LinkedIn is the most widely used professional social network in Australia. However, often users will develop a basic profile and leave it dormant, or become frustrated by a barrage of alerts and emails which lead the user to avoid the platform at all costs. This is to the detriment of their future professional endeavours as there is much to be gained through LinkedIn. This presentation reveals key tip and tricks for using LinkedIn effectively, how to glean real value from the platform, and steps you can undertake yourself to become a LinkedIn master. For more information on LinkedIn and using it to generate business value, contact Roger Christie via rchristie[at]social2business.com.au.

1. Social2Business
LinkedIn Masterclass

2. Today’s agenda
1.What you know about LinkedIn
2.What you may not know
3.Leveraging your network
4.Leveraging Groups
5.Leveraging Company Pages
6.Content planning and promotion
7.Technical back-end
8.Dos and Don'ts
9.Next steps
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3. What you know about
LinkedIn
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4. LinkedIn overview
• LinkedIn is the premier professional networking platform worldwide, with over 200 million members
across the globe, including more than 4 million Australians (4 out of 5 Australian professionals)
• 40% of members are business decision makers (2% CXO, 7% Director, 21% Senior, 6% Owners,
1% Partners, 3% VP)
• 57% of LinkedIn users in Australia are male
• 70% are over 25 years of age; 35-54 the largest group with 36% of the total membership
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What can it be used for?
Intelligence gathering
Relationship building
Content amplification
Business opportunity identification
Thought leadership
Recruitment and retention
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5. LinkedIn key features
1.Personal profile
4.Influencers
2.Groups
5.LinkedIn Today
3.Company Pages
6.Mobile applications
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6. What you may not know about
LinkedIn
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7. LinkedIn advanced features
•Synching LinkedIn with
Outlook
•Adding a LinkedIn
bookmarklet for posting
•Using tools like flipboard or
Pulse
Personal
profile
•Connecting with all members
•Hiding group information or
broadcasts
•Accessing demographic
insights
Groups
•Tracking new
arrivals/business
developments
Company
Pages
•Become an influencer...
Influencers
•Premium accounts
•Access 3rd party information
•Find and store prospect
information
•Target specific users with
content
•Promote specific updates
Paid
options
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8. Leveraging your network
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9. What can you gain from your network?
Data visualisation via LinkedIn Maps - http://inmaps.linkedinlabs.com/network
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10. LinkedIn network
Targeted relationship building
• Review your current connections and identify introduction opportunities
• Build a ‘wishlist’, as you would for new business
• Use search to identify specific roles or business contacts
Storing your contacts
• Download Excel spreadsheet of all your contacts for email communication
• Keep database up to date
Contacting your network
• If appropriate, send group communications to your network
• Select up to 50 specific contacts
• Seeking talent, promoting content, invitations
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11. Leveraging groups
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12. LinkedIn groups
Identifying the best groups
• Review valued connections and clients for recommendations
• Assess group demographics and look for network access opportunities
• Adjust broadcast settings accordingly
Identifying sources of content
• Third party content adds most value – become a conduit
• Establish RSS or subscription to content
• Test and learn content effectiveness
Establishing an issues focus
• Identify gaps in the market
• ‘Cherry pick’ the experts
• Plan your content and crowd support
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13. Leveraging company pages
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14. LinkedIn company pages
Identifying business opportunities
• Scan business movements and news
• Identify potential relationship opportunities
Showcasing business expertise
• Leverage real estate for products, services and groups
Engaging a targeted community
• Use page insights to understand who is viewing your content
• Target specific groups with content relevant to them
• Regularly review following list to prospect and referrer lists
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15. Content planning and
promotion
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16. Planning effective content
Content options
Planning and strategy
• Text, images and video
• Plan your content in advance
• SlideShare presentations
• Factor in responsive/reactive content
• Custom development (API)
• Analyse and optimise – tracking links, insights
Best practice
• Use hashtags where appropriate
• Add links in the correct manner (or
remove prior to posting)
• Keep post length to 16-25 words
• Try to avoid question marks
• Remember user habits and time of day
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17. Promoting effective content
Sponsored updates
• Similar to Facebook
• Beta testing at present
• Opportunity to assess initial response and amplify
Content ads
• Demographic targeting
• Choose most effective content type for audience
• Flexible budget options
Custom Groups
• Combine organic and paid content
• Analytics
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18. Technical back-end
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19. Individual settings
Personal settings
Account settings
• Broadcast options
• Free
• Profile and network display options
• Individual Premium
• Who’s viewed your profile
• Recruiter Premium
• Group/Company options
• Sales Premium
• Message reception options
• RSS feed
• Examples of work
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20. Dos and Don’ts
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21. LinkedIn ‘dos’
 Ensure your profile content is up to date, detailed and  Review the LinkedIn Blog and Marketing Solutions
leveraging all options available
pages regularly for updates and case studies –
 Customise your vanity URL
 http://marketing.linkedin.com/blog
 Make ‘connection’ part of your routine
 http://business.linkedin.com/marketingsolutions/customers.html
 Download beneficial third-party apps
 Scan Groups for prospects
 Be selective and intelligent when monitoring prospect
information through Groups or Company Pages
 Build a content stream and become a source
 Use your network when required (e.g. seeking talent,
partners, expertise)
 Leverage available analytics, track and optimise
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22. LinkedIn ‘don’ts’
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Set and forget
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Post content without a plan
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Leave spelling or grammatical errors in your profile
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Only stick to pre-prepared or owned content
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Connect with people whom you’ve never met
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Send a generic connection request, unless you know
the person very well
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Make major changes to your profile without first
adjusting your broadcast settings
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View anyone’s profile whom you don’t want to know
you’re watching!
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Forget to adjust your email settings to ensure you get
value
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Spam connections or group members unnecessarily
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23. Next steps
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24. Next steps for LinkedIn
 Review: recommendations, new tools and industry examples
 Master: additional functionality
 Develop: plan for your personal profile and company profile on LinkedIn
 Allocate: responsibilities among your team
 Evolve: continue learning about the platform and sharing best practice internally
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25. Contact Us
@rogerchristie
linkedin.com/in/rogerchristie
rchristie@social2business.com.au
+61 431 718 018
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