Category Archives: LinkedIn

What’s the future for Social Media? LinkedIn group lists FAQ’s

One of my favorite LinkedIn groups for industry discussions is FUTURE SOCIAL MEDIA. In a recent conversation, group members offered the social media questions most asked of them.

Can you answer any of these 15 questions?

OR

Are any of these YOUR own questions?

1. Is Social Media a buzz or here to stay?

2. Does marketing through Social Media really work?

3. Is Social Media just for kids or there is a business element?

4. What is the ROI on Social Media activities?

5. How can you track revenue from social media activities?

6. How can I find my target audience(s)?

7. What are the most important metrics I should measure?

8. How has social media affected customer buying decisions?

9. How do I rise above the noise that I see on social media channels?

10. How much time does it take to generate leads via social media platforms?

11. How many likes can you get me?? How many followers can you get me on Twitter by the end of the week?

12. If SM is FREE, why do you charge? That one is like a slap on the face. Lol.

13. With so many self-proclaimed “Social Media Gurus/Ninjas/Experts” what questions are important to ask a company that is trying to sell me Social Media services?

14. Will social media kill email as we know it?

15. Can social media help me do my job better?

One of the main reasons I posted these FAQ’s is because so many business people still “fear” social media — and don’t know how to get past the uncertainty of the revolutionary new world of marketing.

Best practice is to get started, but go slowly and get these questions answered. Plan your strategy and participation . . . and don’t expect immediate results.

BTW, if any readers have written — or have found — articles to answer any of these questions, please list these resources in the comment section below.

Late Postscript: Here is a comment from a typical member of my primary target audience:

“I feel like a lot of businesses, unfortunately, recognized the value of Social Media a little too late, and are trying to get in when the market has been saturated. I have a love/hate relationship with Social Media myself; while I utilize FB and LinkedIn, I’m not on Twitter, or some of the other media sites as of yet. I love the accessibility factor: that those who visit both of my sites can share the articles I’ve written with others around the world instantaneously. I hate the fact that I feel as if my entire life is on public display, and as a very private person, I take issue with ALL of my info being accessible ALL of the time.” —posted 6/16 by Angela Bendon


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19 Steps to Getting Found Online – from @hubspot founders

Your steps to getting foundIf you are looking for a true HOW TO book, then you’ll do well to get a copy of Inbound Marketing: Getting Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs by Brian Halligan & Dharmesh Shah. [This article was originally published in my blog How to do Social Media by the Book.]
We are indeed living in a revolution, and it’s no longer just the big companies with big budgets that attract attention and customers. We’re using the Web . . .

And here are 19 ways to get found there, according to the authors:


1. If you’ve somehow managed to resist signing up for Facebook, despite requests from your friends and family, go ahead and do it.
2. Create a Facebook Business Page.
3. Configure a sub-domain that redirects to your Facebook page (e.g., http://facebook.yourcompany.com) This will make it easy for you to communicate the URL of your page.
4. The next time you host a business event (conference, webinar, training session, etc.), use Facebook events to invite people and get RSVPs.
5. Look for your existing business contacts on Facebook. Invite them to connect with you.
6. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is 100 percent complete. Link your profile to your business web site and blog.
7. Create a LinkedIn user account and profile. And if you have one, make certain it is current.
8. Within the profile, add a link to your company’s web site. Change the default “web site” or “my blog” to the actual name of your company or blog.
9. Use the group search feature to find the biggest groups in your industry. Join these groups and start participating in the discussion.
10. If you don’t find the LinkedIn group you are looking for, create it.
11. Find the most relevant categories for your business and subscribe to the LinkedIn Answers RSS feed for them, so you can provide some answers.
12. Make sure to reserve your company name for a Twitter account.
13. Ensure that you complete your online Twitter profile including a brief bio, your location, and a link to your web site. Many people on Twitter are looking for interesting people to follow. Make sure they can find you.
14. Use tools like Twitter Search and the search feature on Twitter Grader (http://twitter.grader.com) to find influential Twitter users in your industry. Begin forging connections early.
15. Create an account for yourself on Digg. Come up with a catchy and memorable user name. Although, it is usually suggested to maintain consistent usernames, Digg does not like commercial-sounding names.
16. On Digg, subscribe to the RSS feed for whichever category is most relevant to you (likely the business/finance category). This way you can see popular articles.
17. When you see an article on Digg that you like and that’s relevant to your business, befriend the person who submitted it. If the article is very relevant, review some of the other users who have dug the article and befriend them as well.
18. Subscribe to the RSS feed of your friends’ submissions. This way you can track what they are submitting. Digg those articles from your friends that you like and comment on one article a day.
19. Create a StumbleUpon user account, download the toolbar, and follow the same suggestions made for using Digg.
FURTHER READING:
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Does our Constitution protect bloggers? Should it?

My journalism students studied social media last semester, and I introduced the course with a blog post asking the question: “What’s one difference between a blogger and a journalist?”

One way I promote my articles is to post them on relevant LinkedIn groups, and this article is still generating discussions four months later:

The article was posted to more than a dozen groups and there were interesting discussions on several, especially MEDIA JOBS and ONLINE REPORTERS AND EDITORS.

Perhaps one of the most fascinating conversations evolved on the Media Jobs group where 30 comments have been posted and nine centered around whether bloggers have the same rights as journalists, especially in the area of libel::


One commenter, James Craig, wrote that he learned a lot from the discussion. Did you?

What do you think?

  • What’s the role in government and law when we post online?
  • Are you a blogger AND a journalist? If so, what do you think of bloggers who don’t “know journalism” and what rights do they deserve?
  • If you are a blogger AND NOT a journalist, where do you stand on these issues?

 

 

 

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POWER UP LinkedIn Company Pages by adding Products & Services

Got that LinkedIn Company Page up and running? If not, here’s how: Add your Company to LinkedIn.

This article is STEP TWO in creating a company website on fast growing, highly respected, professional social media platform LINKEDIN, with more than 100 million members worldwide — and now a “public” company .

Still not convinced? Read my previous article on LinkedIn as your Virtual Office Space.

If you haven’t completed more than the OVERVIEW, your company screen may look something “not very impressive” like this:

.

Time to add some power and functionality

Steps 1-3: Click on Edit in Step 1 screen. Click  on Products and Services in Step 2 screen. Click on Add a product & service as shown in Step 3 screen.

Step 1 screen

 

 

 

 

Step 2 screen

 

 

 

Step 3 screen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now we are really ready to begin

Below you will see a screenshot of the ADD A PRODUCT page. But first, here is a list all of the options, so you can can come prepared. Keep in mind that each product/service page has its own separate URL and can be promoted as a landing page — which can be posted on your website and various social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.

You may add as many as 25 products/services.

1) Select PRODUCT or SERVICE

2) Select a CATEGORY. Your choices include the following: Apparel; Arts & Entertainment; Automotive; Business Services; Consulting; Consumer Electronics; Education; Energy Services; Environmental Services; Financial Services; Government; Health & Well Being; Healthcare; Internet; Legal; Manufacturing; Marketing & Advertising; Non Profit; Other; Packaged Goods; Pharmaceutical; Publishing & Media; Real Estate; Recruitment; Retail; Technology; Telecommunications; Travel; Web Design & Development; Writing & Translation

3) NAME your product or service

4) Add an IMAGE: Best to use a Thumbnail image and trim out unnecessary white space.

5) DESCRIBE your product or service: While there is no character limit, keep in mind that less is more. Too much text could keep someone from reading any of it.

6) FEATURES & BENEFITS: You may add up to ten features and benefits. Best marketing strategy, however, is to focus on consumer benefits, rather than just the features of your products. There is also a space for a Disclaimer, and if your company uses specific language, you will want to write that here.

7) Add a URL: Here is an opportunity for cross-posting, i.e. external links from LinkedIn to your website [just as you can link your website to these product pages].

8- Add employees to a CONTACT list: The employees must have LinkedIn profiles, and you must be connected with them to add them to the company page.

9) Create a PROMOTION: Here is where your company product pages can be more dynamic. Whenever you have a special promotion, you can add that to the product page. Prepare a Title, a URL, and a description.

10) YOUTUBE video: For many people, this is the most exciting option on the page. You can add the human element as well as product demonstrations through video. Make certain to take special care with both the TITLE of the video and the tags you use on YouTube. You will then have the opportunity to add the YouTube URL.

Here is the actual screen:

BTW: You can add recommendations to Product pages AND you can remove them. Here are two LinkedIn “help” answers to guide you:




Here’s one more idea: Post links to your company pages in the comment section, and readers can see how successful you were.

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How To Add A Company To LinkedIn – Step ONE: Create the Page

LinkedIn has become the official business outpost in cyberspace with more than 100 million professional business people now registered. This well-respected social media platform is the right place — and this is the right time — for your organization to set up and maintain a detailed description of who you are and what you do.

Recent enhancements to LinkedIn now enable members to have more control over Company Pages — which offer powerful tools for building and managing an organization’s digital presence.

These days it is clear that “people do business with people and not organizations,” and LinkedIn’s Company pages offer a “human side” to business. Company Pages provide a great way for LinkedIn members to research everything they want to know about a company from products and services to who works there and what they do. Company pages even provide a professional space for freelancers to promote their businesses and expertise.

Your step-by-step guide to setting up a LinkedIn Company Page

STEP ONE: Start the process by creating your company’s profile page

[NOTE: Below the instructions is my first attempt at a Jing video presentation of this article. Click on the link, but forgive the fact that this is my first attempt at a screencast video and I have a cold.]

a. Go to your own LinkedIn page and click on the word Companies on the top ride side of the menu board.

b. Select “Add a company” — located on the top right underneath the search box. You will see this box:

c. Fill in company name AND your email address at the company. Make certain to use an email address AT THE COMPANY. Email addresses using yahoo, gmail, AOL, etc. will not allow you to set up a company. Then check the box that verifies you can officially represent the company.

d. When you click “Continue” you’ll get the message to “check your email.”

e. Then you’ll need to access your email account, click on that link which takes you to the “Confirm Your Email Address.”

After clicking the “Confirm” button, you will be asked to sign in to your account to confirm this new email address. Sign in using your existing primary email address — even if different than your company email. [LinkedIn often asks you to “sign in” even after you have been using the site.]

e. After signing in again, you will be able to add your company information on the following Company Overview screen:

f. In the first box on the left, select whether to allow ALL employees to administer the site OR choose “Designated users only” and then be certain to at least write in your own name.

g. Upload a logo: you have two choices. The second choice, the square one, is useful because it will accompany your company’s name. The first choice [the rectangular one] will not. So if you don’t have something square, you might want to create something to fit this opportunity.

h. Company description: LI “allows” you at least 150 characters. If you use any less, however, you will be asked for more before you can “publish” the page.

i. Company specialties: remember to use keywords here to help with “find-ability” in online searches. The admin page offers four boxes, but you can add more [and should].

j. Twitter ID? If you don’t have one, get one — and post it here.

k. Company blog RSS: If you use Google’s Feedburner, you can go to the Edit Feed Details to find the correct URL to add. [If you don’t use Feedburner, you are on your own for this one.]

l. Keep the default button selection for “show news about my company” unless you have a good reason not to.

m. ON THE RIGHT SIDE BAR, fill in the requested info in each dropdown box.

n. Then — Go up to the Top Right and press PUBLISH.

VOILA! Your LinkedIn Company Page is up and running.

Creating your Company Profile on LinkedIn is an excellent way to get your business name “out there” and ranked more successfully on Google and other search engines.

Stay tuned for Step TWO: Adding the New Features: Product/Services and Recommendation opportunities

[Screencast video of this article]

Here’s STEP TWO – Adding your Products & Services to your company page

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10 Steps to Update your LinkedIn Profile for Maximum Find-ability

My friend Barry had been unemployed for more than a year when he came to one of my LinkedIn workshops to maximize his site profile. Shortly thereafter he was tapped by an overseas firm for a very lucrative project. My brother Chuck had been at home “playing” with social media. I suggested he focus on LinkedIn; he did; now he’s got a great sales job. My fellow BNI-er Kathy has rebranded her design business beginning with a brand new LinkedIn profile.

And getting jobs and new business is only the beginning. See the previous post for why you need to join — and be active — on LinkedIn.

For maximum find-ability, be very deliberate in adding pertinent Key Words to your profile. When search engine spiders crawl the web to find answers to people’s queries, they look for the most credible sources. And LinkedIn is one of today’s Most Credible sources, so when you choose the key words relevant to your expertise — and add them into your profile –you will be Found. At the end of the article, you can check out my “scores” relating to being found online.

This tutorial will help you take the first critical step to LinkedIn success, and that is Posting a Great Profile. To help you do just that —

  • Read the instructions
  • Use the included worksheet to follow those instructions
  • Check out my LI Profile for a model and/or comparison

Now go straight to “Edit Profile” function:

 

NOTE: See the “Profile” category on the top menu? If you point your cursor there, you will get a drop down box with the option to EDIT PROFILE.

Maximize your LinkedIn profile

STEP ONE: Your photo

Choose a good quality face shot. It’s okay if you have a “face made for radio”; people do business with people, not icons. Lots of people choose professional head shots. My personal feeling is that there is nothing wrong with that, but if you can get some color or pose that makes you stand out, so much the better. Some people feel you should change the face shot with some regularity. I disagree. My own experience is that I feel something of a “disconnect” when I see a different photo of someone I’ve grown to know online.

How do you add your photo? Not difficult at all if you have a photo on your computer or a flash drive. Simply click on “Edit” under the photo box. You will see this instruction: “You can upload a JPG, GIF or PNG file (File size limit is 4 MB).” Search your computer and Upload. Then SAVE.

STEP TWO: The ALL-IMPORTANT Headline

Please whatever you do, do NOT neglect thoughtful consideration of your Headline. The worst thing you can do is “leave it to chance,” i.e. the default headline that appears when you input information about your current position. Also keep in mind, that every time you add a new position, you will need to Re-Edit your headline as LinkedIn automatically goes to this default headline.

WHY is your headline so important?

  1. LinkedIn results show up most readily in searches for people’s names.
  2. The Words used at the beginning of any post are most appealing to the search spiders — and thus most powerful.
  3. The “Headline” follows you around when you are searched for, when you answer questions on LinkedIn, on the list of connections for those you are Linked to, etc.
  4. MOST IMPORTANT, however, is that this is the place where people first find out WHO you are and WHAT you can do for THEM.

Think of your headline as your Personal Brand Statement. This begins with the opportunity to ADD keywords to your name, e.g., my adding Social Media Educator. You can include these keywords by putting a comma after your last name in the edit box and following with the title.

Then you have 120 characters, and you should use every one of them. Best practice is to begin with BENEFITS for those reading your profile. Follow this with a career category or job position, and your email address. [Some people suggest that LinkedIn discourages email addresses in your profile, but my experience is that this is no longer valid advice. If you have a different viewpoint, please add it to the comment section below.]

For a longer discussion and examples of “deliberate” headlines, check out my past profile maximization article.

Here’s the Top Half of my Profile:

 

Maximize your LinkedIn profile to get found onlineSTEP THREE: Your “update”

Although technically not part of your profile per se, there is a box within which to add an update. And, if you have added one recently, it will show with your profile, when people find you on LinkedIn.

How often should you update, and what should you say?

First of all, keep in mind that even though many of today’s applications allow you to automatically update to All your social media sites at the same time, my best advice is NOT to do that. After all, if we are all automating, then who is reading.

While many people update frequently to Facebook and Twitter, Best Practice on LinkedIn is to keep it more “professional,” i.e. three times a week is probably ideal. You will not inundate your connections, but you can stay Top of Mind.

So what should you say? The general advice is to say anything that contributes to your reputation as the Go-To Source for information/support in your expertise. Certainly you can share links to your own blog posts and other stories that are relevant to your target audience. In addition, you should pass along helpful news and tips that you pick up at conferences, meetings, and in your reading.

STEP FOUR: Current and past position[s]

When you download a resume, some of this data will be filled in automatically. But here’s a caveat: ALWAYS proofread what LinkedIn posts; there are bound to be many mistakes as well as repetitions. Better to manually fill in this information. And when you do, be Deliberate. Use as many key words in your job titles as you can authentically create.

[Here’s a tip for filling in information beyond these ten tips: You should “complete” your present and former job descriptions with loads and loads of key words. More about this when we discuss your summary.]

STEP FIVE: Recommendations

Testimonials and “word of mouth” is the currency of business these days, and LinkedIn’s recommendation power is huge. But how many recommendations do you need and how do you go about getting them?

First off, my experience is that anywhere between 20-30 recommendations seems ideal. More than that and you may seem like you are bragging. And who’s going to read 50 recommendations? If you have so many, no doubt they will not all be as beneficial, so why take the chance that with too many to select from, someone will read one of the less powerful ones.

Secondly, how do you go from zero to 25 recommendations?

a) When you just begin, you will probably need to ask some of your business associates who are on LinkedIn if they would write a recommendation for you. Remember they need to be a LinkedIn member to write a LinkedIn recommendation.

b) Do not, under any circumstances, send a blanket email to several of your closest friends asking the group to recommend you. You may not have them as your closest friends anymore if you do this. Writing a recommendation is very personal. Keep it that way. Approach a few people one at a time.

c) After you have collected three recommendations, you probably should only ask someone if that person has just written you a nice note or otherwise told you how great you were. Then you might suggest they write it out in a LinkedIn recommendation.

d) Finally, the best way to get recommendations is to Give Them. This is another instance of Giver’s Gain. One tip here, though: don’t write a recommendation for someone on the same day they write one for you. Your connections might see both recommendations being added concurrently and discount them as disingenuous.

STEP SIX: Your Connections

Here I’m going to copy verbatim what I wrote in my earlier post:

The magic number is 500. Once you surpass that number, your total will remain 500+, whether you have 501 or 5,001.

Whom should you connect to?

Some people choose to keep their LinkedIn community close, i.e., only folks they know personally and would be happy to recommend.

On the other side of the LinkedIn world, you will see “LIONS” — LinkedIn Open Networkers, who accept every LinkedIn invitation and display their email addresses.

I, myself, fall in the middle. In addition to people I know in person, I like to “meet” people in Group Discussions and through Q&A, check out their profiles, and send invitations if I think we can support one another in some way.

If you, personally, are FOR or AGAINST being a Lion, please add your opinion in the comment section below

STEP SEVEN: Websites

Here’s a big opportunity that many people miss when they opt for the default titles “My blog” or “My company” or “My website.”

Edit this section, and in the drop down box, click on OTHER. Then you have the chance to write the actual NAME of your blog, company, and website — another opportunity for key words on your profile AND increased “Find-Ability.”

STEP EIGHT: Twitter

The first question here might be should I have a Twitter account, and I would suggest ABSOLUTELY, yes. Then you will not be behind the curve when Twitter replaces email five years from now :-). For a bit more information on Twitter, you might start with by reading some of my blog posts under the category Twitter Basics, especially Twitter 101: Twitter Doesn’t Have to be Stupid and the Workshop Cheat Sheet for Twitter.

If you are on Twitter, list your “handle.” You’ll see that you can post LinkedIn updates on Twitter. Certainly do that. The reverse, however, i.e. posting every Tweet onto LinkedIn is probably not a good idea.

STEP NINE: Your “public” profile

Another simple “fix”: Edit the default URL from a long unwieldy string of numbers and letters after your name to just your name. Of course, like me, someone with your exact name and spelling of the name has probably already secured that URL, so add something like your city.

Here’s mine: http://www.linkedin.com/in/shariweisssf — I merely added “sf” for San Francisco after my name.

STEP TEN: Your summary: a powerful branding statement, which needs to be loaded with key words

Your most time-consuming task, so I’m breaking into workable chunks:

A) Here is the 3-paragraph format I believe is effective for most of us:

  • FIRST PARAGRAPH: Communicate quickly and clearly the type of opportunities you are seeking.
  • SECOND PARAGRAPH: Highlight 3 or 4 key career accomplishments that demonstrate your qualifications. [Don’t use bullet points. Make it a friendly narrative.]
  • THIRD PARAGRAPH: Answer the question: How are you UNIQUE? How are you DIFFERENT?

B) After these short, clear, and concise paragraphs, add a line all on its own [for emphasis] like this:

For more information, please check out my blog: http://sharisax.com, email me at sharisax@aol.com, and follow me on Twitter @sharisax

C) Then include a COMMON MISSPELLINGS line like mine:

[Common misspellings: Wise, Wiess, Sharon, Sheri, Sherry, Shari Sax]

If people are looking for you, don’t let them miss you simply because they don’t know how to spell your name.

D) Finally, there is the SPECIALTIES section which is hugely important.

Here you put all the KEY WORDS and KEY PHRASES that people are looking for when they search the LinkedIn site. My latest understanding is that keyword PHRASES are better than single words  — to help you differentiate yourself from the many others who mostly put in single words.

My LI summary as an example:


And here’s your LinkedIn profile Worksheet

[you can click the link for a separate worksheet]

1. Photo: _____________________________________________________________________

2. Headline: ____________________________________________________________________

  • 2 benefits for audience
  • Your “title”
  • An email or website or phone number

3. Update: _____________________________________________________________________

4. Current position[s]: Be certain to use keywords [phrases]

5. Recommendations: ____________________________________________________________

6. Connections: _________________________________________________________________

7. Websites: ____________________________________________________________________

Do not use Defaults. Use “other” and Keyword phrases

8. Twitter: ______________________________________________________________________

9. Public Profile: _________________________________________________________________

10.  ALL IMPORTANT SUMMARY:

FIRST PARAGRAPH: Communicate quickly and clearly the type of opportunities you are seeking.

SECOND PARAGRAPH: Highlight 3 or 4 key career accomplishments that demonstrate your qualifications. [Don’t use bullet points. Make it a friendly narrative.]

THIRD PARAGRAPH: Answer the question: How are you UNIQUE? How are you DIFFERENT?

ADD “for more info” line __________________________________________________________

ADD common misspellings _________________________________________________________

SPECIALTIES: Include ALL the keyword phrases you think people might use to search for someone who does what you do.


PS  Video Filling Out Your LinkedIn Profile from Butterscotch.com. You will see nine other LinkedIn videos as well as other tips for LinkedIn success in the articles on this blog under the category LinkedIn Basics.

PPS If you’ve got other tips, please do list them below PLUS any questions.

PPPS Oh, that’s right. I promised

Shari’s getting found scores:





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If Facebook is the Backyard BarBQ, LinkedIn is “your” Office Space

Welcome . .  . to all my newest LinkedIn students, who are about to discover why LinkedIn is the key social media platform to establish their professional reputations.

LinkedIn is the world’s LARGEST online professional network that can help you gather business intelligence, connect with trusted contacts, and pinpoint individuals who can help build businesses and careers.

Here are a half dozen questions to get you thinking . . .  and Linking:

1) Why should I consider being a LinkedIn member?

2) Is there a “typical” LinkedIn member? i.e., an average age?  Income? Occupation?

3) How is LinkedIn different than other social media sites?

4) How much time do I have to spend on LinkedIn?

5) What exactly can I gain from a profile on LinkedIn?

6) How important are LinkedIn recommendations?

Now even if you aren’t scheduled for a class, you, too, can get yourself going on LinkedIn.

6 LinkedIn Answers to help establish your professional self online

1) Why should I consider being a LinkedIn member?

On average, a new member joins every second of every day, or approximately one million every 12 days. Operating in more than 200 countries, as of Jan 2011, LinkedIn has 101 million members. LinkedIn can help you exchange knowledge, ideas, and opportunities. LinkedIn lets you demonstrate your expertise to establish the trust upon which most business relationships depend.

2) Is there a “typical” LinkedIn member? i.e., an average age?  Income? Occupation?

The average age is 41 years. The average salary is $110,000. Twelve percent of all users say they are in sales. And here are more stats:

  • 10% are either in academia, administration or operations
  • 9% engineering
  • 8%  information technology

3) How is LinkedIn different than other social media sites?

Here is an often used analogy: Consider the formerly popular site MySpace like a bar. What would you do and say there? How would you interact with people you knew and people you wanted to meet . . . at a bar. That was MySpace.

Now there is the giant Facebook with its 600 million users. Think of your Facebook Friends coming to your home for an outdoor BarBQ. What stories would you tell? How would you engage with the guests?

Finally, there is LinkedIn. This is like your Virtual Office. You wouldn’t say the same things in a business setting as you would at home or in the bar, right? Furthermore, you wouldn’t expect the same business value either. LinkedIn is where you can present your professional self, demonstrate your expertise, and build solid professional relationships.

4) How much time do I have to spend on LinkedIn?

Of course, like all of social media, the time management issue is entirely up to you — and what you hope to accomplish.

That being said, if “all” you do is take some time to set up a  professional profile AND post an update once or twice a week, you are way ahead of the game. Your professional online resume will be highly findable, and that in and of itself is powerful.

However, if you would like to take the next steps, and really “use” all the functionality of LinkedIn, then you can plan a host of strategies that could take as much time as you wished to schedule. There are some people who actually plan one hour of Every Day answering LinkedIn questions. This strategy works for them, i.e. establishing their authority and bringing in loads of new business.

5) What exactly can I gain from a profile on LinkedIn?

How about job/client opportunities that you would have had no other way to get?

The ultimate goal of a maximized LinkedIn profile is for people to find YOU when they search for someone/something they need.

6) How important are LinkedIn recommendations?

Recommendations are huge. After all, a good part of the New Normal way of doing business is to understand that People Do Business with People — so often based on positive word of mouth [rather than outside advertising or other promotion].

The “art” of recommendations requires its own separate article, but suffice it to say that one of  your initial strategies needs to be finding happy customers and clients, who are LinkedIn members and will write something glowing AND TRUE about you and your services.

So let’s get started . .  . and that includes asking more questions and adding your own LinkedIn experiences and tips below.

Sources: LinkedIn site, Jan 2011 slideshow,

FURTHER RESOURCES:

Check out all my blog articles labeled LinkedIn Basics for articles on Maximizing your Profile and Creating your own Success on LinkedIn.

[Here is a podcast of this post: Listen to this episode]

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Which comes first: The Chicken or the Egg? The Medium or the Message?

Long ago, business was all about building a better mousetrap and force-feeding it into homes. Long ago, publishing was all about dollars and cents (don’t mistakenly read “sense”). Long ago, free speech was easily regulated — and not particularly “free.”

Today’s technology advances are creating a New Normal, and intelligent folks who want to work and prosper in these revolutionary times must accept and embrace the challenges and opportunities.

How does one do this? How does one keep up with — and even stay ahead of — change.

My online course Social Media for Journalists [beginning today, January 24] will offer a roadmap, i.e., GPS turn-by-turn instructions, to a variety of destinations from a selection of career paths to a better understanding of today’s world.

In preparation for the course, I posted a Discussion Topic on a number of LinkedIn groups where online journalists congregate. I asked them what topics, issues, and skills they would emphasize in a course teaching student journalists about social media. Below is a listing of their responses.

My students will be asked to choose one of the responses and write a comment below. I invite all my readers to do the same.

What online journalists say about social media and the future:

  1. The way to revitalize the journalism “industry” is to use the new technology to build community, connections, and most important — solid relationships.
  2. Publishing today is not just about offering something of value; you need to know what people really want and how they want to receive it.
  3. Integration is key: we are losing separate distinctions between journalism, PR, marketing, and advertising.
  4. Journalists are the storytellers and disseminators of news — they connect people to information, and social media is the newest means to accomplish this.
  5. Media outlets are using Foursquare and other local apps to find people at the sites where news is breaking.
  6. Cheap, high speed internet access and social networking has broken up the mass audience into social, economic, geographic, and business “niche” communities.
  7. Search engines, blogs, and social networking have made everyone a publisher.
  8. Twitter and Foursquare have become valuable tools for sourcing and feedback; the impact of instant public feedback in the writing/creative processes of the journalist.
  9. Students will help create knowledge and process.
  10. Journalism and the stuff that looks like it is less reliable and requires more consumer skepticism.
  11. When access to social media both as a contributor and reader is so easy, what value can a journalist bring to the mix?
  12. Posts on social media become news.
  13. Stories can be updated throughout the day on social media sites.
  14. Social media is not a one-way street; you must listen and engage, not just post.
  15. One problem with social media is that it has convinced people that they have superior observation and analytical skills as well as original ideas.
  16. Interacting with people on a one-to-one basis helps grow relationships, spread information, and gather new facts.
  17. Missing from online blogging is the filter between the writer and the public — the copy editor or news editor.
  18. Visual and audio media convey emotion in a way that print never could. In fact, when using multimedia, it may be extremely difficult to separate the emotional content from the informational content.
  19. Traditional news values and techniques are valuable and should be studied. There are some things the internet should never change.
  20. Ideally “old school” and “new school” news sources will challenge each other to do a better job. A competitive news environment benefits all.

Do any of these statements resonate with you? If so, please write a comment telling us which one and why.

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Social Media Resolutions: a Checklist for Newbies

Many of my friends and business acquaintances are coming around to recognizing the inevitability of “The Social Network” as key to their future business success. Whether it’s the Facebook movie and Mark Zuckerberg as Time’s 2010 Man of the Year or the predictions of everything going mobile, the time to Get Connected is NOW.

So today’s First-of-the-New-Year post will list my recommendations for becoming part of the Social Nation.

Five 1st  Steps to Join the Social Media Revolution

____ 1. LinkedIn: If you have not already joined LinkedIn, then do so ASAP.

LinkedIn is an amazing platform for finding prospective clients as well as information, jobs, suppliers, and partners. Before you can reap the rewards from this site, however, you MUST take some time to optimize your Profile for maximum “find-ability”: check relevant links below.

____ 2. Blogging: If you still feel uncomfortable with the word “blog,” then get over it.

Short for Web Log, a blog is the best example of how every individual and every company can now become a publisher with very little — or no — expense. (A) Writing a blog gives the author an opportunity to establish an online presence as the Go-To Source for an area of expertise, in addition to giving companies a platform for engaging with customers and other publics. (B) Reading blogs has become routine for business people seeking current facts and opinions on news and trends in their industries, as well a the newest “mass medium.”

____ 3. Facebook: If you are still worrying about privacy on the most popular web site on the globe, then you need to understand the business value of Facebook and how to engage with “friends” and “fans” to build and protect your online reputation.

Begin with the knowledge that scores of your prospective customers as well as possible new employees are chatting, gaming, posting, searching, and buying via Facebook. Keep in mind that although we hear about changes and hints of changes on an almost daily basis, getting started with a profile and experience interacting with Friends will prepare you to “roll with the punches” as Facebook continues to evolve into the Place To Be online.

____ 4. Twitter: If you still think Twitter is Stupid, think again.

It may be hard to remember how resistant business was to allowing employees to email in the mid ’90s — and that’s because many of us today depend on letters via computer rather than via post office and messages online where we can access at our leisure rather than phone calls which we either miss or are too busy to answer. Many prognosticators are telling us that email will be going away, or at least will become less useful as people discover the many applications of “microblogging.”

____ 5. YouTube: If you haven’t checked for a YouTube video to teach you how to do something you hadn’t known how to do, then DO It.

And consider buying a flip video or simply take a video with your cell phone and post it to YouTube. You will build your skills as you see how powerful videos are for spreading messages, establishing your expertise, and discovering almost everything you need to know — as well as entertaining you and your friends.

Sharing, not selling, is what the Social Nation is all about . . . and 2011 is a great time for you to start. Remember one important tip, and that is to Take Baby Steps. Start slowly, but start.

RELEVANT READING

Simple Answers to Six Basic Social Media Questions

Worksheet for filling out your LinkedIn profile

Maximize your LinkedIn profile

How to create your own success on LinkedIn

To Blog . . . or Not To Blog . . . that is a good First Question

Avoid these NINE Blogging Errors

Beginning Bloggers Workshop: what should you blog about?

Will a blog help  you build your business and other typical blog questions

20 Facebook mistakes you shouldn’t make

How to do Facebook right . . . if you care about your Online Reputation

Twitter Basics workshop “cheat sheet” and other links

Helpful hints for Going Viral on YouTube

and if you’d like to read what NOT to do in social media:

10 Mistakes made by Social Media Newbies

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How to use LinkedIn to help you say NO to “problem” client – Final post in series

“Call me insane, but I’ve always assumed that like myself, clients are human and therefore capable of ‘occasionally’ being confused, misinformed, or simply WRONG.

With this mindset I believe that saying ‘No’ to the client is perfectly acceptable just as long as you’re considerate about how you go about it.”

— from one of 49 LinkedIn Answers

For the final installment of my 6-part series on How to Say NO to new clients, I am featuring a half dozen of the 49 responses submitted in response to my LinkedIn question:


[if you click on the image above, you will be able to read all 49 responses]

We’ll get to those answers momentarily, but first I’d like to list the steps in using this LinkedIn feature:

  1. Click on the MORE tab at the top of the LinkedIn Menu Line.
  2. The Drop Down box lists ANSWERS as the second option; click on it.
  3. The next screen will give you a box to write in a question. Keep it short and interesting.
  4. After you press “Next,” you can add details below the question.
  5. On this same screen, you will pick a category and post your question.

People actually scour LinkedIn for questions to answer: This strategy builds their Online Expertise. I know people who answer 50 questions a day! And you can do the same.

Or, you can get lots of your own questions answered by lots of experts — and then connect with anyone’s response that you like, start building a relationship, and even hire them [or vice versa]. LinkedIn allows you to ask 10 questions every month.

And now six of the 49 answers to my question: “How do you say NO to a client or customer?”

Chris Gaudreau

Hello Shari,

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been bombarded with the idea that “the client is always right” and to be honest, it never quite sat right with me.

Call me insane, but I’ve always assumed that like myself, clients are human and therefore capable of “occasionally” being confused, misinformed, or simply WRONG. With this mindset I believe that saying “No” to the client is perfectly acceptable just as long as you’re considerate about how you go about it.

While “every client is different and unique”, here’s what I believe to be the best strategy for saying “No” to a client. (Your Mileage May Vary)

1) Educate
Nobody likes getting shot down without a reason, so explain why you need to say “No” By providing insight into your decision making process you can help the client feel more informed.Customer service is key here, but when it’s done right this can also help remind them that you’re the expert and they came to you for a reason. Besides…if you can’t explain why you’re saying “No” how can you ensure you’re not the one who’s wrong?

2) Give them Options
Now that you’ve educated your client on why you’ve said “No”, they might be left feeling a little foolish or maybe even frustrated. To help overcome this and get your project back on track, you need to restore their confidence and feeling of control. Provide the client with a short list of carefully researched recommendations so that they can make a “controlled decision” and you’re not left saying “No” again.

While I admit that this is over simplified version, and it’s often a lot more work than it sounds like when done right, education and options are a solid defense for saying no while still keeping the client (somewhat) happy.

I hope this gives you something to think about.

Paul Oldfield

I get the customer to put everything he asks for in one list, and order it by priority. Then I say how far down the list we can get, for a certain amount of money or by a certain date. If the customer wants more, or different, then we talk about it. This works for most things the customer asks for, and it means that it is the customer who says yes or no.

The difficult bit is to get the flexibility to be able to respond to the customer when he makes a decision on scope or priority, and if one can’t respond well, to time that discussion so that you can respond to the decisions, but the customer already knows enough to make good decisions. Work on being able to respond effectively later; and where these possibilities are severely limited work on being able to bring the customer to a better understanding earlier.

Rakesh Ojha

Hi Shari,

I do have come across many instance where as a company we had no option but to say “No” to prospects/clients due to many different reasons.

In such circumstances, I’d say- As much as we would like to work with you however due to limiting circumstances such as limited budget that you have, our tight staff schedule or lack of expertise in your technology preference, we are very sorry for not being able to work on this project.

We thank you for giving us an opportunity to work with you and look forward to similar opportunities soon.

Andy Cawston

When I say “no” to a Client, I try to always find a graceful way for him to save face and, if possible, to help point him in the direction of somebody who can say “yes.”

There are ways of saying “no”, and there are usually ways of saying it that won’t come across as outright rejection. You always want to avoid leaving your Client feeling rejected, or that you are unwilling to help him solve his problems: that is what causes Clients to go find somebody who can.

Avoid using trite Bad News phrases like “We regret to inform you that…” because nobody likes to receive a ‘Dear John’ letter. Much better to say “I can’t do it this time, tho’ I’d really like to: thanks for thinking of me. Why not call Joe Blogs? He’s very good at this sort of thing, and I’ve got his number right here…”

This achieves several things: it acknowledges the compliment your Client has paid you by asking you to do something. You’ve politely declined. You’ve still been helpful by sending him to Joe Bloggs, and with any luck Joe Bloggs will appreciate the referral and return the favor one day. Nobody loses face, everybody remains happy.

One silly reason to say “no” is you have been asked to do more than what you contracted for. Instead, you need to politely identify the change in scope with your Client, and ask for more time and more money. Most people are reasonable about paying for extra work. If your Client isn’t one of those people, tho’, and if they refuse your reasonable request outright, it’s time to say “no” — however, you still need to allow him to save face and have his problems solved somehow.

“I wish I could do this extra work for free, I can see you really need it. If I did it would be unfair to my other Clients, who need my time and are willing to pay for it. Why not try Joe Bloggs? He might be willing to do a “pro bono pro gratis”, to help you out. I’ve got his number right here…”

This too achieves a few things. It acknowledges the compliment of being asked to do more: he must be happy with your work, else he wouldn’t have asked. It reinforces that the work needs to be done. It gives a perfectly valid reason why you can’t do the work for free. And best of all, it provides a way that he can ask someone else — if he has the bold-face effrontery — to do it for nothing. Businesses aren’t charities, your Client knows that, and chances are he’ll come around to see reason. If he doesn’t, that might be a good time to do some Client Re-Qualification.

Marcy Hoffman

The 3 primary reasons that any business owner is forced to say ‘no’ to a customers are a) the request is out of the scope of the services provided or they can’t provide the goods or services in the time frame or price requested b) they are backlogged and don’t have the time or manpower or c) the customer isn’t clear about what they want, when they want it or how much they wish to spend.
The last one relates more to the service sector rather than companies that sell products but anyone who has worked as a consultant or in the design/technology sector can relate to the angst we go through when a client doesn’t understand clearly what they want to achieve, doesn’t understand the costs and/or time involved or even worse, thinks that they do. These are the kind of customers that require a simple ‘no’, however you want to spin it.
Shari, perhaps the follow up should be How and When to fire a customer/client.

Robert Gaynor

I think the answers that recommended saying “no” with an explanation, and referring the customer to others who might do the job, is usually the best way to do it. Very professional.

One thing I have not seen so far, if the job is actually one you can do well but there is something about the customer or the job that you would like to avoid, is to say “yes” with a price that is so high that the customer will inevitably choose another vendor. For example, if the customer is a chronic late payer and you have tried to address the problem with no success, this might be the best solution. If for some reason the customer chooses you anyway, the high price can be thought of as a built-in late payment fee.

Previous Series Posts:

Post #1: Saying NO to a prospective client may be the Best Business Move

Post #2: Avoid future problems by saying NO Now

Post #3: Investigate client/project before saying Yes — or making it a NO.

Post #4: Three main reasons to say NO to new client

Post #5: Saying NO is easy

Did this “series” work for you? If you are a blogger, have you done a series or two? What have you learned?

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Saying NO is easy in “cultivated” relationships — 5th in series

The final two “chapters” in my Saying NO series will be based on input from LinkedIn members who helpfully contributed responses to my question:

How do you say NO to a client or customer?

I’m writing a blog post on Saying NO to Customers/Clients.
Do you have any tips or experiences on WHEN to say “No” and HOW to say “No”?

The question closed with 49 ANSWERS! Several of them will be included in my final chapter, but this post features one of the early responses I liked a lot — and hope you will as well.

Saying “No” is easy

Saying “No” in an effective and constructive manner is a function of a cultivated client relationship

Guest Post by Kenneth Larson: SCORE Volunteer Counselor and Founder, “Small to Feds”

Below are two examples of frameworks for “cultivated client” relationships.

Saying “No” is addressed in Step 3 of EXAMPLE A.

It is addressed again at Step 6 of EXAMPLE B.

EXAMPLE A – CONSULTANT AND CLIENT

1. Do not promise what you cannot deliver

2. Do not overextend your resources and get a reputation for poor performance.

3. Do not tell the customer what he or she wants to hear. Tell them what they need to know. They will respect you for it.

4. Network constantly on professional sites such as Linked In. Hit the “Answers” feature and accumulate an “Expert” rating from your peers in your field.

5. Blog like there is no tomorrow. A blog is quite different than a web site. Provide good, solid information free of charge and use blog searches for synergistic businesses to team with. Teaming is an absolute necessity these days.

6. Be prepared to provide information, samples and valuable service gratis as a marketing tool. Introduce yourself and then immediately engage the client with your presentation tools available to bring your expertise to whatever topic they are interested in. Let them take you where they want to go with their concerns and their needs. Apply your presentation tools and expertise dynamically on the fly in a sincere manner to those concerns and needs and you will be in demand for follow up business.

7. Quote and bill what the client can afford and grow with him (in content and resources).

8. Be dedicated to working yourself out of a job with a specific customer and having your client take over by training him. He will remember you and recommend you to 10 others.

9. Remember growth is a function of persistence and foresight. Know where your market is headed and get their first – then write and speak about your success indirectly by helping others. Demonstrate humility and a satisfaction in helping others succeed. They will find ways to give you credit. There are ways of tooting your horn without making peoples’ lights go out.

10. Word of mouth advertising from pleased clients is a sure ticket to success.

EXAMPLE B SMALL BUSINESS AND GOVERNMENT AGENCY

1. KNOW – The contract value and its ceiling amount

2. KNOW – The incurred cost to date and commitments

3. KNOW – The scope of work and whether or not your current efforts are supporting it or some other objectives

4. KNOW – The estimated cost at completion based on where you are at today

5. KNOW – Your customer and who among the customer population is prone to direct out of scope effort.

6. KNOW – WHEN TO SAY “NO” to “Scope Creep” and say it officially in writing to the contracting officer specified in your contract.

Ken’s Link:

Previous Series Posts:

Post #1: Saying NO to a prospective client may be the Best Business Move

Post #2: Avoid future problems by saying NO Now

Post #3: Investigate client/project before saying Yes — or making it a NO.

Post #4: Three main reasons to say NO to new client

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