This document provides an overview of how to effectively use LinkedIn for business purposes. It discusses setting up personal and company profiles, using groups to connect with others, sending InMail messages to contacts, and ways to increase visibility. Key metrics on LinkedIn and social media user statistics are presented. Guidelines are offered for personal branding, engaging on groups, using InMail messages strategically, and developing a content strategy to help generate leads and business opportunities through LinkedIn.
Brand experience Dream Center Peoria Presentation.pdf
Linked in for business 2015 sme 021015
1. Amy Neumann, Jacquie Chakirelis
Northeast Ohio Media Group
February 10, 2015
For Business
2. Agenda
2
•Brief Social Media Overview – where LinkedIn fits in
•Personal Profiles – your online resume and best foot forward
•Company Pages – make your business stand out from the crowd
•LinkedIn Groups – connect with people who share your passion
•InMails – connect with new contacts, even if you don’t have their contact
information
• Ways to Increase Visibility -
3. Highlights -2014 Social Media Users
• Facebook: 1.19 BILLION (800 mm mobile)
• YouTube: 1 Billion+
• Twitter: 560 million +
• Google Plus: 400 million +
• LinkedIn: 240 million +
• Instagram ( 150 mm; owned by Facebook)
• Pinterest (70 mm)
• 6 BILLION+ mobile devices globally
http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/social-media-stats-2014_b54243
5. Visibility & Connectivity at AllTimes
• We “ShareThis”
• We talk about what we like (or don’t like)
• We are mobile
6. Why Use LinkedIn?
74% of businesses research potential
clients and job candidates
42% have built new relationships with
individuals who may become customers
41% have increased their branding and
marketing presence in their market
26% have generated identifiable
business opportunities
Source: Power-Formula 2014 LinkedIn User Survey
7. Generate Lift with LinkedIn
LinkedIn has a 3X HIGHER VISITOR-TO-LEAD CONVERSION RATE than
Twitter and Facebook.
Source: HubSpot, March 2014.
You can:
• Generate Leads
• Build your Brand
• Engage your Target Audience
with Content
• Recruit Top Talent
8. Implement a Strategic Plan
(ONGOING MANAGEMENT
& SUPPORT)
DELIVER
AGAINST
KPI’S
(AD CAMPAIGNS)
BROADEN YOUR
REACH
SET-UP &
OPTIMIZATION
CONTENT
UPDATES
CREATE
ENGAGING
CONTENT
+BUILD YOUR
PRESENCE + =
There are 107 million U.S. LinkedIn
users as of January 2015.
https://press.linkedin.com/about-linkedin
10. Your Profile: Brilliant for Networking
• Keep your profile updated:
– Professional photo
– Current title and organization
– Succinct Summary including
keywords
– Complete history allows for faster
networking
– Add causes and volunteer work
– Add any publications
– Join relevant Groups and interact
11. Content Update Ideas
• Share what you find interesting, including
from industry-specific sites
17. LinkedIn Groups
• Join groups where your customers and prospects are. Identify groups with
members who are prospective clients or influencers in your industry and then
answer questions and/or create content such as articles, how-to's, guides and blog
posts that feature subjects relevant to that group
• Create your own LinkedIn Group. To build community with your customers and
prospects. To use as an extension to a discussion group for a podcast. For a specific
vertical or technical customer that would benefit from specific discussions around
a product or service. This type of group needs to planning and managing in order
to be an effective strategy
Two Ways to Use the Group Function on LinkedIn
18. How To Find The Best
LinkedIn Groups For You
First, select a
LinkedIn Group to
begin the process
of determining if
it’s the best group
to belong to and
engage with.
Click the Group
Statistics box to
get under the
hood of your
potential LinkedIn
Group.
19. Dig Deeper Into Detailed
Audience Demographic Data
Quickly
determine what
seniority level
this LinkedIn
Group’s
members hold
to help you
make a quick
participation
decision.
Top function, location and industry
is highlighted to give you more
information to determine your
involvement.
4 tabs give you
deeper breakdown
of demographics
This seniority level
breakdown will
help you
determine your
social selling
messaging
strategy.
20. Be A Good Neighbor!
• Discussion groups are a place to discuss relevant topics, news and best practices
in a given industry. They aren’t the place for blatant self-promotion.
• People turn to LinkedIn groups to find answers to questions they can’t ask
anywhere else. If you want to be a respected member of the group, regularly
contribute to the discussion with information that helps others.
• Sell your value, not your accomplishments. Don’t just tell prospects how you can
help them. Use your entire profile and all of LinkedIn’s tools to show how your
value contributes to their success.
• Carefully plan your LinkedIn content so it positions you as an influencer and
encourages targeted leads to join your discussion groups
21. InMails
1. Focus on quality versus quantity
2. Write a compelling subject line
3. Be brief
4. Start a conversation
5. Make it about them
6. Develop a clear call to action
7. Combine InMail with other contact methods
8. Select recipients carefully
9. Remember the option to “Get Introduced”
10.Build your sales profile
https://business.linkedin.com/content/dam/business/sales-solutions/global/en_US/site/pdf/ti/InMails_10312013-Q4.pdf
23. LinkedIn Takeaways…
•Set your profile up for success!
Fill out sections completely using relevant keywords
Add content to tell your story & stand out
Join and contribute to relevant groups
•Add connections –start with people you know
•Ask for recommendations to build credibility
•Research targets you want to get to know
•Find ways to build the relationship
Let’s do a poll:
Raise your hand if you are currently on Linked In?
Raise your hand if you are a regular stalker and/or user of Linked In- aka nearly daily?
Raise your hand if your hand if you want linked in
InMail Best Practices
Tips for increasing response rates & engagement
Follow these best practices to increase your InMail response rates and engage with your prospective customers.
Focus on quality versus quantity
Don’t inundate your recipients’ inboxes. It’s okay to send a follow-up InMail if a suitable timeframe has elapsed, but don’t re-send someone the same message again and again.
Write a compelling subject line
Make your purpose clear and give them a reason to want to learn more. Consider mentioning your company name or theirs, or asking a question.
Be brief
Be polite, brief, and to the point. Shorter is better.
Start a conversation
More “salesy” InMails get lower response rates. Instead start a conversation.
Personalize your messages
Customize your messages and make them highly personalized. Avoid spam and canned messages. Consider some of the following:
• Demonstrate that you’ve done your homework on the recipient’s company
• Mention a common contact
• Refer to a common LinkedIn group
• Comment on a LinkedIn group posting (theirs or someone else’s)
• Discuss a common company, experience, or personal interest based on reading their profile
• Ask for an opinion
Make it about them
Make it about their needs, interests, and goals and not just your product or service. Avoid product and service descriptions.
Develop a clear call to action
Make the next steps clear. Assuming that the InMail is forwarded—as InMails frequently can be by CXO’s—will it be clear what the recipient should do?
Combine InMail with other contact methods
By itself InMail can generate response rates substantially higher than email or cold calls. Some industry consultants have increased contact to meeting ratios with InMail as much as 8% using a multi-contact approach (InMail + email and/or phone calls). Mix it up and find the pattern and approach that generates the best response rates for you.
Select recipients carefully
Who you choose to InMail matters as much as what you say. Recipient response rates are likely to be higher for active LinkedIn users (high number of connections, member of many LinkedIn groups, frequent updates, and complete profile).
Remember the option to “Get Introduced”
InMail may not always be the most direct path. Where appropriate, take advantage of the LinkedIn option to “get introduced” (one of the “connect” options along with “Send InMail”). The two most successful ways to gain access to a senior executive are through an internal referral (someone in their company) and an external referral (someone outside their company that they know and trust).
Build your sales profile
The first thing an InMail recipient will do is review your profile. Poor profiles reduce InMail response rates. Review tips for building a sales profile and make sure you have a profile that builds your credibility and potential value.