Linkedin for New Business: A talk for Architects
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These are the slides I used to present to an audience of architects, planners and consultants at New London Architecture last night (26 May 2016). The talk was well attended with a very engaged audience and many questions. Hosted by Tobermore Concrete Products Limited with New London Architecture. Find out more on twitter: #nlalinkedin
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Linkedin for New Business: A talk for Architects
- 2. Thank you to our hosts: www.newlondonarchitecture.org www.tobermore.co.uk
- 3. 5 Tips for a Strategy #nlalinkedin
- 5. 438,000,000+ members worldwide UK: 18,865,000 UK Construction & Property: 1,080,000 Construction 591,309 Real Estate 180,955 Civil Engineering 116,227 Architecture/Planning 108,845 Building Materials 81,953 Comm. Real Estate 22,923 May 2016
- 6. a useful tool for your real life network
- 7. You don’t know everyone in your Network
- 12. 1 2 3
- 13. 1 2 3
- 14. 1 2 3
- 15. 1 2 3
- 18. My UK Network includes* 182 178 70 44 12 Construction Journalists Property Developers Quantity Surveyors Construction MDs Estate Agents *2 degrees away
- 19. The Referral Culture Kent Bye #nlalinkedin
- 20. Your advocates speak well of you when you're not there. Nicole Bachmann Golf by Robert Scoble
- 24. 5 Tips for a Strategy #nlalinkedin
- 33. 2. Talk to HR carbone14
- 36. Everything you write on social media is visible #nlalinkedin
- 37. Training mattimattila 1. Awareness 2. Safe & Sensible 3. Proactive Policy 1. Boundaries 2. Enabling
- 38. 2. Talk to HR carbone14 #nlalinkedin
- 40. Settings
- 41. ‘Select what others see when you’ve viewed their profile’
- 44. Go Hunting
- 55. Erix 4. Status Updates First
- 57. • GroupsGroups • Private MessagingPrivate Messaging • Company PagesCompany Pages • Status UpdatesStatus Updates nostri-imago JustPractising.com/Profile
- 61. Company Home
- 62. Company Home
- 63. Status Updates
- 64. Status Updates
- 67. Status Updates
- 68. Status Updates
- 69. Erix 4. Status Updates First #nlalinkedin
- 72. Make Social Objects Vincent Des Jardins http://gapingvoid.com/so/
- 73. Make Social Objects Vincent Des Jardins http://gapingvoid.com/so/ • Useful • Opt-In • Self Contained • Shareable • Free
- 77. 5 Tips for a Strategy #nlalinkedin
- 78. Images: Creative CommonsWill Lion
Editor's Notes
- Thank you very much to New London Architecture and Tobermore Concrete Products Limited for asking me here to talk to you today. I know we’re talking about LinkedIn today, but if you’re on Twitter and you’d like to share anything you hear today there, please use the hashtag #nlalinkedin. You can see our usernames here on the screen.
- Tonight I’m going to look at how you can use LinkedIn to win new business, and I’m going to make the case for you as an individual and a practice, to take a strategic view of LinkedIn. I’m also going to give you 5 tips to make that strategy work.
- But first we should ask ourselves, WHY? Why are we talking about LInkedIn at all? - Lets start with a question – how many of you have a LinkedIn profile?
- Linkedin is THE professional network online. In October they announced membership had exceeeded 400 million worldwide. Of these over 18 million in the UK and over 1,000,000 UK construction and property professionals, over 20000 UK companies Its visitors also have a higher level of education and a higher net worth than the average internet audience. More business people, more professionals.
- Linkedin is not a substitute for your real life network. It won’t take the place of meeting people. Not either/or but Both/And What’s really interesting is here where linkedin meets your real life network. This is what its for. The people in your real life network you connect to on linkedin become more valuable to you.
- What is more because it is a network of people who know each other, it connects people who aren’t even on Linkedin, reaching much further than its actual membership. Lets have a look at the basic anatomy.
- When you join Linkedin you are asked to enter your career history – what you do, where you have been and where you want to go. This profile helps people find you and know who you are.
- Linkedin then asks you who you know (enter names or upload email addresses, it tells you who is using Linkedin). You will be surprised.
- Connect to the people you know and then they can see each other. They find out they have you in common.
- And you can see their contacts too.
- In fact you can see their contacts contacts – three levels of separation.
- The important level is level 2 because these people aren’t in your address book. But now you know someone who knows them.
- Also, because no. 2 is a trusted contact of my trusted contact no.1, I can check him out with confidence, and perhaps be introduced.
- He becomes my contact too,
- and I can see his contacts contacts. This is how we build a network online. It is important to remember that each of these nodes is a professional, known to those who know you. Why connect like this? Because linkedin makes connections VISIBLE
- Here are the people that your contacts know who are on linkedin. Because they are on Linkedin they are visible. This means that you can look people up and find out if someone you know, knows them. Lets just look at the second degree – people your trusted connections know DIRECTLY.
- Using Linkedin I can find 12 construction journalists my contacts know, 44 property developers… These aren’t just people on a list either, they are professional people within my network. The quality of the relationship is important as well as the number of connections, because the value lies in that quality. Each person has a network like this, each one is unique to the person. With Linkedin you can begin to use that network more effectively.
- Why is this important? Because in the business environment, we operate a referral culture. People buy from people they know and trust. In professional services we know this because inspite of the procurement processes that aim to anonymise the system, people still statistically will have had a relationship with the prospect before they are asked to quote.
- Here’s an example. Many UK construction people play Golf. Golf is a physical manifestation of a social construct which is about introducing people who don’t know each other well, in a safe semi-business environment. If you get on you do business together, if you don’t, never mind. Golfer A says to golfer B ‘my site won’t stack up so I don’t want to go in for planning, I don’t know what to do’ Golfer B says you just need a second opinion – my architect is good at getting in extra units, I’ll give you his phone number. His name is Peter Wells. So Golfer A calls up Peter Wells. Doesn’t he?
- Nope, before he does that he Googles him. Don’t you? Notice that we’re talking about an individual here If they have a properly prepared profile on Linkedin, this is what happens next.
- Because Linkedin is so big and public profiles are indexed by google, its the best way to be found by google, which is where everyone looks. This listing appeared 24 hours after we tweaked his profile – in a week it was right at the top. If the person who doesn’t know Peter Wells clicks through on the strength of what he sees here, this is what he sees.
- The public profile tells a visitor everything they want to know about Peter. Is this the right Peter Wells? What does he do? How do I get in touch or find out more?
- So what does this mean for our 5 steps to a strategic use of Linkedin to win new business?
- The first step has to be to make yourself visible on Google using Linkedin, because that is where people are looking. Here’s how to do that.
- When logged into Linkedin, choose ‘Edit Profile’ from the ‘Profile’ menu, and then look for the little cog next to the url under your photo. You do have a photo right? Of course you do.
- On the left of the page that appears is a preview of how your website looks to google (and to non Linkedin users who find it via google). On the right you can turn on and off various sections of your profile. Make sure your photo, websites, summary and as much else as you dare is turned on – it will all help you to be found in a Google Search.
- Linkedin profiles have come a long way in the last few years. Try this out: Add rich media – pdf files, video, slide decks/slideshare files, images and links to your profile
- Hover over the section of your profile and look for the blue box with the square. Or if you’re lucky you’ll have the new feature
- Which is an ‘Add Media’ strap which makes it even easier. They call them ‘Work Samples’ but of course don’t have to be samples of your work.
- Further down your profile you can add projects. These have the added advantage of connecting other people to your profile, with whom you’re working on a project. The other people have to consent. They can be colleagues, clients, other consultants, as long as they are on Linkedin and consent to being added.
- So make yourself visible, both so that people on Google can find you, and so that people know more about you and how you can be useful to them.
- Second thing to do when you get back in the office is Talk to HR Anyone here in an HR role? This bit is for you. Board Everyone has a profile, HR Director uses Linkedin every day. Why? Because their stock in trade is people and
- You can’t do Social Media on your own. You can’t do it solely with a corporate account. You need to integrate it into the activities of your people, because People are what make social media work. And they will matter even if you’re not doing it yourself.
- Recognise this person? Charlotte Proudman junior barrister. September last year. Connected to a senior solicitor who sent her a rather over complimentary message on Linkedin. She took offense at this (as is her right) but then she did something really interesting. She posted a screen shot of the private conversation on twitter.
- HR and Comms meet in social media. There are no silos. Everyone who works for you has to realise that everything they write on social media is visible – even if only to one other person, so they need to bear this in mind.
- The approach we use is Have a social media policy that sets boundaries, but enables rather than restricts employee use of social media. If it is too restrictive they won’t use their networks to help you. Implement three levels of training. Firstly awareness, so that everyone in the organisation knows what you are doing, whether they will participate or not. Secondly teaching people how to be safe and sensible online (this takes about an hour – I use a 12 word social media policy for this) Thirdly provide specific training for those who are client facing, to help them use the platforms you are advocating proactively, helping them use their initiative. We can’t control what our employees say on social media, but we can provide them with guidance and boundaries so they know what is expected of them and want to participate.
- So step 2 is Talk to HR – whether that be a department, or an individual, or part of an individual’s job. They have to be involved.
- The other reason to talk to HR is because they know how to use Linkedin. They know how to do this. HR will be visiting people’s profiles anonymously, so that the person can’t see who has visited their profile. Why would you want to do this? Linkedin is the only major platform which tells someone you’ve looked at their stuff, but you can become anonymous if you wish.
- Do this by visiting your settings page, from the avatar on the top right. BTW You must do this using the browser version of Linkedin.
- On the front page of the settings, choose ‘Select what others see when you’ve viewed their profile’ and choose to make yourself anonymous. Whilst you have this setting set to anonymous, people will only be able to tell that an anonymous Linkedin user visited their profile. Turn the setting back to identify yourself when you’ve finished snooping around. There are benefits to not being anonymous - you’ll only get to see who’se viewed your own profile when you aren’t anonymous, and letting people know you’ve checked them out is sometimes a good idea.
- Now you can Go hunting – in a pack. Work as a team to grow your network in the direction of your target audience. Your team can be colleagues and advocates in other companies who want to work together. Your whole network can be your team – get them organised. Remember each person has a different network, a different set of relationships. Linkedin can make these visible.
- Quick 20 minute search (with anonymity on and using advanced search techniques)
- You don’t have to connect to these people to learn about them
- I went back to look at Brigadier Frank Noble this week and found yes he’s still using Li – he’s updated his profile and
- If you click on this little arrow you can choose to view his recent activity
- And yes he is actually doing stuff on Linkedin – so we can find out even more about him and even participate in conversations.
- What’s more if you don’t mind him knowing you’ve visited his profile, you can even follow him on Li by clicking this button.
- So step 3 is make your self invisble, so you can go hunting.
- Next step is about those conversations. Status updates come first.
- Here’s my plain english definition of Social Media, of which Linkedin is a part. Social media is People having Conversations and Publishing on the Internet. The conversations are essential to making social media work – they are what create sharing, and what introduces you to others. Without conversation you are shouting into a bucket.
- So where on Linkedin should you be having conversations? Well there are several options. Lets look at them. Last Conversation Piece by Juan Munoz Photo by Cliff (nostri-imago)
- Groups are great on Linkedin, and there are many conversations there between likeminded individuals. You can use groups, but since October they have had some problems which are yet to be resolved. NB Something is "borked" when it doesn't work correctly or misbehaves, generally due to negligence by the person(s) that are responsible for it.
- What about private messaging on Linkedin – you know those emails you get? Well they are good for private conversations, but they have their problems. Have you ever experienced this?
- Misuse of the private messaging system on Linkedin is rife. You can only message for free if you are connected - in which case you have an email address, so use email!
- Your Company Page is your company’s home on LinkedIn. You should post here, but having conversations is difficult as the audience is small. The most important thing about company pages…
- is how they act as an indicator to visitors of who they know at the company. Use company pages as a hub for your company.
- Status updates are the starting point for conversations on social media. They are the process by which conversations happen. They exist on all the platforms – here they are on Linkedin, Twitter and Google Plus, for example. If you do share things on Linkedin, and do it right, people will comment, like and share on your content with other people. Here is why its important.
- Status updates are posted on my profile in chronological order, so people can read them there. But they are also shared on the home pages and read by the people I’m directly connected to, in chronological order, interspersed with those from other people.
- I’ve got a home page too where I see the status updates from my connections in the same way.
- But its when I like, comment on or share a status update from one of the people I’m connected to that the real magic happens. By doing this I pass on the content they have shared, with them attached, to the other people in my network, thereby subtly introducing them to my network.
- Each time Adrian comments on my status update it shares it in his stream, with his network. He also chose to share the link with his network directly, which generated more discussion and passed the link on to people to whom I’m not connected at all. You must have the three key elements: Useful social objects for your target audience People who trust you and value useful content A proactive approach to sharing.
- Each time Adrian comments on my status update it shares it in his stream, with his network. He also chose to share the link with his network directly, which generated more discussion and passed the link on to people to whom I’m not connected at all. You must have the three key elements: Useful social objects for your target audience People who trust you and value useful content A proactive approach to sharing.
- Status Updates however are open and powerful in helping you spread a message to a wider audience. Encourage your staff to hold appropriate, professional, public conversations in the status update system.
- And my final piece of advice is be useful.
- if social media is about conversations and publishing, what are you going to publish? Many LinkedIn users publish frivolous or boring content that isn’t useful to the people they are trying to reach – it's a distraction.
- Instead, You can differentiate your company if you make and publish Social Objects – objects that people want to talk about because they are
- useful to your target audience, Entirely opt in (don’t push them on people) Self contained like a web page, a youtube video, a pdf file so they can be Shared easily when you’re not there. And they must be free.
- If you want be known for your understanding of the housing market, make and share information about it in an easy to access format.
- Want to position yourself as someone who understands energy efficiency, air tightness and Passivhaus? Make and share articles about the niche topic.
- If you want to be known as a BIM specialist, write blog posts and share information about BIM. People will not only know more about who you are, they’ll be able to share you more easily with others.
- So there are my five tips – 1. Make yourself visible so people can find you on Google. 2. Talk to HR and think about your people. 3. Make yourself invisible so you can go hunting for prospects. 4. Have conversations – and in the status updates first, and 5. Be useful, because it helps people understand you AND share your expertise with others.
- I’d like to leave you with this thought. If everyone in the construction industry is using Linkedin, what differentiates us is how we use it. I don’t think it will be long before candidates will be employed on the strength of their Linkedin networks. Its already the case that prequalification questionnaires are being cross referenced against Linkedin profiles. Think about how you can use Linkedin to your own individual and corporate benefit, before they all catch up.
- I’d like to leave you with this thought. If everyone in the construction industry is using Linkedin, what differentiates us is how we use it. I don’t think it will be long before candidates will be employed on the strength of their Linkedin networks. Its already the case that prequalification questionnaires are being cross referenced against Linkedin profiles. Think about how you can use Linkedin to your own individual and corporate benefit, before they all catch up.