I am a member and frequent user of Linked – In. I find it to be a fabulous tool for my job, and a great way to get advise or information quickly (I am huge on being efficient and quick… to much time in a day gets wasted!). But what are the “do’s” and “don’ts” on Linked-In? Is it a successful? How do you “link-into” Linked-In? That is what I am here to let you know. I found out a lot of the don’ts the hard way – trust me not fun!
What Are Some Main “Do’s” and “Don’ts” on Linked-In?
Do:
- Add real value to the discussions that you comment on or create. – BE HELPFUL to others!
- Get your linked In Profile 100% complete. I was reading (and have noticed) that many Linked In users will not look at a profile if it is not completed in full.
- Keep your comments and postings relevant to the group you are posting them in. For example; Don’t talk health care on a teacher’s forum… Or look for help with a client issue on a church group.
- Join Groups that are applicable to you and your goals on Linked-In. This will save you time, energy and a lot of potential connections to people that are not relevant in your world.
- Have a thick skin! Many people hide behind their computers and can get pretty nasty! Especially if they feel you are a threat or in competition. Laugh it off and don’t respond. This can make it worse. If you really can’t handle it (yes just like in Kindergarten!) tell the group administrator or the Linked – In staff. Seriously… it is not worth your time or effort!
Don't:
- Spamming! In discussions or private e-mails spam is not well received and can get you kicked out of groups (and apparently even have your entire account closed).
- Connecting with people that you don’t know or have a reason to connect with. Always remember to customize your invitation to link with others and let them know why they should connect with you. The general note from Linked-In to connect is often deleted immediately! This also helps you to keep your connections relevant.
- Commenting on or starting discussions to frequently. No one likes a discussion “hog”, so leave it a day or 2 before you start a new discussion. This will also keep people from ignoring you on Linked-In. You will also not look like a “know it all”.
- Disagreeing with a discussion topic without providing some ideas. Often members will comment that they disagree or don’t like a discussion but do not add some constructive input, a solution or why they disagree. This is not well liked in Linked-In.
- Sell, Sell, Sell… No one likes to feel like they are being sold to all the time. Vendors often are removed from groups or lose credibility when all they do is sell themselves or their company! Be helpful, and if you can use your company to do that great… but don’t try and sell them your product or service as a solution.
Have I had success using Linked In?
Yes! In the past 4 months that I have been working to use Linked – In more, I have gained 2 sales from it (amounting to $95,000!) with very little effort. I have also gained opportunities for my company to be interviewed and we will be in 2 publications (and there are about 6 more that are still pending).
I am finding the Linked – In is a great tool and is bringing in revenue. I would not say that you could base your year’s sales numbers off of it, or that you could rely on it for your sole form of sales… but it is a help!
What am I doing to make it work? I have a process that I follow. Here it is… obviously it may need to be tweaked to fit your job, personality, lifestyle, ect… This is also after I had a completed Linked-In profile, a “go ahead” from my company and I had joined all the groups applicable to my Linked-In needs.
• I go on linked in Daily to read, add comments or start discussions. This helps other members to know who I am and what I know. It helps create credibility for yourself (and/or your company). In the beginning do not ask for anything, mention your company in a “sales” way or be pushy… just be helpful and a knowledgeable!
• I look for opportunities daily. Weather it be from Discussions, comments, groups or my connections. I am always on the look out for people or companies that would be a good fit for me and/or my company.
• If I am going to contact someone regarding business, I never push myself on them. I send them an In-Mail (remember from the don’t list above… you can’t connect for no reason – In Mail is a great way to start!), letting them know that I think we could be a good connection for each other. I then explain why I think this and I conclude by simply adding for them links to my company site. This is not pushy and allows for them to look at me and decide for themselves if they would like to connect. After that I let it go… I do not stalk them or e-mail them again.
• If they do want to connect I set up a call between myself and them to dive deeper into my company, the potential for partnership, ect… and off it goes!
I will often “stir the pot” when starting a discussion. For example; I started a discussion discussion on “Training Arrogance” and received over 60 replies in less than a week. I started a Discussion asking if “Off Site Meetings and Conferences were Dead?” and received over 50 replies in a week. Not only does this tactic get you noticed, but it is also a HUGE help and a quick way to find out where the market is at on specific topics, ideas, economic climates, ect.
*Just remember that you need to be careful that you know what you are talking about and it is relevant to the group you are asking it of. (If not people on Linked-In can get very ticked off… not good!)
I also link everything back to each other – what I mean is my company web site, our web store, twitter, linked in Group, Facebook group, You Tube page, ect… This gains more exposure and helps with our credibility.
Please do not hesitate to ask me any questions you may have on all forms of social media. I am an open book, happy and ready to help. I focused on Linked – In here and will be focusing on other forms of social media as time goes on aswell.
Bek
p.s. links to all of my personal social media stuff is on the side bar. Feel free to check it out
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