LinkedIn has been around a long time, in social media years, but has only recently come in on most business’s radar as a tool for networking. Even so, I too often hear “yeah, I’m on LinkedIn, but no one contacts me. It’s just sitting there.” This is music to my ears, of course (ka-ching!), but I would be remiss if I didn’t share how easy it is to leverage the tools presented to you each time you log in. Here are five steps to developing business using my favorite feature, LinkedIn Groups.

Step 1: Find Groups. There are literally thousands of groups to choose from on LinkedIn. Be they industry based, comprised of your target market, or related to your favorite pastime, enter your keywords in the search box using the Groups filter and start investigating.

Step 2: Join Groups. Well, yes, it’s just the click of a button (and with some groups a waiting period for approval), but be sure to join groups that have a lot of members, think 1,000 or more. Also look at recent discussions to determine whether the group is active.

Step 3: Listen. Keep your group notifications settings at weekly or more frequently if you can handle it. When new discussions are posted, you’ll be notified by email. See what people are talking about and how they’re talking. Who’s talking? Are they people you’d like to reach out to?

Step 4: Engage. Find opportunities to add your two cents to group discussions. This is an opportunity to show off your expertise (humbly, of course), and it gets your name out there. Each time you comment, a link to your profile is available for others to click, so be sure to have that completed to 100%.

Step 5: Connect. Once you have a group in common with a potential connection, the connection process is much smoother. First, because LinkedIn gives you a check-off box for groups you have in common when you fill out the connections request form, and, second, because it gives you a starting point for conversation. Note: Always make your message to the potential connection personal and phrase your request in the form of a question.
Feel free to contact me for assistance or with further questions. My door is always open!

I’m talking about Twitter, silly! Businesses jumping on the Twitter info stream, particularly in the beginning, often believe that without a significant number of “followers” they can’t make a significant impact. As this platform matures, it is becoming apparent that other factors–such as who your followers are, your posts, and how you build relationships on Twitter–are what really matter as far as your business is concerned.

     I present to you an article by Catharine Smith, via The Huffington Post, that proves, scientifically, that the size of your following doesn’t really matter:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/07/twitter-followers-number_n_567746.html

Many businesses are carrying the new tagline “Follow us on Twitter” in their marketing messages. While you may be hesitant to jump on the bandwagon, or feel overwhelmed by the seemingly alien language of the posts or “tweets,” chances are pretty great that you should be there, too. Check out the following arguments for getting in on the conversation.

1. Twitter is today’s information superhighway for your industry.
If you’re impressed by the magic of “Googling” any topic, person, or headline to instantly get answers, you’ll be blown away by Twitter’s real-time linkup to what’s happening in your industry, often directly from key sources. Stay in the loop and one step ahead for your customers.

2. You can keep an eye on your competition.
Do you know what your competitors are talking about? Do you know what they’re offering their customers today? Where are they getting their information, and who’s listening to them? With a click of the “Follow” button, you’ll have the answers.

3. When you ask your customers to follow you on Twitter, you’re inviting them to cultivate their relationship with you.
Unlike traditional marketing and advertising, social networking is a two-way conversation, and this will generate customer loyalty much more quickly than your other communications efforts.

4. Twitter is word-of-mouth promotion x 100.
Word-of-mouth about your brand is priceless, and with Twitter the phenomenon can ignite like wildfire. When you have valuable information to share, whether about the industry at large or about an exclusive opportunity for your followers, word will spread fast with re-tweets.

5. If your business isn’t on Twitter, you’ll soon be scrambling to prove you’re here.
Just like having a web site, any company worth its salt will soon have a hard time finding its audience without social networking presence. And unlike other popular sites, Twitter is fast becoming your customers’ go-to venue for their information. Let’s hope you’re there to give it to them–your competitors certainly will be!