WSI LinkedIn Advanced Training Workbook Gregg Towsley

LinkedIn WorkbookStep by Step Guide

LinkedIn Workbook 2

LinkedIn WorkbookCreating Your Perfect Profile

WSI B2B Marketing

843-559-0753

www.wsib2bmarketing.com

“LinkedIn is a place where Relationships Matter” This is LinkedIn’s slogan.

LinkedIn’s goal “is to help you be more effective in your daily work and open doors to opportunities using the professional relationships you already have”

LinkedIn is not “social” in the sense of personal, non-work related information. It really is a huge database that you can strategically search through to identify people and organizations that you want to sell to, create alliances with, hire, refer business to, network with and add value to as a professional.

Goals

By following this workbook and using the LinkedIn Learning Center, you will learn the following:

n Establish credibility and start building your personal brand

n Develop an understanding of how to leverage LinkedIn in your business

n Have the confidence to become more effective using LinkedIn

n Get a “jump-start” by completing your worksheets and experiment with your own searches for new contacts, groups, and companies

n Build a network of both quality and quantity contacts to increase your likelihood of getting connected to people and companies you could do business with

n Turn your LinkedIn profile into a self-service repository of your company’s sales content

n Market your business on LinkedIn

Who should use these guidelines?

This workbook is ideal for professionals across all industries and does not require technical knowledge.

1. Sales Managers and their teams

2. Marketing Managers

3. C-Level Executives

The Social Media Sales revolution

The way we communicate has changed – and your sales tactics also need to change if you want to stay in the game.

In a short space of time Social Media has become the most important platform for initiating and maintaining communication with customers.

Get ready to overhaul your sales approach by using LinkedIn to find and sell to new customers.

LinkedIn Workbook 3

4. Senior Management

5. Middle Management

Workbook Layout

This workbook is going to lead you through these basic steps to get you going professionally on LinkedIn.

1. Profile quick definitions so you know where you are headed

2. Background information that you will use later in setting up your profile and then searching for new contacts to add to your network

3. Creating your Profile

4. Conducting and Qualifying Searches

5. Making Contact

6. Advice for using LinkedIn in 20 Minutes Per Day

This workbook is designed to augment the excellent help that LinkedIn provides in their Learning Center at http://learn.linkedin.com/. We recommend you use the Learning Center for even more detailed instructions on some of the topics covered here.

LinkedIn Workbook 4

http://learn.linkedin.com/

LinkedIn Profile Summary and Definitions.

ddddSe

n A 100% complete profile appears significantly more often in the search results. LinkedIn® tells you exactly what you still need to do if your profile is not 100% complete.

n PHOTO – Use a quality, business photo that clearly shows your face. Use at least 80x80 pixels.

n HEADLINE – Think like your customer: “What is my target audience looking for?” Product, service, specialty, etc.) Use interesting, keywords to formulate a catchy slogan that will make you ‘Top of Mind’.

n SUMMARY – Don’t use your summary to describe your company. Ask yourself: “What makes me tick? Why do I do what I am doing?” Write about that first. Just make sure to keep it professional!

n SPECIALTIES – Make a list of all your specialties, use bullet points like ♦ ◆ ✔ ➡ ▶ to emphasize your specialties even more.

n EXPERIENCE – Enter every single position you held after secondary school, even student jobs

n RECOMMENDATIONS – You will need a minimum of 3 recommendations in order to get a 100% complete profile. Ask previous managers and happy clients. Ask them to write WHAT you did together and HOW your input made a positive difference. GIVE recommendations; this gives you exposure to the whole network of the receiver.

n WEBSITES – Always try to list three websites and choose ‘Other’ instead of ‘Company Website’. If you don’t have three websites, use relevant pages within your site or to an important project you worked on.

n TWITTER – Are you on twitter? Add your twitter account and choose the option “Share only tweets that contain #in” this prevents you from cluttering your connections homepage

n PUBLIC PROFILE URL – Change this to your own name, Google finds you more quickly and you can use the URL in your email signature. Called a vanity URL.

n GROUPS – Join at least 10 LinkedIn® groups: five groups where you share

LinkedIn Workbook 5

knowledge with people in your industry and five where your prospective clients are found. Play active role in-group discussions and show your expertise.

Goals Worksheet Name:

ddddSe

Overview

In this exercise you will complete your business and personal goals, giving thought to whom you would like to do business with. This will be useful background information as you write more on your profile and start building your network of contacts.

With whom do you want to do business with?

Industries

1.

2.

3.

Job Titles

1.

2.

3.

Company Size (Approx. number of employees):

1.

2.

3.

Names of specific companies (If known):

1.

2.

3.

LinkedIn Workbook 6

LinkedIn Workbook 7

Events

What types of business events do you host throughout the year? Incl. Webinars.

1.

2.

3.

What types of business events to you plan to attend in the next year?

1.

2.

3.

LinkedIn Workbook 8

Areas of Interest – LinkedIn Groups

Which business topics interest you most (sales, marketing, events, management, exec)?

Groups to which your clients & strategic business partners are likely to belong:

Charitable or non-profits groups that interest you or to which you belong:

Name a few hobbies and interests (golf, real estate, fishing, etc.):

Which college(s) did you attend? (Alumni groups are on LinkedIn)

Do you blog or have plans to start one? If so, which blog topics?

Does your job responsibility include hiring of business professionals, finding qualified reps, vendors, forming strategic partnerships, fundraising, etc?

LinkedIn Workbook 9

Keyword Optimize .

ddddSe

Keyword list

The right keywords in your profile are the main basis as to whether you will win the “being found” part of the LinkedIn business objectives.

Keyword brainstorm Check your

keyword density here

http://www.google.com/sktool

Places where you should include your target keywords

Headline (Extra points from LinkedIn search rankings) Summary Specialties Experience: Job titles (Extra points from LinkedIn

search rankings) Experience: Description of jobs Recommendations

Be sure to think of different words that people may use to describe the same thing, like attorney & lawyer, legal & law, editor & proofreader, teacher & instructor.

Titles you’ve held

Products you sell

Services you provide

Brand names you sell

Job responsibilities you’ve had

Certification & degrees

Names of software you know how to use

Countries you serve

Book titles / articles you’ve writtenPresent & past employers namesAssociations you belong to

Hobbies & activities

LinkedIn Workbook 10

http://www.google.com/sktool

Creating My Profile.

ddddS

Professional headline and photo headshot

Brainstorm Mini Statements for your headline:

n Rough Draft #1 –

n Rough Draft #2 –

n Final Version –



ddddSe

Models that Work Well:

n Value Proposition or Solution / Trust / Credibility / Title & Company

n Title & Company / Credibility / Value Proposition or Solution / Trust

n Value Statement or specific call to Action

Examples:

n Marketing Director at (Company Name) New Business Solutions

n 8 Million Books sold / Authority of Creating Business Leads/ Sales Trainer / CEO / Excellence Enterprises

n M&A IT Strategist / Fortune 500 Program Manager / Strategic Planning / PMO / President & COO at Excellence Enterprises

Location, Industry (select from list of 150 or so):

Website links (include up to three):

n Ex. Company Website, Blog, Twitter, Portfolio, Recent Press, etc.



ddddSe


Summary of professional experience, goals and areas of specialization:

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

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



ddddSe

Twitter

n Books you want to read, are reading, have read and comments on each.

n Control profile updates using #IN

Slide Share Presentations (optional application):

n Integrate PowerPoint, YouTube Videos, PDFs, Photography (converted to PDF)

Reading list by Amazon (optional application):

n Books you want to read, are reading, have read and comments on each.

Events (optional):

n Events you plan to host or attend.

Blog Sync:

n Recent entries to your blog are automatically published within your LinkedIn profile.




ddddSe

Position (title, time period, and description): Write 3 positions.

n Current and prior positions.

Education (school, degree, dates, activities):

People for whom you'd like to write a thoughtful recommendation:

Create a free company profile (if needed, already complete for most companies)

n Click "Company" in LinkedIn's top navigation.

n Click "Add a Company" in the blue header bar.

n Follow on-screen instructions.



Conducting & Qualifying Searches.

ddddSe

Overview

In this exercise you will learn how to do company, people, events and group searches

Qualify by Company search:


n Click "Search Companies" on dropdown menu

n Click on “Search Companies” tab

n Enter filtering criteria and press the "Search Companies" button.

Tips for Searching Company Profile pages:

n New Hires/Recent Promotions: a change in decision-making = new supplier opportunity.

n Career path can provide suggestions about other companies to consider in your search.

n Key Statistics - Size, website, contact info, job title groupings to see all, etc.

Search People:

n Verify or select "People" in LinkedIn's top navigation search box (right side of top navigation)

n Click on “Advanced”

n Enter filtering criteria and press the "Search" button.

n If you join max 50 groups, select all groups. Shared group member emails are free.

n Sort by relationship: sort order is typically 1st degree, 2nd degree, group, 3rd +

n Only titles, not names of members further than 3rd degree are shown.

n My network only: 1st (free) & 2nd degree, and group (free) connections.

n 2nd degree connections, if not in a shared group, require an introduction or paid email.

n Use common alternatives such as "CEO" vs. "Chief Executive Officer"


Conducting & Qualifying Searches.

ddddSe

Search Other:


Search Events (Add the app under “More” and then “Get More Applications”. Then it’s a box on the right side of your home page)

n Search by keyword, date range, location and type.

n Add event, attend, and research attendees.

Search Groups:

n Search by keyword, category and language.

n Join up to 50 groups, discuss, submit news, jobs, view members, leave group.

Search Connections:

n Import contacts, find colleagues and classmates.

n Invite to connect, add a personal note to invitation, remove connections.


Making Contact.

ddddSe


Overview

In this exercise you will learn how to make contact with others. Messages are sent through the LinkedIn system and forwarded to the recipient's personal email account. Messages are also stored within the recipient's LinkedIn account until they choose to "Archive" the email.

Sending LinkedIn Email messages:

n See “Connect” button in upper right column of another's profile.

1st Degree Connections and Shared Group members

n "Send a Message" email = free. You are directly connected or share a group. Join 50 groups. "Recommend this person" is shown.

n Recommend others to encourage reciprocation. Be thoughtful and make powerful introductions.

2nd and 3rd Degree Connections:

n "Send InMail" - join a common group (free email), get introduced, or use paid subscription. Paid Subscriptions: Send 3 InMails/mo for $24.95/mo, 10 InMails/mo for $49.95/mo, etc. (not recommended in most situations)

n "Get introduced through a connection:

n 2nd degree: a direct connection of yours knows this person.

n 3rd degree: your connection(s) can introduce you to someone who knows this person.

4th+ Degree Connections:

n "Send InMail" is shown, join a common group or use paid subscription

n Name of individual is not displayed, but the person's title is included.


Making Contact.

ddddSe

Other options:

Add [name of individual] to your network

n Approval by recipient will make them a direct 1st degree connection.

n Too much disapproval can jeopardize your account (free and paid accounts).

n Only recommended when you know or have met this person.

Forward this profile to a connection

Search for references (for hiring purposes)

n Find potential references in your network who have worked with this person.

n Post a job for $195 per 30-day posting. Auto match and display to qualified candidates.


LinkedIn 20 minutes a day.

ddddSe


Your daily routine:

To get the best out of LinkedIn we suggest that you use it everyday to keep updated on your network of relationships and what they are up to.

Home Screen

LinkedIn opens your Home Screen each time you login.

Inbox

LinkedIn InboxThe five most recent unread Inbox emails are presented here.

Network Updates

What are you working on now? [up to 140 characters]What has your attention? Share news. Setup www.bit.ly acct to shorten/track links.

n Seen by all LinkedIn users when they view your profile.

n Appears on home page of your connections and in their weekly LinkedIn updates email.

Activities within your network that are shown.

n New connections in your network

n When connections update their profile

n Questions and Answers posted by your connections

n Jobs posted by your connections

n Events your connections are interested in or attending

n Polls from your connections

n Groups your connections have joined

n Group discussions started.

n When connections' modify or add a company profile.



ddddSe


Home Screen

Just joined LinkedInProvides a link to past colleagues who have just joined who you might know.

[Your home screen's right column]

People you may know

LinkedIn's algorithms provide suggestions on who you may know

Click "see more" for option to import mail contacts, find colleagues and classmates.

Advertisements

Ads placed by LinkedIn members (Direct Ads) OR major advertiser display ads.Ads placed by members can target by up to 3 of the following LinkedIn member criteria:

n Company size

n Job function

n Industry

n Seniority

n Gender

n Age

n Geography



ddddSe

Home Screen

Reading List by Amazon

See who's reading what

n Update your reading list and add comments

n Watch the reading list of other members

n See what books are being read within your industry.

Events

n Add events you are hosting so that others can find them. Webinars, too.

n See events your connections are attending.

n Find events that interest you.

n Connect with attendees prior to event.

n Use LinkedIn groups to notify members of your event and invite them.

Answers

n Public LinkedIn forum for Asking and Answering member's questions

n Click the "edit" button to feed to your home page questions within your industry

n IMPORTANT: All posted questions and answers are indexed by Google

n Answers selected by poster as "Best Answer" receive a star rating for expertise

n See if your question has already been asked by someone else before posting




ddddSe

Home Screen

Jobs

n Click the "see more" button to refine search results.

n See who posted the opening and note how they're connected to you.

n Apply online or reach out to the person who posted the position.

Company Buzz (optional application)

Filters Twitter searches and presents them on your home page.

Search tips:

n to:(Twitter username) - tweets directed to the username

n from:(Twitter username) - tweets published by the username

n @(username) - tweets where the username is mentioned

n red corvette - tweets containing both "red" and "corvette"

Blog Integration (optional application)

n Presents your recent blog postings.


To Do List for Power Users.

ddddSe

Resume & Bio

Accomplishments/Awards

Interests

Specialties

Favorite books read and what you are currently readingSlide share account login & password – www.slideshare.netYouTube Account login & password – www.youtube.comGoogle Doc’s login & password – www.google.com/docs

Wordpress or other Blog

Assets – 1 or 2 Video clips – under 10

minutes uploaded to your YouTube account

Power Points or doc’s you want the public to have from your LinkedIn Profile

Personal Professional Picture


Technology

WSI LinkedIn Advanced Training Workbook Gregg Towsley