LinkedIn has the capacity to be a powerful networking tool as it connects users to trusted contacts and helps them exchange knowledge, ideas, and opportunities with a broader network of professionals. LinkedIn shows the connections between people, but it’s real power is in the 2nd degree – who your network knows.

Today I’m just as likely to run a LinkedIn search as I am a google search for someone I’m about to meet or do business with. It’s a great way to find out how they perceive themselves.

In the last few weeks I’ve met a lot of people who have been curious about LinkedIn, but uncertain in how to use it effectively to build a network. My top tips are:

1. Sign up for an account at www.linkedin.com – click on the Join Now tab at the top of the screen. On the next screen you will need to fill in your first and last names, email and select a password. LinkedIn is for individual use so use YOUR name, not a pseudonym or company name
2. Follow the guidelines and complete each of the sections of LinkedIn. Make sure you use a professional photo. Of you. Not your kids, not you with a drink in your hand, not with your pet {unless of course you are a vet}. LinkedIn represents your professional image so make sure your photo reflects that.
3. Make sure you provide details {not just job titles} about the various jobs you have had – at least for the last 10 years. Talk about key outcomes you have achieved. Be succinct.
4. You can add up to 3 websites and 3 twitter accounts. Examples of what you might include are your company website, your personal blog, a link to a specific landing page for people who click through from LinkedIn.
5. Once you are happy with your profile it’s time to start connecting. The easiest way is to upload your address book from Outlook, Google, iCal etc which matches by email address who you know with who is already on LinkedIn – you can then choose who you want to connect with. You can also invite people who are not already on LinkedIn to join.
   QUICK TIP – don’t just use the default invitation LinkedIn offers. If you want to connect with someone who may not know who you are {and don’t assume they will remember you if you met them at a networking event 8 months ago…} tell them why – such as you met at such and such a place, you talk on twitter, you have loads of shared connections, you like their profile etc etc…. Give them a reason to connect.
6. Join groups. LinkedIn allows you to join up to 50 groups. The benefits of groups are many – I like them to ask questions, find out out what other people are up to, and to help others with answering their questions. Answering others questions on LinkedIn can be a great way to position yourself as an expert on a topic.
7. Look to see who your contacts know. And if they know people YOU want to know, ask for an introduction. For me, this is the most powerful aspect of LinkedIn as it really allows you to see who your contacts know. Asking for introductions, recommendations and referrals of other people’s contacts is a GREAT way to build a network in a way that is more likely to instil or generate trust.
8. Give recommendations and referrals. I try and regularly give recommendations to people I’m connected with on LinkedIn {and yes, I can certainly do more!}. While I am happy to connect with most people on LinkedIn, I’m very selective about who I give recommendations to, and I only give them to people whose work I have personally experienced. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for someone to give you a recommendation – the worst that can happen is that they will say no! AND say thank you when you do get one!
9. Use the status update. Just like Facebook, LinkedIn has a status update. But please, whatever you do, don’t link your twitter stream to your LinkedIn status update. TRUST ME no one wants to read all your tweets on LinkedIn. Yes,  you can selectively post the OCCASIONAL tweet, but twitter and LinkedIn have very different purposes so pretty please, keep them separate.
10. Check for other people’s status updates on your home page at least once a week – this is a great way of finding out what your network is doing. Are they changing jobs, getting promotions, have more of your contacts joined twitter?

I’d love to hear how you use LinkedIn to build your network. And if you’re not LinkedIn, please sign up! And invite me to connect with you - http://au.linkedin.com/in/melkettle – just make sure you tell me why you want to connect!!

I’m giving a few presentations over coming weeks on how to use social media, and specifically twitter, for business. As I draft my presentations and seek out case studies – yes, using twitter – key themes are emerging. It’s a hard world out there, especially if you are a small business owner, and everyone is looking for that competitive edge. Knowing your clients and your market will give you that edge. Actually engaging with these people will add a greater dimension to the relationship they have with your brand. And in competitive times, people are more likely to spend money with someone they have a positive relationship with rather than someone they don’t.

If you want to successfully engage with your clients, customers, suppliers, broad market, and yes, even your competitors, you need to do at least some of the following – and preferably all of them:

1. be interesting. Don’t just tweet about yourself and your product – nobody likes an ego. Share interesting links, articles, and information that OTHER people have written.
2. use the retweet function. It’s NOT all about you! Retweeting other people’s tweets is also a great way to get more followers.
3. have conversations with other tweeps. And if someone tweets you directly, acknowledge that. Especially if they ask you a question or comment on something you’ve said. After all, no one likes to be ignored.
4. ask for help. Most people like to help others if asked. My tweets that generate a lot of chatter are those that ask for advice or help. Especially if it’s technical. And to do with computers. Lots of techie people are on twitter. Go figure
5. give referrals and recommendations. I am a big believer in the whole giver’s gain philosophy and I aim to give at least 1 referral a day. Twitter makes this easy as a lot of people are often asking for advice (see #4). I now get asked directly for a lot of recommendations, especially for food related advice.
6. ask people’s opinions. Asking for an opinion makes people feel valued, and really, who doesn’t like that feeling?
7. promote other people’s stuff. This may be through retweeting or it may be promoting people who are not on twitter. I especially try and promote other people’s stuff if it involves fundraisers or other charitable activity
8. DO NOT SEND AUTOMATIC DMs. This is one very quick way to seriously annoy other tweeps and one guaranteed way to be quickly unfollowed faster than you can say Auto DM Spam. Yes, acknowledge a new follower with a DM, but please make it personal. Along the lines of “Hi Mel, looking forward to reading your food tweets!”
9. say thank you. This is just basic good manners. Especially if people regularly retweet you or help you out.
10. give praise, acknowledgement and encouragement . You’ll know when the time is right for this. A tweep I follow FINALLY ditched her ghastly boyfriend. There was a lot of praise and encouragement flowing that day.
11. have empathy. My most amazing twitter experience was when my mum died last year. The outpouring of sympathy and empathy from hundreds of people I didn’t know in either real life OR on twitter was mind boggling. This support helped me (and my family, none of whom actually “get” twitter) through an incredibly difficult time. It symbolises why I love twitter.

OK so that was 11. Not 10. Yes I can count. And I even live with an accountant. Let’s thank GST for the bonus.

What are your top tips for using twitter for business? I’d love to hear them.

I thought I would write a top 10 list of low cost marketing ideas, but couldn’t work out which one to delete!

1.      Have a marketing plan

• It doesn’t need to be sophisticated but should at least include: marketing/business objectives, target market, key messages, communication tactics appropriate for your target market, budget, action plan, evaluation mechanisms
• Make sure your marketing is regular and consistent – this way you won’t be caught out during slower times.
• Evaluate what you do so you can see what works and what doesn’t. If your marketing is not working then look at how you can change and improve it.
• Download my simple marketing plan template

2.      Know who your target market is

• Know WHO your target market is as well as where they go to get information, so you can more precisely deliver the messages to the consumer – no point advertising in a golfing magazine if you are selling cricket bats – for example. This can save you a lot of money as you are not spending it on marketing to the wrong people.

3.     Use your networks and contacts

• The more people who know what you do, the more likely they are to refer business to you – so get out there and talk to people, and ask your networks to talk about you (in a good way of course!).

4.     Business cards

• As far as I am concerned, these are the best marketing tool you can have – low cost or otherwise. Include your name, contact details, website, consider including twitter, LinkedIn, Skype, brief description of your business. Use both sides of it. And give them away often. 

5.     It’s cheaper to market to your existing customers than to get new ones

• Think about the work you are currently doing for your customers – now think about what else you can do for them. Can you work with them on a more permanent basis? Are there other people in their business you can work with? Can you develop a new product or service that will suit them?
• Are your current clients aware of all the services/products you provide? If not, then tell them!

 6.     Get a website

• It amazes me how many businesses don’t have a website. There is really no excuse, particularly with so much free software such as WordPress or Blogger available to start a simple site. Even a 1 page site with a brief statement about what your business is and how people can contact you is better than nothing.
• Promote your website on everything include email signatures, brochures, gimmicky give-aways, business cards and anything else you can think of.

7.     Email marketing

• Sending an email is far cheaper than posting a letter – in terms of dollars and your time. It can also generate faster responses and results.
• BE AWARE OF THE SPAM LEGISLATION. Find out more at www.acma.gov.au

8.     Media and publicity

• Work out your story – if it is newsworthy, journos will want to talk to you.
• Local and community newspapers/radio/tv are also always on the lookout for local interest stories, and trade mags often look for industry information.

9.     Say thank you!

• Be sure to thank your customers, thank the people who refer business to you and thank your suppliers. A bit of gratitude can go a long way in business.

10.  Social media

The benefits of engaging in social media – such as twitter, facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube etc inlcude:

• increase your visibility and target your niche market
• build relationships and communities by engaging in conversations with current and prospective clients and suppliers
• share business tips and find business contacts
• follow interesting people who might give you business ideas
• share and discuss business ideas and useful information including web links and photos
• show the human side of your business.

11.  Use the free resources available to you

• There is a massive amount of information on the web (type “cheap marketing ideas” into Google). 
• Go to the library and check out marketing (and other business) books.

Online useful resources are: 

• www.flyingsolo.com.au – free weekly e-newsletter for soloists and small business
• www.sourcebottle.com.au – free subscription service that emails ‘call outs’ for sources from journalists and bloggers

What are your low cost marketing tips?

I have a lot of people ask me how to write a marketing plan that is simple to follow and cost effective to implement. The simple to follow I can help with, the cost effective to implement depends a bit on the tactics you decide on – and I’ll write about some low cost tactics in a future blog post.

As far as I am concerned, a marketing plan for a small business really doesn’t need to be more than a couple of pages in length.

Make sure you inlcude:

• Marketing goals or objectives
• Key industry trends – these should be based on a SWOT analysis that looks at your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, including a bit of info about your competitors
• Your target market – these are the people you want to sell your product to
• Key messages – what do you want your customers to know about you?
• Marketing strategies and tactics appropriate for your target market (such as brochures, website, media activity, twitter)
• Budget – how much can you afford to spend?
• Action plan – when are you doing to do this stuff?
• Evaluation – what has worked, what hasn’t? Why?

Just remember a marketing plan should be a working document that is used, revised, updated, evaluated. Again and again.

I would argue that the most important part of any marketing plan is the action plan. Schedule activities into your calendar, pin them on the wall next to your desk, just make sure you make marketing a priority, and be consistent. After all, the plan won’t work if you aren’t actually doing anything!

Download a simple marketing plan template and get cracking on your marketing today!