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.

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