Download - LinkedIn Training for Employees: Building Relationships with Influencers and Brand Advocates
LinkedIn Training
The premiere B2B networkSocial Influencer / Brand Advocate Training
May 2013 Brian Crouch
Content Marketing Director
Maximizing LinkedIn networks for business impact
1. Determine your business objective:
what’s your goal?
2. Optimize your profile Include key relevancy/discovery points in your
title: how will you help your profile be found?
This helps Branding, for yourself, for your
brand
3. Grow your network Upload your contacts from Outlook
Improve searchability.
Complete your profile
LinkedIn recommends the following
minimums for a “100%” complete profile:
Industry
Postal code
Current position with
description
Two prior positions
Education
At least five skills
Profile photo
At least 50 connections
Keyword-rich summary
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Optimize your headline (160 char.) for max search value:
And include your nickname/ maiden name, if applicable.
Your LinkedIn Profile can change the tenor of the conversation.
Name redacted
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Leverage your Contact Info: customize web links.
Use “Other” instead of “Company Website” or “Blog,” then add your own text along with the links.
Add media..
Show your experience to add credibility..
Include additional info about yourself.
Manage your recommendations.
Include skills for people to endorse you.
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My recommendation: make every effort to give more Recommendations… but do it sincerely.
Endorse everyone you can legitimately endorse.
PRO TIP: Don’t use the auto-generated suggested endorsements only. Type in the most relevant endorsement you can deliver. Then you’ll be in a unique position in your contact’s profile.
"I will speak ill of no one, and speak all the good I know of everybody.“ - Benjamin Franklin
More on recommendations.
What are you posting on LinkedIn?
Status updates, shares and likes: simple tips
1. If you post 20 status updates per month, you will reach approximately 2/3rds of your active network on LinkedIn. Top-of-mind takes work.
2. You can follow users that you want to connect with: no “request” needed.
3. Please—don’t share an update unless you’ve read the linked article. ◦ If you comment on a linked article/blog post, share from
their social widget, if possible.
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Use the bookmarklet to share a URL from a page without a share button.
Go to “Tools” at the bottom of any LinkedIn page (or click image).
WHAT TO SHARE:1. Interesting articles and blog posts.
2. Thought leadership content related to your area of expertise.
3. Videos (YouTube, Vimeo, TED)
4. Useful presentations and whitepapers (Slideshare)
5. Insights (people love stats) and quotes
6. General business and leadership tips and advice
7. Keep self-promotion and marketing to 20% or less
8. Infographics and images
WAYS TO INTERACT ON LINKEDIN:1. Like someone’s activity
2. Share a post
3. Comment on a post
4. Endorse someone’s skill(s)
5. Recommend a colleague, partner or customer
6. Send someone a direct message or share a link
7. Visit someone’s profile.
Advanced search features
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Create saved searches for topical focus.
Just click “Advanced” next to search bar to get to this page…
Connect Outlook to LinkedIn: Click “Tools” in footer(Click image to visit the link.)
EVERY WEEK YOU SHOULD ADD NEW CONTACTS:
1. Anyone with whom you had a meeting.2. People you met at social events.3. New colleagues with whom you interacted.4. People from other networks.5. Significant email contact.
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Use Rapportive when in Gmail environment.
Visit Linksy.me to generate emails if needed.
rapportive.com linksy.me/find-email
Join a relevant active community and participate in a genuine, respectful way.
◦Look for a niche forum (such as a LinkedIn Group) that maps to your objectives.
◦Screen it.◦Invest the time to know those within it.
Groups.
How to find the right group: start with target topics, then…
Look for a high comment/discussion ratio.
Easy way to check a group: look at Group Stats.
Easy way to check: look at Group Stats.
Many Discussions, almost no Comments. Adding your content = wasted time.
Send a personal thank you/greeting. You’ll be in the top 0.5%! Optional: Make a promise to never spam. Ask if there’s anything you can do to promote the group.Consider following the owner on other social channels too.
Interact with the Group Owner
Stand out in a Group: Know people. Talk to them.
When you can identify members by face and name, you’ve “arrived.”
How to use LinkedIn’s newest feature to find out who your friends (and their friends) know.
Leveraging 3rd degree connections to open conversations for business
LinkedIn’s new feature allows you to peruse your connections’ connections (also known as 2nd and 3rd degree connections.)
First step: go to the profile page of 1st degree contact who you feel certain would be willing to extend an introduction. Click on their “connections.”
Once you are at their “Connections” section….
To the right of that section will be a magnifying glass. Click that:
Type any keyword, e.g., “Content Strategy”, “marketing”, “finance”, “real estate.”
A list of profiles matched by target keyword will appear, along with a count of your overlapping connections. Lots in common? Connect.
You can also search within specific groups.
Use “Advanced Search” to filter 2nd & 3rd degree contacts. For example: company name, industry, degree of separation, location.
Best way to use this knowledge?
When you’ve identified 2nd and 3rd degree connections you’re hoping to meet, don’t send an Introduction request through LinkedIn.
Instead:1. Call or otherwise reach your 1st degree connection: you’ve met them,
right? 2. Inquire about the person you’d like to meet and your contact’s
relationship with him or her.3. Get your connection’s opinion regarding this person, and share your
reasons to connect.
After creating that permission, send an introduction request through LinkedIn—the phone call or personal request assures it won’t be ignored.
Bonus: you’ve strengthened your relationship by conversing and asking for an opinion (the way introductions used to be done.)
SincereOpenCollaborativeInterestedAuthenticLikeable
THANK YOU!
No relation.
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Brian Crouch, Content Marketing Director. @BrianCrouch
Questions?
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Duty Calls
