Divide and Conquer: The Other Secret to Making Your LinkedIn Presence Matter

Linked in Divide and Conquer: The Other Secret to Making Your LinkedIn Presence Matter * IN A 2014 STUDY: LinkedIn is your best bet to connect with the partners you want! 32% of Fortune 500 CEOs have You Tuhal a presence on a social network. For the Fortune 500 CEOS with only one in social network, 73% were on LinkedIn. Sources: http://www.ceo.com/social-ceo-report-2014/ I http://www.webershandwick.com/uploads/news/files/socializing-your-ceo-ii-exec-summary.pdf * BUT FIRST! Make your brand matter to the right people before you jump into the network. To do this, identify three things: ) Your Business Strategy SUCCESS ESTABLISH HOW YOU WANT TO PRESENT YOURSELF BY ASKING: What is the one description you want your brand to stand for? What is the core purpose of your business strategy? IDEA STRATEGY How do you want to describe your brand? 2 Your Competitors KNOWING YOUR COMPETITION LETS YOUR LEVERAGE YOUR ADVANTAGES OVER THEM. DO THIS BY FINDING OUT: The strengths/weaknesses of the brands you compete with. How consumers see them. (Which ones do they like/hate the most?) 3 Your Prospects MAKE YOURSELF AND YOUR LINKEDIN CONTENT RELEVANT BY LISTENING TO CUSTOMERS AND THEIR PREFERENCES. THIS HELPS YOU DETERMINE: What motivates them to buy your brands/products. What they like/hate about your brand/product/company. What else they would like you to offer them. Which types of LinkedIn content they'll respond positively to. Get all the information you need to effectively group your prospects and competitors. This lets you prioritize which partners or prospects to reach. THE NEXT STEP IS TO DIVIDE AND CONQUER. Divide Your ompetition... Sun Tzu's advice was to attack those weaker The than you, and avoid those stronger than you. Art of Do This by Finding out: 孫子 兵法 Which ones are the biggest players? War Which competitors can you challenge? How do customers see them? What weaknesses can you exploit? ...AND LET THEM HAVE IT! Maximize your advantage over the competition with these guide questions: What advantages can your company offer over the competition? Do you have a better/more cost-effective solution than they do? Are there facts you can cite to back up your claims? Are there previous business partners who can attest to your success? Your answers will supplement your credibility when you make your LinkedIn profile and content. Dividle Your Prospects... Each customer group has different needs. To maximize your brand's strengths, know which groups of consumers eed you the most/least. Identify which consumer groups/business partners are the most profitable to work with. Identify the top keywords they search for in social networks. Identify which LinkedIn groups they join and what these groups talk about most. ...THEN CONQUER THEM! >> Once you know which prospects you want to talk to, tailor-fit your Linkedln profile's content & credentials to conquer that market. Do this by identifying which types of content they respond to. Do you need to integrate SlideShare? O Do they prefer links to your website? O Do they want to know your previous partners? O Will they listen to you better in LinkedIn groups? KNOW WHAT YOUR TARGET MARKETS WANT BEFORE SELECTING THE BEST TACTIC! BONUS TIP: A solid idea supported by relevant information always trumps buzzword-heavy content. As long as you know who you want to talk to and who you're competing against, you have a fighting chance of getting your desired business partners. First, identify what content your business can specialize in when you join Linkedln. Then, find out how to best reach your target market. Finally, figure out which competitors you have an edge over. You'll get more customers and business partners if you divide and conquer. Belch, George E., and Michael A. Belch. Advertising and Promotion: An Integrated Marketing Communications Perspective. 6th ed. Singapore: McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2003. Brymer, Chuck. "What Makes Brands Great?" Marketing Magazine. January 15, 2004. Accessed June 19, 2015. http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/article/199797/makes-brands-great. REFERENCES: Michaelson, G., & Michaelson, S. Sun Tzu: The Art of War for Managers, 50 Strategic Rules, Updated for Today's Business. 2nd Ed.. Avon, Mass.: Adams Media, 2010. Sullivan, Luke. Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This. A Guide to Creating Great Advertising. 3rd ed. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2008. This infographic is provided by www. SLIDEgenius.com, your PowerPoint presentation designers for business! ( • Sun Tzu's