Building Sales Through Social Media Part III – LinkedIn Power

Generating Leads and Networking via LinkedIn

Welcome back to our ongoing series with Ken Schmitt, LinkedIn Coach.

In Part 1, we discussed why social media space for your brand is important. So very important.  From reaching customers, to building reputation don’t miss out on this chance to increase the “shelf space” of your brand.  And in Part 2 we identified the value of LinkedIn for sales reps and marketers and then found some quick ways to find your audience and generate leads using LinkedIn.

Great you found them! Now what?

The key to all of this, of course, is building your personal network in LinkedIn to allow for more connections and “links.”

Think of LinkedIn as a global connect-the-dots game.  No matter what picture you are trying to create – a company name, a title, a job – you can make it happen so long as you connect the right dots.  In the LinkedIn world, each “dot” represents a person and your mission – should you choose to accept it – is to connect to the right people so you can complete your picture and reach your final destination.

The following is a list of the top 10 things you must do to maximize your network of “dots”:

1. Build a personal and company profile that is complete and full of keywords that are relevant to your industry & function
2. Analyze your rolodex or contact list and invite your offline network to join your LinkedIn network
3. Review your contacts’ connections and request introductions to relevant professionals
4. Upload documents, videos and presentations to showcase your skills & your company’s unique solutions
5. Develop a strategy and action plan that will position you and your company as an expert in your field
6. Commit 2-4 hours/week to managing your profiles and maintaining ongoing activity
7. Update your status 2-3x each week with relevant market intelligence, articles, trends, stats, observations, stats, etc.
8. Join relevant industry, geographic and alumni groups to broaden your exposure
9. Start and comment on discussions within your groups to demonstrate your expertise
10. Do Not Sell!  Less than 10% of your communication should be an invitation to “buy” something

While Twitter and Facebook may be a great place to share personal notes, socialize with friends, share pictures and discuss the latest rock bank, LinkedIn is the social media site for professional communication.  The deeper your network, the more likely it is that your connections will ultimately connect you to your target customer.

Stay tuned for more in our series on using social media and Linkedin to  reach your customers and boost your sales.

Note:

We hope this series is helping you to leverage LinkedIn to increase sales in your territories.  We’d love to share your story – drop us a line and let us know how you’ve boosted your sales by reaching out to customers through LinkedIn or other social media channels!

About the Author:
Ken C. Schmitt is an Executive Recruiter, Career Coach, Expert Resume-Writer, Master networker and LinkedIn trainer. He has been training, coaching and placing mid-senior level professionals for 13 years with a particular focus on leveraging social media for career management. Having presented to nearly 1000 professionals and written more than 50 career-related articles, Ken is well positioned to provide valuable information about social media, recruiting and career management. For more career management advice visit- http://www.turningpointsearch.net/

Rusty

Rusty’s expertise rests in his ability to apply his Scientific Experience to the Marketing and Sales Funnel. Something we call the Red Funnel. He has developed a deep understanding of the web and the toolset needed to analyze websites as well as sales and marketing tactics both online and in the field.