LinkedIN: Are You Part of the 90%?

I recently read that 90% of individuals who signed up on Linkedin have no idea how to use the site!

Are you in that 90%?

If you'd like to learn more about this business networking site, please join me tonight, Mon Oct 5, at 8:00pm EDT (5:00pm PDT) on the Selling Circus Podcast for 'LinkedIn Basics & Beyond!'

I'm honored that the Yankee Auctioneer (Walt Kolenda aka Auction Wally) and his co-host, the Southern Belle (aka Phaedra aka @attheboutique) have invited me to be a guest on their show.

LinkedIn is best categorized as a business-oriented social networking site.

It has a different 'feel' than some of the other popular sites such as Facebook or Twitter. Many people set up a LinkedIn profile but quickly lose interest in the site because they don't know what to do next.

Tonight on the Selling Circus podcast we'll talk about how to get started on LinkedIn, how to create a powerful, optimized profile, the various features of the site and some strategies for success.

Linkedin also has a specific vocabulary. To give you a head start, here are a few of the terms you'll want to know:

Connection: A connection is the relationship between two LinkedIn members. A member who has accepted an invitation from you to connect is considered to be a 1st degree connection.

Contact: A contact is someone you know and can reach through a working email address.

Network: A network is defined as a group of LinkedIn users that can contact you through connections up to three degrees away. You are at the center of your network with the following degrees of connections:

• Direct connections make up the 1st degree of your network
• Connections to each of your direct connections make up your 2nd degree
• Connections to those in your 2nd degree make up your 3rd degree.

Invitation: An Invitation is sent by an existing LinkedIn user who wants to connect to another person who may (or may not) be a LinkedIn user. For two people to become connections, one must send an 'Invitation' and the other member must accept it.

Introduction: Introductions are LinkedIn messages that allow LinkedIn members to contact or to be contacted through shared or mutual connections.

Please join us for tonight's podcast at 8pm EDT as we discuss Linkedin: features, best practices and how-to's.

The 3 C's of Social Media Marketing

I'm often asked to explain social media and how it can work for a business.

I haven't yet figured out how to do it as concisely as a 30-second elevator speech, but here are 3 key elements (condensed) that convey the concepts. I call them the 3C's of Social Media Marketing.

The 3 C's are: Connect, Communicate and Convert.

Connect: The 1st step involves connecting with others and expanding your network of contacts. Whether they are other professionals in your field, your competitors, your customers or clients, it's important to expand your network. Depending on your business and your goals, Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin offer excellent platforms on which to connect. Keep in mind they are not 'one size fits all.' First try to determine which site(s) your customers or clients are using. Each site has a different 'feel' and set of accepted practices so it's important to determine will one(s) serve you best.

Communicate: This is the 2nd step. Having a network of contacts doesn't accomplish anything if you don't communicate with the goal of developing relationships. Developing relationships is key since your contacts aren't going to be interested in hearing from you if your only interactions are about your product or service. Engage your contacts by consistently providing them with something they perceive to be of value. Consistency works to keep the relationship on-going and if you can involve your connections in a community, that will engage them even more.

Convert: This is the 3rd step. Connecting and Communicating pave the way for you to 'close the deal.' Each business has its own goals for social media marketing so they'll have their own way to measure conversion success.

If steps 1 & 2 don't lead to conversion, then it's time to re-examine the goals and the process - keeping in mind that building a network and relationships takes time and consistency.

Do you agree? disagree? Please share your thoughts.

Get Savvy! IMU is Back

Image via CrunchBase

Last month I had the opportunity to take 10 hours of classes through Inbound Marketing University (IMU). These online classes (details below) were taught by leaders in the field and covered a wide range of timely topics. By passing an exam on the material, I became eligible to be called an 'Inbound Marketing Certified Professional.' You can see the official badge on the upper left of this blog.

What is an 'Inbound Marketing Certified Professional?'

The certification is administered by Hubspot and "acknowledges the recipients proficiency in Inbound Marketing principals and best practices. These principles include: blogging, social media, lead conversion, lead nurturing, and closed-loop analysis. In order to receive the Inbound Marketing Certification, the recipient must pass a comprehensive certification exam with a score of 75% or higher. "

The great news is that IMU is back! The original ten classes are being offered again next month and there are two new classes available. The courses are free but you must register by August 12. The link to register is at the end of this article.

The original 10 classes are:

Class 1: How to Blog Effectively for Business Professors: Ann Handley & Mack Collier, MarketingProfs

Class 2: SEO Crash Course to Get Found Professor: Lee Odden, TopRank Online Marketing

Class 3: Social Media and Building Community Professor: Chris Brogan, New Marketing Labs

Class 4: Successful Business Uses for Facebook and LinkedIn Professor: Elyse Tager, Silicon Valley American Marketing Association

Class 5: Viral Marketing and World Wide Raves Professor: David Meerman Scott, author of New Rules of Marketing & PR andWorld Wide Rave

Class 6: Advanced SEO Tactics: On Beyond Keyword Research Professor: Rand Fishkin, SEOmoz

Class 7: Calls to Action and Landing Page Best Practices Professor: Jeanne Hopkins, MECLABS, Marketing Experiments

Class 8: Inbound Lead Nurturing Professor: Brian Carroll, MECLABS, InTouch

Class 9: Successful Email Marketing Professor: Eric Groves, Constant Contact

Class 10: Analyzing Inbound Marketing Professor: Marshall Sponder, Monster.com, Web Analytics Association for Social Media

The 2 new classes are:

1)PR for Inbound Marketing

Professor: Todd Defren, SHIFT Communications

2)Twitter for Business

Professor: Laura Fitton, Pistachio Consulting, Twitter For Dummies

To register for the live webinar classes and the Certification Exam, go to the IMU home page.

Tips on Using Facebook, MySpace & LinkedIn for Your Business

Yesterday I had the pleasure of interviewing Kelsey Foster of My Savvy Space on a 'Tips From the Top' podcast.

The topic was 'How To Use Social Networking Sites To Promote Your Business.'

Kelsey started by addressing a problem that many of us have - feeling pressured to be on all the sites and not having enough time. She explained how to determine which sites we should be on as well as why & how to best utilize social networks.

Along with many helpful tips and Best Practices, Kelsey provided step-by-step instructions on how to set up a business page on Facebook. A business page is a great way to keep your personal & business profiles separate on Facebook.

You can listen to the full podcast interview by clicking the green button below: