Growing your business through the power of social marketing - Linked In

When I train corporates in how to integrate and indeed use social media we often spend some time on LinkedIn. Why? So many people use it as static environment and forget the key - it's social, it's professional, it's about building your business network!

So if want to benefit from LinkedIn? Stop treating it as a dumping ground for your CV, blogs and business card!

Your web site may be sitting there waiting for visitors to come along but not so for LinkedIn because it has 60 million users who regularly visit. The best thing is that you don’t even have to pay to reach these 60 million people. You just need to figure out a way to attract their attention.

The paradox with online networking is that it is difficult to put into practice the usual nine influencing tactics of; reasoning, inspiring, inquiring, make them feel good, strike a deal, swapping favours, using silent allies, authority and force. There are three reasons why this is the case.

Firstly, most people joining LinkedIn are focused on themselves and use a discussion or comment as a disguise to leave their ‘online’ business card. Secondly, most people tend to fallback on reasoning to get their point across and a discussion then ends up as a verbal arm-wrestling contest. Thirdly, they underestimate the time, effort, and skill required to engage in a fluid and dynamic conversation.

To get benefits from online business networking, you need to invest time and energy to build your reputation. It is your reputation that influences and attracts people. People want insight instead of Inmails. The more insights you share, the more people will see you as an expert. The more valuable you become in your network, the more people will be attracted to you and so your reputation grows. Over time, people starts to look to you to make connections with other people. In short, you become more than your CV, you become an invaluable asset in your network. In benefiting others, you become the benefit of online business networking.