5 Ways to Network via LinkedIn

Posted on 27. Jun, 2010 by sandra in News, Social Media

In our 4th post in the series “Introduction to Social Media Marketing” we will discuss how to network via LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is possibly one of the most effective social media platforms for business to business (B2B) networking. If you want to establish yourself as an industry expert, market to other businesses, network with business leaders and executives, a presence on LinkedIn is a must.  One of LinkedIn’s features that makes it substantially different than other social media sites is that your profile is more like an online resume.  As a result, with LinkedIn you really want to put your professional best into your profile.

Here are some ways that you can use LinkedIn to advance your business and goals:

  1. Build a solid and comprehensive profile. Include your education, professional experience as well as any products or materials that you have produced. Your LinkedIn profile is essentially an online resume for you. Add both past and present experience, your full education, honors and awards, a photo and pay special attention to the summary information.
  2. Join several groups and become involved. LinkedIn’s groups feature is also a fantastic engine for networking with people in your professional circles.  You can join groups who have similar businesses and services as you, network with college alumni as well as business or trade specific entities. The more networking you do, the more your business gets noticed.
  3. Ask and answer questions. One of LinkedIn’s unique features is the Answers service. You can rapidly establish yourself as an industry expert by routinely checking to see if there are any questions being asked in your area of expertise. Providing meaningful and helpful answers is a very effective way to build connections and establish yourself as an expert.
  4. Give and ask for recommendations. Another unique feature of LinkedIn is the Recommendations section. Similar to testimonies that you would post on your website, LinkedIn has a section on your profile for recommendations from colleagues and business partners. Be generous and offer recommendations to businesses and individuals you have experience with. Not only will it build good will, it will also generate recommendation for yourself. It is considered appropriate to give and request recommendations.
  5. Ask for introductions. Is there a business or a person who you would really like to joint venture with or network with? Ask someone in your circle of connections to introduce you. In general your connections are happy to facilitate an introduction and pleased that you offered.

As with all social media networks, the value of LinkedIn is in building targeted connections and networking. LinkedIn is especially valuable for business to business transactions and networking.  Add value, compliment others and establish yourself as an expert in your field and your social media efforts will enhance your business.

Next we’ll discuss how using Digg can help boost your business.

Introduction to Social Media Marketing

Posted on 16. Jun, 2010 by sandra in News

Do you remember when businesses, small and large, focused a lot of time and energy on advertising in order to market their company or products? When nearly all businesses placed an ad in the local Yellow Pages? Well, social media is the Yellow Pages on steroids! Through social media, you can market your business and services worldwide, educate consumers, receive feedback from customers, run special promotions, provide coupons to targeted audiences, and much more. AND YOU CAN DO SO EASILY AND AFFORDABLY. The power of social media is almost limitless for both small and large businesses.

There are dozens of social media sites all of which have unique features, users and possibilities for marketing your business. Over the next 10 blog posts, we will provide an overview of the top social media sites and ways that you can use each site to promote your business. The social media sites included are:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Digg
  • StumbleUpon
  • Squidoo
  • Ning
  • YouTube

Like any marketing or advertising campaign, it is important to start with the end in mind. So before you jump on board with any of the social media sites, we recommend that you spend time developing a social media strategy that will help you achieve your goals. Here are some questions to ask yourself before you get started:

  1. Who is your target market? Which of the social media sites are they hanging out at?
  2. What products and/or services do you want to promote?
  3. How much time do you have to spend on social media marketing? Do you have staff that can assist you with your social media efforts?
  4. What do you hope to accomplish through your social media efforts?

Social media marketing is a powerful tool for your business. You can reach people who you otherwise would have never known your services or products existed. By spending only minutes a day, you can influence your audience, build customer loyalty and increase sales and spend only the value of your time. Social media can boost your business in ways you never imagined!

In our next post, we’ll introduce you to Twitter and how you can best use it to benefit your business. In the meantime, give some serious consideration to the questions asked above. Your answers will influence which social media platforms you choose, how you use them and what results you will achieve.

Using Social Media to enhance your business

Posted on 15. Feb, 2010 by sandra in Uncategorized

I have recently been invited to write a guest post for TAVASA (Transcriptionists and Virtual Assistants of South Africa) on Using Social Media to enhance your business.

Please read the post on their blog