linkedin for small business

©Marc W. Halpert | All rights reserved | www. connect2collaborate.com | www.linkedin.com/in/marchalpert | Feb 2012

LinkedIn for Small Business Professionals Keeping Your Pipeline Full Using LinkedIn



What’s going on with LinkedIn?• >150MM professionals• Adding >2 new members every second• 11th most trafficked website• Aggressively courting new submarkets• Social news channels• IPO

• Continual new investment in the product• New smartphone apps: CardMunch, LunchMeet• New verticals: Veterans, Grads, Nonprofits


Do you know?

Does your LinkedIn profile reflect WHO you really are?

©Marc W. Halpert www.linkedin.com/in/marchalpert May2010

Your LinkedInprofile should tell others

WHYWHY

YOUYOU



Profile Functional Headline Short, concise, meaningful (120 characters including spaces!) Who you really are, not what role you play in an organization

Great LinkedIn profiles always contain:


Profile Functional Headline short, concise, meaningful (120 characters including spaces!) who you really are, not what role you play in an organization

Update frequently Your activity, articles, commentary, information you find worthy to give

back to your communities






Summary, Experience and Specialties SEO keywords; written with much thought and conviction Why would the reader be attracted to you? Your past experience makes you who you are today






Summary, Experience and Specialties SEO keywords; written with much thought and conviction Why would the reader be attracted to you? Your past experience makes you who you are today

Appropriate photo



Why this is important:


Certifications, Patents, Languages & Publications

•Further differentiates you

•You worked for it, show it!

• Keep it current as you morph


Skills

Choose LinkedIn’s suggested skills or self assessChoose your level of proficiency, honestly Identify # years experience


Volunteer Experience & Causes


BEFORE

Repairing a profile


AFTER


AFTER

©Marc W. Halpert | All rights reserved | www. connect2collaborate.com | www.linkedin.com/in/marchalpert | January2011


AFTER


BEFORE


AFTER

©Marc W. Halpert | All rights reserved | www. connect2collaborate.com | www.linkedin.com/in/marchalpert | January2011


BEFORE


AFTER

©Marc W. Halpert | All rights reserved | www. connect2collaborate.com | www.linkedin.com/in/marchalpert | Feb 2012©Marc W. Halpert www.linkedin.com/in/marchalpert May2010

Repeating: Your LinkedIn profile

MUST tell others

WHYWHY

YOUYOU



Do you know?


How does using LinkedIn highlight and demonstrate your brand?


Recommendations: Ask

• Who/when do you ask?• Manage the attributes you are recommended for• Hide some recs if inappropriate at a certain time• You can review it before it is posted

• Don’t be afraid to ask them to improve it• Post it to your profile when you are satisfied


Recommendations: Give• Be specific and clear• Use anecdotes• How you have experienced the person’s

• skills• abilities• strengths• character (!)

• Give recommendations when deserved• Give unexpected recommendations


Ask and answer questions


Company profile page


Your company profile page is different from

your personal profile page


Do you know?


How does using LinkedIn highlight and demonstrate your personal brand?

Are you gaining business traction from being on LinkedIn?


Get more connectionsDeepen existing connections

Cull from your personal connections’ listsCull from your personal connections’ lists Identify someone you want to reach to and Identify someone you want to reach to and

research how you are connectedresearch how you are connected If a second level connection, ask to connect If a second level connection, ask to connect

directlydirectly If more distant, ask a friend to connect you If more distant, ask a friend to connect you

indirectlyindirectly


Direct: Ask to connect


Indirect: Ask for an intro

Read from the bottom up

Groups

The power of new, meaningful connections with like-minded

individuals!



Join GroupsApply to join groups

that interest youJoin and contribute to:

nonprofit groupsalumni groupsspecial interest groupslocally based groupsbusiness chambersindustry associationsnetworking groups, etc.

Choose frequency of group contact:

daily feed weekly digest

Actively participate, don’t grandstand

A great easy communication tool


LinkedIn Groups cont’d.

Apply to join as many groups that interest you that you can contribute to:Limit 50Create a group:

group of your clients or advisors or confidantes

Think about creating subgroups, task forces, etc. Post really useful materials regularly for their

benefit


Tap into expertiseAsk questions that elicit responses:

How have you tackled a { }?How have you been successful at [ ]?

Ask a question for which you need opinions-check to be sure no one has asked recently

Contact the person posing the question or answer to expand your reach


Optimize the Free LinkedIn Apps


Search for business contacts

Look for people you know and that others know, that you think will be helpfulAsk them to join your network if you know

themAsk others you know to introduce you

Search by name, by title, by company, by keyword, zip, or any combination

Find common threads to partner But don’t be a “promiscuous linker”

The Proper Care and Feeding of LinkedIn

MORE tips to help you optimize LinkedIn5



DO NOT BE LAZY; DO NOT USE the default greeting:I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.

Marc W.

TIP 1. Make a great impression



Marc W.

Ask people to join your LinkedIn connections like you mean it; use a personalized note such as:Bob, thank you for the great conversation after today’s AFP CT luncheon about ways we could work with each other. Later this week I will follow up on the areas we discussed. So please join my network as we increase each other’s networking connections. Best regards and speak to you soon, Marc

TIP 1. Make a great impression


1. Make a great impression


Marc W.

Ask people to join your LinkedIn connections like you mean it; use a personalized note such as:Bob, thank you for the great conversation after today’s AFP CT luncheon about ways we could work with each other. Later this week I will follow up on the areas we discussed. So please join my network as we increase each other’s networking connections. Best regards and speak to you soon, Marc Remind them where you met them or worked with them Then follow up on your promised items Reinforce your reliability; increase the branding of “why you”

TIP


2. Update your community Frequency is up to you; regular meaningful additions

Blogs LinkedIn Today Websites News items

Add to the global conversation

TIP


3. Get and use your profile URL

Business card

Email signature line

TIP

Marketing materials

https://help.linkedin.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/87


4. Make your smartphone a “genius phone”

Download email addresses to your smartphone

Get LinkedIn app for smartphoneNow you have access to the IMPORTANT people

from anywhere! Be a “go-to” person

TIP


5. Use video to make your point

Download YouTube videos into your own profile or the organization’s LinkedIn page

Now you further make impressions For instructions, see http://tinyurl.com/y4yrcvj

TIP

What can you do next?



First, do not panic

/


Set aside a certain amount of time each day to “work” LinkedIn

Be consistent in doing this Manage the time you spend doing this Keep tightening your profile Contribute! Seek help Keep looking for connections

Invest your time wiselyTIP


Build community around you

• Help others • It will be repaid forward…• Keep polishing your profile/brand • Keep working your Personal Learning Network• The deeper your list of trusted contacts, the

more business connections you can facilitate• Use Linkedin as one more

tool in your branding toolbox

• Connect2Collaborate


Need more help with LinkedIn?virtual courses, webinars, presentations, 1-on-1 coaching, corporate staff training