I love social networking! However, when I first started, I thought it was going to be a big waste of time. Ultimately, I learned that it can either be an activity that helps you grow your business and your brand or one that will suck your time away from other important activities. It all depends on if you are strategic and effective with your time. I have been using various forms of social networking since I started my business back in 2002. A lot has changed since then—tools have come and gone. One thing remains consistent; however, people are more comfortable making purchases from those they know, like and trust. My business is in a high-touch industry. We work with people on areas of their business and life that are often private. One way for my prospective clients to get to know Calahan Solutions, Inc. and me is through connections on social networking sites. Today I answer some frequently asked questions about effective use of LinkedIN. WHY DID YOU START ACTIVELY USING SOCIAL NETWORKING AS A WAY TO BUILD YOUR BUSINESS? Traditional face-to-face networking is effective, but limited in location. Since we provide services globally, we wanted to find a way to connect with people on a global scale. Of course, we have web sites, an email newsletter and other marketing collateral, but that only lends to one-way conversation. Online social networking allows for a full conversation and participation when the prospect is ready. I have found that some people that link/friend/follow me start up conversations right away, while others wait a while. We’re ok with that because every day is new exposure. In addition, since most social networking sites have better search engine stats than my own site, it is a good way for me to get massive exposure for my business and do it all for free. Check out http://www.alexa.com/topsites and you will see that the top 100 sites across the entire internet include many social networking sites. DO YOU BELONG TO MORE THAN ONE SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES? Yes. Participating in social networking sites allows us to meet the person on “their turf” rather than forcing them to come to mine. Any time someone is comfortable, they are more receptive to new ideas or services. My staff and I have accounts on various social networking platforms. (See http://www.NetworkWithSteph.com for a sample.) This strategy fits with our focus too: You don't have to do it our way, because we help you find your way!™ This technique will not work for everyone, though. I should mention that I started out slow. Pick one social networking site that you like and build a strategy there first. If you do too many at once you will end up with a jumbled mess and little results. For business to business networking LinkedIn is the best because the focus stays on business. They now have 45 million members in over 200 countries and territories around the world. That is a lot of opportunities to build relationships. FOCUSING IN ON LINKEDIN: DO YOU USE THESE TOOLS ONLY FOR PROSPECTING NEW CLIENTS? No. I actively work on the various sites and meet new people every day. I have built some fabulous international relationships just by actively participating in LinkedIN and those relationships have turned into projects and client work. HOW TO WORK LINKEDIN 1—Make sure you have a solid profile page. Alexa ranks LinkedIn at 72. It is likely that a prospect will find your LinkedIN profile on a Google search before they would find your web site. 2—Get your company listed too. Go to the “Company Add” page and click the add button. Fill in the fields and save. 3—Understand that there are different types of users on LinkedIN. Some users are open to connecting with people that they do not personally know and others are not open to it at all. Use caution when making a connection request and be familiar with LinkedIn’s user policy. A good rule to follow is if you would not do or say something at a face-to-face networking event, don’t do it online either. LinkedIN has a “5 strikes and you are out” policy. If, over the course of your membership, you have 5 people press the IDK “I don’t know” button on your request, your account will get locked up. It is a good idea to ask their permission for a link prior to sending a link request. 4—Use your home page. It is the heart-beat of your connections. You can see what people are focused on and offer assistance or encouragement easily. You can also find new people to connect with. Remember, it is about the relationships, so building the connections you already have is a great first step. 5—Understand how to leverage the Answers section. The answers section of the site is a very powerful tool. You can build your network, do market research, find answers to commonly asked questions, position yourself as an expert, find experts and much more. If you have knowledge in a particular area, you can search for that topic and reply. It is a great way to build credibility. 6—Join and participate in groups. Join groups with a specific reason in mind. When you have focus in your networking you will be much more productive. At first, less is more. Join no more than one group a week and actively begin participating. It is through participation that you build relationships. Each group has its own set of rules, so check them out and participate accordingly. EFFECTIVELY USE THE GROUPS SECTION There are a number of things you can do to leverage the groups you join. 1—Go to the “More” tab and select “My Settings.” Review how you want to manage this group. Some find that clicking the email updates is a great way to manage their group participation because they get notified every time something new is posted. Others find the notifications distracting. If you don’t have email notifications turned on then schedule time weekly (15 minutes) to check the group for activity. 2—Look through the members list and identify people you know or people you want to get to know. Click and READ their profile to gain an understanding of the type of connections they are looking for. Then, contact them with an in-mail note and start a conversation. Send something personal rather than the system generated note. This is where real networking skills becomes valuable. 3—Look at the discussion items and reply when you have something of value to add. Ask questions or offer resources to your fellow group members. 4—Post job openings that you are aware of. In today’s market, many of our fellow group members are job hunting. Help them out by making the openings you know about easy to find. 5—Realize that the networking does not have to stay online. If you make a good connection, it is perfectly acceptable to set up a time to talk on the phone, via skype or in person. LinkedIN is a tool to help you make the connections. What you do with them is up to you. IT SOUNDS LIKE WHAT YOU ARE SUGGESTING TAKES TIME. HOW OFTEN SHOULD I GO OUT ONTO LINKEDIN AND DO THE THINGS SUGGESTED? Like all activities in your business, you should determine the priority you want to give your social networking. There are some sites that I check a few times a day and there are others that I only go to once a week or once a month. With LinkedIN, you should treat it like any other business building activity. The more you participate, the more credibility you are giving yourself and your brand. I suggest deciding on a length of time (say 30 minutes a week or 1 hour a week to start you off) and put it in your planner. Schedule the time or you will find that you don’t get to it. When the appointment time arrives, focus that time on building solid relationships. RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR FURTHER LEARNING A few months ago I did an interview with LinkedIn Expert Chip Lambert . He shared some outstanding tips and details on how to leverage LinkedIN and get started on the right foot. I strongly encourage you to get the recording and work through the workbook right away for more details on how to set up your profile for search engine and networking optimization. Participate in LinkedIn and other social networking sites with a solid plan in mind and you will be able to effectively grow your business with amazing new connections and resources.
Article Source: http://bizymoms.com/business
If you decide to make LinkedIn work for your business, make sure to connect, with me too and let me know how I can support you and your business. Stephanie Calahan is a business productivity coach that focuses on helping you put systems into place that helps you grow your business without losing your life. You don't have to do it our way, because we help you find your way! (tm) (c)2009 Calahan Solutions, Inc.