How Is Your Business Doing On LinkedIn?

[morestar]

So, I've heard and read and listened to a lot of people talk about LinkedIn and how it can enhance your business, make you look like an expert in your field and bring you business so has it helped you? Have you found new business through LinkedIn?

I do agree with a lot of what the expert marketers say about using LinkedIn. I think it produces a lot of the same results a popular web forum like WebProWorld.com does in this respect - lots of potential referrals and a need to be careful as to what you post.

As an example, I saw a post today by the an "SEO Executive" who asked: "How can we promote our new website step by step? Tell me the all steps of seo?". Needless to say the responses he received were quite embarrassing. Shouldn't he know? Maybe he was trying to spark a discussion but it's clear you need to be careful.

I've ignored LinkedIn for quite some time - sure, I created a profile and occasionally maintained it but now that I'm moving full steam ahead within my LinkedIn account, what should I expect? What else can I do besides answering questions or asking them?

Any of your thoughts, discoveries or common daily practices or activities on LinkedIn will be appreciated. It's been around for a while and we've read up on all the tactics and strategies we can use while we play there but I'd like some of your personal experiences - some things you've seen and experienced but haven't published online.

Thanks everyone!

[SteveGerencser]

I don't use LI for marketing my business at all.. I use it mostly for networking with professionals in other fields and participating in a few closed professional groups..

[morestar]

I don't use LI for marketing my business at all.. I use it mostly for networking with professionals in other fields and participating in a few closed professional groups..

I hear you Steve. I don't want to participate only to get customers but have you found you get a lot of people seeking your services due to the interactions you take part in?

Others?

[SteveGerencser]

I never even offer to do work in these groups.. We see it from time to time and those people usually end up out of the group..

As for people asking for my services, it happens, but rarely turns in to real work..

[williamc]

I know one guys business that took a wrong turn on linkedin :)

[HTMLBasicTutor]

Some of the groups I belong to (particularly any that have anything to do with marketing) seem to be a self promotion/spam fest. No real interaction, which networking is about.

A lot of the people I am connected with seem to have disappeared, opting for Facebook? Google Plus? Twitter? or just don't get LinkedIn.

Has it resulted in more business yet? Not to my knowledge. No messages of interest from there anyways.

[morestar]

Interesting, very interesting. Maybe Google+ is the place to be to make professional connections. Facebook seems too 'fun filled' unless your niche is the kind that can use Facebook to harness business - that and you have a large fan base.

I'm just wondering but thanks for your responses everyone.

[gicohen]

Hi,
We provide services and supplies to offices. Our business has been built on relationships and referrals. We find LinkedIn a great way to update our relationships (we get the weekly notices). It also allows us to get introductions to new prospects by way of warm referrals. I would say about 10% of new prospects are a result of LinkedIn.

As an aside, we find F*bk difficult to use for business.

Gary

[Easy Anderson]

Like you, even though I do quite a bit of high profile Social Media consulting, I have never been a fan of LI. It is just a bit too clugey for me and I think there are some better new media outlets such as meeteor.com and others that can take its place. Google + for one like you said I see being one of them, but I am still waiting for others. I think the niched wordpress BBpress installation will end up taking a bite out of the LI and even Facebook as there is a lot of noise on both of them.

And yes, soliciting comments if not done correctly can make you appear ignorant if not framed right. But I would just continue to not worry about LI.

Cheers,
Andrew

[PhilipDunn]

I have tons of contacts there, but have never picked up any business there. Perhaps I don't know how to use it...

[PoisonJam]

My last two permanent full-time jobs came via LinkedIn (I'm not a freelancer or contractor) and I also provide SEO training services to a guy who got in contact with me seeking it. I've also had someone contact me recently about consultation. This was with no real effort at all - just being on there to be discovered and keeping my profile up-to-date and professional like I do my CV.

I answer questions on LI groups for the same reason I do it here or anywhere else - firstly, I love to help, and secondly there's often someone else who will chime and with a valid point or a new perspective I can learn from.

[holyhttp]

I think there is and will always be a lot of misconceptions or misunderstanding about social media.
Social media is not about marketing, period.
Social media is about connecting with others with similar interests to create bonds of friendship or at least exchange ideas and share knowledge.
This of course will expose your business and MIGHT bring you some business.

The first rule of social media is giving:
- offering expert insights
- sharing findings that can benefits other members of your groups

unless you give and give more without reservation there little change to get anything in return.
How would anyone know you are THE expert in your field if you do not prove it in discussions or answering questions from other members?

If you want instant gratification in terms of marketing, social media is not the way to go: do some PPC or use other proven only marketing strategies.

So the net time you so to LinkedIn, don't try to sell and be slick. Just be yourself, show your know how and soon enough you will reap what you sow.

I receive countless job offers from LinkedIn even tough I never expressed my desire to land a job.
All I do is create a profile, join groups in my topics of expertise and participate.
You can just spend even 2 hours a week in social network.

For me the main benefits is getting free information thanks to links other members are posting. It saves me a great deal of research time.
Again, give, give and give more.

[chrisJumbo]

I've used it to maintain contact with people in my field, but it hasn't generated any business as of yet. New business has never been my purpose for using it. If I post something to twitter it also posts there as well. I have participated in some discussions and "met" and connected with new people.

[zeo]

Great question. Agree with PoisonJam and holyhttp, social media is about sharing, a "love to help" that is natural to some people. Just posting information about yourself is not enough. Also, from what I see, LinkedIn is very helpful for those looking for a full time job, it's been extensively used by head hunters and businesses looking to hire and it seems to be replacing Monster as such.

[ep2012]

My accounts have been deleted twice now with NO warning.

I won't go into the specifics as it would probably bore you unless you like excitement, but I did nothing wrong other than defend myself both times, but when there's a mob mentality on there, watch out.

People can report people out of vengeance & your account gets deleted, BAMM.

Then when you try & contact LinkedIn, either you get that moronic girl I spoke to, or she tells you to e-mail & they just ignore you.

The higher ups make sure you can't contact them & I did a search twice now each time it happened. More & more people have had this problem, plus others say they've been charged by them without authorization. That I have never experienced, & I don't get how they got their cc info in the first place to charge them. I've always had a free account. Thank gawd I didn't give them my money (actually once I think I did) after how they treated me.

I thought they were just being ass*es & discriminating against me b/c of my industry & I'm sure they were (guilty until proven innocent, don't ask any questions, just hit the delete key), but others from mainstream industries have clearly had the same problem.

In my case they allow people to cyber bully no problem, but I get removed if I stick up for myself or tell people to STOP, so the message I get, is that the allow negative behavior. Since they aren't there for their members, that doesn't surprise me.

IMO, they are a poorly run company even though I happen to like their interface (even once they redid it & I finally figured out how to use it).

I have found over the years that the intelligence level of the average person in the groups is too low for me. I find the odd person has something valuable to say.

A lot of people on there now (not all of course) are unemployed & just looking for jobs.

I've seen threads that go on for months about the SAME subject. I couldn't believe it the last time I saw it, it was about bookkeeping LOL

I've never gotten any business from them, just a few people looking to get free info from me.

When searching for specific skill sets, I also didn't fair well, so after using their one free job credit, I didn't bother posting again. Even when I posted to my network (when I had a large one before they deleted it), I didn't get any leads of people to do business with or hire.

Oh & I also found some groups are left unattended. You sign to join up & then never get approved.

I'm happy for whomever did have success with LI. I'm just waiting for someone to take them over, b/c believe it or not, there's not many business social networking sites out there.

There's ecademy that you can't use (talking to people that is) unless you pay, plus I find it confusing & a few others, but they just don't have the numbers LI has or the setup so it's easy to join groups that would help your biz, etc.

Ryze I stopped using a while ago.

HTH


Michelle
P.S. If you didn't already know, LI went public several months ago.

[jhannawin]

Business does not come from social networks it comes from the relationships that the networks represent. So expanding your 'social network' (LI, FB) is pointless unless you genuinely build the relationships behind it.

[rprzybek]

As with all these things there is no single way to promote your business. Use LinkedIn as an addition to all your other methods of creating relationships and something will stick somewhere. If your contacts see you popping up everywhere then at least you will be in their minds when they have business to place. Having said that, I'm disappointed that lately LinkedIn seems to be a paradise for recruitment agents spamming me and trying to be my friend!

[LD]

The problem with trying to gain business via Social Networking is that people frequent these sites to be a part of a "social environment" and are not there to be sold a bill of goods. Is there a chance to pick up some business - perhaps. But that isn't the main reason for anyone to frequent these sites and I don't believe anyone joins these sites in the hopes of being sold something. In fact, from what I see and understand, it's quite the opposite.

However, if you have a passion for networking socially online, then yes, that is the perfect reason to be there. And if you get a nibble or two from genuine participation, great. But if you hope to pick up business by these efforts, its a lot of time and effort and IMO, not worth it. There are other avenues in which you can spend equal or lesser time, with better returns. Most of my business comes from repeat business, business networking groups (with people face-to-face) and some leads from the internet. At least for me, I couldn't imagine spending all that time trying to generate business the social networking way.

[morestar]

Great answers everyone and great rants too!

Based on a lot of your experiences and thoughts, I think I can summarize my intentions to include the want to be social, share and help answer questions for people and I guess in the mean time, by doing so (tactfully) I can build a positive reputation at LinkedIn (which is traceable within my profile), which can in turn be a benefit one day only if I need it to be.

That's about as far is it would go with me but I just wanted to really get a feel of what to expect from interacting there. Not too bad so far...

[ryanforbes]

I find it great for networking. I also set up a couple of linkedin groups a while back which are becoming very popular in the industry I am in. If you are a group owner it allows you to message everyone in the group with details of your business and profile which can be handy.

[janeth]

I've messed with LinkedIn a little. I'm currently in search of something to replace the time I use to spend here. I've never tried to market myself on LinkedIn with that being said I've probably gotten five jobs from LinkedIn.

I would love to find a social media site that I enjoy as much as I once enjoyed WebProWorld. But it seems about the time I find out about a social media site and start learning how to use it everyone’s left and gone somewhere else.

[SmokieMac]

I've been on LinkedIn since shortly after it started. (Gosh I'm old!). It has been great for keeping up with those I've worked with, and keeping my name at least in their memory. So when a LinkedIn contact happens to hear of someone who could use my services, they often refer them to me. As for true marketing, I agree with the bulk of post: social networking is for social networking. Most advertising or even subtle promoting is either ignored or despised. That being said, apparently somebody thinks FB ads are effective. Look at its preposterous IPO!

[dimples]

I mostly resort to facebook and my blog to connect with my prospected customers. I am signed up with linkedin but seriously, there is nothing spectacular about it. Forums, yahoo answers are better sites than linkedin IMO.

Linkedin has not helped my business in any way.

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