In your LinkedIn efforts it’s especially important than you develop strategy before tactics. While most end users take the “shiny new object” or “tip of the week” tactical approach, you’ll know a great LinkedIn strategy is the most important aspect to being successful.
Before you decide on joining 50 groups or creating a group, you must adopt and commit to a LinkedIn strategy. All tactical decisions should be filtered through your strategy to see if they make sense or support the overall marketing strategy.
The concept of a strategy may seem foreign or out of reach, but it’s really just determining and narrowly defining your ideal connections and clients and creating communication with them as a key point of differentiation.
Here is how to craft your own LinkedIn Strategy in 2 minutes below. Try this or modify it to fit your situation:
- Touch up your profile. Add a call-to-action
- Join 2-4 groups. Become active. Ask interesting questions and leave thought-provoking answers.
- Get weekly digests for groups. Keep up-to-date with insider information.
- Spend thirty minutes to one hour weekly participating in discussions of interest. You get what you sow.
- Send connection invitations to people you meet in discussions. Find a reason to connect.
- Ask connections if they would like to connect by phone or Skype. Deepen the connection. Move it from connection to relationship.
- Every three months, reevaluate group memberships and weekly digests.
LinkedIn is a powerful tool for helping build a business.
Question: What do you think? How have you used LinkedIn?