A presentation on the topic of how to cook a chocolate tart is going to “bomb”at a cheese maker’s convention.
![How to Harness the Power of LinkedIn [Infographic] image How to Harness the Power of LinkedIn – INFOGRAPHIC1](http://cdn2.business2community.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/How-to-Harness-the-Power-of-LinkedIn-–-INFOGRAPHIC1.png "How to Harness the Power of LinkedIn – INFOGRAPHIC")
It will be the wrong audience for an interesting topic, but the cheesemakers didn’t pay $1,200 for a conference ticket to hear information about “Tarts”!
A paying participant at a car dealer expo will want to hear about horsepower and handbrakes and will either leave the hall or fall asleep if the speakers start talking about knitting and slipper making.
The art of successful communicating and engagement involves selecting the right audience and providing them with information and content that resonates with their needs and wants.
Not all Social Networks are Equal.
When it comes down to sheer popularity Facebook is the social network that wins.
Facebook is also about “Identity” whether that is a personal profile or a “business brand” persona.
Twitter is about “Events” which could be the next plane crashing into the Hudson river or letting your audience know that your latest blog post is published…that is an event!
Google plus is “Core” and is woven into the science of search as Google embeds it into every one of its web properties from Picasa to YouTube.
It cannot and should not be ignored by marketers as social signals are now being measured and monitored by Google machines and is being woven into the DNA of search. Optimizing your online assets (blog and website) for search engines is vital.
Different social networks will be need to be included in your social media marketing strategy depending on your goals, audience and tactics.
Don’t Ignore LinkedIn
If you want to communicate to a B2B audience and business professionals then LinkedIn with its 150 million members is a good place to play.
If you want to engage with the business leaders and executives then it is the first channel to turn to.
So What are the Engagement Levels of LinkedIn?
Facebook and Tumblr have very high engagement levels but LinkedIn’s focus on the business community provides it with some serious online networking power.
- 47.6% of users use LinkedIn 0-2 hours per week
- 26% use it from 3 to 4 hours a week
- 12.2 % use it for 5-6 hours per week (that is nearly 1,400 minutes per month)
What are the Top 3 Favorite Features of LinkedIn?
There are hundreds of thousands of “Groups” on the platform from retail to social media and marketing and much more you will find interests and topics on any business subject imaginable.
- Groups – 79.6%
- People searching – 70.6%
- People you may know – 66.8%
How does LinkedIn Help?
LinkedIn is a great online network community that that can help you with a range of tasks
- 76.9% of users say LinkedIn helped them research people and companies
- 68.8% said that it helped reconnect with past business associates
- 49.7% said it was good for building new network relationships with individuals who may influence potential customers
So what else is LinkedIn useful for?
LinkedIn User Portrait
![How to Harness the Power of LinkedIn [Infographic] image Infographic 500w](http://cdn2.business2community.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Infographic-500w.png "How to Harness the Power of LinkedIn [Infographic]")
Via: PowerFormula for Linkedin Success
So What About You?
How do you use LinkedIn. Have you found it useful for networking. Do you participate in groups?
How have you found it for researching?
Could you use it more effectively?
The tough thing about Linkedin is that it is all tied to personal netoworking.
It’s great that so many b2b professionals are on the site, and using it; and it makes complete sense for my clients to want their company or brand represented there. It is, after all, their audience.
But I can’t do it for them. I can give them tips and best practices, but they have to promote their company or brand (and personal brand themselves) because everything you do on Linkedin is tied to the personal profile. And what do I, an online marketing manager at a branding agency know about healthcare or work safety or data management systems.
Everyone is publishing these stats, making a case for marketing on Linkedin… but I think it is important to note that this isn’t something you can outsource. An agency can only help you help yourself!
- Danielle Hohmeier
Online Marketing Manager @ Atomicdust
Danielle, you’ll be happy to hear that the company page enhancements coming soon will help considerably with this. We have some additional strategies for agencies helping companies as well. Let me know if you’d like to connect on that topic.
I agree with Danielle’s comment about not being able to do it for them but as a LI ‘guide’ I see my job as sharing beneficial articles with my LinkedIn connections. I will copy and paste the URL because I do believe this worth sharing but find it very ironic that an article about LI has no LI share tab.