Social media marketing 101 - General overview of Linked In relative to individuals and companies grappling with its importance in marketing, sales and lead generation efforts.

3. 70,000,000 (worldwide)

4. 80%of companies use it as a recruitment tool

5. every second a new member joins

6. 12 million unique visitors per day

8. 100%

16. :: Request recommendations :: Make recommendations - Strengthens positive ties to that person - Other reviewing that rec will view your profile to learn who you are :: Use recommendations offline

25. :: Invest in your personal brand :: Nurture a consistent, authentic voice. Authenticity is the key to success with social media. :: Include your photo :: Fool proof – no excuse for sloppy errors :: Join and start groups – begin with C.R.E.W.! :: Utilize available, relevant apps

26. COMPANIES :: Invaluable in generating leads and bringing in traffic to your site :: Add a “follow us” button to your website :: Have each of your employees complete a profile and mention your company page :: Set-up a company profile :: Develop boilerplate company info for all employees to use on their personal profiles to ensure consistency

27. COMPANIES :: Crowdsourcing = solicit feedback from your customers and colleagues ::Create internal promotion contests to encourage your team to build their connections, thereby, promoting the visibility of your business

28. INDIVIDUALS :: Complete your profile (all the way) :: Claim a vanity URL – very important for “Discovery” Linkedin.com/in/YourFullName :: Promote your URLin your email signature :: Make your profile available publicly :: Make connections from all areas of your life: current and past colleagues, clients, friends, family :: Ask questions and get advice from experts :: Participate in ongoing discussions to position yourself as an expert

29. INDIVIDUALS :: Brand yourself for the job you want, not the one you have :: Position yourself for a future job, and list current job in your profile Example Instead of “Marketing Specialist forApple” make it “Internet Marketing Expert for Fortune 500 Companies”

30. INDIVIDUALS :: Flood your profile with keywords - Recruiters use it as a talent search engine - Recycle a few keywords from your headline throughout your profile - Helps you rank higher for those terms whensomeone conducts a “people search”

33. Throw a LinkedIn networking happy hour

35. :: Start following companies you want to work with :: After meeting someone, initiate the connection by creating a personalized “nice to meet you” greeting :: Consult with a professional – FDG {creative} – on a strategic social media marketing campaign that specifically caters to your business and clientele

36. :: Import your contacts: - Windows Live, Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo! and AOL :: Be open and available: - Respond to requests and messages promptly :: Leave your email address so people can connect with you :: Update your status - Use Ping.fm or hellotxt.comfor mass status updates across all profiles :: KEEP YOUR ACCOUNT EMAIL UP TO DATE!