I recently had lunch with someone I had worked with years ago.  Although we had lost touch, she found me via an online networking site called LinkedIn.  Lately it seems that I’m getting more and more requests to join people’s networks. So, I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone.  I decided to explore LinkedIn specifically as a business tool for myself and also pass along some of my learnings.

Small business owners know the value of networking – it increases awareness while enabling them to meet new clients, vendors, and potential employees.  As networking contacts evolve into business acquaintances and friendships, they become trusted sources for problem solving and introductions to a wider network.  And that’s what an online networking site helps you do.

What it is:  Remember the expression ” It’s not what you know but who you know”?  Online networking sites are designed specifically to help businesses and jobseekers make connections. In other words, they help you leverage ‘who you know’.

LinkedIn has 20 million users, according to their website.  The site’s concept is much like “Six Degrees of Separation”.  You create a list of your trusted connections on the site.  Many of them will likewise have a list of their own connections.   And so on.  You have access to your direct connections as well as their connections (two levels deep).  So, the site offers a way to tap into the people you know, and also get access to the people that THEY know. Here are some ideas for how you can use those contacts.

Sales leads. For example, suppose you know the name of a business that you would like to call on. But you don’t know have a contact within the business. You can search your network of connections to see if anyone currently or previously worked for that target company. They can help you with that contact information. Even better, your contact may be willing to make an introduction.

Service providers and partners. If you’ve got a project and you’re not sure who the right vendor for the job might be, you can use your network to get recommendations.

Promotion. There are a couple of ways you might promote yourself via the site. When you join LinkedIn you create a profile. It includes your work history, affiliations, etc. Naturally, you’ll want to list your achievements, experience, and areas of expertise. Others will find you when keywords they search for are found in your profile. LinkedIn also has a space for contacts to recommend you. It’s visible and accessible by visitors. A third way to self-promote is by providing answers to questions posed by others. That can boost your credibility and establish your status as a subject matter expert. Reestablish former contacts. Include the names of your employers, colleges, and professional associations in your profile. You will then automatically be informed of possible connections to contact. It’s a nice way to quickly reestablish relationships and fill them in on your current business. Get answers. Business people can pose questions, so consider asking a question to find a new vendor, ask for new ideas, or test the market for your product concept. Company research. For example, if you’d like to understand a company’s buying policies, you might contact current or former employees of a company to get the scoop. LinkedIn can also be used to find or fill a job.

What you should do:

Take some time when creating your profile. Choose words to describe you and your business carefully for a complete, accurate and favorable impression. Care should be taken when creating the profiles to include meaningful key words, so that people can easily find you when they search.  The profile is the on-line equivalent of your 30-second “elevator speech”. Make sure the contacts you have a good relationship with the contacts you list in your network. Allocate time to work it. At first, expect to spend 30 minutes or more to create a solid profile. Then, spend a few minutes per day checking out your contacts and learning the power of the site.  Building your network will take several visits. Ask for recommendations.  The system makes it easy to ask for testimonials.  And that will significantly strengthen your profile.

LinkedIn instructs you to only invite people you know well and who know you.  This practice leads to quality contacts; people who already know you and could connect you to someone through an introduction.  There is an advantage of having quality contacts, but how quickly can you increase your connections if you only connect to people that you already know?  

I’m only four months old in the social networking arena, and I admit that I’ve become less inhibited about requesting connections on Linkedin than when I started. I believe my Facebook participation has made me believe that anyone should be approachable. However, I do see the value in the Linkedin guidelines because it’s more of a business oriented site. FB is driven by social etiquette, and Linkedin is driven by business etiquette.

Because of the business etiquette on Linkedin, I ignore the invitations from people who look like they are mass marketers. I think they are using the wrong networking service. Facebook has built more of a culture on quantity, and I like that you can follow anyone…ANYONE; your favorite author, your favorite tennis player, favorite artist (as a fan.) It appears to break down any barriers and brings the world together. Finding new people to connect with and reading their profiles, comments, etc is addicting too, but is it worse than vegging in front of a TV for hours?

I teach workshops that help people understand and acquire business networking skills. I start by defining stages of relationship building, and add that according to our research (Contacts Count program; 17 years of research) it takes about six contacts to get to know someone’s character and competence. Hopefully this is done in person, but social networking sites can help us get to know someone….Help. We wouldn’t want to substitute online communication with person to person communication, I hope. There is research from the Stanford University’s Shyness Center that shows Americans are getting more shy- will the networking sites feed this trend by encouraging people to hide behind the computer screen?

Who would I recommend, or not recommend from a Linkedin contact? If I have never met someone in person, I might be able to see online activity that shows a sense of honesty, intelligence, politeness, and consideration (expressions used in writing, interests, work history, and how they contribute and help others.) Good character and competence are characteristics that I would think any hiring manager would like to see in a candidate.  Interview questions can predict future behavior based on answers which show historical behavior, right? So wouldn’t there be a good value attached to seeing someone on Linkedin who is proving to be a good source of information in their field? How quickly could I really learn about their character and competence and begin to trust them enough to go out on a limb and recommend them? It would depend on geography, groups and associations in common; frequency of contacts. Is meeting someone in person the deal breaker? Can I recommend someone based on their showing good character online rather than actually working with them? Can I assume the “all or nothing rule- if they succeed in their personal life they will succeed in their work life.” Last point to make- if we network by teaching and giving, we can develop relationships both online and in person. Thanks for the first contact.
Susan

Congratulations! You have joined the 21st century of networking by creating your LinkedIn profile. You were told everyone has a LinkedIn account. You couldn’t be left behind. You check your LinkedIn mailbox each day, but nobody has contacted you. What happened to all of that online networking?

Networking, both traditional and online, takes work. LinkedIn has given you a posted profile to talk about yourself and your business. Have you finished your profile? Did you post your picture? Please make sure your have a professional headshot. Seeing you doing gardening or working on your car will not give your potential clients trust in your business abilities- unless of course you are a gardener or mechanic!

Your LinkedIn profile is the first place to begin your LinkedIn experience. You must be informative when writing your business description. Explain why a client would want to chose you over your competition. Show your experience and background clearly. Make certain to add your contact information as well as your website address. This profile is your 30 second elevator speech, however, without your personality. Make sure readers get a sense of who you are through your words.

After your profile is complete, the fun begins. Imagine that you have your business cards in hand and are about to walk into a networking meeting with complete strangers. Are you nervous or excited? LinkedIn takes some of the anxiety away from approaching new prospects, but as described before, takes the “human” touch out of the initial meeting. You can’t give a warm smile when approaching a new online contact. Instead, you must use your words to convey your confidence and personality. But where do you find people to “talk” to?

The first and easiest place to begin is your own email accounts. LinkedIn has an application which will search your address books on certain accounts to find current friends or business associated whom are already on LinkedIn. You simply send them an invitation to add you as a connection. Once they are added, you can then examine their connections for possible introductions. Just like you use your current “ins” to get an introduction now, so you will do the same with LinkedIn. You can ask your current connections for an introduction to someone within their connections whom you would like to “meet”. It’s that simple.

Being on LinkedIn does not mean you will not network traditionally. As you meet your new contacts outside of the computer, ask them upfront if they are on LinkedIn. Many of them are, but they too may be confused on how to use their account. You can use this as an opportunity to become an expert to them. When they tell you that they do have an account with LinkedIn, ask if you can add them as a connection. By doing this, your connections will increase dramatically.

Once you have your feet wet with navigating adding connections as well as asking for introductions through your connections, venture now into joining relevant Groups. LinkedIn has a large selection of industry Groups  to which you may request to be added. What profession or professionals would be a good referal network for your buisness. Do you want to target a certain industry. Joining LinkedIn Groups allows you to do just that- find a targeted audience. For instance, your target may be women-owned businesses. They are various Groups for women business owners. If marketing companies are a better fit for you, they are many LinkedIn marketing groups to which to join. All you have to do is request to be added to your chosen Groups, then await your approval. However, you must create a “buzz” for yourself within the Groups once approved. You can do this by either starting or responding to various discussion which other members have begun. By doing this, you will become an instant expert. It is another opportunity to show your experience and “personality”.

LinkedIn is an excellent avenue to expand your networking reach into geographic areas otherwise unreachable. However, you must dedicate time and effort to your online networking efforts. Once you commit yourself to working your LinkedIn account as described above, you will dramatically broaden you sphere of influence. The ultimate goal of networking is to find either potential clients or referral partners. LinkedIn allows you one more way to accomplish this.