Building and managing a presence and a network NMTC Briefing 1/9/14 Copyright 2014 Amtower & Company - Marketing Advisors to the Most Successful Government Contractors 1

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Why LinkedIn? Facebook has the most members, but it is not a B2G platform Facebook also has security issues Twitter is used by Federal agencies to push info, but not as a connecting tool Copyright 2014 Amtower & Company - Marketing Advisors to the Most Successful Government Contractors 3

Why LinkedIn? All business all the time Groups for ALL occasions Search by geography, specialty, industry – whatever! Info Tech is the largest member segment Entry fee: $0 Copyright 2014 Amtower & Company - Marketing Advisors to the Most Successful Government Contractors 4

LinkedIn Background Launched May 5, 2003 Initial population was heavily skewed to recruiters (hence the lingering myth about why people are there) Growth slow-moderate until 2008 Today- 275 million members (over 1/3 in the US) 3.4 million company profiles 1.9 million groups 5 Copyright 2014 Amtower & Company - Marketing Advisors to the Most Successful Government Contractors

Effective Copyright 2014 Amtower & Company - Marketing Advisors to the Most Successful Government Contractors 6

LinkedIn’s Tipping Point LinkedIn’s population doubled from 2011 to million to more than 275 million; same span of time saw B2G grow exponentially Copyright 2014 Amtower & Company - Marketing Advisors to the Most Successful Government Contractors 7

A few LinkedIn Facts (as of 1/7/14) 275 million members 1,881,605 groups 3,361,775 company profiles 5.7 billion internal searches on LI in 2012 Fortune 500 all here Washington Technology Top 100 are all here Copyright 2014 Amtower & Company - Marketing Advisors to the Most Successful Government Contractors 8

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LinkedIn for GovCon Federal social media rules loosen up mid-2010 Feds start joining in significant numbers late early 2011 By early all federal agencies present, most in significant numbers Hundreds of groups focused on various governmental functions Thousands of groups focused on various technologies Copyright 2014 Amtower & Company - Marketing Advisors to the Most Successful Government Contractors 10

Using LinkedIn’s Advanced search and Aberdeen ZIP code There are 192,509 LinkedIn members within 25 miles of that ZIP Copyright 2014 Amtower & Company - Marketing Advisors to the Most Successful Government Contractors 11

Why does this matter? Copyright 2014 Amtower & Company - Marketing Advisors to the Most Successful Government Contractors 12

It matters because Decline in federal & corporate spending means a decline in marketing budgets Decline in federal attendance at events means you need another venue to “meet” them LinkedIn provides a means of access and visibility where you control your message LinkedIn fits any budget Copyright 2014 Amtower & Company - Marketing Advisors to the Most Successful Government Contractors 13

So how are companies leveraging Copyright 2014 Amtower & Company - Marketing Advisors to the Most Successful Government Contractors 14

LinkedIn is being used for Sales – Account development and management – Scheduling meetings with influencers Marketing – Sales support – Overall company and product visibility Thought leadership – Highlighting and supporting area(s) of expertise Copyright 2014 Amtower & Company - Marketing Advisors to the Most Successful Government Contractors 15

LinkedIn is being used for Content sharing – Original content – Pertinent content from other sources – Slideshare and other apps on LinkedIn Research – Researching people, companies, technologies, competitors and prospects – 5.7 billion internal searches on LI in 2012 Building and managing an industry network Gaining visibility in targeted communities Copyright 2014 Amtower & Company - Marketing Advisors to the Most Successful Government Contractors 16

The Seven Steps to LI Success Plan Profile Connect Groups Activity Integrate Review and adjust Copyright 2014 Amtower & Company - Marketing Advisors to the Most Successful Government Contractors 17

Plan- What are your goals? Do you have specific companies you need to do business with? Do you need to generate qualified leads? Are you a thought leader/subject matter expert and need more visibility? Do you have geographic goals? Other… Copyright 2014 Amtower & Company - Marketing Advisors to the Most Successful Government Contractors 18

It all starts with the Profile! Your profile must tell an interesting story It must be compelling Explain what you do & who you do it for Details White space Copyright 2014 Amtower & Company - Marketing Advisors to the Most Successful Government Contractors 19

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Connecting With 192,509 LI members within 25 miles, and 275 million total, who do you want to know? Copyright 2014 Amtower & Company - Marketing Advisors to the Most Successful Government Contractors 23

Ideas for connecting Your current contacts Co-workers & former co-workers Those connected to your connections Those in pertinent groups Those “viewing” your profile Those “you may know” Invite key connections from other social networks Copyright 2014 Amtower & Company - Marketing Advisors to the Most Successful Government Contractors 24

Ideas for connecting Look up those whose business cards you pick up at conferences, meetings, and the like. Invite them within 48 hours. Look up those you read about in trade publications and see if they are in your “network” Never send the invitation “form letter” Copyright 2014 Amtower & Company - Marketing Advisors to the Most Successful Government Contractors 25

The Power of Groups! Communities of professionals who have identified their primary business interests Copyright 2014 Amtower & Company - Marketing Advisors to the Most Successful Government Contractors 26

Types of Groups Professional Associations Alumni- college Alumni – business Regional/geographic Business interest Technical interest Jobs/HR Copyright 2014 Amtower & Company - Marketing Advisors to the Most Successful Government Contractors 27

Select groups based on Will you “meet” the right people? Can you leverage other members? Can they leverage you? Can you add value? Will you participate? Will this create visibility? Copyright 2014 Amtower & Company - Marketing Advisors to the Most Successful Government Contractors 28

First look at the Group Profile Description When the group started Type of group # of members Sub-groups Group owner Related URL 1 st degrees Group rules Copyright 2014 Amtower & Company - Marketing Advisors to the Most Successful Government Contractors 29

Then look at the Group Statistics Copyright 2014 Amtower & Company - Marketing Advisors to the Most Successful Government Contractors 30

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Activity The more active you are, the more visible you become. As you add value, your credibility goes up. Copyright 2014 Amtower & Company - Marketing Advisors to the Most Successful Government Contractors 35

Activity Posting and commenting in groups “Liking” discussions Endorsements and recommendations Copyright 2014 Amtower & Company - Marketing Advisors to the Most Successful Government Contractors 36

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Integrate Your social presence into your web site, signature, collateral material and business card Copyright 2014 Amtower & Company - Marketing Advisors to the Most Successful Government Contractors 38

Review and adjust (rinse & repeat) When your goals change, adjust your activity to compensate for that change Copyright 2014 Amtower & Company - Marketing Advisors to the Most Successful Government Contractors 39

Final thought If your company is not fully leveraging LinkedIn, you are losing marketshare. Copyright 2014 Amtower & Company - Marketing Advisors to the Most Successful Government Contractors 40

Thank you for your time and attention- and have a great 2014! Mark Amtower (send me an for a copy of the slides) Copyright 2014 Amtower & Company - Marketing Advisors to the Most Successful Government Contractors 41