh – it had been a long time since I spoke to Jeremy. What the heck! Sent an email – Jeremy hi LMcH here, note you are connected to James Bradshaw – looking at a job – can you give me some insight? May I call you?
The answer was yes. I phoned … Jeremy spent 50 minutes talking to me about Ordnance Survey – the issues and the culture.
Communication is key on the networking circuit. One of the best ways to connect, with potential partners, potential clients and potential peer support is though groups. We chose our real life networks based on the above parameters. We should do the same on LinkedIn.
The partner of LPH is Steve Graham. I promise I am not being paid to promote these guys! But I love his Bold Goal. This is to be a Happiness Engineer. It’s a real job title for a company called Wordpress. To be a Happiness Engineer you need to prove you are able to resolve myriad technical issues in relation to Wordpress websites. To do this he engages in the Wordpress group, he comments when he can resolve a problem, and learns from his peers when he does not. When he comes across a problem he can’t resolve himself – he ASKS!
This is not for this 90 minutes. But other things you might use your real life network for and therefore you can do on LinkedIn too.
Finally, don’t worry if you make a mistake. Nick Parker was one of those that turned into a blessing. He wasn’t who I thought he was but a coffee, two beers and a glass of wine after correcting this mistake we are now well connected!
So back to you! Have a go this weekend. What have you got to lose?