Recently I’ve been fielding more questions about LinkedIn. Everyone wants to know if it’s a good networking tool. I think what people are really asking is “Can it help me generate sales?”
My answer is “yes” - but it should be viewed as much more than a sales tool. Rather, it’s a community that can be used to build long term brand value for yourself and your company - which will ultimately help to generate sales. Before I go on, here’s a list of how LinkedIn can be used if you’re not that familiar with the tool:
- Attain Knowledge: If you’re stuck for answers to a business problem or need a third party viewpoint on an issue, pose a question in the “Answers” section of the site. Asking engaging questions can yield a flurry of answers. The first time I posted a question, I had my first response in minutes and about 15 responses in less than 12 hours. Alternately you can scour the “Answers” section and find discussions on just about any business topic.
- Demonstrate Thought Leadership: Spend time answering questions posed by contacts in your network, or seek out discussions on topics where you can offer value. Recently added features allow you to post presentations that can be viewed from your profile page or connect your profile to your Blog so your network is updated each time you post to your blog.
- Research: Learn about companies that might be a potential partner, client or vendor; or learn about individuals you’ve met at a business function. You can see those in your network related to the person and get the lowdown on them - maybe it’s not really worth your time to follow up with that person?
- Broadcast Updates: Use the “What are you working on now” feature about your projects, a new job or a key business development (e.g., your company just obtained a round of financing). This helps your network keep tabs on you.
So how do you use LinkedIn to build your brand’s reputation?
Your Personal Brand Includes Who You Know
Who you know counts. Build your network carefully. When I first started using the tool, I thought it was about having a high connection count. Now I’m of the mind I only want people in my network who will speak positively about me. If someone is considering using my services, the best selling tool for me is someone they know. Someone they know could also kill a sale.
Your Personal Brand is Based on What You Bring to the Table
In a services business, people pay you for access to what you know. LinkedIn provides a compact forum to demonstrate thought leadership in a variety of ways. Viewers of your profile can access questions you’ve answered, link to your blog or view a presentation you delivered. They can tell a colleague about something you wrote or forward a link. Your personal brand is enhanced as you become a known resource. I see getting business as a services provider as an evolution: 1) Get them to like you, 2) Get them believe something you say, 3) get them to see you as their trusted advisor. Used effectively, LinkedIn is a gateway to satisfy all these ends.
Your Personal Brand is Enhanced by Your Activities & Successes
Of course you can post your professional background on LinkedIn. That’s tablestakes and readers of your profile should get a sense of your background when they visit your profile. However, once you’re connected to a colleague, they will rarely revisit your profile. That’s why I feel it’s important to use the “What are You Working on Now?” feature regularly. At a minimum, it reminds your contacts you still exist. More importantly they are reminded about the kind of work you do, the new types of projects you’re taking on or the fact you’ve completed a project. In summary, you’re more likely to get a referral when you’re on someone’s mental radar screen and those little updates on LinkedIn are an unobtrusive way to capture attention.
In my next post, I’ll discuss in detail how you can use LinkedIn to increase awareness about your products and services.
April 23rd, 2009
A past client wanted to develop a brand strategy and also produce its first decent set of collateral material after being in business for over 20 years. I reported directly to the company’s President for this initiative.
I conducted many customer interviews and researched the clients’ competitors to inform the development of the brand strategy.
The management team eventually approved the tag line: “Whatever It Takes”. However, several months later the tag line discussion reemerged during a meeting as were were preparing to produce collateral. The client’s tag line for the three previous years had been, “To Make a Difference”. We developed the new tag line, “Whatever It Takes” to position the company as a team of deeply committed people who were relentless at delivering results: (versus positioning the company based on it technical competencies which was how all its competitors were selling themselves). When executives talked about the company, they often used these exact words to describe how they ensured work was completed to high standards, on time and on budget. The customer interviews also told us the real point of difference for the client was this attitude and deep commitment to customer service.
I felt we had a winning tag line that encapsulated their promise as a company and in three words provided a window into the psyche of this firm.
Much to my dismay, I felt the client was retreating into safe mode by wanting to reuse the same tag line they’d been using for the past three years. The President was shaking his head. Sensing panic, I suggested we run the two tag lines by clients who had previously participated in one-on-one customer research interviews to inform the discussion.
More surprise. Five of sixteen clients responded and here was their feedback:
Client 1: I prefer “To Make a Difference”. It’s classier. Not to be crude, but “Whatever it Takes” just sounds desperate.
Client 2: I think the ” Whatever it Takes ” implies taking short cuts , not following the rules. So I would go with ” To Make a Difference or simply ” Make a Difference ”
Client 3: OK … Neither of them work for me. “whatever it takes” while generally positive; can have several negative connotations; “not in control”, lack of ethics … “to make a difference”, doesn’t engage me at me at all, a slight variation “making a difference” is somewhat better but doesn’t target any specific audience
Client 4: I prefer: “To Make a Difference I think it sounds more professional and better represents what the company’s objectives.
Client 5: To make a difference.
So what to do? Was “Making a Difference” the winner?
I decided to speak to the President about the issue. I let him know about the results, but offered the following reasons as to why I was hesitant about the old tag line:
a) It was off strategy. We spent countless hours developing a brand strategy that determined we were to position the brand based on the company’s ability to service the heck out of their customers.
b) While “Making a Difference” resonated well with current clients , I felt it was an internally focused message that would not resonate well with prospective customers who were unaware of my client’s business.
c) My gut was telling me that “Whatever it Takes” was the right type of message, we had just chosen the wrong words to communicate the company.
We eventually settled on: “Outstanding People - Outstanding Results.” This message resonated better with the team, worked for clients and reinforced the commitment of their organization to meet their clients’ needs. Further discussion with clients suggested this tag line was a strong reflection of the company.
The customer research was invaluable because:
- The preliminary market research helped us to understand how the company was perceived by clients and how the company stood out versus competitors.
- The follow up interviews with clients was critical to understanding we missed the mark with the first tag line. While a sample of five is not statistically valid, zero for five suggests a trend.
Ultimately, the research helped me make the case to the management team to think differently about their business and pushed them out of the safety zone. Movement was made toward a renewed position that reinforced what the client was truly about.
January 8th, 2009
