Linkedin Training

THE WORLD’S LARGEST PROFESSIONAL NETWORK WITH 300 MILLION REGISTERED USERS Connect, Find, Be Found Power your career Learn and share

Why bother? Powerful reach on Linkedin makes it a very attractive platform Increase profile of your business Tailor your content to the business you want to attract Ultimately get more business There are 2 core opportunities for growth in the firm, increasing ‘sales’ with existing clients and attracting new clients. Both strategies can be supported by Linkedin. Increasing business from existing clients would be driven by product and retailer news, events and promotions. Increasing business from new clients would be done based on the reputation you create online, combined with being ‘top of mind’. The connectivity piece is also beneficial, you stay top of mind with your connections. Position your business as an expert in your field. This is the modern yellow pages for professional services, coupled with Google.

Where to start and what are the common pitfalls? Even if writing articles is a little down the line for your business this is what you need to consider when the time comes. Articles need to be written by a person, published to their page and then shared by the Company Page. If everyone produces one piece of useful content for the clients, you will be in a strong position. Continuing that commitment may prove challenging. Would you consider tying it to a performance related bonus? Once the system is up and running, it’s easier to manage. In between weeks can be filled with mainstream relevant news, PR, events, etc. If something hits the paper or radio this morning, and it’s about GDPR or something else of note, post about it with some commentary. It shows you’re on the ball for of all relevant news. There should be one person in charge of keeping the system running. We recommend that you don’t start until you have created a bank of 6 articles. That should remain topped up, and allows for busy periods, holidays, etc.

How to build your network Upload the contacts from your email to LinkedIn. Connect with those people, (old) colleagues and old classmates using Linkedin. Connect with clients and people who you do business with. Join the groups which are in line with your goals for example: 1. Existing clients and ones like them 2. Professional organisations 3. Trade organisations 4. People who refer business to you, and people like them, e.g. Banks, Accountants, etc. 5. Alumni associations of your college or previous employer (s)

What to post? What you care about: Sales Growth What your customer cares about: Costs Time How well your product sells X The sweet spot is in the middle. For the most part, clients want to know that they can get the product when they need it , in the quantities that they need it and that it will sell well. When you’re thinking about content, keep this in mind. Get into the mindset of your client rather than your own position. You should write in a clear and transparent way.

What to post? RELEVANCY IS KEY X Keeping this in mind, some areas to grow the business, through content on Linkedin include: New Suppliers Increased distribution New products Marketing news Other sales news e.g. new appointments, new retailers etc.

When to post? CONSISTENCY IS IMPORTANT X Before you start, you should, between the business, have 6 weeks content ready. You should aim to keep that stock of content ready, so that when the business gets busy, or holidays disrupt the pattern etc. you have a 6 week cushion of content. Consistency is important. Your clients are switched on either Monday – Friday or depending on your business Sunday - Sunday. Pick a day, e.g. Tuesday and post every Tuesday from your Linkedin Page The content can be a mix of articles, on topics outlined previously, and sharing news items of relevance with some commentary

Linkedin Personal Page There are 2 types of pages, Personal Pages and Company Pages. How to post a photo, a news article or an article you have written

Linkedin Personal Page How to see how many people are seeing your posts Each post has it’s own analytics, which you can pull off your dashboard by clicking here

How to see how many people are seeing your posts and what industry they are in When you click through, you can see deeper analytics, which you can view here. This allows you to see who your content is resonating with. By monitoring this, you can see who your content is appealing to, and make decisions on future content based on that.

Linkedin Personal Page View your recent activity, or that of the person you are looking at can be seen here. Add a new profile section on the right.

Linkedin Personal Page Add Skills relating to your job so people can find you when they are looking for an expert in their field, or want to establish your credentials. Here you can give endorsements, and you can view those who have endorsed you.

Linkedin Personal Page Add your interests to see news relating to these things in your news feed. This can provide rich national and international content related to your field.

Click here to view your profile settings and get to your Company Page Linkedin Company Page Click here to view your profile settings and get to your Company Page

Linkedin Company Page Click on your company profile to see your engagement your recent post had

Linkedin Company Page In Company Profile click on overview to add content about company and any recent news items

Linkedin Company Page LinkedIn will give you the analytics of your recent posts across your company page. Click on Updates to see your clicks and daily impressions

Linkedin Company Page Click on work box to visit all LinkedIn Products

Linkedin Company Page Go to slideshare.net to upload your presentations, or view presentations by others

Email Marketing to clients Where to post? LinkedIn Email Marketing to clients Website PR Advertising Creating the content is the hardest part Once you have it, disseminate it on all available channels

Housekeeping Profile content – all should be consistent and with agreed boiler plate. Admin access to the page – who has access? (Everyone can, but do you want that?) Ideally all articles should also be posted on the website and emailed as appropriate to clients. If an email marketing strategy seems too much, a tagline on all emails could do, with a link back to the article in question. Do you need a social media policy? Do you need sign off on published articles? If so, who is that gatekeeper? Who or what do you stay clear of? This is a professional network, and it represents the business, so you don’t engage with content that detracts from the reputation of the business. Should you have a peer review system? At least one other person needs to sign it off? What are the rules? e.g. Fuller Marketing avoids politics and religion. What is the system to catch any slow down in content? Who should that be raised with? Not all writers are created equal.... Does everyone need to participate? Who is in charge of responding to comments back? People will leave comments back, it’s important to respond promptly and to give a considered opinion on that commentary. Engage with relevant content producers in your field, feel free to share content from someone who refers you work, or who works in the media and add some commentary with the share. Celebrate the success of the team, PR, achievements etc. Your activity on Linkedin is not private!

Measuring Success and Next Steps Increased exposure Increased business in the areas of content you are producing Increased profile Appoint project lead Agree incentive / implication for participation / non participation (would recommend incentive) Build up 6 articles Launch Keep project on track with gate checks

Any questions?