Contents
- 5 Reasons Why You Think LinkedIn is a Waste of Your Time
- 1. Your profile sucks – so you are falling to connect with anyone.
- 2. You can’t seem to be found or heard.
- 3. In the groups you do belong to – all you are finding is your competitors so you wonder why you should even bother trying.
- 4. Those you do connect with are a waste of your time as they are not your ideal prospects.
- 5. You think it takes too much time.
Nielson Online calls LinkedIn… “The world’s largest audience of affluent, influential professionals.” You can network with executives from all Fortune 500 companies, CEOs and more than 100 million experienced professionals from large and small companies from every type of business and industry imaginable. LinkedIn gives you the opportunity to establish and maintain unlimited key relationships, especially if you combine article marketing with your LinkedIn marketing efforts.
5 Reasons Why You Think LinkedIn is a Waste of Your Time
If LinkedIn is one of the most affluent social networks – and if it gives you free access to unlimited opportunities to build relationships, why aren’t you experiencing results?
1. Your profile sucks – so you are falling to connect with anyone.
9 out of 10 LinkedIn profiles list this as their profile headline: CEO of ABC Company. Does that tell me what you do and why I should connect with you? Does that entice me to want to open your profile and read it?
Now, if I decide to overlook your lame headline, I’ll most likely find a summary that reads like your resume. If you were looking for a job, I’d understand why you’d want to setup your profile in that manner. But you are looking for prospects and clients. You are looking to build a relationship so you need to show your personality. You need to use prospect-focused copy, just like you would on your website. And, you need to answer the question…”What’s in it for me?”
And, I can almost guarantee that you do not create multiple funnel streams to your website. On your profile you need to show prospects how you can help them and then tell them where to go on your website to get more information.
To help you improve your LinkedIn profile here’s a solution for you:
2. You can’t seem to be found or heard.
As, Article Marketing Expert Eric Gruber discovered, one of the most important things to do on LinkedIn® is to submit quality articles to their groups, give away valuable advice and create conversations. If you create content all the time, it makes sense to add LinkedIn® to your strategy base, for increased exposure.
Here are some easy ways to get heard and seen on LinkedIn:
Create your own group so you have your own forum to share knowledge. This will also help you build a following of prospective clients.
Post articles, video links and blog postings to your group – and other groups that would appreciate your content.
Join in the conversations and discussions that are taking place in the groups. Add your 2 cents and prove that you are an expert. And, of course point people back to an article or blog post that you had written that will give them even more information.
The articles that received the most comments in the different groups and on my blog are those that made people take sides on an issue.
Ask questions and answer questions within the groups that you belong to.
Browse the Q & A section to see if there are any questions that you can answer.
Setup LinkedIn events and do monthly teleseminars and webinars. Promote the events to your group and those you are connected to.
3. In the groups you do belong to – all you are finding is your competitors so you wonder why you should even bother trying.
Recently, I ran a virtual assistant certification program on LinkedIn. Guess which groups many of the VAs belonged to before I showed them what to do. You’re right, they belonged to virtual assistant groups. If you just join groups within your own industry, you are going exactly where your competitors are. You need to change your mindset and put yourself in your clients’ shoes. You need to think…”Where would they go to get information.”
4. Those you do connect with are a waste of your time as they are not your ideal prospects.
LinkedIn allows you to target exactly who you want to connect with. Before you even start LinkedIn marketing, you need to create character profiles for your ideal clients. Then do your homework before you invite people to connect. View their profile and look at their websites to gain insights on whether or not you should connect. And, if it is someone you want to connect with – state your purpose. Is this someone who would be a good client, someone who can use your products or is it a good JV opportunity? The way you approach someone will depend on the reason for connection.
5. You think it takes too much time.
Yes, it can take a great deal of time to take advantage of all the opportunities LinkedIn offers to internet marketers and small business owners.
To get the most from your LinkedIn efforts – you need to focus on using your time wisely. Create a plan and timeline of ideas and goals. Prioritize your goals and then set time each day to create your LinkedIn presence and fulfill your goals. And, of course, you can hire a social media expert who specializes in LinkedIn – like me!