1. 10/24/2012
Making an Impact on LinkedIn
And Engaging Your Ideal Client
Laura B. Poindexter Yuhannes Watts
Yuhannes Watts
Entrepreneur
LinkedIn Strategist
Professional Networker
 I teach people the importance
of building & maintaining
quality relationships
 I teach people how to use
LinkedIn as a leverage tool to
connect and build
relationships with decision
makers.
©2009-2012 Laura B. Poindexter. Do not
copy or distribute. All Rights Reserved. 1

2. 10/24/2012
What You’ll Learn
 how to maximize your profile
 how to expand your network
 integrate LinkedIn to your other social
media marketing efforts
 Advanced Search
 Conversation Starters
 Company Pages
Top 20 worldwide based on traffic
1 Google 11. LinkedIn
2 Facebook 12. Blogspot.com
3 YouTube 13.Taobao (China)
4 Yahoo! 14.Google (India)
5 Baidu.com (Chinese 15.Yahoo! (Japan)
search engine) 16.sina.com.cn (Chinese
6 Wikipedia infotainment portal)
7 Windows Live 17.Microsoft Network (MSN)
8 Twitter 18. Google (Germany)
9 QQ.Com (IM service, 19. Google (Hong Kong)
China) 20.Yandex (Russia – search
10 Amazon.com engine)
Top Social Networking Sites
Social Networking July 2009 Oct 2010 Oct 2012
SIte
Facebook #4 #2
Twitter #20 #9 #8
LinkedIn #82 #23 #11
©2009-2012 Laura B. Poindexter. Do not
copy or distribute. All Rights Reserved. 2

3. 10/24/2012
Why Social Networking?
 Most viewed web pages
 1. Home
 2. About Us
 People do business with those they…
 Know
 Like
 Trust
LinkedIn
 175+ million users worldwide
 Executives from every Fortune 500
company
 50% male / 49% female
 Average age 45
 Average household income $91,566
 63.2% college graduate/post graduate
WHY: Reasons to be on LinkedIn
 Built for business networking so use it to build
your network
 Find business associates
 Get recommended
 Become an industry expert
©2009-2012 Laura B. Poindexter. Do not
copy or distribute. All Rights Reserved. 3

4. 10/24/2012
WHY: Reasons to be on LinkedIn
 Get Found
 Search Engine Optimization
 LinkedIn Search
 Within your larger
network
WHAT Are You Trying to Accomplish?
 To find consulting work
 To support product sales
 To build a community
 To brand, build traffic, promote a blog
 To do business development
WHO are you looking for?
 Potential partners
 Finding business and then finding contact with
correct job title at that business
 Industry journalists
 New customers
©2009-2012 Laura B. Poindexter. Do not
copy or distribute. All Rights Reserved. 4

5. 10/24/2012
My Profile: WHAT do I do?
 Completely fill out profile incl. photo
 Custom public profile URL
 Add URL to all marketing material: email signature,
business card
 Utilize all 3 links you are allowed in profile
 Keyword rich headline, summary, specialties
 Experience – as complete as possible
 Recommendations – get lots!!!
 The more information you share on your profile, the
more searchable you become
Connections: HOW do I find people?
 Start with your email
address book
 Browse their
connections for people
you know
 Browse their
connections for people
you want to know
©2009-2012 Laura B. Poindexter. Do not
copy or distribute. All Rights Reserved. 5

6. 10/24/2012
Two Differing Opinions
Connect to Everyone Connect to only the
people you really
know
Dunbar’s Number
HOW do I Link?
 Send customized
request for connection
 Ask for introduction
 Read people’s profiles
before contacting them
 Organize connections
using tags
©2009-2012 Laura B. Poindexter. Do not
copy or distribute. All Rights Reserved. 6

7. 10/24/2012
WHERE else can I find people?
 Groups
 Like-minded individuals
 Similar interests
 Alumni groups
 Trade associations
 Networking groups
Making an Impact with Groups
 Foster relationships and find more
connections
 Participate in group discussion board
 Add relevant info (including your own blog
posts) to the group news feed
NOTE: for groups and events, keep different
digest schedules in mind, post at least 10
days in advance for events
BIG idea
 Create a group of like minded individuals
related to your business on LinkedIn and
actively seek members, post news and
discussion topics
 OR a networking group based on industry or
geography
©2009-2012 Laura B. Poindexter. Do not
copy or distribute. All Rights Reserved. 7

8. 10/24/2012
LinkedIn Events
 Can promote to your network
 events.linkedin.com
 Browse by:
• Type
• Topic
• Location
LinkedIn Applications
 Connecting to your blog
 Market Research
 Collaboration
 Share Presentations
 Showcase Your Work
 Industry Specific
 A little fun
Other Brilliant ideas
 Become an expert in Answers
 Market research help
 Ask questions
 Search keywords for info on your consumers
 Fill out business trip by adding face-to-face
meetings
 Find former clients and use info in profile to
reconnect
 Introduce two of your connections to each other
 CALL your contacts occasionally
©2009-2012 Laura B. Poindexter. Do not
copy or distribute. All Rights Reserved. 8

9. 10/24/2012
Integration Tools
Content Integration
with Email Marketing and other Social Media
 Use email (et al) to:
 Direct people to your profile
 Tell people about your groups
 Announce a great
recommendation
 Use LinkedIn to:
 Talk about newsletter article
or promotion you just sent out
 Promote to niche groups
 Promote in answers to
relevant questions
5 Best Business LinkedIn Tips
1. Complete your profile.
2. Connect to people you trust
3. Give and get recommendations
4. Share business news, updates, milestones, NOT
personal info. Do NOT autopost Twitter updates to
your LinkedIn status. Disallowed since July 2012
5. Read profile of potential client/partner before your
next meeting.
©2009-2012 Laura B. Poindexter. Do not
copy or distribute. All Rights Reserved. 9

10. 10/24/2012
Queen’s Jewel
 Make a list of 30-50 people you admire in
your industry and beyond
 See if they are within your larger network
 Try to connect with them by forming
relationship through
 Group participation
 Blog trackbacks and comments
What You Learned…so far
 how to maximize your profile
 how to expand your network
 integrate LinkedIn to your other social
media marketing efforts
And now…
 Advanced Search
 Conversation Starters
 Company Pages
LinkedIn Platform
 Building relationships
 Leveraging your network
 Research
 Reaching decision makers
 Starting conversations
 Exclusive memberships (ALUMNI, affiliations,
MILITARY, etc.)
 Showing your value
 Helping others
©2009-2012 Laura B. Poindexter. Do not
copy or distribute. All Rights Reserved. 10

11. 10/24/2012
B2B OR B2C?
Business to Business:
Find other businesses right on LinkedIn
Business to Consumer:
You need to connect with other businesses
who are already dealing with your customers
Ex: P&C Insurance Agent connecting with
Residential Real Estate Agents
Company Pages
1. Have been updated
2. Better branding
3. Key decision makers
4. Products and services
5. Recommendations – from anyone!
6. Company updates
7. Video
8. Basic company info
Focus, Focus… Focus
More!
Industry
Vertical
Type of company
Size
Geographic
Decision Maker
©2009-2012 Laura B. Poindexter. Do not
copy or distribute. All Rights Reserved. 11

12. 10/24/2012
Advanced Search
Focus on 5 Key areas:
Title
Key words
Zip code
Industry
Start working the list!
Accessing prospect info on
LinkedIn
Profile
Summary
Current company/position
Past companies/positions
Link to LI company page/website
Common connections
Groups
Your LinkedIn Profile…
Is a sales tool
Drives traffic to your website
Should speak to your target market
Describes your ideal client
Tells problems you solve
Shows your skills and expertise
It’s not your resume…!
©2009-2012 Laura B. Poindexter. Do not
copy or distribute. All Rights Reserved. 12

13. 10/24/2012
Pay attention Folks!
 Information is Power!
1. Articles
2. Networking events
3. Company updates
4. Information trends
5. New connections
Conversation Starters!
1. New photos
2. New connections
3. New titles
4. **New Jobs
5. New Promotions
6. New profile updates
7. New recommendations
8. Relevant article and info posts
**Reasons to reach out and start convos
Differentiate Yourself!
 Are you a serious networker?
 Follow up
 Customize
 Make it relevant
 State your case
 Pay attention!
 Don’t blow it buddy!
©2009-2012 Laura B. Poindexter. Do not
copy or distribute. All Rights Reserved. 13

14. 10/24/2012
LinkedIn Messages
1. Requesting to connect
2. Request accepted
3. Recommendations
4. Promotions
5. Sharing
6. In-messaging
7. Request for introductions
8. Reply Privately…
Questions
Thank You
Yuhannes Watts Laura B. Poindexter
yuhannes@learn2link.com www.queenbcreative.com
www.learn2link.com Twitter - @laurabcreative
703.297.5393 703.672.0233
©2009-2012 Laura B. Poindexter. Do not
copy or distribute. All Rights Reserved. 14