I recently did a talk about the importance of quality social media content. During the talk, I preached about the importance of social media, with a particular focus on LinkedIn.
But can posting and engaging on these social media platforms really work?
Can you gain business and valuable referral connections through social media channels?
There are so many questions and uncertainty surrounding social media. So many people think they should be doing it, and yet many don’t have the time. If I’m quite honest, I think social media should only be used if you have something really interesting to say, or if you have a specific question or piece of information to share.
LinkedIn networking
I’ve been to numerous business networking events where you reel off who you are and what you do for 30-60 seconds. More often than not, you’re telling a group of people that have heard your pitch time after time and are usually just waiting for their turn to speak.
So… Why not mix it up?
Stop pitching!
Instead, ask for something specific – on a personal or professional level.
I’ve used my 60 seconds in this way before and received instant engagement as a result.
LinkedIn should be used in the same way as standard networking. Use it to build connections, share valuable knowledge, engage with your connection’s posts and refer businesses you know and trust.
It’s only when you engage that you realise the power of social media and can harness it to obtain the following:
- Brand Awareness
- Partnerships
- Leads
In order to obtain increased brand awareness, valuable partnerships and leads, I recommend the following:
- Optimise your profile
- Comment on your connections posts (where relevant)
- Post great content
- Ask your network questions
In practice
To prove how it can work, I want to share with you a personal example…
My business is experiencing growth, so recently I reached out to my network on LinkedIn to see whether anyone could refer any writers to me.
I was fairly happy with the response. Those who commented or were recommended to me turned out to be valuable connections. I was introduced to other professional writers looking for work and discovered how others in the industry charge for their services.
Having proved its worth (or so I thought), I later decided to see if any of my LinkedIn connections knew anyone who would be able to design and create a mobile application for a client of mine. I was hoping for at least a few responses… The results speak for themselves…
Not only did I get a huge number of comments, but also InMails, connection requests, emails, enquiries through my website, Twitter, Skype and What’s App messages, as well as a huge number of calls.
I’m under no illusion that some of the people who got in touch have used scraper tools to pick out keywords in my post and frequently blanket message people. However, the post has introduced me to new potential partners and put me in front of some incredible businesses. Take a look below:
It took about two minutes to publish that post, and the benefits have been well worth it. I’ve put my name out there, getting my business name in front of nearly 90K people and have made new business relationships with some great people.
So, why wouldn’t you use the connections you have to your advantage?