By Sharon A.M. MacLean who invites your comments following this blog. You can also find more modern marketing strategies for business here. http://bit.ly/1cKPcjn
“Social media is perfect for small and medium-sized business,” says the man connected with more than 1.4 million people through groups he created on LinkedIn. “The key for them is to build local.”
Seattle resident Olivier Taupin is on the phone with me from Paris. It’s been five years since last we chatted, at length, and, today, we’re catching up on how business is conducted using modern sales and marketing. We met again on Twitter.
Olivier is the founder of 100+ LinkedIn groups and subgroups including Linked:HR, the largest professional group in the network with more than 975,000,000 members; Linked:Energy has 220K members and 121k people joined Next Dimension Careers. LinkedIn caps group membership at 1 million.
Is growing LinkedIn worth your time?
I’ll get to the question up front that business people regularly ask me about LinkedIn: Is it possible to be profitable? Yes, says Olivier. The key is to grow your groups, though. Yet, many thousands of group owners don’t have enough members to attract the interest of potential sponsors which is how business often is conducted on LinkedIn. He offers these ideas to monetize your efforts:
- Weekly announcements sponsored by large companies;
- Market research;
- Sponsorship of sub groups;
- Organization of free events including webinars;
- Hosting of live events;
- Promotion of social media content such as white papers podcasts and webcasts.
This doesn’t even touch the individual relationships you can build over time.
Small business typically doesn’t deal on a global scale says the partner in Next Dimension Media with offices in the U.S. and Europe. He also knows that smaller companies don’t have the budgets to hire marketers; sales people build relationships to grow the business. Except, now it’s understood that today’s new social sellers also need lots of content to publish online.
Social selling needs content
The challenge is that sales people often dislike taking the time to write copy; they want to spend their time selling. On the other hand notes Olivier, “The problem with writers is they’re not always good at building business relationships.” It’s the reason that sales and marketing departments need to work more closely together.
It’s also the reason he partnered with Dave Sumner Smith and Mike Briercliffe in Next Dimension Media. Sumner Smith ran The Sunday Times Enterprise Network in the UK & Ireland and The Daily Telegraph Business Club while Briercliffe won the B2B Prize in the 2011 International Golden Twitter Awards.
It’s a great partnership, says Olivier. “They didn’t know how to grow communities (on LinkedIn). I didn’t know about content…and content is key.”
Who should you reach with your message? “Target, target, target,” says the renowned expert in social media management. “Start with finding influencers in your region and your industry and then look for the job function that’s important for your business.” He recommends using the Boolean search method which allows you to combine keywords with AND, OR, NOT to find relevant results.
Social networking changed the game
Oil sands industry consultant Ken Chapman was most prescient in 2010 when he introduced Olivier and social media to my magazine’s readers. He said, “The Internet culture hates broadcasting and spam but it loves authentic virtual relationships and those generate word-of-mouth messaging from friends and influentials.”
Ken, no slouch in the online world, added this observation at the time: “The principles of engagement are just as they are in the traditional golf clubs, professional lunches, and industry conferences and conventions.”
Olivier started his group for human resources professionals in 2007 when he needed a job. He had a car accident and was out of work for two years, a lifetime in high-tech where he worked with disc drives and modems. He used the group to network with potential recruiters. “LinkedIn was already the best engine to find the job I was looking for and managing large groups helped demonstrate my social media expertise.”
Here’s 8 more tips on social selling from Olivier
- Expect to build relationships slowly. Getting people to know and trust you doesn’t happen over-night in personal dealings. The same is true for developing online business networks.
- Keep widening your circle of contacts. The more relevant connections, the better. Even though you don’t know them on an individual basis, the better chance you have reaching the people you’re targeting. It will take you a while to reach 30K contacts, the limit set by LinkedIn.
- Stop joining groups that reflect your own profession. LinkedIn allows you to join 50 groups, so it’s a good idea to sign up where your prospects are doing business.
- Be consistent with your content. Publish on a regular basis and approach your contacts with content that answers their questions. For example, Pulse is LinkedIn’s self-publishing platform generally related to ad tech marketing, finance, career development and professional growth. Expect longer blogs and a higher quality of writing on this platform.
- An hour a day. Invite people to your group every day and then look after them with information, advice, and ideas to help with their challenges.
- Think of social media managers as the “farmers of the Internet”. Their job is to find the best prospects for sales people who need to be regarded as the expert.
- The new VP Sales is somebody who can jump on the data. This person analyzes data to find influencers and helps sales people to connect with them.
- Your current customers are your champions. Look after your existing clients by finding them on such networks as Twitter and Facebook and support their efforts.
Final thoughts for business people who want to achieve more success using modern marketing?
“Train your top management in the world of social enterprise,” says Olivier. Next, develop your social media policies and “don’t be afraid to find people within your organization” to build a social media culture.
Finally, choose your best networks wisely, develop policies and, “Teach your employees how to use those networks properly” for the success of everyone involved with the company.
Next up for Oliver? Well, the social media evangelist tells me he’s aiming for 50K followers on Twitter by the end of the year.
Lifelong communications strategist Sharon MacLean owned and published a traditional print magazine for over 21 years for business people. She is certified in Integrated Online Strategies from the University of San Francisco and the Instant Customer Mastery Certified Professional Program.
Beverley Golden
Very interesting read Sharon. I have not even come close to “mastering” LinkedIn yet and only thought of it in personal terms, to expand my network of connections. I hadn’t realized that being the initiator of an active group with many members, could also be a way to grow your influence and create income from having these groups. The idea of building your relationships over time and making sure personally to only join groups that align with your interests, is great advice. Sounds like Oliver is a LinkedIn SuperPower and I appreciate reading some tips from him on how to use LinkedIn more effectively to grow your presence and your business. Many thanks for another great article!
Sharon A.M. MacLean
Thanks, Beverley. Olivier is terrific –and generous of spirit.
My feeling is LinkedIn people prefer a focused message and to wrap themselves around a topic for professional development.
You’ve got wonderful writing credentials. How about a business writing group to engage influencers?
carundle
I really don’t do much with LinkedIn since I’m not a B2B business. I’d love to see more tips on how a one-person business can do all this social media stuff without going crazy.
Sharon A.M. MacLean
I like what Gisele said–find 2 or 3 platforms that suit best and just stick with them.
bodysoulcoaches
I’ve actually been interested in growing on LinkedIn, because I believe for me that is where I will find my ideal clients. With that being said, starting my own group would be a good idea but I don’t quiet get how to get started with that.
Sharon A.M. MacLean
I think a lot of people would respond to your message.
Maybe set up a group…and just start inviting people.
Beth Blacker
I definitely have the connections on and understanding of LinkedIn but just don’t seem to have the time to really “work” it. I am pretty good with immediately following up once a connection is made and often that is enough to start a relationship that turns into business but I rarely participate in groups. I need about 10 more hours a week 🙂
Sharon A.M. MacLean
Methinks, 10 more hours might do it, Beth!
Clive Maloney
Wow! So many valuable tips. Oliver is absolutely right – content is so important, but a lot of entrepreneurs shy away from devoting the time to creating it. I don’t spend a lot of time on LinkedIn as I prefer other platforms. Many of my clients do use LinkedIn and have a lot of success with it. It’s the groups that make LinkedIn an excellent choice for building relationships and marketing your business. This is a very good post Sharon.
Sharon A.M. MacLean
Thanks, Clive. You’ve said it well–find the best platforms that work best for you. I don’t use FB, for exapmple
Gisele J Grenier
Linkedin is a platform that I’ve never connected with. I want to stay with 2-3 that work really, really well, but it’s always in the back of my mind that I “should” spend more time on it.
Sharon A.M. MacLean
I like your idea for staying with 2 or 3 groups. I’m not active on FB, for example.
Which are your 3, Gisele?
Vanessa Harris
Thank you! This is wonderful info and great insight to the LinkedIn world. I’m at my max on my LinkedIn groups but I may need to switch some out to make room for the optimal ones for me!
Sharon A.M. MacLean
I’ve changed my groups several times, Vanessa. All in search of the right mix.
Cassandra McIntyre
Thanks for sharing this information Sharon.
rozbeads
I know my market is on LinkedIn. Professional Working Women abound. And when I explored groups, it was really difficult to select specific ones where I could find women who love handmade jewelry. Jewelry groups were other sellers, crafters or suppliers. So, I love the above enticement, but can’t dive in.
Sharon A.M. MacLean
I wonder if you searched different terms, Roz? What about ideas for special event organizers. Like Dress for Success?
Michael Kawula
These 8 tips are great, especially about being consistent. To connect with as many people as possible for long term you must publish valuable relevant content regularly. If you come and go, possible good connections will come and go as well with not many or none at all sticking around.
Sharon A.M. MacLean
The consistency seems to be a key for me, too, Michael.
tradurretranslateblog
Thanks Sharon, for a very interesting article. Still I am quite behind on using Linkedin, need to get better with that.
Sharon A.M. MacLean
Each platform takes time to learn. I’m behind on Facebook!
LeAnn Shirley
Really appreciate your post. I’m definitely not using LinkedIn to it’s full potential. Thanks again.
Sharon A.M. MacLean
It’s a long, slow process, LeeAnn. But worth it.
Sharon A.M. MacLean
The principals seem to be the same for most platforms, LeAnn. Find the correct audience…build relationships…do business together.
Julie Maloney
Interesting article. I still have a fairly limited number of contacts on Linkedin but it is something I’m working on growing. I totally agree you need to spend time where your prospects are and give value not the hard sell
Sharon A.M. MacLean
LinkedIn works well for me, Julie. But definitely it’s a long, slow process.
Jackie Harder (@keydynamics)
Great advice. LinkedIn is my best source of leads. I have been able to grow to more than 4K followers by publishing long-form posts. It’s a great way to show your authentic self while providing valuable information for your readers.
Sharon A.M. MacLean
You’ve got a serious profile, Jackie.
Do you invite every person who views your profile? Or do you search and invite them to yours?
liZ coZby
Thanks for this information. I have Linked In, but I could do more with it. I’d have to add Beth’s 10-hour rule to start my following in Jackie’s shadow! lol
Kristen Wilson (@k10wilson)
Such great points Sharon and just like anything, it can’t be set up and done.. you have to continuously manage it and work it… and it will work for you! Great job!
Sharon A.M. MacLean
Thanks, Kristen. It’s going to be up to us to show the way!
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Sharon MacLean
Thank you so much!
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I started on WordPress.
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Start writing!
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