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Posts Tagged ‘Linkedin’

As Social Media becomes more and more the norm in online marketing, there are many resources now available where you can keep current on social media tools, results and tips. I thought it would be helpful to share some of the resources I use. Visit the sites below and “like” them or subscribe to their blog via RSS, or ask to receive their e-newsletter. The more you know, the better you will be able to manage your own social sites for maximum engagement, “likes” and, (what everyone really wants), sales and revenue increases:

Social Media Examiner
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/

Mari Smith – Facebook Expert
http://www.marismith.com/

SmartBrief
http://www.smartbrief.com/

Search Engine Land
http://searchengineland.com/

Darren Rowse – Problogger
http://www.problogger.net/

Brian Clark – Copyblogger
http://www.copyblogger.com/

Denise Wakeman – The Blog Squad
http://www.biztipsblog.com/

Chris Brogan
http://www.chrisbrogan.com/

Lewis Howes – LinkedIn Expert
http://www.lewishowes.com/

I’m really enjoying the great reminders and ideas speakers at the Social Media Success Summit #SMSS10 are sharing. Here’s my recap of the Social Media webinars from the Tuesday sessions:

Getting the Most out of LinkedIn
@LewisHowes has spent a lot of time using LinkedIn and he’s learned by trial and error the best place to focus. With 65 million business professionals using this tool, he believes it is the #1 social media site to build your business. You can export your contacts (to use in other marketing ways, like email) and the demographics of those who use it are people with a high net worth (an average Household Income of $109,000). These are business decision makers, so, if you make a good connection for a business partnership, you can most likely close a deal quickly.

Top 3 places to focus:

1. Optimize your page for keywords.
2. Join as many targeted groups as possible.
3. Add Blog Feed and Video Apps.

How Big Businesses are Leveraging the Power of Social Media
This webinar had the marketing directors of Whole Foods, Best Buy and Home Depot talking about how they are utilizing social media. Many have “global” sites for the brand and also “local” sites for stores (since they are brick and mortar) – both in Facebook and Twitter.

They are using Flickr for photo streams, YouTube for both user generated and vendor generated content, in addition to their own videos which range on a variety of topics. They are putting their social media sites in printed circulars, in their windows (since they are store fronts) and sandwich boards in front of the stores.

Many are using twitter as a customer service outlet like Best Buy @twelpforce and some even have twitter accounts just for specific topics like Home Depot and their sponsorship of NASCAR racing @homedepotracing or Whole foods and their food and wine guys @WFMWineGuys. The big takeaway was to have fun with it and find out who is passionate about your brand and tap into that.

3 Reasons You Need a YouTube Marketing Strategy
@GregJarboe spoke about YouTube, pointing out that 86% of internet users are viewing videos each month and 81% of all videos are viewed on YouTube, so, you need to be there! Many people stop watching at the 10 second mark, so, your call to action and good content needs to be front loaded. You must optimize your video for keywords, so, be sure to put them in the Title, Description and Tags. If you need ideas for what to make videos about, visit the YouTube Creator’s Corner:

There is also an “insight” button in “My videos” of your account where you can see demographic info, referring URL info and where people are bailing out.

Bottom line is to add video frequently so people will subscribe to it (like your blog). And, every time you post a video on you tube, embed it in your blog as the views there count in YouTube.

Business Women's Mega Mixer

Thursday night I was honored and excited to have been one of the over 400 women to attend the Business Women’s Mega Mixer in Downtown San Diego, CA. It was a great in person networking event to celebrate Women’s History month. I was even more excited to see an old boss and colleague, who I admire and respect as a powerful San Diego Business Women and leader, Barbara Bry, as the keynote speaker.

It was a great opportunity for professional women’s organizations and female owned businesses to network and make important business connections. I was able to meet about 50 women while I was there, and everyone I talked to said their business either had a social media presence, were just starting one, or really knew they needed it and was so glad I mentioned it to them because they were finally going to get on board! (It was the latter told me they would tuck my business card in a special spot that evening so it wouldn’t get lost because they knew they needed to call me.)

Social media is not the wave of the future, it is here now. Social media marketing is a must for any business. In addition to having a strong web site filled with your keywords optimized for SEO and a way to collect leads, every business needs a blog, Twitter and Facebook site. People are searching for your business online daily, and you can be much more easily found and virally recommended if you are participating in the social media spaces. The percentage of people using the yellow pages to find something is slim to none. People will ask a friend or Google it! Either way, with social media, your business can win.

So, how did Social Media help me learn about this great event? I was making connections in LinkedIn one day when I came across the Ladies Who Launch group, which as a woman business owner, really resonated with me. I joined their email list and it was their email newsletter that advertised the Business Women’s Mega Mixer.

Making connections and networking online in Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn is powerful. Joining a actual in-person networking group is also a great way to reach out and make connections. Remember, every time someone sees your brand whether it’s through email, an online visit to read an article on your blog, direct mail, radio, TV or print, every “eyeball” helps to build your brand and keeps you top of mind. Social media is just one piece of your marketing strategy, but, a very important piece that in today’s world cannot be overlooked.

For those who know how to use it wisely, LinkedIn can be a powerful tool for lead generation. It’s not just a place to put your resume or a job board, though most people tend to learn about it when they are job searching. It’s a very effective tool for targeted, free, online networking and lead generation.

LinkedIn is the largest online business networking site. Using the power of “who do you know,” you can make great connections and generate leads for your business, but, you must get involved to do it. This is the way all the social sites work, Facebook, Twitter, etc… You can’t just open an account and let it lie. Participation is key.

LinkedIn has approximately 45 million members, where Facebook, by comparison, has 300 million and Twitter is reported at 32 million. Just looking at the numbers alone, you can see that if you do not have a presence on LinkedIn, you are missing a huge opportunity to connect with potential customers and connections that can help further your business objectives.

Here are 7 tips to follow to optimize your profile, get involved with the community and connect with some experts in your industry in a targeted way:

1. Fill Your Summary with a Keyword Filled Story:
   That first section before the laundry list of every job you’ve had is the place to tell a story that is filled with keywords about you and your business. Always add a call to action at the end.
2. Add Your Picture:
   Social spaces are about connecting with people. You must add your picture to your profile. The human element is how people want to connect with you. Plus, if someone is searching for you specifically, this helps them identify you.
3. Give and Receive Recommendations:
   Just like references on your resume, get your top clients to recommend your work with a glowing review. And, do the same for them.
4. Participate in “Answers”:
   Read the status updates of your friends, and browse relevant groups to answer as many questions as you can. This keeps your name top of mind, just like a marketing campaign. Plus, all your answers appear on your connections’ home page.
5. Post Questions:
   This is a great way to connect with people and it helps reinforce your name as a “go to” person in your industry.
6. Join Groups:
   After you’ve added everyone you know, make new connections and keep building your network by finding groups that interest you and fit with your industry. Find out who is in your group and reach out to them. This is the most targeted marketing you can get!
7. Add LinkedIn to your Auto Signature:
   And, now that you are actively participating in this incredible social network, add your profile URL to your email auto signature. (And be sure to add any other social media space sites as well, like Twitter and Facebook). You want people to be able to connect with you on any and all social spaces they are using.

You can connect with me at: linkedin.com/in/joannwhetstine

Print is dead. Ok, it’s not really, but, it sure feels like it. How many people do you know who still use the printed Yellow Pages to find a business? I sure don’t. Those are dusty doorstops at my house. I don’t even know why I keep them. They should just go right into the recycle bin the minute they get left on my doorstep. I find everything I ever need online! All the time. I love the internet. And, if for some strange reason I can’t find the answer to my question in Google search results, (oh, yes, I’m loyal to Google!), I ask a friend to refer. Instead of picking up the phone, I text, email or post questions in LinkedIn or Facebook to my friends and business colleagues. And, that’s what social media marketing is all about: networking, building relationships and referring online.

Think about how you’ve purchased something recently. Something specific that you weren’t sure a store in town would have, or maybe it was here in town, but you didn’t know what store would carry it. Did you search for it online first? It’s very easy to search and even buy online, instead of driving all around town not knowing whether you will find the item you wanted or not. I did this a few times recently with local bookstore. I was feeling guilty that I would always just go to Amazon.com to buy the book, CD or DVD I wanted. So, I thought, no, this time I’m going to shop in town. And, you know what, twice I was disappointed because they didn’t have the item I wanted in stock or even in their computer system so they could order it and I could drive back and pick it up later. Online is easier. Online is convenient. Those who shop online enjoy the fact that the product comes right to their home, no fuss, no muss.

There are 70 million people conducting daily online searches on the internet. These people are searching for products, services and solutions to problems. The question I pose to you, is, if your customer searches for your products or services, can they find you?