Linkedin - Marketing a business on a social network

Social Networking for Marketing Business A study on LinkedIn Neetha Joy Saurabh Ranadive Sarang Bhutada Swarnali Choudhury

Social Networking

Not really a revolutionary idea

Human need to connect

Web is a good place

Credibility is the cradle

Darker side

Sensitive nature of information

Identity theft

Advertising Spam

Our network of choice

Who is using LinkedIn?

How LinkedIn works?

Online professional network

Connections like other networks

Friends of friends of friends of friends of …

'Your network is bigger than you think'

How is LinkedIn different?

Purpose – professional networking

Connection more than a casual acquaintance

Simple, for a reason

Legal Aspects

Sensitive information

High on rules

Identity financial harm

IT Act 2000

Six Degrees of Separation theory – Everyone in the world is connected by no more than six degrees of separation You already have this network of people in real life. LinkedIn helps you see it and use it.

Enhancing business using LinkedIn

Notification about product launches

Curiosity and opportunity

Responses

Results

Businesses that can typically be marketed -

Travel

Sports

Entertainment

Apparels

Electronic Gadgets

Understand and leverage the relationships between people

- Lead Generation

- Sales Acceleration

Step 1 –

Promotional Items

Email Marketing

Partnerships / Strategic Relationships

Sponsorship / Contests

Blogs

Videos

Step 2 –

Publications, Articles and E-groups

Reviews

Keyword Advertising

Viral Marking

Step 3 –

Identity Continuity

RSS subscribe

Steps for promotional campaign on LinkedIn Curiosity and opportunity to step into the shoes of the creator - Wondering if you guys were me, what would you do next with Mahalo. Background: 1. We’ve got a great team: tech, admin, research, and editorial. 2. We’ve got an amazing server setup and can handle massive traffic. 3. We’ve got 4,000 pages done and can do 500 per week. 4. The public is suggesting links already (do a search apple, iphone, a car or a tv show and you’ll fine some suggested links). 5. Folks are not chatting on message board yet. 6. We have a very stable and robust technology platform (MediaWiki). So, given what we’ve got… what would you do next?!?!?

Steps for promotional campaign on LinkedIn Promotional offers Videos Articles, E-groups Reviews Viral Marketing Identity Continuity RSS Blogs Email Marketing Partnerships Step 1 Step 2 Step 3

Tools and applications that aid marketing in LinkedIn

Marketing Strategies on LinkedIn

Increase the visibility of the brand

Answer Questions to display expertise

Stimulating blog posts to drive traffic

Service provider recommendations

Notify event launches

Slideshare application

Company buzz

Direct Sales

Company Profiles to explore potential clients.

People search tool to zero in on a profile of potential clients

Search Engine Optimization

Answer pages indexed to category

Have company website on personal profiles of employees

Encourage +ve buzz

Have popular figures associated with company (independent directors)mention their involvement

Market Research

Polls application can be used. The target audience can be,

Your network.

Targeted set of professionals on specific industry, job type etc(paid service)

Marketing Strategies on LinkedIn(contd)

Recruitment and job search

Post a job feature

Reference search

Direct access by Inmail

Automated talent matching

Dedicated account managers for premium customers

LinkedIn for Entrepreneurs

Answers feature to get expert advice

Advance search to find potential consultants and experts

Company profile feature to learn about competition

Reference check

Service provider recommendations

Advertisement potential

Ads allow for precision targeting according to age, experience etc.

Target specific segments like entrepreneurs, business developers

Ads can be segregated region wise

Easy payment ex. Credit card

LinkedIn for business development

Find relevant contacts in other organizations using people search

Company pages to get deep understanding of companies

View the profile of counter parts to find common ground

Marketing Perspective Application Possible Business Box.net Files Collaboration on various simultaneous activities TripIt -Business opportunities for “Tours and Travels” firms -Tie-ups possible with various State and National Tourisms Huddle Workspaces -makes business sense for multi-national firms -outsourcing firms Polls -“Paid distributed networks” already exists -Good opportunity for market research firms SlideShare - Consulting presentations Company Buzz -Investments WordPress Business bloggers can integrate analytics and paid advertising and apply SEO (search engine optimization) in the blog Reading List by Amazon Publishers and online sellers of books can do roaring business using this application

Businesses on LinkedIn Business How are they using LinkedIn? Legal