A Guest Post : 7 Steps to Building Successful LinkedIn Relationships

Our guest blogger, Anthony Fasano, P.E., ACC.

I am frequently invited to give 60 minute seminars on how to use LinkedIn effectively. In an effort to keep these seminars simple and useful, I developed the following 7 steps to guide individuals and organizations through building LinkedIn relationships that will be impactful to their business, which I will share with you through the following post.

1. Build a Complete Profile
a. Make sure your profile is 100 % complete – include education, awards, etc., the more robust, the higher your Google ranking
b. Use a professional picture, preferably one that you use on other sites
c. Use the specialties box to add keywords that will help with LinkedIn and Google searches
d. Update your status regularly with articles, desires, quotes, etc.
e. Change your profile when your professional title changes
f. Include your website and blog under “Websites”
g. Do not block incoming e-mails from LinkedIn

2. Connect with people you know. This includes clients, co-workers, colleagues, college friends, etc. There are so many people on LinkedIn that you may feel overwhelmed at times. Start by connecting to your ‘warm market’. You can use LinkedIn’s webmail importer (under Contacts) to find your contacts through your e-mail who are already on LinkedIn. Once you start building up ‘warm market’ connections, request recommendations (under Profile) from those that you have worked for or with in the past.

3. Determine your target market! You will not build successful relationships on LinkedIn unless you define your target market. There are millions and millions of people on LinkedIn, if you don’t have a clear idea of whom you want to talk to, you will waste a lot of time. Once you have identified your target market, then you can start to really focus your efforts on LinkedIn and social media in general.

4. Join Groups focused on your target market. Joining these LinkedIn groups will give you access to large numbers of people. This gives you an avenue to communicate with and relay information to your target market.

5. Participate in discussions in your groups. Participating in group discussions will help you to establish yourself as an expert in your field and build your credibility within your target market.

6. Through the discussions and groups, connect with people in your target market or industry. Once you join these groups and start to participate in them, you will have the ability to start to connect with people in your target market. I like to call these “strategic” connections, as they can be very impactful to your business.

7. Start building professional relationships with these “strategic” connections that will have an impact on your business, whether they become clients, partners, etc. To build successful relationships on LinkedIn, you have to take the relationships further than just connecting. Start speaking with these people whether by direct message, e-mail, telephone or even in-person meetings, once you get to know them.

All right, now you have a road map to start building successful LinkedIn relationships, get to work!!

Anthony Fasano is a professional coach, speaker, and author specializing in career and business growth and development. He uses his highly effective coaching and speaking techniques to help helps individuals and organizations sustain, grow and expand! He is the author of a Daily Boost From Your Professional Partner, a popular (and free!) daily e-mail service available to professionals interested in staying focused and inspired in their career and leadership endeavors. Anthony is also the Founder & CEO of Powerful Purpose Associates; you can visit his website at www.powerfulpurpose.com. Click to Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn and Facebook for valuable career and business growth information.

Take the Plunge into Web 3.0

We have now entered the world of Web 3.0. Is your website stuck in 1.0 or 2.0 mode? Answer these 5 questions to find out:

1: Is your site static? (meaning your website shows the same content over and over again)

2: Has your company grown and evolved? That’s great! But have you brought your website along for the ride?

3: Are your competitors’ websites bigger and better then yours?

4: Is your site interactive with your viewers?

5: Have you added social media outlets to your website?

These are the most important things to keep in mind when updating your website. Basically your website is your “first impression” and we all know first impressions are very important. I can say from personal experience how important a well designed website can be to potential customers.

When I moved recently I needed to find a veterinarian closer to my new home. So I searched on Google Maps for local vets in the area and chose one with a great website design. The information was well organized I could move through the site easily and found everything I was looking for. I knew that a company who is well branded probably had it pretty well together (first impressions...). Once I visited the vet, their office, stationary, their everything had one consistent look. They left out no details. And the veterinarian herself was amazing. [rockawayvet.com]

You need to keep your website interesting, up-to-date and take the leap into Web 3.0. You don’t want to bore your current customers and in the process of the update you’ll probably get new customers.

–Melissa Behrens, Art Director, The Byne Group

Yes, I Collect

The Power of “Nostalgic” Marketing Inspired by Collecting

I’m not sure why, but I collect flower frogs and doorknobs. I don’t arrange flowers frequently and I really don’t need the doorknobs, but I just can’t stop. It’s the emotional connection I have that compels me to collect. I have other collections as well. Crate labels, coins, and of course as a designer, I collect bits and pieces of art, wood type, advertising and designs I find interesting and inspiring.

For me, the items I collect are points of inspiration. I tend to surround myself with these items as constant visual stimulation. Others may display collections in their homes as décor. In most instances though, our collections are nostalgic ties to our past. We have memories connected to these objects.

Today I find myself even collecting people. Yes, people. With the invention of Facebook, I’m finding myself wrapped up in nostalgia. Connecting (and collecting) people from my past. Each new connection brings back a memory. Sometimes not so great, but overall memories that are positive, and make me feel good inside. Don’t think the people running Facebook and other social media applications haven’t picked up on this. It’s a form of Nostalgic Marketing, and it’s working!

Creating an emotional connection with your audience is one of the most important objectives when trying to get and keep ones attention. We strive to make these connections with our design strategies at The Byne Group with each project we work on. Many times I look to my collections for inspiration or try to find out what others collect, both physical and emotional, to come up with an idea. Using a certain font or color combination may be all it takes to evoke a nostalgic, emotional response from a particular audience.

Some companies are re-introducing the nostalgic product itself as a marketing strategy such as Ford’s re-launch of the Mustang, and Coca-Cola’s vintage glass bottle packaging. Other companies, like VISA, are banking on your nostalgic connection to visual stimuli by using vintage footage in their recent Olympics sponsorship commercials. Then there are the companies that want you to start collecting products. How many times can you remember the end of a commercial yelling, “Collect them all!”

Take a look at what you collect. What is your particular audience collecting or have a nostalgic (emotional collection) attachment to? Video games, barbed wire, milk glass, Facebook friends? Whatever it is, it can become a powerful tool in your marketing and design strategy.


-Amanda Holt, Art Director, The Byne Group

Cultivating Your Brand in the New Economy: How Social Media Becomes a Trust Agent

I don’t believe social media will ever replace the need for business development people or traditional marketing but in the new economy it definitely needs to be a part of your marketing arsenal.

Traditional branding is a top down approach with companies, both profit and non-profits defining their own brand. The difference today, brands are being defined by conversations, by what people say both good or bad about your firm. Is this how your firm is engaging clients?

Promise + Experience = Brand

Core values of a firm are created internally, but the branding of the promise happens outside by how clients experience you. In today’s environment where every firm offers “quality services, on time and under budget,” it is difficult to differentiate. Difficult unless you have built trust and relationships in the market place. “Look at it this way: "Traditional marketing was like taking a sledge hammer and hitting your prospects and clients over the head with it. It was almost like, “Believe me, or else.”

Branding today is like a magnet that draws clients to the company a “trust agent." This is the real value and purpose of social media in a business context.

Facebook and LinkedIn are already well established. And your firms’ employees and clients under the age of 40 use Twitter and text messaging as a part of life. So, this is definitely not a fad. Social media is the place where you cultivate your brand in the new economy and where ambient awareness is a way of life. And yes like everything else worth doing it takes thoughtful strategy and a real commitment of time to do it right.

–Ann Byne, Creative Director/Principal of The Byne Group

Parts excerpted from: engineeringdaily.net

A Guest Post : Taking on Social Media – How One Non-Profit Took on the Challenge

Our Guest blogger and friend, Amy Stern, Director of United Hospice of Rockland shares her personal story.

On a fairly regular basis, Ann Byne, a member of our board of directors and principal of The Byne Group, encourages us to rethink how we are approaching our branding and marketing efforts. She suggested that we needed to start using social media to “get our name out there” as well as to develop and strengthen relationships with our supporters. My initial reaction was, “You’ve got to be kidding.” The resistance came from two areas of resistance: (1) This fifty-something was somewhat apprehensive about stepping into an area with which I was not familiar and (2) With everything we already had our plate, how would we make time for this? I’m sure many of you can sympathize.

Ann encouraged us to start small but to start. We agreed that we would publish an e-newsletter every other month. This seemed manageable to us. The first task was to begin to gather email addresses.They were gleaned from a variety of sources throughout the organization and are now added to on a regular basis so that the list will grow over time. Leadership staff has been asked to collect business cards with email addresses when they attend meetings. Donor envelopes allow for email addresses to be provided. Directories of local membership organizations were sources for the list. Responsibility for writing the newsletter was assigned to a staff member. The Byne Group taught us how to use the mass mailing software, Emma, into which we regularly download new email addresses. They also created a template into which we place our newsletter text. Their skilled eyes review and polish it before we distribute it. We just completed our fourth issue. Feedback has been positive and few addressees have asked to be omitted from the list. The challenge has been to write assorted snippets of news that encourage readers to: migrate to our website, open a link, answer a question or engage with us in some way. I can’t miss this blogging opportunity to share the most recent edition of our newsletter, click here.

Ann became quite the taskmaster and informed us that we were not yet done! The next step in the process was to identify a social media site on which we would create a presence. With trepidation, I volunteered to learn about Facebook. In order to become an administrator of a Facebook page, you must first sign on as an individual user. I spent a few weeks trying to learn some of the ins and outs. The Byne Group created our page and then like coaching a child to jump into the pool to learn how to swim, they sent us out on our own providing feedback along the way.

We soon learned that in order to make an impact, you need to gather fans. We didn’t want just any fans but rather fans of substance. For starters, we wanted individuals who lived in Rockland, supported our work, would believe in our mission, and would help us to spread the word about what we do.

In mid-November, I arbitrarily decided we should set a goal of 1000 fans by year end (we had 130 fans at the time). New Year’s came and went, our goal was so close, then by January 4 we hit 1000 fans. As of today we are at 1,196 fans. Success feels very sweet! Yes, It took a little work but we think it was worth it. We post something on our page several times a week. Examples of postings on our page are (1) unsolicited testimonials from fans about the services we provide (2) upcoming events and (3) a request for help with sign language translation that yielded a volunteer. Soon, we will post a survey and use its results to shape some of our advertising efforts. We are sold on the impact that social media can make. My recommendations, don’t miss this opportunity, start slowly, but start!

Oh and please join my list of fans, who knows 2,000 by the spring? [click here to visit The United Hospice of Rockland Facebook Page]

–Amy Stern, Director of United Hospice of Rockland

Feeling the Love

If social media was the soul mate of any type of organization, it would be the not-for-profit.

On June 19th, Ann Byne, President of The Byne Group, along with Howard Greenstein, social media strategist and President of The Harbrooke Group, presented at the Cornel Cooperative Institute for Not-For-Profits to an impressive group of not-for-profit executives who wanted to find out more about using Facebook and other social media tools to add significant value to their advocacy, fundraising, member retention and marketing efforts.

The group learned about how social media was a perfect fit for building community, publicizing events, increasing involvement, and fundraising to a wider audience. They were also facilitated in a discussion of the concerns and challenges they face in implementing a social media marketing program.

Groups vs. Pages on Facebook

So what's the difference between a "Group" and a "Page" on Facebook? This question has been swirling around our office lately and I have gotten to the bottom of it. First of all, a Group and a Page look different but there is much more to it then that.

Pages can only be created to represent a real public figure, artist, brand or organization. Groups can be created by any user and about any topic, as a space for users to share their opinions and interest in that subject. Pages can have photos, videos, event listings and interactive applications to engage Page visitors. Applications can't be added to Groups.

Pages are designed to allow Page admins to maintain a personal/professional distinction on Facebook (there's that word again, "branding") while Groups are a part of your personal Facebook experience. If you're a Group admin, your name will appear on that group, while Pages will never display their admins' names. When you take actions on your Group, such as posting on your Group's wall, these actions will appear to come from you as an individual. However, if you post or take other actions on a Page you own, it will appear to come from the Page.

Here is a list of other key differences:















The bottom line... Groups are better for hosting a quick active discussion while Pages are better for long-term relationships.

-Melissa Behrens, Senior Graphic Designer, The Byne Group

Search Engine Journal: http://www.searchenginejournal.com/facebook-group-vs-facebook-fan-page-whats-better/7761/

Get over your fear of social media already!

You hear it all the time— "You NEED to use social media in your marketing mix," but it's just one more thing to do in your already overwhelmed task list, right? Well my question is, what are you really afraid of?

We all say we are too busy, we say we don't understand it, but in truth, we are terrified of the responsibility and commitment. I mean, how can we stay interesting... forever?

Here are a few reasons to get into the game, without feeling like you're giving birth to a child who will live at home, and talk back to you, forever.

1) You can't beat free.
We are all feeling the pinch of the economy... Many of our clients must cut costs, and your marketing budget has taken a serious hit, if not obliterated completely. While it can't be argued that face-to-face isn't best (after all, cornering that donor with your winning smile is a proven tool), many potential donors and corporations have cut out attendance at these events completely.

2) If it's a disaster, delete it!
Launch a blog or Facebook page with a time limit. Think of it as a campaign: do it for 6 months and then take it down. If it's a disaster, delete it. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

3) Use it as an ad.
Who would ever refuse a free ad? Think of it purely as a tool to drive to your website. Block all the commenting features you can and use it as an ad. People will stumble across it in their online research and go to your website.

4) Stop worrying about comments already!
The #1 fear is that someone will say something bad. Are you really that horrible? I doubt it. Ignorance of what people are saying about you may make your job easier but it doesn't help your company. There are tons of controls built in, and people don't really comment anyways. Take it from us, plenty of people read our blog and barely anyone comments. And again, if it's a
disaster, delete it.

5) Its a GREAT opportunity for good PR.
Enough of the long press releases that no one reads. Get your PR people to work on creating exciting content. When in doubt, link to someone else's interesting article. People are online doing research. They will like you because you help them solve their problems, not because of how amazing you say you are.

6) Get used to imperfection.
Not everyone can see everything all the time. Computers are different. That's just the way it is. Cousin Larry will call you (and isn't it always cousin Larry?) and complain that the video didn't play for him. Distract him with a funny story about your granddaughter.

7) Interns interns interns.
No time to set it all up? Just grab an 18 year old and in 3 days they will have you fully functioning.

–Jennifer Zapf, Art Director

Be connected. Be discovered. Be on Facebook.

Since my last post on, “How to Create a Facebook Page…” back in January, many of our clients, both for profit and non-profit, have come to us with many questions about how they can have more of a presence on Facebook. So I’m back with more helpful hints, suggestions and an updated way of how to create your “Page.” Remember, Facebook Pages are a distinct presence that represent an organization and are separate from your personal profile.

How to Create a Page:
Step 1: Go to Facebook.com. Right on the homepage there is a link to create a page.



Step 2: Choose which category you fall under. For example if you are a non-profit, select “Brand, Product, or Organization.”



There are numerous ways for brands to leverage Facebook. Pages are enhanced with applications to help any organization communicate with and engage with their fans. Some applications you can use are:
:: RSS Feed
:: Discussion Boards
:: Events
:: Photos
:: Video
:: And many more!

Keep the conversation going! Every time someone comments on your new status, photo, video, or discussion thread, you need to comment on it. You should be talking with your clients. It may take extra effort to engage with your fans but it will keep them coming back. This is one way to promote an exceptional brand.

Keep it current! Spark conversation, post questions, or new topics for a discussion forum. Update your status with calls to action, recent news or upcoming events.

The connection! Support strong relationships with people who care about your organization. Did you know that more than 3 million users become fans of Facebook Pages every day?

For all you non-profits, don’t forget about Causes Pages! Any U.S. registered 501(c)(3) non-profit or Canadian registered charity can sign-up. Facebook processes the donations automatically via credit card, they tally the results, and report the donation activity via a public "scorecard" on the Cause Page. This allows you the ability to reward the people who donated. Our client, La Casa de Don Pedro, recently created a Cause Page. [click here to check it out]

Check out The Byne Group’s Facebook Page to see how we have utilized the photo, video, and RSS feed applications. Or give us a call and we can discuss how The Byne Group can help you create your own Facebook Page. See how we have helped some of our clients create Facebook Pages:
:: Rockland Parent-Child Center
:: General Patent Corporation

–Melissa Behrens, Senior Graphic Designer

How to Create a Facebook Page For Your Company or Non-Profit

I might be one of the "under 30 crowd," but that doesn't mean I was born with a social media chip implanted in my skull. When I was given the task of getting The Byne Group onto Facebook, I too had to learn and overcome my fears of the unknown. So in this entry, my mission is to help you through something I spent a few hours, and yes, a few anxious moments, figuring out.

Now if you cant figure out how to turn on your computer, it might be time to call over that sprightly intern or your offspring to help you out (I think maybe the "tweens" do come with a chip)!

Are you familiar with Facebook? [ if not, click here and get familiar ] If so, I’m sure you’ve seen friends of yours become fans of famous (or infamous) people, companies — like California Closets, or a non-profit like the American Red Cross. Well, in any case, you too can create a page for your company or non-profit with a few simple tips to make your experience a little less painful.

1: Get a Facebook Account. The person who creates this page needs to be an actual "real person." They wont let you join as a company entity. (Here at The Byne Group we tried to create an "imaginary person" so as to keep professional life and personal life separate on Facebook, (not allowed apparently). So for us, it's all through Ann Byne.

Now at this point you will be consumed with finding old college buddies, but bear with us here...

2: So once you are signed in, click "create a page." You will be prompted to fill out info about your company/non-profit. Keep in mind that all the info you fill out in the beginning is your ONLY chance to get it right, otherwise you have to start from scratch (I think it took us 3 times to get it right!)

3: Once you have filled out all the info they request you can customize your page’s look. Remember to keep the look consistent with your current branding.

4: Now you're ready to accessorize. Add components, such as an RSS feed, to pull in content from your blog or your website's news feeds to ensure that current content about your company is on your page. You can add videos, photos and upcoming events.

5: Once you’ve added all these elements you just need to publish it. Of course you can continue to update or take down items as you go along.

Now that you are "live" its all about getting the word out about your page. Have your employees join as fans of your page. Invite fans from your friend list. Or you can do word-of-mouth advertising through a Facebook ad or by adding a Facebook widget to your website.

Last bit of advice, keep up with your page and keep it current.

[ click here to view our page and become a fan ]

–Melissa Behrens, Senior Graphic Designer