Kickstart your€¦ · As one of the fastest growing social networks in 2018, LinkedIn is THE largest business-oriented platform, with over 590 million professionals worldwide as

Kickstart your

marketing strategy

2 www.marketingskillsacademy.co.uk

Introduction

WhatisLinkedIn?Asoneofthefastestgrowingsocialnetworksin2018,LinkedInisTHElargestbusiness-orientedplatform,withover590millionprofessionalsworldwideasactivemembers;andmorethan13millioncompanieshavingcompanypages.

Kickstart your LinkedIn marketing strategy

25 million registered users in the UK

590 million users worldwide – across 200 countries / territories

Largest social network for business professionals

58% Male 42% Female

45% of users are in higher management positions

79% of users are over 35 year olds

LinkedIn was acquired by Microsoft Corp. on 13th June, 2016

57% of LinkedIn use is on a mobile


Introduction

WhatisLinkedIn?Whilst80%ofusersoperatewithinabusiness-to-businessenvironment,LinkedInservestobuilditsmember’spersonalbrands,ratherthansolelytheirbusiness.Itisstrictlyusedforexchangingknowledge,ideasandemploymentopportunitiesandhasincreasinglybecomealeadingtoolforhelpingindividualsexpandtheirnetworksaswellasfindjobsintheirfield.Itisalsoaproactiveleadgenerationtoolandisusedbyprofessionalsacrossmysectors.“93%ofB2BmarketersconsideredLinkedInthemosteffectiveforgainingleadsoverotherchannels”Source:ContentMarketingInstitute“62%ofB2BcompanieshavewonacustomerthroughLinkedIn”Source:HubSpot“40%ofB2BbuyersconsiderLinkedInimportantwhenresearchingtechnologiesandservicestopurchase”Source:SocialMediaToday



Introduction

Reasonswhyyoushoulduse LinkedInforyourbusinessand personalbrand:

•  ItisTHEB2Bsocialnetwork-abusinesslead‘searchengine’

•  Amplifyyourpersonalandbusinessbrand

•  Positionyourknowledge,skillsandexpertise

•  Network–youcanreachTHEdecisionmakersdirect

•  Enhanceyourprofessionalcredibility-gainingreferrals/

recommendationsforyourwork

•  Source,engageandgrownewbusinessleads

•  Researchpotentialcustomersandbusinessesofinterests

•  Spyonyourcompetitors

•  Discoverthatnextbigcareeropportunity

•  FreePRtool–telltheworldhowgreatyouare!


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Introduction

So,isLinkedInjustanotherFacebook?

PeoplespendtimeonFacebook;ProfessionalsinvesttimeonLinkedIn!

LinkedInisandcanbeincrediblypowerfulmarketingtool,yetalltoomanyprofessionalsandbusinessesareoverlookingorunderusingthissuperiorplatform.TokickstartyourLinkedInmarketingstrategy,IhavelistedmytopsixtipswhichformthefundamentalbuildingblocksofLinkedInnetworking:

Saycheese!

Betheheadliner!

Sellyourself!

SEOyourself!

Gettalkedabout!

Nurtureandgrow!

Yourprofilewilllookprofessional,andyou’llbeconfidentthattheimpressionyou’remaking,istherightone.


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WebeginwithoneofthemostessentialelementstopromoteyourpersonalbrandonLinkedIn.TheysayapictureisworthathousandwordsandthiscouldbenotruerthanwhenappliedtotheworldofLinkedInprofileimages.Asabusinessprofessional,youmustensurethatthosewordsaretherightoneswithafront-focused,eyesforwardprofessionalimage.Thinkaboutit...thismaybethefirstpointofcontactforapotentialcustomer,clientoremployer,whatwouldtheanswerbeiftheyaskedthemselves:

“CanIdobusinesswiththisperson?”


Say ‘Cheese!’ 1


Professionallyshotphotosareoftenagreatinvestment,astheycancapturealittlepersonality,whilstensuringtheimageisLinkedInand‘corporateworld’ready.Thinkalsoaboutthebannerimageatthetopofyourprofile–usethisspacetopresentwhatyoudoinavisualcontext.Youmaywanttoaddsometext,butdon’tmakeittoo‘salesy’.


Say ‘Cheese!’ 1


YourLinkedInheadlineisthesectionatthetopofyourprofilewheretheycandescribewhatyoudoin120charactersorless.Itshouldsuitablyaccompanyyourprofilepictureandencouragereaderstolearnmoreaboutyouandwhyyouwouldbeabeneficialcontact.Gobeyondyourbogstandardjobtitle–considerwhoyourtargetaudienceisandwhatyoutrulyoffer-thewayinwhichpeoplemaycomeacrossyourtalentorskillinthemammothLinkedInsearcharena.Contendwithothersbycraftingacompellingheadlinethatdescribesthebenefitsyoudeliver–butkeepitclear,succinctandfreefrommeaningless,fluffybuzzwords.Here’sasimpleformulaforcraftingyourheadline–(Whatyouare/do)helping(targetaudience)achieve(valueproposition)

Andhere’smine:Marketing and LinkedIn Coach helping Business Owners, Solopreneurs and Sales, Marketing and HR Teams achieve success.


Be the headliner! 2


ThisisLinkedIn,not“CurriculumVitaed-In”,soavoidthedullCVstuff–so you need to summarise your finely-honed strengths and experience. Beauthenticandwriteanelevatorstylepitchsummaryastoillustrate:•  Whoyouareandwhatyoudo– bemindfulofyourtarget

audience.•  WhatyourUSPis–whatgivesyoutheedgeovereveryone

else?Howcanyourachievementsbackthisup?•  Whatyourspecificskillsareandwhythismatterstoyour

potentialclient,customeroremployer.•  Whyshouldpeopleconnectwithyou?What‘value’will

theyreceive?•  Andfinally,howdotheycontact/hireyou.Maybeadda

call-to-actioni.e.‘IfIcanhelpyou–callmenow’

Youmaywanttobeginyoursummarywithaquestionorastatementwhichempathiseswithyourtargetaudiences'issues,problemsorpainpoints.


Sell yourself! 3


ThinkofLinkedInasaseriouslysophisticatedB2Bsearchengine–considerthekeywordsthatpertaintowhatyoudo,whatyourclientsmaysearchforandfeaturethemthroughoutyourprofile–inyourheadline,inyoursummaryandinyourinterestsection.It’sgenerallygoodtohave3-4prominentkeywordsinyourprofile.Forexample,ifyou’reanaccountant,yourkeywordsmaybe–accounting;incometax;bookkeeping;audit;payrolletc.Onceyouhavedecidedyourkeywords,youcanthenaddthemthroughoutyourprofile:•  YourProfessionalHeadline•  YourSummary•  YourJobTitle/JobDescription•  Whenchoosingyour‘Skills’inordertocollect

‘Endorsements’•  Includein‘Projects’andother‘Extra’sectionsonLinkedIn


SEO yourself! 4



Get talked about! 5

Wordofmouthisjustabouttheoldestmarketingmethodintheworld–andit’sstilloneofthemosteffective.Thetruthis,whenanyonecanbewhoevertheywishonline,itisofteninfellowprofessionals,businessesandconsumers’wordswetrustmost.Thisalsohelpstobuildourpersonalbrandwithourambassadors,rolemodelsandinfluencers.ThedifferencebetweenLinkedIn‘Endorsements’and‘Recommendations’:Endorsementscanbegivenbyanyofyourconnections,includingpeoplewhohaveneverworkedwithyou.

Recommendationsarethosethatyoueitherhavetospecificallyrequest,orspecificallyacceptfromsomeone.Theyareaboutascloseasyoucangettoa“reference.”Unlikeendorsements,recommendationscarrymuchmorecredibilityandforme,areessentialelementsforpromotingyourpersonalandbusinessbrand.


Thebesttimetoaskforarecommendationisimmediatelyafterfinishingaspecificproject/jobrole/relationship.Itwouldbeadvisableapproachseniorrepresentativesoftheorganisationwhopresentsomeinfluenceandresponsibility.So,askyourtrustedconnectionsforrecommendations–customers,clients,suppliers,managersandtradepartners–andgainglowingtestimonialsthatbackupallthatyou’vesaidyouare.


5 Get talked about!


Asthelargestsocialnetworkforbusinesspeople,growingourconnectionsandrelationshipsisvitaltoachievingsuccessonLinkedIn.Thenextstageafteroptimisingyourprofileisaboutbeingproactive–growingandnurturingyourconnections.LinkedInhasasophisticatedsearchfunctionandyoucanfindjustaboutanybodythatmightbeaprospect,partner,ormaybeevenjustagoodpersontoknowinyourindustry.BeingabletoconnectwiththerightpeopleonLinkedInisanimportantskillthatyouabsolutelyneedtoknow.IalwaysrecommendthatyoushouldsendapersonalisedconnectionrequestratherthanthedefaultrequestthatLinkedInoffers.AlwayskeepitfriendlyandprofessionalJ


6 Nurture and grow!


Exampleofapersonalisedconnectionrequest:There’smanyreasonswhyyourprospectcouldbereceivingyourconnectionrequest...

•  You’vemetthematanevent•  Youhaveamutualcontact•  You’reinthesameLinkedInGroup/s•  Youworkinthesameindustry•  Youhavereadsomethingreallyinterestingaboutthem•  You’rewideningyournetworkintheirfield/sector•  Youliketheirwork/business

Don’tforgettoendyourconnectionrequestwithadirectquestionoractioni.e.pleasejoinmyLinkedInnetwork...


6 Nurture and grow!


RemembertoconsistentlyenhanceyourvisibilityandengagementonLinkedIn:

Personalprofile•  Keepitupdated–summary/jobtitle–rolesand

responsibilities/endorsements&recommendations

A.LinkedInNewsFeed(Posts)•  RegularlypostupdatesincludingC.imagesandD.videoand

E.sharedocuments•  Commentonotherposts•  Shareotherpostswithacomment

B.LinkedInPublishing(Articles)•  Publishanarticle/blogpost/newsitem

LinkedInGroups•  Joingroupswithinyourindustry/fieldofexpertiseOR

unrelatedtoyourindustrywhereyourtargetaudiencearepresentsuchaslocalbusinessassociationsandtradebodies.


6 Nurture and grow!

A.

B.

C. D. E.


And finally... LinkedIn Etiquette

HopefullythiseBookwillhaveprovidedyouwithsometipsandguidanceonhowtodevelopyourLinkedInprofile.BelowismyLinkedInetiquettelist,which,ifadheredto,willhelpyoutogrowandnurtureaneffectiveandmemorablepersonalbrand. •  PersonaliseConnectionRequests•  Includeanimageorvideoifpossible•  Use#toincludeatopic/subjectofinterest•  Use@toreferenceaperson/businesspage•  Alwaysthankthosewholike/shareyourupdates•  Turnoffnotificationswhenupdatingyourprofile•  Introduceyourconnectionstoeachother•  Respondpromptlytomessages•  Comment/shareinformationonGroups•  Alwayskeepitprofessionalandnevergetintoanargument•  Ifindoubt…don’tdoit!



MarketingSkillsAcademyisaleadingcoachingandconsultingbusinessestablishedwithonepurpose–todeliverrelevant,up-to-datemarketingandsalesskillstrainingforprofessionalindividualsandcompaniesofallsizes.Ilaunchedtheacademyin2017after25yearsindustryexperienceplanning,implementingandmanagingstrategicmarketingcampaignsforawideanddiverserangeofprivateandpublicsectororganisationsincluding– BarrattDevelopmentsPlc,DeVereGroupPlc,BellwayHomesPlc,WynyardEstates,StagecoachPlc,NorthYorkshireCountyCouncil,NorthTynesideBusinessForum,SavilleAV,CentralGovernment,NHS.I’malsoavisitinglectureratbothTeessideandNewcastleUniversities.AmemberoftheDirectandDigitalMarketingAssociation(MIDM);TheUKMarketingNetwork.IregularlyrunmyLinkedInMasterclassworkshops–furtherinformationcanbefoundonmywebsite:www.marketingskillsacademy.co.ukIhopetoseeyousoon!


About the author – Simon Clayton MIDM Marketing and LinkedIn Coach

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IfyouneedsomehelpwithyourstrategicmarketingplanorLinkedInprofile,youcancallme:07846690938oremailme:[email protected]:www.marketingskillsacademy.co.uk

©CopyrightMarketingSkillsAcademy2019

Thisdocumentisintendedfortherecipientonly.Itmustnotbedisclosed,copiedorprintedwithoutpriorpermissionfromMarketingSkillsAcademy.Allinformationiscorrectattimeofgoingtopress.ImagescourtesyofLinkedInCorpwww.Linkedin.comandwww.pixabay.com

Kickstart your

marketing strategy

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Kickstart your€¦ · As one of the fastest growing social networks in 2018, LinkedIn is THE largest business-oriented platform, with over 590 million professionals worldwide as