A GUIDE TO… SOCIAL MEDIA

LinkedIn

WHAT IT IS:

LinkedIn is a business- orientated social network focusing on building b2b relationships. It is great for individual networking, as well as for businesses. You can reach contacts, share opportunities and list your products and services.

HOW IT WORKS:

1.“Company banners” are a great way to bring your page to life explains Steve Willingham, managing director of Brandshout: “You can add an image to include your logo, tagline, phone number or sales message here, but ensure your banner speaks to your customers, grabs attention and ultimately gives a snapshot of what your business is all about. The image should measure at least 646×220 pixels.”

2. Keep your profile up to date, both as an individual and a company. “Add as much information as possible to products or services, including description, prices and images,” Steve says. “Adding information to your products and services tab means visitors don’t have to leave LinkedIn to find out what you have to offer”.

3. Another tip from Steve is to “make use of recommendations. Requesting recommendations on specific products or services can boost your social proof. Recommendations are well highlighted and it’s a huge benefit as we’re all influenced by what our peers and network connections are endorsing.” By the same principle, individuals can also benefit from having their skills endorsed by colleagues and clients.

4. “Updates are now going to be highly visible (thanks to recent site upgrades)
so make sure all updates are relevant, valuable and interesting!” advises Steve. “Driving engagement is the name of the game, so don’t forget to ask a question
or ask for feedback.”

5. Groups are another useful LinkedIn tool. They enable you to connect to others with a similar business and share opportunities. So for example if you have a small business doing hand craft, you could join groups that specialise in that area and benefit from shared promotion and get tips.

DO: Add a LinkedIn follow button to the bottom of your website. This will increase your followers and enable you to communicate with potential clients more easily.
DON’T: Lie! It’s important to be as honest as possible because you’ll get found out!

5 WEIRD AND WONDERFUL FACTS

1 Children are now bearing the names of social media. “Facebook” Ibrahim was born to proud Egyptian parents last year. In Israel, Lior and Vardit Adler named their child “Like”, and in November 2012 “Hashtag” Jameson was born.

2 Facebook has a blue colour scheme due to founder Mark Zuckerberg being red-green colourblind.

3 Lady Gaga has the most Twitter followers, with over 31,933,000 (at time of publication.)

4 Google was originally called “Backrub”.

5 “Gangnam Style” has now surpassed Justin Bieber’s “Baby” to become the most watched Youtube clip of all time with more than 820 million views.