Linkedin is by far one of the largest self-policing social network
What do I mean by this?
Person A posts a status, Person B goes “this should be on facebook/twitter bla bla bla”
I see this day in and day out, that someone will post something such as a picture of a new car they have just brought and it will have a mix of positive and negatives comments.
It is the negative comments that interest me, why do they feel they need to post on the picture saying that THEY do not think it should be on linkedin? After all, the moment they comment they are then sharing that post with their own network….
What has this got to do with the title I hear you ask!
Well selling is a key part of any business (and I would also say life in general), so how do you sell on Linkedin?
I delivered a talk last week all about how to concur Social media and when it came to Linkedin it split the room. Should you be posting JUST corporate style posts, or should you be more of yourself?
I think what it comes down to is what is your brand? If YOU are your brand then that is what you should put across….
Take myself as an example, I am my brand. Any business interests I have are closely linked with my from my coaching & speaking to my Incubator. The way I have gotten them to be successful is by being well…me! But in a strategic manner, this is where people slip up. 98% of the content I put online is done in a strategic manner, to provoke a response, to educate, influence or to just to be real. For me it works, it can also work for you – no matter what your business is!
Gone are the days of being suited and booted to show off a certain image, people see through that like a freshly cleaned window. If that is your approach then times will get tougher as selling online is continuing to switch, people buy from people – rule one of selling right?
HOWEVER, if you are representing a brand which is not closely linked to you online (for example if you are a founder of a drinks company) then you can still use the same techniques but in more of a branded way. Getting your customers to see your business in a transparent way works well. From posting about team members wins, perhaps you are doing a few re-designs so you get your customers input via social media. You have limitless ways to engage and build engagement with your customers online….but how many are you actively using? Or should say, using effectively?
Linkedin is a powerful tool to gain new clients, the majority of any corporate training or speaking work I get is from Linkedin along with some coaching clients as well! But this year I will be increasing my usage on linkedin to get the full potential out of it and give my full value INTO it!
So use if you are not using it to the full potential then think about what you could be doing to increase this, expand your engagement and really benefit your business.
As a final note, don’t be THAT person that shoots people down all the time on Linkedin….