How to Harness the Power of LinkedIn – INFOGRAPHIC

A presentation on the topic of how to cook a chocolate tart is  going to “bomb”at a cheese maker’s  convention.

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.

1. Groups – 79.6%
2. People searching – 70.6%
3. 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

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?

More Reading

• How do You Use LinkedIn? [INFOGRAPHIC]
• 10 Steps To Promote Brand “You” With Social Media
• How do You Use Twitter? [INFOGRAPHIC]
• How to Optimize Social Media to Kick Start Your Career
• The Modern Executives Essential Social Media Toolkit Plus [INFOGRAPHIC]