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LinkedIn Training presented by Search Online Consulting

SOC and Ryan Sauer

• SOC was founded in 2009• Worked with over 200 brands to

deliver quality digital solutions in consulting, training and implementation

• Digital marketing agency• Digital auditing• About Ryan Sauer?

The history of social media

In order to know where we are going we need to know where we have been

Where have we been?

The internet 1.0• This was the beginning of the internet• Websites were static and for the purpose

of passively browsing information• No content could be generated and the

user could not communicate with the site.

The internet 2.0A Web 2.0 site allows users to interact and collaborate with each other in a social media dialogue

• Search functions• Blogs• Comments• RSS• Logins

The internet 3.0The Semantic web:• This means the internet will begin to think• You can ask questions• Based on the history the results will be customised• Internet browsing is customised• Users find more relevant info

What is a social network?

So What is LinkedIn?• LinkedIn is a social network that services

the purpose of connecting people in relation to their professional careers and work paths.

• LinkedIn is made for people with business interests to connect to others with similar business interests.

So does it make money?• Revenue for the second quarter of 2013 was

$363.7 million, an increase of 59% compared to $228.2 million in the second quarter of 2012.

• Net income for the second quarter was $3.7 million

• LinkedIn in SA grew by 20% in the last year• LinkedIn has over 2.3 Million users in SA• LinkedIn has 3 key financial drivers:

– Talent Solutions: represented 56% of total revenue in the second quarter

– Marketing Solutions: represented 24% of total revenue in the second quarter

– Premium Subscriptions: represented 20% of total revenue in the second quarter

What is social capital?• Social capital are the networks within and

between social networks.– Bonds: Common Identity– Bridges: Beyond shared sense of identity– Linkages: Links up or down social ladder

• A social network has value and the ease at which a person can move between networks is an advantage in terms of networking.

• Calculating social capital

Why LinkedIn and not other Social?• Different social platforms have been

created for different target markets• Facebook: Personal life- friends and family• Pinterest/ instagram: Pictures, daily life• Twitter: SMS of the web for 140 character

thoughts• Youtube: Video Content search engine and

social network• LinkedIn: Business network for

professionals

Social currencyBeing truly social means not talking at people but rather too people

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LinkedIn basics: Creating an Account- Key areas

• Use an email address you frequently check• Current work and past positions and

companies are important• Professional pictures make a difference• Do not invite friends until your account is

nice and meaty• Write all content in word and check for

spelling mistakes• Aim for 100% complete profile

LinkedIn basics: Profile completeness checklist

Task Date Completed Next update

Create a Profile

Professional photo

Customise personal headline

Add website and social media

Add linkedIn to your website

Get 5 recommendations

Get 20 endorsements

Add Skills and expertise

List experience

Sharing interesting posts

Connect with others

LinkedIn basics: Profile completeness- Skills

• Check you have segmented yourself for the right skills

• Keywords are key to being found• Be unique or follow the main thought• Make sure you focus on– Professional Headline– Title Fields– Specialties– Interests– Recommendations– Education (Activities and Societies)

LinkedIn basics: Profile completeness- Skills

• Top 10 overused terms used in the US:1. Extensive experience2. Innovative3. Motivated4. Results-oriented5. Dynamic6. Proven track record7. Team player8. Fast-paced9. Problem solver10.Entrepreneurial

LinkedIn basics: Profile completeness- Skills

•  LinkedIn unfortunately rewards keyword stuffing

• So….Think of words that would be more niche and less travelled than "business", "social media", or "technology". Those mainstream keywords aren't worth it as you'll have to sacrifice your profile.

LinkedIn basics: Finalizing your custom URL

• Make yourself findable in search• Try get your name• If you cant try get your middle initial in

there• If you cant try get your name and your co

first name• Don’t have a URL that looks like:

linked.com/pub/ryan-sauer/6/8a/bb8/

LinkedIn basics: Posting updates

• Creating updates is where the social element begins

• People can comment like and share updates

• Post in the morning for maximum reach• Add links where possible• Strong call to action

LinkedIn basics: Grow your connections

There are 2 schools of thought:1. Accept and invite everyone:You will reach more people if you accept all connections.You never know who wants to do business with you

2. Accept and invite only close connections: Create a small niche community of trusted peopleReduce the possibility of spamTrusted community mean better endorsements and referrals

LinkedIn basics: Endorsements Vs Recommendations

• Endorsements are like a little poke to potential people you want to connect with.

• Endorsements are a dime a dozen and do add legitimacy

• Endorsements only come from first level connections: so if it is people you don’t know its because you have expanded your network that way!

• Delete ridiculous endorsements• List your skills to get the right endorsements • Recommendations take time and are much more

deliberate

LinkedIn intermediate: Searching• Write the keywords of the people you want• Do you want prospective clients or other

complimentary fields?• Do you want to follow competitors?• Finding the people you want• Find the companies you want

LinkedIn intermediate: connecting• Write a customised introduction• Make sure the request is sent with the right

segmentation• Introductions are used when you don’t

know the person and want another contact to introduce you.

• Inmail: only available on Premium accounts- Allows you to send a personal intro before connecting

• You are limited to 3,000 invites (how do you know how many you sent?)

LinkedIn Advanced: SEO for LinkedIn

• LinkedIn has its own ranking algorithm– The more complete the profile the better your

chance– Large networks mean you reach more search

users– Having keyword dense content helps but try

not to be spammy– Endorsements do not affect your ranking on

LinkedIn

LinkedIn basics: Company profile• fill out the products/services part of a LinkedIn

company page. It is a great SEO opportunity and can really skyrocket page visibility and ROI of your presence

• Send targeted messages to specific followers• Encourage employees to be on LinkedIn- the

increase your network of people to connect to.• Follow your competitors as a business and know

who they are hiring and who is leaving as well as news

LinkedIn basics: Company profile1. Claim and create your Page2. Add products and services3. Organise and promote4. Make your products tab dynamic5. 5 next steps

LinkedIn Advanced: Groups• Groups are the social part of LinkedIn. You

can only join 50• You need to participate• Create articles• Comment on others• This is how relationships are born• Create a custom LinkedIn group for

employees

LinkedIn advanced: advertising• B2B communication• Create Personas• Work on a CPC basis• Generate relevant ad copy

LinkedIn advanced: advertising• keep in mind that the budgets, bids, and ads are

set at the campaign level.• if you create a flat campaign structure (lumping

all options together in one campaign) you will have very little control over performance

• There is a CTR minimum threshold - around 0.025%.

• tag your ad URLs• Run A/B testing

A warning on passwords• Keep it unique• Change it frequently• Have logic behind passwords Example:

RSLink2013Q3!

How to Integrate LinkedIn• You have a larger marketing strategy for

your business• You need to think how LinkedIn integrates• Send potential clients to your public profile• Post intelligent updates• Link Twitter and Li• Post your website URL in your profile• Place social buttons on your website

Other cool LinkedIn tips• Turn off your LinkedIn Activity broadcast• Start the convo first connect later

References:• LinkedIn.com- Various company pages• linkedintobusiness.com- various pages• dashburst.com• Forbes.com• clickz.com

Questions:

Contact us:Ryan@searchoc.co.za082-788-2249www.searchoc.co.za

011-778-46315 Sturdee AvenueRosebankJohannesburg