LinkedIn is just one tool in your marketing arsenal, but it can be powerful when used consistently and strategically.
I resisted getting on LinkedIn for years. I would constantly get emails from people wanting to connect with me there and thought, “What do I want with another social media platform, especially one where half the people there are looking for jobs and just want to connect with me because they think I might be able to help them with their job search?”
But about five or six years ago, my friend and the dean of the Walton College of Business at that time, Dr. Matt Waller, told me I really needed to be on there – that I had much knowledge to share and that was the place to do it – so I reluctantly created my profile and started posting. Since then, I have learned LinkedIn can be a tremendous marketing tool IF it is used properly.
Here are some things I have learned over the years about how LinkedIn should be used and how it can help people like us:
- It’s a great place to find names of key people in organizations you want to do business with. IF you know a certain company or organization is a targeted client for your company, why not get on LinkedIn and find out who all of their top people are and try to connect with them? They aren’t always listed on their organization’s website but most of the time you can find these people on LinkedIn. And add them to your marketing email list if they have their email addresses listed.
- Do not reach out to these people immediately to try to sell them your services if they do connect with you. It would be much better for those people to see your postings over time and figure out that you are an intelligent person who has insight and experience that could help them. And while you may want to reach out to them at some point (and I will get into that shortly), they may actually reach out to you if your content is compelling enough.
- The content you put out there needs to be valuable. Refrain from anything political. You don’t want to alienate anyone. Provide helpful information. “Here is a common problem and here is how we are seeing companies solve it.” “Here is a way you can save money.” “Here are some statistics that will surprise you.” “Here is a story about a client who made a mistake that cost them dearly and what they should have done differently.” Or editorialize on something. “Here is my opinion on something everyone is doing.” “Here are my predictions for where things are heading.” Put this kind of content out there for your network to see. And don’t be afraid to challenge conventional wisdom or create some controversy. Don’t be boring and put out the same kinds of stuff all of your competitors do.
- You can also create simple polls on LinkedIn that will give you unique information and insight, and get your audience thinking. This data can also be used in other ways including press releases.
- If and when you do decide to contact any of these people directly after sufficient time has elapsed, I have found that asking them a question about how they do something in their organization can be a great conversation starter. And that gets the interaction started that could be the start of a relationship.
- If you put out a newsletter or do a podcast, send invitations out to your connections to subscribe to it. I think you are limited to 250 invitations at a time but doing this can be a quick way to build up your reader or listener lists.
- When there is something specific you are trying to go after in one of these targeted potential client organizations, you can reach out directly to one of your connections – hopefully at a high level in that organization – to see if you can learn more, or who else there you need to be in touch with. And, if they don’t respond, you can move down to connections at the next level in their management hierarchy to see if they can help you.
- Make connections with your competitors. See what they are doing and what they are saying. Figure out who their top people are and how they will be selling their services to the same clients you are going after. I have gone as far as making predictions about what specific competitors will tell a specific client in presentations I have given (and why that will not be good for the client) to win a project. And when that prediction is accurate, it gains immediate credibility and respect from the client.
LinkedIn – like everything else one can do to help market their firms and themselves – is just one tool in your arsenal. But it’s a good tool, and has many potential benefits if used properly over an extended period of time.
Mark Zweig is Zweig Group’s chairman and founder. Contact him at mzweig@zweiggroup.com.