Is LinkedIn the Most Important Social Media Tool for Professionals?

 Without a doubt LinkedIn is one of the most important sites a professional service firm should focus on from the outset and YES you should be using it to the absolute limit of its potential.

However it is not the only site to really focus on: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other video upload sites,your blog, online Directories, relevant forums, article sites and social book marking sites, they all have an important part to play in your social media marketing strategy and whilst LinkedIn is very important you must develop a strategy and see it in the long term perspective.

Its easy to use, its free, it's well established and liked and it's powerful for both the individual and firm alike. Do not see LinkedIn, just in the personal context alone see it as a really powerful professional networking tool at the level of the firm itself.

LinkedIn, had an Alexia ranking, July 2010, of 29; this means it has the 29th highest combination of visitors and page views in the world.

LinkedIn has over 70 million users and is perfect because all those users solely focus on using the site for business purposes.

When you join, LinkedIn, you create a profile that summarizes your professional expertise and accomplishments. You can then form enduring connections by inviting trusted contacts to join LinkedIn and connect to you.

Your network consists of your connections, your connections' connections, and the people they know; all in all linking you to a vast number of qualified professionals and experts.

As is the case with any social network, it's important that you take a little time and get to know the culture and appreciate the accepted norms; take it steady.

LinkedIn, is the online version of offline business networking. As such it's the world's largest professional network and is growing rapidly as a marketing tool for professionals because of its power to find and share opportunities and to support to build relationships:

It's a networking tool to find prospects and new clients, network partners industry experts, associates, vendors and business partners.

It allows registered users to maintain a list of contact details of people they know and trust in business. • Many individuals openly promote relationships and deals that they are in the market for.

You can use it to build a sense of occasion for specific happenings around your organization.

LinkedIn, provides a perfect vehicle for getting feedback and undertaking research by simply asking questions.

Through your LinkedIn, network you can:

manage the information that's publicly available about you and your firm;

find, as well as get introduced to, potential clients, service providers, and subject experts, all of whom will come recommended; that's the glory of LinkedIn;

create and collaborate on projects, gather data, share files and solve problems;

be found for business opportunities and find potential partners;

gain new insights from discussions with like- minded professionals; • discover inside connections that can help you to source contracts and close deals; and

post and distribute job listings to find the best talent for your company.

LinkedIn is growing at one new member every second.and whilst many seeLinkedIn as a career development tool for professional firm business owners it's primary purpose will be all about making connections.

By the way your contacts in LinkedIn are called connections.

Never forget that first and foremost LinkedIn is a 'friend of friends' networking tool that enables you to make connections, build rapport and gain insights.

So, what are the keys to success when using LinkedIn?

As a starter all your key players within the firm need to have there own profile on LinkedIn

As ever the key is to set out your profile with the client in mind, and to get over the essence, in meaningful ways, from the prospects perspective, why & how you're special.

The key is to ensure that it's unmistakably clear:

to whom you provide a service;

what you can do for them, expressed in terms of benefits they can relate to;

that you have a clear understanding of the problems/issues/concerns or needs they have and the results you'll be helping them to achieve; and most importantly; and

why you're special in this context.

Make the most of your profile.

Use Your LinkedIn profile to best effect don't waste it; ensure that it is informative and well optimised for search.

Also make sure that you:

Add your photo: this personalises like almost nothing else;

Use links to your blog using Anchor text using the "other" tab;

Use the "Summary" to tell your story or whatever else is compelling way;

Use well focused keywords in the "specialty" section.

Keep your LinkedIn site active:

LinkedIn has a status update feature that you should update on a regular basis.

Place links to your LinkedIn,profile in your email signature and elsewhere online.

Make the most of the LinkedIn, Question & Answer facility by answering questions in substance and with style you can demonstrate your insights and expertise while potentially engaging contacts that are drawn to your knowledge. LinkedIn, has a rating system to reward people who give the best answers with some added exposure.

You can also ask thoughtful questions gaining insights and the basis for starting conversations, with like-minded connections.

Present information selectively. LinkedIn site was originally set up as a career development tool therefore you must be selective in how you use it in terms of the information you present under the headings offered. See the headings in a loose context and write as you see best given your business development and relationship development objectives for the use of the site. For example in the specialities section provide a list of your services and the benefits those services bring.

When using LinkedIn the first priority is to make quality connections. Then having made a connection the secondary goal is to get those connections [and in turn their connections] to go to your website, a blog or a video where you can really start to build meaningful rapport.

The primary purpose should not be to sell a service on LinkedIn site; there are many options elsewhere for this to be done; LinkedIn is for building relationships. Full stop. Only when you have built a relationship and established trust will it be time to sell.

Having established a new relationship then here is where the power of videos come into their own to establish a relationship and in this context its easy to see how important the development of a tactical plan of action is in terms of your 1st finding prospects; then connecting with them then getting them to take action and to view, say a video, or to visit your blog or sign up for your emails.

The key is to the most effective use of LinkedIn is to find connections using the search function and by using your contacts with whom you are connected.

Obviously the more direct connections you've established, the more opportunities you'll be afforded to make new contacts and build evermore connections; without the contacts and connections with them you'll be hard pressed to enjoy any benefits.

To effect a good mix of contacts use the LinkedIn toolbar for Outlook which you can use to invite your Outlook contacts and those on your email list to connect to you.

3 critically important maxims when using LinkedIN and the social media.

Firstly, 'go for quality' not quantity when building connections. Whilst the focus is on building a large network list, the priority is quality not quantity.