Social Marketing LinkedIn

Social marketing or web 2.0 has really changed the business community.   Businesses are connecting with consumers  through the internet.   The main goal when utilizing social marketing is to connect with old customers and  gain new ones as well as constantly  building and maintaining credibility and reputation among consumers.  Social media involves  community engagement, social viral, electronic broadcast or syndication, and blogging or article production.

Socializing has become the new “tool” for effective business marketing and sales.  Social mediums are not only a way for businesses to interact with consumers but also a source of networking and communication between people.

The more popular social networking sites are Myspace, Facebook,  Twitter are social mediums most commonly used for socialization and connecting.  What used to be considered a way to connect with family and freinds has drastically changed to a selling medium.

LinkedIn Professional Social Networking Site

LinkedIn is a free network of experienced professionals from around the world, with over 150 industries and 200 countries.  Adding your professional identity online with LinkedIn allows you to  stay informed about your industry and network with other professionals.

• Manage the information that’s publicly available about you as professional
• Find and be introduced to potential clients, service providers, and subject experts who come recommended
• Create and collaborate on projects, gather data, share files and solve problems
• Be found for business opportunities and find potential partners
• Gain new insights from discussions with likeminded professionals in private group settings
• Discover inside connections that can help you land jobs and close deals
• Post and distribute job listings to find the best talent for your company

Latest LinkedIn Facts

• LinkedIn has over 60 million members in over 200 countries and territories around the world.
• A new member joins LinkedIn approximately every second, and about half of our members are outside the U.S.
• Executives from all Fortune 500 companies are LinkedIn members.

All relationships on LinkedIn are mutually confirmed, and no one appears in the LinkedIn Network without knowledge and explicit consent.

Here a a few key pointers to get you started on LinkedIn

• Check the Expertise Requests option in your profile.
• Complete your profile as thoroughly as possible by including interests add an avatar and give detailed business information.
• Connect with as many business associates as you can, since they will help you to network with like minded individuals and companies.
• Learn from others to gain insights and knowledge, it never hurts to  become an knowledgeable in other subjects and topics.
• Ask questions and take the time to answer questions with alot of thought and research if necessary.
• Make sure to check your home page on LinkedIn as much as you can for industry news and posts from associates.
• Be aware of who your top 5 are on company profiles they are displayed on the home page. This is important since it will show others who you associate with.
• Choose the top 5 who will link back to you, so there is a reciprocal benefit.
• Be sure to explain your work experience in as much detail as possible focusing on what you’ve accomplished in detail.
• Comment in the discussion forums as much as you can so your profile gets noticed.
• Update your status with useful content and information frequently.
• Use keywords in your profile and content for Search Engine Results.
• Include your LinkedIn profile link in other places like Twitter, digg, facebook and other social media websites.
• Customize your buttons. This will make your profile look more professional and give you more control.
• Include  skills and specialties as they relate to your current business.
• Include your company URL somewhere prominate on your profile.
• Try to establish a criteria with a well thought out plan on building your network to connect with the people you want and not the ones you do not.
• Leave the casual online friendships to Facebook.
• Check network statistics to see what is going on with your account and the progress you’re making.
• Remember the limitation rule before publishing your profile.
• Customize your public profile’s URL so it’s easier to link this to other pages and people will remember it much better.
• Ask others within the community for advice as this site was established as an network for information sharing.
• Utilize the site for competitive analysis of your competition.
• Complimenting goes along way but don’t overdue it.
• When discussing a case study use statistics that exemplify the means to your success.
• The top of your summary is what visitors will see first so optimize the most vital information here.
• Utilize the answers tool as an opportunity to show off you expertise.
• LinkedIn has its own services area where you can trade with others who are in the network.
• Try to become a recommended service or company by establishing a good reputation the “recommended” status is key.
• Don’t forget to enable the “show website” feature in your profile.
• Check both  full view and websites options to make information in your profile is public.
• Use the website as a tool to make connections within your business niche
• Be willing to work at building your network as with all things in social media this takes patience and dedication.
• Make use of the option to be indexed so your information appears on Google and other search engines’ results.
• Use the Q&A feature to ask others their opinion.
• Introduce yourself to other members you would like to associate with.
• Do not be shy to ask others to recommend you if you feel that their experience with you was a good one.
• Think of LinkedIn as your “home base” for all of your other marketing tactics.
• Always be as professional as possible at all times its your business and your character reflects that.
• Be aware of spelling and grammar.