I went to a presentation on Social Media today hosted by the Web Association, it took every ounce of self control to save this post for tonight (rather than baiting the panelists with a loaded question). As I watched the panelists discuss very intelligently how they have used social media I was generally impressed. However, the only reference I heard to LinkedIn was for “building your personal brand.” I felt like I was the crazy person in the room, how can we ignore the goldmine right in front of us?
Every single company MUST have a strategy for LinkedIn. First of all, your employees must look like the qualified, intelligent people you hired. Their profiles should be flush with a mix of personal and professional information that establishes their credibility and gives people ways to connect with them. Second, every employee must be connected with each other. Your web starts with your employees, build from within. Third, each employee needs to have goals for numbers of connections and recommendations given (these will vary by the employee). Finally, the employees MUST be taught how to Phish (build connections), in general use the site/software and most importantly turn this online activity into real world meetings and sales.
This is a Back To Basics approach on LinkedIn. Yes, we will figure out details for your company. Yes, we will fine tune the strategy 6 months in to maximize the effectiveness of your strategy. However, LinkedIn MUST be a part of every social media campaign. Why, because we are going to find gold on LinkedIn. We are going to get the short term return that enables our overall strategy to establish a Return On Investment that justifies the time and effort we put into FaceBook, Twitter, You Tube and Blogging. If you don’t have a strategy for LinkedIn, you don’t have a strategy for social media. I have said it before and I will say it again: I will NOT hire anybody that is not on LinkedIn…and you shouldn’t either. LinkedIn should be the core of your social media strategy. Know Your Network, get LinkedIn.
I couldn’t agree more. I’m working with a firm now that is spreading the social media efforts across a fairly large team. While they’re blogging, Tweeting, etc., (as part of a comprehensive strategy) I’m also really encouraging LinkedIn. Each employee with a strong presence their reflects well on the company and vice versa. It’s a great place to make a collective effort. I also get a lot of leads and contacts in the LI Answers area. Those who’ve not used that feature may be interested in my article, Listen, learn and leverage your brand via LinkedIn Answers.
Heidi is a great resource here in Cleveland, she is a wealth of knowledge and skill using advanced techniques on LinkedIn to grow her business. You can also!!!