Linked In For Small Business

LinkedIn for Small Business
Are you LinkedIn?

What is LinkedIn?
"LinkedIn is the office, Facebook is the barbecue in the backyard, and MySpace is the bar," referring to the three major social-networking sites. ~Reid Hoffman CEO of LinkedIn
LinkedIn allows professionals to connect with other business professionals, online

Why LinkedIn?
Professionals leverage LinkedIn to build networks
Trusted as B2B platform
Connect with Small Business owners locally and across the globe
Share insight, answer questions, become a resource
Start building TRUST

LinkedIn is…
A gold mine for business contacts
The number one professional network
Your profile
Try googling your name and see what pops up. You will be surprised!
LinkedIn has your audience from CXO’s, Gatekeepers, and management. 50% of executives are on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn stats
40+ million users worldwide
Average household income $109,000 USD
Calgary LinkedIn Users 255,000
85,000 new sign ups every day

How to get started
www.linkedin.com

First things to do
Create your profile
Description
Work history
Education
Summary
Ensure your profile is as complete as possible
Remember you are using this for business and networking

Building a network
Type the name of the person you are searching for. Drop down list will present other options
Search for colleagues
Search for clients
Search for alliances
Don’t spam
LinkedIn will put you in the penalty box

Don’t just use the defaults
Customize your message, remember if you meet enough people they may have a hard time remembering you. Mention where you met them, why you want to keep in touch or what/how they maybe able to help you.
LinkedIn frowns upon “name collectors”

Find a company
Search for companies by name
Shows info on:
What the firm does
Who works there
Blogs and other info

Join groups
Groups are a great gathering place
Revolve around a special interest or common cause
Great place to get information on what is happening around you
Awesome for crowdsourcing
You can search for groups by interest, geography, focus or browse the directory

Groups in Calgary
Linking Calgary
Calgary Entrepreneur/Small Business
Chamber of Commerce 7:15

Why I love groups
50 group max as a member
10 group max as a manager
But that is not it!
Be a leader, give something back
Start your own group
You become the leader
You control the content

How to use groups
Use groups to answer questions
Use groups to offer advice
Do add your contact information
Name, Company, Website is enough
Don’t use groups to sell your services
Don’t use groups to “say you want to connect”
Don’t use groups to spam
Use groups to take steps towards being someone people know, like and trust
Groups are the most effective way to build your network

Be a true Go-Giver
Recommend others you have done business with
Use recommendations to promote the work others have done for you
Colleagues who have helped you out
Presentations you attended
When someone does something awesome

Other important LinkedIn functions
Job posting/searching
Questions and answers
Third party applications
Link blogs
Google docs
Trip it
Slideshare

Job hunting
Post your open positions - $195 USD
Search for careers
Keep an eye on others around you
Research candidates
Search for their LinkedIn profiles

Answers
Great tool to find out information
Awesome resource to help with Crowdsourcing
Get answers when you are stuck
Ask 10 questions per month
You can offer advice to those in search of help or in need
Take that important first step to know, like and trust

How do you get noticed?
Own a group
Own a content rich blog
Post relevant news topics to groups
Post and answer questions
Conducts seminars and webinars
Use a professional headline in your profile
Tweak weekly

The million dollar question
Should I pay the monthly cost for LinkedIn?
Answer
it depends
Do you have a need for:
More InMail
More introductions
Better search
OpenLink

Other take aways
Add your LinkedIn profile to your:
Blog
Website
Business card
Answer questions and provide feedback to conversations daily
Recommend a different person every day
Stop using Facebook for your business networking online

Next steps
Questions and answers
Engage with me for a one hour free consultation on LinkedIn
Stuart Crawford
Bulletproof InfoTech
http://www.bulletproofIT.ca
http://ca.linkedin.com/in/stuartcrawford