LinkedIn Training Module 3Advanced Strategies for LinkedIn

Module 1Section 3

You should now:

• Have an account on LinkedIn

• Completed your profile

• Selected fields for your public profile

• Invited those you know to join your network

Module 2You should know:

Section 1. How to use Advanced Search for researching people and companies

Section 1. How to invite someone you don’t know to join your network

Section 2. How to research and join groups including the WorkflowOne Digital Solutions sales group

SECTION 2. Advanced StrategiesHow to navigate LinkedIn for the best outcome

SECTION 1. PromotionInforming people that you are active on LinkedIn

SECTION 3. Third Party ToolsApplications you can use to share information about yourself and your expertise

SECTION 1. PromotionInforming people that you are active on LinkedIn

Connect Your Communication Paths.

Step 1 – Log in to your LinkedIn account. Step 2 – Go to your “Settings” option.

Step 3 – Click on your “Public Profile” (halfway down the Accounts and Settings page)

Step 4 – Under “Public Profile” go to “Promote Public Profile” and click on “Customized Buttons”.

Step 5 – Copy the entire code for this button below.

Step 6 – Open Notepad on your computer and paste the code into the document.

Step 7 – Under “save as” save the file name as “LinkedIn.html”, and change file type to “all files”.

Step 8 – Open Outlook, go to “Tools” and click on “Options”

Step 9 – Go to Mail Format and click on “Signatures”

Step 10 – Click on “New”

Step 11 – Click on “Use this file as template,” then select your saved file. Next, ad your contact details as you would like them to read over the button.

YOU’RE DONE!

Your Turn!Follow the outlined steps and add the LinkedIn button to your email signature.

SECTION 2. Advanced StrategiesHow to use LinkedIn for the best outcome

How to:

• Get involved in the conversation

• Monitor the conversation

• Advance strategies for optimizing your profile and settings

• How to ask and receive recommendations

• Marketing to your groups

Get involved in the conversation

Also, Tracy gets extra points for her clear benefit description!

These describe what they do but not how they are going to Help me.

Monitor the conversation

Methods for Conversation Monitoring

1. RSS Feeda. RSS Setup in LinkedInb. Google Reader Setup

2. Group Activity Notification

RSS Setup in LinkedIn

RSS is a technology that gives you access to LinkedIn content through your favorite RSS feed reader.

You can receive RSS updates of:a. Network Updatesb. LinkedIn Answers

RSS Setup in LinkedIn

2a. Status Updates

1. Select “Enable.”

2. Either choose your reader or cut and paste the XML code into your reader.

RSS Setup in LinkedIn

2b. LinkedIn Answers

1. Choose an Answers category from the drop down menu.

2. Either choose your reader or cut and paste the XML code into your reader.

Google Reader Setup

1. Go to http://reader.google.com

2. Select

3. Once the account is created, click to add RSS subscriptions to your reader account.

4. Type in the URL of the RSS feed and click add.

Google Reader Setup5. Your listing of subscriptions will be on the left hand sidebar.

The number in the brackets next to the RSS name indicates the quantity of new items waiting to be read.

Group Activity NotificationKeep an eye on group activity through email or RSS

notification.

1. Email notification preferences should be set when signing up to a new group.

Profile Optimization 2.0

Optimizing your profile

Write a benefit statement

Personalize where you can

Ask for and give recommendation

s

Customize fields when

you can

Update your status

Customize fields when

you can

Ask for and give recommendation

s

How to ask for and receive recommendations

Sage’s recommendations are about subject matter expertise. People want to buy from people who know what they are talking about.

AJ’s recommendations are about leadership and 451 Marketing as a company.

Tips for asking for recommendations:

Personalize the request

Offer to reciprocate

Think about how this recommendation or affiliation with help you now

Marketing to your groups

Marketing to Your Groups

• Be selective about your groups as each profile can join a maximum of 50 groups.

• Join the largest groups that relate to your industry.

• Review recent group discussion and news items to ensure that it is the most advantageous group for you.

Marketing To Your Groups

1. Initiating discussion topics

2. Contributing to active discussions

3. Posting a news item

4. Discussing a news item

Initiating Discussion Topics

1. Join advantageous groups based on your industry and motivations.

2. Select daily or weekly email digest in order to remain up to date on group news and opportunities.

Initiating Discussion Topics

3. Post discussions items in groups.

a. Select “Start a discussion.”

Initiating Discussion Topics

b. Enter a Topic, Details and choose to Follow this discussion.

Contributing to Active Discussions

1. Select a group whose discussions you wish to review

2. Click on the “Discussions” tab.

3. Click “Add comment.”

Contributing to Active Discussions

4. Type in your comment in the dialogue box.

5. Click the box to select “Follow this discussion.”

6. Click ‘Add Comment’.

1. Select “Submit a news article.”

Posting a News Item

Posting a News Item

2. Paste your news link.

3. Include news details and select “Follow this discussion.”

Posting a News Item

Discuss a News Item

1. Select a group whose news items you wish to review.

2. Click on the “News” tab.

3. Click “Discuss” to contribute to news item.

Discuss a News Item

Discuss a News Item

4. Type in your comment in the dialogue box.

5. Click the box to select “Follow this discussion.”

6. Click “Add Comment.”

SECTION 3. Third Party ToolsApplications you can use to share information about yourself and your expertise

LinkedIn Best Practices

LinkedIn Best Practices

• Every business card should be followed up with a LinkedIn connection invitation.

• Ensure to supplement the standard invitation text that LinkedIn provides with details as to where you met the contact and how you look forward to working together and further developing the relationship.

LinkedIn Best Practices

• Ask for recommendations on a continual basis and offer guidance in your request, so the task appears quick and simple, and so the contact knows how to focus their recommendation.

• Ask for introductions periodically.

LinkedIn Best Practices

• Block two x 30 minute time slots a week to review your LinkedIn inbox OR review your LinkedIn inbox once a day paired with an email check.

• Connect with at least five new people a week.

• Post at least two status updates a week (pair with inbox check).

• Ask for at least two recommendations per month.

LinkedIn Best Practices

• At least once per week do any of they following:– Join a group– Post a discussion or news item to a group– Answer a question– Provide something of value to a top

connector (an individual with several hundred connections)

• Use LinkedIn mobile for on the go networking: http://m.linkedin.com

• Download the LinkedIn app for iPhone: http://www.apple.com/iphone/apps-for-iphone/

• Learn more about mobile options and usability for LinkedIn: http://learn.linkedin.com/mobile/

LinkedIn Mobile

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvW8lrsN0oo&feature=player_embedded

LinkedIn Mobile

CongratulationsYou now know how to:

Set up a LinkedIn button on your email signature

Engage & listen to those on LinkedIn and promote yourself via recommendations & groups

Research and include applications into your profile

Next StepsAnswer the six exit questions on what you learned in this module.

Share your opinion of these training modules by filling in and returning the survey.

Check the Workflow One Digital Solutions Group for additional tips and answers to the group’s questions.

Test What You Have Learned

Module 3

1. Once you setup your profile you shouldn’t really change too much as it is already indexed in LinkedIn.True or False

2. The most successful people on LinkedIn remind their contact bases and groups consistently what they have to offer and what it costs to do business with them. True or false

3. If someone wants to know if you are on LinkedIn they will search for you on LinkedIn. There is really no reason to promote your membership. True or False

4. What is the greatest advantage of social networking over traditional networking?

• Allows you to monitor your network in real time using a RSS feed

• Allows you to widen your reach by connecting with those in your whole network, not just the people you know directly

• Helps you to attract the types of people you want to reach (join specific groups, join discussions and get referrals)

• Members can do a search for specific keywords and if you have optimized your profile for them, you will appear in LinkedIn’s search results

• You can efficiently recommend people, get referrals, find experts, join discussions, and participate in groups

• All of the above

5. You have a better chance of someone responding to you if you contact them via LinkedIn vs. calling or emailing them.

• True or False

6. The only way you can see new status updates by those in your network is to visit their profiles.

• True or False

Test What You Have Learned

Answers to Module 3Answer to question 1 –

False. Every time you update your profile a message goes out to your network. This keeps you top of mind and the content fresh. As you become more comfortable with LinkedIn you can optimize your profile for better visibility and impact by choosing certain keywords and editing your copy to highlight the benefits you have to offer.

Answer to question 2 -False. The most successful people offer value first by demonstrating their expertise and offer to help where they can. Those who just purely promote themselves are considered spammers.

Answer to question 3.

False. To grow your network it’s important to tell those you meet that you are a member. By providing a link directly to your profile they can learn more about you and potentially connect. An easy way to do that is to

provide a link to your profile via your email signature.

Answers to Module 3

Answer to question 4 – All of the above.

Answer to question 5. –Maybe! There are no hard facts but it has been our experience that people tend to respond to communications via LinkedIn at a higher rate than calling or emailing. It’s still new! Try it as one of your strategies to get by the gatekeepers.

Answer to question 6. – False – LinkedIn sends out an update of those in your network. In addition

you can use an advance strategy and set up an RSS feed so you can view status updates in real time.