LINKEDINGROWING YOUR BUSINESS WITH LINKEDIN & BUSINESS REFERRALS

Karen McWattie

LINKEDIN• WHAT DO YOU USE SOCIAL MEDIA FOR CURRENTLY? • LINKEDIN is a business orientated social networking service. LinkedIn allows you to reach out to

existing, and potential, clients and customers• WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF USING LINKEDIN?• Customer Engagement • Customer & Client Communications • Finding the right people to speak to • Competitor/Complementary Analysis • Direct Customer Communications• Speed of feedback/results • Customer preferences• Low Cost • Brand Building • Website Traffic • Recruitment

LINKEDIN• WHAT CAN I DO ON LINKEDIN?

• You can develop your personal and organisational strategy

• You can complete your LinkedIn Profile

• Invite friends, customers, clients, suppliers, distributors, influencers, partners, collaborators to connect

• Ask for testimonials

• Join relevant groups or start your own

• Post topical or newsworthy articles

• Share helpful information

• Support Complementary businesses

• Promote your LinkedIn Profile in e-mail, blogs, websites, and print.

LINKEDIN• FIND CUSTOMERS WITH LINKEDIN • COMPLEMENTARY BUSINESSES • Complementary businesses operate in the same sector as you. You will share the same

customer target audience, but you will not compete directly on products and services. • Connect with complementary businesses on LinkedIn • Connect with the same connections as your complementary business contacts • Agree to mutually share content • Respond to complementary business posts to engage with their target audience • Join the same LinkedIn Groups as complementary businesses and participate in

discussions• Send LinkedIn updates reaching out to complementary businesses, to connect for

collaborative business development, and referral strategies • Create shared events for complementary businesses to attend

LINKEDIN• FIND CUSTOMERS WITH LINKEDIN• COMPETITOR BUSINESS• A competitor business is a business which offers the same products and services as you,

and targets the same audience, in the same location • Businesses who offer the same products and services as you, but target ”different”

audiences could not be regarded as direct competitors • Look at the connections of key contacts within the best competitor businesses• You also have the option to connect with competitor businesses on LinkedIn • Connect with the same connections as your competitor business contacts • Learn from the marketing strategies they use to engage with their target audience • Join the same LinkedIn Groups as competitor businesses and participate in discussions• Create your own LinkedIn Groups • Send LinkedIn updates which highlights the unique product and service offering of your

business. This will help you stand out from competitors.

LINKEDIN• WHAT CAN I ACHIEVE WITH LINKEDIN?

• Sales prospecting • Business Partnerships • Business Leads • Staffing & Recruiting • Business Networking • Increasing Brand Profile & Awareness• Marketing & Promotion• Feature Products & Services

LINKEDIN• WHAT ACTIVITIES COULD I PARTICIPATE IN?

• Update your LinkedIn Profile • Post Status Updates• Post Job Adverts • Share Business Event Information• Share helpful information for clients and customers• Educate, Influence, and Inform your audience• Share Information about your products and services• Create a Presentation about your business which inspires your customers • Share your Slideshare on LinkedIn (LinkedIn Slideshare can provide you with inspirational

ideas for promoting your business)

LINKEDIN• WHY USE LINKEDIN?• 68 million members Worldwide • 32 million within the US • 20 million within the UK • WHO CAN I TARGET ON LINKEDIN?• Business Owners & Business Decision Makers• Complementary Businesses • Competitor Businesses• Existing Clients & Customers • Potential Clients & Customers• TARGET AUDIENCE BY:• Geographical Location• Sector • Job Role • Business and business size • By gender and age • By Keyword Searches relating to your business

LINKEDIN • PROMOTING YOUR BUSINESS ON LINKEDIN

• Think about the buzzwords and keywords which would encourage client and customers to reach out to you

• Match your company story • Show you & your brand’s personality • We are all ultimately social beings so it is important to show your human side. Be fun, be creative, be

engaging. • Highlight what your business achieves • Highlight what problems your business can overcome • Show your businesses happy customers • Share dynamic content• Images, PDF's, Video Links • Share business recommendations • Encourage customers speak to you

LINKEDIN• PROMOTING YOUR BUSINESS ON LINKEDIN (continued)• WIFT – Highlight to your customers What Is In It For Them?• Think about the buzzwords and keywords which would encourage client and customers to

reach out to you • Match your company story • Show your personality - And your businesses personality• Highlight what your business achieves • Highlight what problems your business can overcome • Show your businesses happy customers • Share dynamic content• Images, PDF's, Video Links • Share business recommendations • Offer Customers a Reason To Speak to YOU

LINKEDIN • WHO DO YOU NETWORK WITH AND WHY?• Your Target Audience (most likely to buy)• Complementary Business – Why?• A Complementary Business may operate in the same sector, or share a similar customer group.(E.g. A

wedding venue business could network with wedding cake suppliers, honeymoon providers, wedding dress suppliers, wedding catering businesses etc.)

• They can refer customers without affecting their own business, they will be networking with the same clients and customers, and can provide you with inside information for the sector

• They can give you inspiration for ideas, business development strategies, events to attend, networking strategies, industry challenges and opportunities

• You can work on referral strategies - offering Start-Ups, SME’s, complementary businesses a small percentage share for referral business. You can allocate links or codes to ensure you allocate business profit accordingly

• You can create a digital marketing e-mail for every purchase which states thank you for shopping with us. For your convenience we would be happy to provide information on businesses who provide products and services within the same industry

• Provide a page on your website which promotes complementary businesses

LINKEDIN• Competitor Businesses - Why?

• You will want to reach out to the same customer & client connections• Connect and reach out to the same clients and customers• Following Competitor Businesses• You can gain inspiration from • Their products & services• Their connections and networks• The marketing content that they share • Their activities• Their business development strategies

LINKEDIN• HOW CAN LINKEDIN HELP?

• LinkedIn can extend your geographic reach

• Make referrals easier

• LinkedIn can help you manage your online reputation

• It allows you to find others, be found, and get introduced

• You can discover inside connections via LinkedIn

LINKEDIN• What Activites Can I do for my business on LinkedIn?

• Activites will be determined by Business Goals• You may be updating your profile• Expanding Your Business Network• Searching for Information• Sharing information • Communicating with your network• Looking Business Applications  • Responding to to Enquiries• Networking and discussing topics of interest • Defining yourself as in influencer in your market • Events - Organising your own or attending others

LINKEDIN GROUPS• Join LinkedIn Groups – Why?

• LinkedIn Groups are like mini networking businesses• The individuals have the same interests as you • You can learn targeted & helpful information and information from individuals in your

sector • You can share information on your products and services specific to your target market • You can increase your brand profile and company awareness• You can generate more customers• You can have a wider network of business contacts • One of the largest LinkedIn groups has over 200,000 members so you can reach out to

more people, than relying on connections alone • You can create and manage up to • 10 LinkedIn Groups • You Can join up to 50

LINKEDINLINKEDIN ACTIVITIES

Think about the many activities your business can engage in via LinkedIn

• Choose an activity and write down how you would use LinkedIn to Engage Your Audience. Where does the activity fit in line with your business goals?

• You may wish to share • A worthy news item• Business Promotion• Create a LinkedIn Group – And Start A discussion• Create an Update which may inspire your audience to engage with your business• Create A Business Advert

• Discuss with the group your LinkedIn Activity and the way in which you believe it could grow your business

LINKEDINSocial Media Dashboards (Examples: Sprout Social, Hootsuite, Buffer)SOCIAL MEDIA is a great way to engage with your audience. Make your life easier by scheduling all Social Media Posts to be Uploaded to many Social media sites at the same time• Facebook• Twitter• LinkedIn • Google Plus• Instagram

LINKEDIN• References• LinkedIn SlideShare• Growing Business With LinkedIn• LinkedIn Training for Small Business • Entrepreneur.com• My own innovative ideas

LINKEDINIf your Start-Up, SME, or Larger Business requires helpful advice and support please contact:

Karen McWattie https://uk.linkedin.com/in/karen007