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In the previous post, How LinkedIn’s recent Makeover can turbocharge Your Social Media Marketing, we explored how the recent changes in LinkedIn’s homepage have introduced a more user-friendly layout.

In addition to the new look, here are the most potent functionalities that the new LinkedIn homepage is offering social media marketers:

Next to LinkedIn Today, the latest news section, you’ll see updates from your network of connections and companies that you follow on LinkedIn. (If you haven’t done so yet, make sure to create a LinkedIn company page for your business so that you can start acquiring followers). The updates you see are based on who and what LinkedIn believes to be the most relevant for you.

Importantly, don’t forget to engage with your connections directly from your homepage. You can typically like, comment, send a message or share to effectively engage. This will also help you to be viewed as someone who is “plugged in” and listening to your connections.

 

Further, LinkedIn allows you to filter your update stream and customize your view. For example, you can filter your stream by “Shares” to see what content your network connections are sharing. This filter takes away some of the clutter. Overall, the Updates section of the new homepage is simply more social. The stream of activity is cleaner and easier to follow.

Last but not least, images are also more prominent within the updates from your network. When posting your own updates, use an image if possible to capture attention.

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We started a new group – Please join us here – Lets share ideas

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LinkedIncome – Grow your revenue and reputation

This one-day masterclass, presented by international brand leadership experts, Dr Nikolaus Eberl and Herman Schoonbee (co-authors of the World Cup Brand Ambassador Program) will teach you how to leverage LinkedIn to grow your Reputation and Revenue online.

Discover how to harness the hidden Power of LinkedIn to Attract High Quality Clients, Drive Targeted Traffic to Your Site or Land the Career Opportunity of Your Dreams.

Are you looking for a measurable ROI for your Social Media efforts? LinkedIn is the largest Social Networking site for Business Professionals looking to do more business. With over 160 million members strong, LinkedIn is the answer to your online marketing and social media needs.

Why you can no longer afford to ignore LinkedIn:

- LinkedIn has more than doubled in size (over 160 million Members) in the past year with one user added every single second!

- Executives from all Fortune 500 Companies are registered on LinkedIn

- 45% of LinkedIn’s members are considered the major decision makers for their companies. (Twitter and Facebook account for only 24-29%!)

- LinkedIn holds the record for the Highest Average Household Income over all other Social Networking sites at over $109,000 per member!

- There are no distractions! On LinkedIn, you’ll only find high-calibre individuals with a business mindset, focused on networking for results!

- With the IPO of LinkedIn, it is now valued at over 10 Billion Dollars and interest and awareness are at an all time high.

Module one: Develop your LinkedIn marketing plan:

• Set Your Primary LinkedIn Marketing Goals
• Keep an Eye on Your LinkedIn Competition
• Map Your Marketing Progress to Stay On Track

Module two: Profile optimisation

• Fill out and optimise your LinkedIn profile
• Add LinkedIn Applications

Module three: Grow your LinkedIn network quickly:

• Add Connections
• Get Recommendations
• Find and Follow Companies
• Add Your Own Company to LinkedIn
• List Your Company’s Products and Services

Module four: Join LinkedIn groups:

• Consider the Groups You Plan To Join
• Follow Steps for Better Group Success
• Create Your Own Group

Module five: LinkedIn answers:

• Create a LinkedIn Answers Schedule
• Focus On Unanswered Questions in Your Niche

Module six: Position yourself as a LinkedIn leader:

• Develop Your Primary Goal
• Climb to Pre-eminence with Better Lead Generation
• Force Industry Competitors To Take Notice

Module seven: Search for JV partners:

• Getting JV Partners to Notice You
• Search for Industry Leaders
• Pitch Your JV Partners

Module eight: Conduct market research:

• Choosing Your Subject
• Collect the Data

Module nine: Interviewing LinkedIn experts:

• Finding and Interviewing Experts
• Compile Interviews into Promotional Products

Module 10: Developing your first LinkedIn ad campaign:

• Make Sure Ad Is Acceptable
• How to Create Killer LinkedIn Ads
• Define Your Advertising Audience

Date – Venue – Time

Date: 30 October 2012
Time: 09:00 AM – 04:00 PM
Location: BrandOvation, Johannesburg
Cost: R2,750

Contact: Dr Nikolaus Eberl
Company name: LinkedIncome
Telephone number: +27 83 270 6011 / 6010
Email address drnik@linked-income.com

http://www.bizcommunity.com/Event/196/11/30897.html

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The common mistake most people make when using a tool is not gaining a good understanding of how the tool works and what they hope to achieve. Before registering and participating on LinkedIn, new users should consider the following five points:

1. Self-educate first

Get your hands on some LinkedIn training material and read it from end-to-end. You need to have a good understanding of all the features and functions of the social network first, before you do anything.

2. Different strokes for different folks

There are a whole bunch of different organisations and individuals participating on LinkedIn from individual contractors, job seekers, recruiters, small to medium size businesses, large companies and global enterprises. It is important that you understand your individual requirements first.

3. Do some research

There are many LinkedIn users out there that have already benefitted from the correct use of LinkedIn. Spend some time conducting research. Check out the case studies to learn what others have done right (and done wrong). This will save you a load of time.

4. Tap into all the rich content provided by the gurus

There are numerous marketing thought leaders and gurus out there who are constantly developing rich content . Find out who they are. Subscribe to their RSS feed, connect with them on LinkedIn, follow them on Twitter, Like their Facebook pages and learn from them.

5. Plan

Formulate a proper plan on what you are going to do, how you will do it, what you hope to achieve, how you will measure success and measurement criteria. Include timelines with specific milestones. This is a journey you are planning, so make sure you do it right first time.

Here is a short video clip explaining what LinkedIn is all about

What would you add to the 5 points I listed? I would love to hear from you.

LinkedIn provides you with the means to showcase your areas of expertise, enabling you to connect with others with similar skills more easily or with companies that are searching for people with your type of skill set.

Here is some advice on how to complete your profile in order to stand out from others.

It is a known fact that adding a photo to your profile makes it seven times  more appealing and more searchable. Including your two most recent employers makes your profile twelve times more likely to be found.  These small changes make a big difference to your profile.

Here are seven ways to make your profile much more appealing

1) Add a profile photo

2) Indicate which industry you work in or serve

3) Make sure that you have a minimum of fifty connections

4) Ensure that you write a summary about yourself

5) Add all jobs you have had together with descriptions

6) Include information relating to the school you attended

7) Add at least five skills to your profile

Whether you are just connecting with people or you want o be more visible to potential employers or clients, make sure you have a complete profile and be sure to update it on a regular basis.

Here is an example of a good profile

Did you find this useful? I welcome your feedback.