linkedin - business and social media tools
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How can Linkedin increase your sales?TRANSCRIPT
Author: Jean-Francois MESSIER
How can social media increase
your business success?
a
This document is part of the “Social Media and Business” series by JF MESSIER
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Million members
2009 2010 2011 2012
98% of professionals
use LinkedIn
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0 Oct May Jan Jul Jan
Million members
2009 2010 2011 2012
2% is a gold mine LinkedIn of users realize
that can help
find (not only jobs) clients
LinkedIn as part of an ecosystem
Optimize your profile
Deliver value for free
Connect with prospects
Grow your database
Join groups
One more thing…
25 increase sales using
Tips to
1
2 to 5
6 to 10
11 to 14
15 to 23
24 to 25
…
ecosystem Tip 1
LinkedIn as part of an
Build a machine to engage, and think of LinkedIn as one of the wheels. 1
Using a tool,
LinkedIn or any
other, will not
change your results.
Build a machine to
engage, and think of
LinkedIn as one of
the wheels.
profile Tips 2 to 5
Optimize your
LinkedIn profile that makes 2
Don’t copy and paste
your resume as
though you were
looking for a job!
Customers use the
internet to find
solutions to problems.
Explain which
problems you can fix,
and what you are an
expert in.
Using SlideShare is
especially powerful
“A picture is worth
1,000 words...”
Fred R. Barnyard
selling easy
Create a
Don’t copy and paste your
resume, but publications on
blogs or SlideShare
demonstrating what you
specialize in…
LinkedIn profile that makes 2
Write a personal
tagline: That line of
text under your name
is the first thing
people see in your
profile. It follows your
name in search hit
lists. It's your brand.
selling easy
Create a
The tagline
should not be
your position.
Make it
customer
oriented: which
problems you
can fix or how
your specialty
can help them…
LinkedIn profile that makes 2
Websites: Make sure
you fill in your blog
name AND company
website to drive more
traffic.
Add three websites to
your profile, then
optimize their titles.
By default, LinkedIn
link names are “My
Company,” “My
Website,” “My Blog,”
“My Portfolio,” or “My
RSS Feed.” However,
links carry more weight
in search engines if
their titles are relevant
to the pages to which
they link.
selling easy
Create a
Make sure you
fill in your
company
website to drive
more traffic.
LinkedIn profile that makes 2
URL: When you set
up a profile, LinkedIn
assigns it a URL,
most likely with a
combination of your
name, numbers and
slashes.
Edit your public URL
so it includes your
name and/or
company. By
including such
information in your
vanity URL, the
search engines will
have a better idea of
what or whom the
page is about.
selling easy
Create a
Edit your public
URL so that it
includes your
name
LinkedIn profile that makes 2
The LinkedIn
recommendation is the
new testimonial.
It’s credible, powerful,
and instrumental in
establishing your
reputation.
It’s also the hardest
element of your profile
to complete.
Aim for a
recommendation from
every customer. If you
have fifty customers,
get fifty
recommendations. If
you trained 5,000
attendees, don’t worry
about getting 5,000
recommendations.
Shoot for a hundred and
be proud that you’ll be
among the top 2% of
LinkedIn users.
selling easy
Create a
3 out of 4 consumers do not trust traditional
advertising
9 out of 10 consumers trust the recommandation of
a friend.
Forrester Research 2009
LinkedIn profile that makes 2
Make sure your profile
is public. Whatever
information you hide in
your public profile, you
block from search
engines as well. For
maximum human and
search-bot visibility,
keep all your
information available
for public viewing.
Everything on LinkedIn
should be ready and
appropriate for public
consumption.
selling easy
Create a
Make sure your
profile is public
video 3 This is your chance to
show your personality,
your communication
skills and your passion.
One of the most
powerful ways to stand
out as a person of value
on LinkedIn is by
harnessing the power
of video. Very few
LinkedIn users have
video on their profile
because it’s a little bit
of a task to make it
work.
For starters, LinkedIn
does not currently offer
a YouTube plugin, but
upload your video to
YouTube, embed it into
a presentation with
SlideShare, and then
enable this application
on your profile.
Make a
“Video trumps all.” ─ Noah Rickun
apps 4 For profile wow effect,
as well as to better
explain what you do,
employ one or several
LinkedIn apps.
If you have a
PowerPoint
presentation, load it to
SlideShare and use the
SlideShare app.
If you blog, use the
WordPress app.
LinkedIn offers a
variety of useful apps to
choose from – explore
them to determine
which best reflect you
and your business.
Make sure you
integrate them using
‘More’ – ‘Get
More Applications’.
Use LinkedIn
My seven favorite apps
to 5 If you use Twitter,
connect your account
here and your
prospects will see your
most recent tweets
right on your LinkedIn
profile.
If you’re not on Twitter,
get with the program.
It’s not going to
disappear.
Update your status
automatically but use
#in so you don’t spam
your network.
connect LinkedIn
for free Tips 6 to 10
Deliver value
to leverage your network
share 6 An update can be: a link
to a great article, blog
or upcoming event, a
quote or news about a
productive meeting or
connection.
Sharing an update is
one of LinkedIn’s best
networking features.
If you’re not using it,
you’re missing
out. Why? Because
every time you share an
update, your
connections are notified
via email as well as on
LinkedIn’s home
page. In just a few
words you let your
connections know
details about several
services your company
provides, without the
hard sell. Social media
is all about pull, not
push marketing.
Regularly
an update
To post an
update, go to
“Edit Profile” and
look under your
photo. Click on
“Post an update”
and you’ll be able
to share up to
140 characters.
Comment
7 Respond to updates
from others and show
them you’re not always
thinking about
yourself.
Connecting with others
is why LinkedIn is social
media.
Remember, your
comment means
something to the person
who posted. Everyone
loves to be noticed.
regularly
on an update
This is one of the best-
kept secrets (until now).
If you’re a blogger,
share your blog posts
with some or all of your
LinkedIn groups.
A notable part of your
blog traffic will come
directly from LinkedIn.
share 8 blog posts
Remember to nurture
your first-degree
network.
If you plan on asking
your contacts for favors,
please remember to
keep in touch with them
and to deliver value to
them (e.g., by sending a
web link to a resource
you think they might
find useful).
Otherwise, they will see
you as very utilitarian,
and that will ultimately
hurt your online and
offline reputation.
value 9 to your first-degree contacts
Regular y deliver
Givers gain!
1. By communicating
about innovative
ideas and offering
compelling value.
2. By nurturing people
you are connected to
and developing real
relationships. (Tip
13)
3. By knowing who the
people you are
connected to are,
and talking to them
regularly.
Keep in mind: with over
147 million members
and 55,700+ groups, it’s
tougher than ever to be
unique on LinkedIn.
However, these 3 points
together are a secret
that makes master
networkers and group
leaders stand apart from
their competition.
Differentiate 10 yourself
Connect Tips 11 to 14
with prospects
Do you both know
someone in common via
LinkedIn?
If so, ask that person to
introduce you.
Explain the value that
you may be able to
provide to their contact.
It can be hard to ask
people you know to
introduce you to
someone else: Many
people don't ask friends
to help because they are
too proud. But if you ask
your close friend for a
favor through LinkedIn, it
is very hard for that
person to feel they can
say no. And of course, it
will make approaching
your prospects easier.
11 Ask people you know
well for their support
in approaching prospects you don’t
know but who they are connected to.
What kind of event?
1. Virtual event: web-
conference using a
web-meeting tool.
2. Live event: lunch &
learn, or breakfast
networking session
From a positioning
standpoint, there’s no
better way to become
known as a person of
value within your
community than to host
an event at which you
bring in a speaker.
If your goal is to attract
prospects for your
business, speak on the
industry rather than on
your product. Don’t use
the platform to make a
sales pitch.
12 Host an event web-conference or live-conference
Check references for
potential customers
before meeting them for
the first time. Learn
more about the people
you are meeting so you
can discuss common
interests and
acquaintances.
Find your prospect on
LinkedIn. Click through
to the profile and look
for:
1. How you’re
connected to your
prospect
2. Previous
employment
3. Education
4. Websites
13 Make your first sales meeting
smoother
Check references for
potential customers
before meeting them for
the first time. Learn
more about the people
you are meeting so you
can discuss common
interests and
acquaintances.
Find your prospect on
LinkedIn. Click through
to the profile and look
for:
1. How you’re
connected to your
prospect
2. Previous
employment
3. Education
4. Websites
13 Make your first sales meeting
smoother
1. How you’re connected to
your prospect
Often, you’ll find that you
have a mutual
connection that you can
reach out to for insight
and the inside scoop.
Check references for
potential customers
before meeting them
for the first time. Learn
more about the people
you are meeting so you
can discuss common
interests and
acquaintances.
Find your prospect on
LinkedIn. Click through
to the profile and look
for:
1. How you’re
connected to your
prospect
2. Previous
employment
3. Education
4. Websites
13 Make your first sales meeting
smoother
2. Previous employment
Has your prospect worked
with or for anyone you
know?
Have you done business
with a former employer?
Perhaps you worked for
the same company at
some point?
Check references for
potential customers
before meeting them for
the first time. Learn
more about the people
you are meeting so you
can discuss common
interests and
acquaintances.
Find your prospect on
LinkedIn. Click through
to the profile and look
for:
1. How you’re
connected to your
prospect
2. Previous
employment
3. Education
4. Websites
13 Make your first sales meeting
smoother 3. Education
Did you go to the same
school?
Did your prospect earn a
degree that is completely
unrelated to his/her
current position? For
instance, people who
attended law school but do
not practice. Or a VP Sales
who studied molecular
biology. Makes for a fun
conversation.
Check references for
potential customers
before meeting them for
the first time. Learn
more about the people
you are meeting so you
can discuss common
interests and
acquaintances.
Find your prospect on
LinkedIn. Click through
to the profile and look
for:
1. How you’re
connected to your
prospect
2. Previous
employment
3. Education
4. Websites
13 Make your first sales meeting
smoother 4. Websites
Does your prospect have a
blog or link to a non-profit
organization or foundation?
If so, click! Read the blog
and print out a post or two
to bring with you to your
meeting.
Same thing for the social
cause. Be prepared to
ask questions about your
prospect’s involvement.
Your goal is to grow the
number of green circles
in your direct and
extended LinkedIn
network. This will allow
you to search for people
across your contacts’
extended network.
Remember that your
customer’s LinkedIn
connections likely
include other people
working at the same
company and colleagues
working in similar roles
at other companies.
When you connect with a
customer on LinkedIn,
you gain visibility to their
first-degree network and
benefit from their
extended network when
you conduct searches.
14 to send a LinkedIn connection
invitation after every meeting
Make it a habit
Grow Tips 15 to 23
your database
As a general rule, most
people use LinkedIn to
keep in touch with work
or school colleagues.
This means that most
LinkedIn users probably
use it exclusively as a
career networking or
contact management
tool.
Most people don’t take
the time to imagine how
else they can use
LinkedIn, for sales and
prospect acquisition, for
instance.
But because we are
sales specialist, we
should.
15 Don’t connect with your mother,
father, kids, work colleagues
or school friends
1. Find and invite old
acquaintances
2. Send invites to new
contacts
3. Optimize your profile
to appear in search
results 20-70 times a
day
4. Import your address
book into LinkedIn
5. Send mass emails
and invite people to
connect
6. Respond to Polls and
Discussions so
people see you and
invite you to connect
7. Get introduced: Also
consider a 2nd
degree connection.
8. Use the “Advanced
People Search”
functionality on
16 Grow organically
1. Invite old acquaintances
2. Send invites to new contacts
3. Optimize your profile
4. Import your address book into LinkedIn
5. Send mass emails
6. Respond to Polls and Discussions
7. Get introduced
8. Use the “Advanced People Search”
1. Frequently initiate
valuable Discussions
2. Initiate relevant Polls
3. Utilize answers to
crowdsourced
research
4. Start your own
Discussion Group
5. Post your LinkedIn
URL on:
-> all company
stationary and
emails
-> company swag and
advertising
17 visible Be highly
1. Go to TopLinked.com
and register as per
their instructions.
2. Review people on
TopLinked’s mailing
list and invite them
to connect with you.
3. Join Open
Networking groups
and invite people to
connect with you.
4. Maintain high
visibility so Open
Networkers will see
you and send you
invitations
5. Seek out subgroups
(in Groups) where
people are looking
for more invitations.
(Tip 24)
18 Grow through groups
Search for prospective
buyers using the
“Advanced People
Search” functionality on
LinkedIn.
The Advanced People
Search allows you to
conduct highly specific
searches for people who
also have a LinkedIn
account.
The best search results
are obtained by using a
combination of industry,
job title and keywords.
19 Use Advanced People Search
You can specify the
person’s:
Industry
Company (current or
previous)
Job title (current or
previous)
City
Country
Keywords contained in
the user’s online profile
Network with people
online as you would with
anyone you meet offline.
Genuinely network with
people online and treat
them with the same
respect and desire to
build a relationship as
you would with anyone
you meet offline.
Don’t contact people
cold: Contacting them
cold via LinkedIn gives
no added value. The
value of LinkedIn is using
legitimate connections
to get where you want to
go, talk to who you might
want to talk to. Use
legitimate connections
you have to get a
personal foot in the door
with someone you might
want to talk to.
20 Network online as you
would offline
When you connect with a
customer on LinkedIn,
take the time to browse
their direct connections
and identify “Super
Connectors.”
Super Connectors are
people who have
hundreds of contacts in
their first-degree
network. By connecting
to a customer with so
many connections, your
extended network will
grow much more rapidly
than if you connect to a
customer with fewer
connections. Your goal is
to find ways of getting
introduced and
ultimately connected to
these Super Connectors
on LinkedIn.
21 Get introduced to
“Super Connectors”
When you invite
someone to connect,
include a personal
message. LinkedIn offers
this as an option, but
fails to explain what your
options are. Let’s make
them clear:
Option 1: Write a
personal note and
increase your
chances that your
prospect will accept
your invitation
request, grant you the
meeting, and buy
from you.
Option 2: Be an idiot.
In your note, include a
sentence or two about
what you feel you can
offer your prospect, and
ask for the meeting right
then and there.
22 Invite
new contacts properly
When you click “Add
[prospect name] to your
network,” you’ll be
presented with the
following radio buttons
to answer the question,
“How do you know
[prospect name]?”
Groups: the BEST
option, if available.
LinkedIn only
presents this option if
both you and your
prospect belong to
the same LinkedIn
Group. It shows your
prospect that you
have a mutual
interest.
We’ve done business
together: my second
favorite option for
reaching out to
prospects
22 Invite
new contacts properly
For €22, you’ll get all the
additional functionality
you need to advance your
LinkedIn prowess to
mastery.
Two that are worth it:
1. Use premium search
features: You get four
additional filters that
will make searching
for new prospects a
breeze: Seniority
Level, Interested In,
Company Size,
Fortune 1000
2. Get more insight with
expanded profile
views – extremely
helpful
23 Invest €22 in yourself and increase your income
Final note: LinkedIn claims that 50% of users expense their LinkedIn Premium account to their business. You may want to check with your Managing Director to see if you can as well. If not, however, you’re not off the hook. You’re in sales. You make commission. It’s time to invest in yourself and increase your income.
groups Tips 24 & 25
Join
Although it’s a business
oriented platform,
LinkedIn groups span
both personal and
professional
interests. About sales,
marketing, management,
etc….
Each group gives you
the opportunity to
meet new people who
share your interests.
Often, group
members pose
discussion questions
or post articles of
interest. If moved, you
should comment on
group discussion
posts, as well as
creating discussion
posts of your own.
24 Join existing
groups
After you comment on
a discussion, LinkedIn
allows you to invite
discussion participants
to connect with you.
It’s the easiest way to
connect on LinkedIn,
and it’s a way most
salespeople ignore.
Special bonus
Every group email lists
you as the Owner – and
the recipients will click
on your profile.
You become known as
a person of value,
forever recognized as
the group Owner.
People will want to
connect with you as
the Owner. It’s an easy
way to grow your
network.
You control the
discussion. You can
lead the discussion in
a way that is
interesting to you and
to your prospects.
Your prospects will
reach out to you – if
you create the right
group, lead the right
discussions, and
present yourself as a
resource.
25 your own LinkedIn group create
You have instant
communication with all
members. It’s the only
place on LinkedIn that
allows you to email
blast more than 50
people at a time.
Special bonus
One more thing…
goals Start defining
SMART goals
S – specific
M – measurable
A – achievable
R – realistic
T – time bound
Start defining
Example 1: I will spend
1 hour a week answering 2 to 5 questions
related to xxxxxxx in Polls or Group
Discussions.
I will also invite 10-25 highly targeted
customers and industry influencers to be
part of my network each week.
I will keep a weekly report for tracking
people I start discussions with so I can
nurture those relationships as potential
clients.
goals Example 2:
One of the secrets to being effective, and therefore a
Power User, is defining in advance what size of
database is most important for you and who your
prospects are. For some, 50 contacts is enough, while
for others it’s 500, or even hundreds of thousands.
The number itself doesn’t matter; it’s the quality of that
database in relation to its size that counts. It depends
then on your conversion rates, F2F conversion rates,
and conversion from online engagement to face-to-face
engagement.
i.e., If you want 5 new customers <- 10 proposals <- 20
opportunities <- 200 online targeted prospects.
Start defining
SMART goals
S – specific
M – measurable
A – achievable
R – realistic
T – time bound
Start defining
Conclusion:
10 mistakes to avoid
1. Using a tool, not building a machine to engage
2. Staying in broadcast mode like direct marketing or mass
advertising
3. Forgetting that every single person you come into contact
with is real
4. Being “afraid” to get out of your comfort zone
5. Inviting your colleagues and private friends
6. Giving up when obvious results are not there
7. Failing to be consistently visible
8. Putting forward an image that has mixed messages
9. Not realizing it’s the little things that lead to big things
10.Forgetting that there is substantial value in building your
brand’s reputation over time.
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Bibliography
Author: Jean-François MESSIER Global New Technologies Director at Mercuri International Mercuri Website: http://www.mercuri.net/ JF MESSIER’s blog: http://newsalespresentation.com/
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