Using linked in to increase your credibility, business networks and influence
LinkedIn is an excellent tool for making new and enhancing current connections, staying in the know about industry news and trends, sharing content, building and maintaining a following, lead generation, creating influence, amplifying reach and visibility for your business, attracting new business and making sales. Humans Have A Basic Need To Connect. You already have a network of professionals in real life. LinkedIn helps you see, categorise and communicate with that network. Connect with people who are already well connected within your niche and positioned as thought leaders. They can help you grow your influence more quickly. You should not be overtly trying to sell or market yourself or your products/services on LinkedIn. Instead, you should focus on creating influence. Sales will be a bi-product of this strategy! You have created influence when you cause other people to think in a way they wouldn't otherwise have thought or when you have caused them to do something that they wouldn't otherwise have done without your "influence". You don't have to be anointed by LinkedIn to be an influencer. Instead learn from those "influencers". Influencers: • Lead • Inspire • Teach • Motivate • Empathize • Empower • Promote and connect others Everyone is an "Influencer" in some way about something at some time. Find your unique path to influence. Positioning yourself as a thought leader is a great way to create influence. • Bring VALUE to your network • Share your expertise and demonstrate your insights freely • Create and share your own content • Share other people's content • Add links to showcase your work (images, videos, audio files, presentations and other documents or resources) • Sprinkle CTA’s in your profile - Use website links and publications sections for lead generation by including links to landing Pages along with CTA's Create influence by transforming yourself into a publisher, sharing valuable, relevant and compelling content on a consistent basis with your connections. This will assist you in developing strong relationships and positioning yourself and/or your business as a thought leader and the got-to, trusted resource for information in your niche. Your content should compliment your free giveaways, paid programs, products and services. By remaining top of mind with your connections through your content, you will build trust, visibility and influence. If you position yourself as an influencer on LinkedIn, you can develop reciprocally beneficial relationships, form effective partnerships, create advocates for your business and influence the purchasing decisions of not only your networks, but your network's networks. You do this well and your connections and their networks will buy sooner, buy in larger quantities, buy more frequently and remain customers for longer, as well as tell their friends about their experiences with your business.
