1. Learning to Leverage LinkedIn
Presented by:
Cheryl Strege, President
Cheryl@ThePartnerMarketingGroup.com

2. The Presenter
• The Partner Marketing Group
– Marketing services firm
– Specializing in technology organizations in the Sage,
Microsoft and Intel channels
• Have people resources
– Virtual marketing director, program managers, etc.
• Program resources
– E-newsletter program, customer case studies, ghost
writing of blog posts, website content, and more!

3. Why Bother?
1. More clients (our #1 referral source)
- Viewed as an expert
2. More money
- Viewed as an expert
3. More influence (62% are new visitors)
- Seen in more places, more often
4. Less selling
- The right clients seek you out (3.35 avg. minutes/visit)
5. Long term success
- Sustainable relationships

4. Why Bother?
LinkedIn generated the highest visitor-to-lead
conversion rate at 2.74% - almost three times
higher than both Twitter (.69%) and Facebook
(.77%).
The visitor-to-lead conversion rate means the
percentage of website visitors who took some
action to become a lead such as download a
white paper.
A recent study of over 5,000 businesses conducted by Hubspot.

5. Improving or Completing Your Profile

6. Completeness
• Make sure you have 100% profile completeness on
LinkedIn.
– To achieve this you will need:
 Photo
 Headline
 Current position and at least your past two positions are recommended
 Completed Summary & Education
 List your Skills & Expertise
 Complete your Interests
 Get at least 3 Recommendations

7. Other Profile Updates
• Add company websites or blog
sites you are associated with.
You are allowed three.
• Add a Twitter account if you
have one.
• Change your Public Profile to
your name or something that
identifies you.
– Use this URL in your email
signature and other
communications

8. The Improve Your Profile Tool analyzes your profile and
offers you personalized profile recommendations to help
you put your best foot forward. Click on the Improve your
Profile button on your Edit Profile page to get started.

9. Recommendations
• You will need 3
recommendations to
complete your profile. Get
recommendations from:
– Colleagues
– Customers
– Other partners
– Vendors & Suppliers
• Best strategy? Give to get!
Write a recommendation
for someone else first.

10. Outlook Social Connector
• Download the Outlook Social Connector to build your LinkedIn network
through Outlook.

11. Who’s Viewing Your Profile?
• From the home page, check to see who has been viewing your profile.
The “look and look back” tactic- reach out with a connection request!

12. Security Settings
• From the dropdown underneath your name, click on Settings.

13. Security Settings

14. LinkedIn Tools & How to Leverage Them

15. Groups
• Participate in product or vertical groups.
– Post tips, links to articles, info on events, or downloads
– Leave comments on other posts

16. Events
• Use the Events tool to promote your next webcast, training or
live event.

17. Polls
• Poll your network on LinkedIn.
 Promote in groups, email campaign, blog, email
signature and other social media sites.

18. Box.net, Google Presentation & SlideShare
Box.net – To add any type of
document or presentation for
download from your profile.
Google Presentation – To add a
PowerPoint presentation for
viewing on your profile.
SlideShare – To Add any type
of document or presentation to
be viewed or downloaded from
your profile.

20. Answers
• Watch the questions that are
being asked and answer them if
you can. This will help show your
industry expertise.
• When answering questions make
sure you:
 Mention your company and/or services,
but don’t pitch!
 Refer them to a website or blog if you
have written on the topic before.

21. Answers
Advanced Answers Search:

22. Tips Business Partners Can Use

23. Create a Company Profile
• This makes your company searchable.
• Ask your employees to update their profiles to be associated
with your company.
• Enable your company page for “status updates” so
designated people can post content for your followers.

24. Add Products & Services
• Add each product or service that is provided
under your company profile. This will increase
your company’s visibility.
• Ask for recommendations from clients on
each product or service.
• Integrate rich media such as images,
hyperlinked banners, and YouTube videos.

25. 4 Ways to Solicit Followers
1. Encourage employees to link their personal
profile to the company page.
2. Follow the company pages of clients,
prospects, colleagues, and vendors.
3. Send an announcement to appropriate
contacts giving them 2-3 reasons why it
would be beneficial to follow your company.
4. Send that same “benefit message” to your
database of clients and prospects.

26. Getting Followers,
Keeping Followers
• Participate
– EXAMPLE: Comment on other companies you follow when
they announce a new hire or acquisition.
• Freshen
– EXAMPLE: Post new videos, images, pictures from the
client holiday party or classroom training.
• Allocate
– EXAMPLE: Carve out an hour each Friday afternoon
dedicated to LinkedIn “participating” and “freshening”.
Use http://ping.fm/ to update multiple social networks at
once.

27. Create Your Own Group
• Create a group for your customer base.
• Share relevant info:
– Customer events
– Training sessions
– Product updates/upgrades
– Opt into your customer newsletter
– Promotions/discounts/specials
• Make the group “private” to prevent
competitors from joining.

28. TIPS
• Ask someone to review your profile to ensure it is “customer
focused”, not just an online CV.
– EXAMPLE: State your qualifications in terms of how you help clients,
not just “Was the Vice President of Marketing”.
• Change your title to a “helpful headline”.
– EXAMPLE: Instead of “President of XYZ Company” (defaults
from your profile), change it to “Helping Small/Medium
Businesses Better Manage Technology”
• Use Status Updates to non-intrusively remind people what
you do.
– EXAMPLE: “Just finished our training class on what’s new
with Peachtree 2012” could lead to a prospect or customer
contacting you.

29. TIPS
• Accelerate referrals! If you have a targeted list
of accounts, search LinkedIn to see if your
contacts are connected.
– EXAMPLE: Review the sales pipeline for the top 10
“most likely to close” or the top 10 you “most
want to meet”. Use LinkedIn to see if you have any
1st or 2nd connections – ask them for a referral.

30. TIPS
• Include a call-to-action on your personal
profile, your company profile, your group:
– Checklists
– How to Guides
– Tips & Tricks PPT
– An article
– An upcoming event

31. LAST TIPS!
• Be unique – add a video
to your profile.
• Be sure to include your
photo!

32. Quick Guideline for Business Partners:
Benefit/Task How does LinkedIn help with this?
Discover information about prospects, customers, ISVs, suppliers and partners. Reading their profile before a meeting or conversation
Personal messages, sharing ideas in Discussions and
Maintaining a relationship with prospects, customers, ISVs, suppliers and partners.
answering questions in Answers.
Receiving introductions or referrals to prospects and/or other introductions to other
departments at a customer. In addition other ISV's, suppliers, or partners that you may Use the introduction tool or LinkedIn email.
not have worked with.
Discovering relationships between customer, prospects, ISVs, suppliers, partners, and
View the degrees of connections within a profile.
other contacts.
Your profile, your company profile, and contributions in
Visibility, personal and company branding.
Answers and in Group discussions.
Word of mouth publicity through customers, colleagues, etc. give testimonials about
Receiving recommendations on your profile or for your
you and/or your company so prospects, ISVs, suppliers or other business partners can
company products & services.
learn about you.
Getting notifications when someone changes jobs. This can be a trigger to contact
them to see if you can be the partner to the new organization or to get introduced to Use the Network Updates
the one who will replace them at your current customer’s organization.
Picking up trends in the marketplace via Groups that prospects, customers, ISVs,
Participate in the discussions within Groups.
suppliers and partners participate in.
Make yourself be perceived as an expert by participating. Through contributions in Group discussions and Answers.
Finding the Groups and Organizations to be a member of, both online and offline Via Group Search and via the Profiles of people from your
which are right for you. The key is to participate. network.

33. Summary
• Generate Leads!
– Regularly enhance your personal profile and ask
your employees to do the same.
– Create and regularly enhance your company profile.
• Add Services/Products, get recommendations, solicit
followers, add a call-to-action.
– Follow and they may follow you back.

34. Summary
• Participate!
– Answer questions.
– Post updates (relevant to the reader).
– Ask for introductions/referrals from the people
you know.
• Include a call-to-action. Get them to your
website to learn more and engage with you.

35. What’s on Your Website?
• Is your content fresh?
– Product names and versions updated?
– Removed the old events and added new ones?
– Are there “actions” on your website?
• Download
• Click
• View • Opt-in
• Register • Contact you
• Is your content interesting, engaging, and
does it talk about their needs?

36. Questions?
Visit my profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/cherylstrege
to get a copy of this presentation!
Cheryl@ThePartnerMarketingGroup.com
www.ThePartnerMarketingGroup.com
605.574.9432