SEM & Digital Marketing Advice New Orleans, Louisiana | WSI

You would think that by now people would be getting the hang of social media.  But as we conduct more and more of these social media training classes, I am becoming convinced that for every person who has embraced this technology with both hands, there are just as many people who are burying their head in the sand for as long as they can.  And I think I understand why they would do this, but sooner or later these people are slowly coming around to find out what they have been missing.

As such we are dedicating this series of blog posts on “Dumbest LinkedIn Mistakes” in hopes that we can help them learn the ropes, and maybe have a few chuckles along the way…

Top 3 Dumbest Things to Do On LinkedIn

Mistake #1 – Ignore Connection Requests

I am amazed at how many people that I hear from tell me that they don’t participate in LinkedIn for one reason or another.  I’ve heard the usual reasons ranging from “I’m too busy” to “that doesn’t work in my field.”

However, when the phone rings with a client or prospect they always manage to take the call…

So when you receive an email notification that someone wants to connect with you on LinkedIn, think of it as the digital equivalent of a phone call from a friend, client or prospect.  Don’t ignore it and don’t waste the opportunity.

Mistake #2 – Have a profile only a mother could love

The second item on our list is only a close 2nd.  After all, how many profiles have you seen where the person didn’t have a picture, or had so little information in their profile that you couldn’t tell if they were John Doe from New Orleans or New York?

It only takes a little bit of time to build out your LinkedIn profile – and your goal should be 100% completeness.  Upload a professional photo, fill in your experience and don’t forget to take advantage of new tools such as adding in your specific skills.

Some good features your profile simply must have:

• Current and past positions
• Your website url
• Your Twitter account
• Your blog
• Your summary
• A few recommendations
• Your certifications
• Your specialties
• Creative Portfolio Display
• Amazon Reading List
• Honors and awards

Mistake #3:  Sell, sell, sell

Like Jim Cramer banging on a poor performing stock, many people still get onto LinkedIn with the idea of “sell, sell, sell!”  LinkedIn is the digital equivalent of a high level business networking event, and while you should let people know what you do it’s important to let them know what value you bring to the table.

As in life, the Golden Rule should be followed in this case.  If you don’t want to get on a networking site and be bombarded with hard sales pitches, don’t do it yourself.  Try giving first and see what comes back…I think you’ll be glad you did.

This is just our first installment of “LinkedIn Dumbest…” series.  Look for more posts in the coming weeks, and if you have your own ideas and suggestions feel free to post them here.

Lately I have been doing a lot of training on social media, and I find it interesting that while so many people are aware of the increasing adoption of social media – not everyone is sold on whether or not it is of value to them. Now I know we live in Southern Louisiana which is not exactly a technological hotbed, but the shift towards social communication seems like a major deal to me that has transformed our personal lives so why wouldn’t it have a big impact on business?

So what does social media have to do real business anyway?

The short answer is EVERYTHING. There is a fundamental shift that is going on in our world in the way we “consume” information. And if you own a business or are in sales, that means a fundamental shift in just about every facet of your business world.

Think about how technology has changed the 3 primary aspects of any business:

• Customer acquisition - customers often find us first from a website. In fact, in a Nielson Online study, 82% of consumers cited a search engine as the most commonly used search tool. And even when they hear of us in some other method, they often go to our website first to check us out.
• Sales – Unless you live under a rock, chances are you’ve bought something or at least researched it first via the internet. Today, just about everyone has the ability to sign up or pay for something online, allowing us to transact business sometimes without ever meeting our customers.
• Customer retention – Email is the first choice of many businesses, but there are many great digital tools available to us today to keep customers engaged.

Without a doubt, if you’re in sales then the digital revolution is changing your world. For some it may come faster than others, but there is no denying that social technology is changing the sales cycle.

The real question is what are you going to do about it?