Learning to Leverage LinkedIn

Presented by:Cheryl Strege, PresidentCheryl@ThePartnerMarketingGroup.com

The Presenter

• The Partner Marketing Group– Marketing services firm– Specializing in technology organizations in the Sage,

Microsoft and Intel channels• Have people resources

– Virtual marketing director, program managers, etc.• Program resources

– E-newsletter program, customer case studies, ghost writing of blog posts, website content, and more!

Why Bother? 1. More clients (our #1 referral source)

- Viewed as an expert2. More money

- Viewed as an expert3. More influence (62% are new visitors)

- Seen in more places, more often4. Less selling

- The right clients seek you out (3.35 avg. minutes/visit)5. Long term success

- Sustainable relationships

Why Bother?

LinkedIn generated the highest visitor-to-lead conversion rate at 2.74% - almost three times higher than both Twitter (.69%) and Facebook (.77%).

The visitor-to-lead conversion rate means the percentage of website visitors who took some action to become a lead such as download a white paper.

A recent study of over 5,000 businesses conducted by Hubspot.

Improving or Completing Your Profile

Completeness• Make sure you have 100% profile completeness on

LinkedIn.– To achieve this you will need:

PhotoHeadlineCurrent position and at least your past two positions are recommendedCompleted Summary & EducationList your Skills & ExpertiseComplete your Interests Get at least 3 Recommendations

Other Profile Updates• Add company websites or blog

sites you are associated with. You are allowed three.

• Add a Twitter account if you have one.

• Change your Public Profile to your name or something that identifies you.– Use this URL in your email

signature and other communications

The Improve Your Profile Tool analyzes your profile and offers you personalized profile recommendations to help you put your best foot forward. Click on the Improve your Profile button on your Edit Profile page to get started.

Recommendations• You will need 3

recommendations to complete your profile. Get recommendations from:– Colleagues– Customers– Other partners– Vendors & Suppliers

• Best strategy? Give to get! Write a recommendation for someone else first.

Outlook Social Connector• Download the Outlook Social Connector to build your LinkedIn network

through Outlook.

Who’s Viewing Your Profile?• From the home page, check to see who has been viewing your profile.

The “look and look back” tactic- reach out with a connection request!

Security Settings• From the dropdown underneath your name, click on Settings.

Security Settings

LinkedIn Tools & How to Leverage Them

• Participate in product or vertical groups. – Post tips, links to articles, info on events, or downloads– Leave comments on other posts

Groups

Events• Use the Events tool to promote your next webcast, training or

live event.

Polls• Poll your network on LinkedIn.

Promote in groups, email campaign, blog, email signature and other social media sites.

Box.net, Google Presentation & SlideShare

Box.net – To add any type of document or presentation for download from your profile.

Google Presentation – To add a PowerPoint presentation for viewing on your profile.

SlideShare – To Add any type of document or presentation to be viewed or downloaded from your profile.

Answers• Watch the questions that are

being asked and answer them if you can. This will help show your industry expertise.

• When answering questions make sure you:

Mention your company and/or services, but don’t pitch!

Refer them to a website or blog if you have written on the topic before.

AnswersAdvanced Answers Search:

Tips Business Partners Can Use

Create a Company Profile• This makes your company searchable.• Ask your employees to update their profiles to be associated

with your company.• Enable your company page for “status updates” so

designated people can post content for your followers.

Add Products & Services• Add each product or service that is provided

under your company profile. This will increase your company’s visibility.

• Ask for recommendations from clients on each product or service.

• Integrate rich media such as images, hyperlinked banners, and YouTube videos.

4 Ways to Solicit Followers1. Encourage employees to link their personal

profile to the company page.2. Follow the company pages of clients,

prospects, colleagues, and vendors.3. Send an announcement to appropriate

contacts giving them 2-3 reasons why it would be beneficial to follow your company.

4. Send that same “benefit message” to your database of clients and prospects.

Getting Followers, Keeping Followers

• Participate– EXAMPLE: Comment on other companies you follow when

they announce a new hire or acquisition. • Freshen

– EXAMPLE: Post new videos, images, pictures from the client holiday party or classroom training.

• Allocate– EXAMPLE: Carve out an hour each Friday afternoon

dedicated to LinkedIn “participating” and “freshening”. Use http://ping.fm/ to update multiple social networks at once.

Create Your Own Group• Create a group for your customer base.• Share relevant info:

– Customer events– Training sessions– Product updates/upgrades– Opt into your customer newsletter– Promotions/discounts/specials

• Make the group “private” to prevent competitors from joining.

TIPS• Ask someone to review your profile to ensure it is “customer

focused”, not just an online CV.– EXAMPLE: State your qualifications in terms of how you help clients,

not just “Was the Vice President of Marketing”.

• Change your title to a “helpful headline”.– EXAMPLE: Instead of “President of XYZ Company” (defaults

from your profile), change it to “Helping Small/Medium Businesses Better Manage Technology”

• Use Status Updates to non-intrusively remind people what you do.– EXAMPLE: “Just finished our training class on what’s new

with Peachtree 2012” could lead to a prospect or customer contacting you.

TIPS• Accelerate referrals! If you have a targeted list

of accounts, search LinkedIn to see if your contacts are connected. – EXAMPLE: Review the sales pipeline for the top 10

“most likely to close” or the top 10 you “most want to meet”. Use LinkedIn to see if you have any 1st or 2nd connections – ask them for a referral.

TIPS

• Include a call-to-action on your personal profile, your company profile, your group:– Checklists– How to Guides– Tips & Tricks PPT– An article– An upcoming event

LAST TIPS!

• Be unique – add a video to your profile.

• Be sure to include your photo!

Quick Guideline for Business Partners:

Benefit/Task How does LinkedIn help with this?

Discover information about prospects, customers, ISVs, suppliers and partners. Reading their profile before a meeting or conversation

Maintaining a relationship with prospects, customers, ISVs, suppliers and partners. Personal messages, sharing ideas in Discussions and answering questions in Answers.

Receiving introductions or referrals to prospects and/or other introductions to other departments at a customer. In addition other ISV's, suppliers, or partners that you may not have worked with.

Use the introduction tool or LinkedIn email.

Discovering relationships between customer, prospects, ISVs, suppliers, partners, and other contacts. View the degrees of connections within a profile.

Visibility, personal and company branding. Your profile, your company profile, and contributions in Answers and in Group discussions.

Word of mouth publicity through customers, colleagues, etc. give testimonials about you and/or your company so prospects, ISVs, suppliers or other business partners can learn about you.

Receiving recommendations on your profile or for your company products & services.

Getting notifications when someone changes jobs. This can be a trigger to contact them to see if you can be the partner to the new organization or to get introduced to the one who will replace them at your current customer’s organization.

Use the Network Updates

Picking up trends in the marketplace via Groups that prospects, customers, ISVs, suppliers and partners participate in. Participate in the discussions within Groups.

Make yourself be perceived as an expert by participating. Through contributions in Group discussions and Answers.

Finding the Groups and Organizations to be a member of, both online and offline which are right for you. The key is to participate.

Via Group Search and via the Profiles of people from your network.

Summary

• Generate Leads! – Regularly enhance your personal profile and ask

your employees to do the same. – Create and regularly enhance your company profile.

• Add Services/Products, get recommendations, solicit followers, add a call-to-action.

– Follow and they may follow you back.

Summary

• Participate!– Answer questions.– Post updates (relevant to the reader).– Ask for introductions/referrals from the people

you know.• Include a call-to-action. Get them to your

website to learn more and engage with you.

What’s on Your Website? • Is your content fresh?

– Product names and versions updated?– Removed the old events and added new ones?– Are there “actions” on your website?

• Download • View • Register

• Is your content interesting, engaging, and does it talk about their needs?

• Click• Opt-in • Contact you

Questions?

Visit my profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/cherylstregeto get a copy of this presentation!

Cheryl@ThePartnerMarketingGroup.comwww.ThePartnerMarketingGroup.com

605.574.9432