LinkedIn Expert Viveka von Rosen on How to Make Optimum Usage of LinkedIn
Looking forward to create a brand name for your company through LinkedIn?Then take a look at some of the useful ideas and thoughts shared by none other than LinkedIn expert and author of ‘LinkedIn Marketing: An Hour a Day’, Viveka von Rosen in her interview with Foradian.
Q. Please introduce yourself to our readers.
Viveka: Hi everyone. My name is Viveka von Rosen, and I’m the author of “LinkedIn Marketing: An Hour a Day”. I’ve been using, training and consulting on LinkedIn since 2005. Most folks know me as the “LinkedIn Expert” and I am fortunate enough to regularly speak to corporations, associations and business owners on the benefits of marketing, positioning (branding) and lead generation with LinkedIn.
I’m a big fan of using social media for thought leader positioning and host the biggest LinkedIn chat on Twitter: #LinkedInChat, co-moderate LinkedStrategies, (the largest LinkedIn strategy group on LinkedIn,) and write LinkedIntoBusiness.com (recently quoted as one of the top 25 Business Blogs written by a woman.) I have 29K+ first level connections and a network of over 35 million people on LinkedIn, 55,000+ followers on Twitter and over 100K views a month on my website, LinkedIntoBusiness.com. My seminars, webinars and workshops have educated well over 58K+ people. I regularly write for the Social Media Examiner and have been mentioned in CNN, Money Magazine, Forbes, Mashable, LinkedIn and MarketingProfs as well as in many other social media blogs and magazines.
I was also recently listed:
- Forbes 20 Most Influential Women in Social Media (2011, 2012, 2013)
- Forbes 50 Most Influential People in Social Media (2012, 2013)
- Social Media Today Top 10 Women Who Rock Social Media
- TopRank’s 25 Women Who Rock Social Media (2011, 2012, 2013)
- Big Money Web’s 200 Most Fearless Women Online
Q. Discuss your experience as LinkedIn expert?
Viveka: I was fortunate enough to start early in the social media game and was able to nab the moniker “LinkedInExpert”. I’ve spent the time since trying to prove its true. I’d say that, most notably, my trainings have moved from explaining what LinkedIn and Social Media is and trying to convince people they should be on it in the early days to sharing actionable strategies now with my audience. Whether we are face to face or several thousand miles apart!
Q. How LinkedIn helps in creating buyers?
Viveka: Let me first state that it is unlikely you will sell a product or service on or through LinkedIn. The likelihood of someone seeing an update you have posted on how you sell the best gadget or responding to a message asking you to use his or her service is unlikely. LinkedIn is about creating relationships with people. Once you have established a connection and are moving from the “know” each other to the “like and trust” each other level of relationship — only then do you have a good chance of sharing your product and service with someone likely to purchase it. But these relationships take effort and nurturing. Establishing that sense of “like and trust” might seem like a lot of work, but the payoff can be monumental. Getting people to buy from you on LinkedIn means a time investment, but to me is well worth it.
Like me, if you position yourself as a thought leader in your particular industry, both by creating and curating valuable content to your target markets, its much easier to get buy in when you do post about your latest product and service. Consider the 80/20 rule. In fact, I would make it the 90/10 rule. Share 90% useful content, and 10% promotional content. Doing the opposite means a big #FAIL.
Q. Tell us about the role of social media in demand delivery.
Viveka: Traditionally, prospecting has been all about finding our prospects (or making endless cold calls from purchased lists.) But as we move from the Age of the Seller to the Age of the Consumer, we are in a much better position when it comes to engaging with prospects. Why? Firstly, because we have much better access to our prospect’s needs- because they are telling us. Not only are they (hopefully) responding to our direct queries, but they are stating them in updates and in groups. With the dissolution of LinkedIn Signal, it’s harder to hear their voices in updates but you can still search through discussions and comments in your groups. You can also join groups that talk about your target market’s needs.
The second thing we can do is put ourselves, our businesses, and information about our products and services out there in the social space. This allows us to attract our prospects by positioning ourselves as thought leaders, thereby creating greater visibility, and if we are lucky (or strategic) inspiring our current clients and fans to advocate us and become an unpaid sales force. Perhaps even earning our prospect’s trust before we (or they) make initial contact. Again, groups and updates are a great way to share useful, helpful, thought leader inspired posts! You will also want to consider creating a company page where you can post video testimonials, recommendations, updates and various other media showcasing your brilliance.
Q. Why did you select LinkedIn as your area of involvement?
Viveka: LinkedIn was the only game in town when I started. Twitter had not yet been created and Facebook was — literally — for college kids. But even though I have ventured into many of the different social mediums out there, I remain a solid fan of LinkedIn. Mainly because it makes sense to me. But more importantly because it makes sense to my clients. I work in a lot of conservative industries and they are very wary of Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Vine and other — but for the most part, LinkedIn seems more like the networking they have always done — just online instead of on the golf course.
Q. How social media can make use of better communication with our target market?
Viveka: I don’t mean to sound like a broken record here — but thought leader positioning. You have to come across as someone helpful and useful and knowledgeable. Win their trust and you have a much better chance of selling your product or service. Share content they find useful. I’m a big fan of the Sharing Bookmarklet that will allow you to share any online content as a LinkedIn update, tweet, group discussion or even as a personal message. When I am online and I come across an article I like that I think my network will like I just click on the “Share on LinkedIn” button and strategically share where I think I can make an impact.
Q. Share the ways we can use to increase brand value through LinkedIn?
Viveka: All of the above. Also, make sure that you have unified copy across your own profile, your employee’s profile, your Company page and your groups. Make sure the descriptions of your company all jive and that you have the right keywords and search terms in the right places.
Have professional photos of yourself and your employees. Use a nicely branded Header or “Hero Image” for your Company Page, Group — something that looks like your website header if you can.
Make sure you know your target market and are strategically reaching out to them. Connect and engage before you need to sell them!
Q. Tell us about the tactics for selling software in social media especially in LinkedIn.
Viveka: Remember, its not so much about selling as making yourself appear as an expert — or at least as a go to person for your industry. There’s nothing better than a warm lead or referral. When you respond to invitations consider addressing a common software issue with a free piece of advice on how to solve it. But maybe leave out some details so they have to get back with you. Then you of course share the details in a letter — or even a phone call — and when the time seems right, upsell them to your product or service. Placing discussions in groups is also good. Ask questions. Ask for help. Just don’t use Groups to post your software product for sale or you’ll get SWAMd (Site Wide Auto Moderation).
Connect with Viveka:
https://www.facebook.com/vivekavonrosen
http://about.me/linkedinexpert
https://twitter.com/linkedinexpert
http://www.linkedin.com/in/linkedinexpert
Originally published at www.edtechboard.com on November 22, 2013.
