Learn LinkedIn In 2010 to Increase Your Book of Business
I used to wonder what all the excitement was about when people sent me invitations to join LinkedIn. Obviously, there was a party going on somewhere that I just did not know how to join.
I have to say now, with a solid foundation in how to use LinkedIn and a personal commitment to following through on a few simple tactics, LinkedIn is proving to be a remarkable business development tool! In fact, I am so committed to the value of social networking for business development that I have created a LinkedIn group, Raising the Bar: Social Media Marketing for Lawyers and CPAs and will be launching one-on-one LinkedIn coaching for lawyers, CPAs and other professionals in January. (Visit my profile on LinkedIn to join the group and learn more about one-on-one coaching programs.)
Why the focus on LinkedIn? Unlike other social networking sites, LinkedIn is strictly business. Founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn was designed primarily for professional networking. As of October of this year, LinkedIn had more than 50 million registered users, in 200 countries and territories worldwide. It boasts a membership of nearly 1 million lawyers! Consider that your ideal client, referral source or new business influencer is almost certainly one of the remaining 49 million. Imagine how many networking events, golf outings and cocktail parties you would have to attend to connect with even a tiny fraction of that much potential business or business leads. So why in the world wouldn’t you be using LinkedIn? Why, indeed!
Are you LinkedIn?
If so, how are you using LinkedIn to promote your business?
Is your firm on LinkedIn?
Are you a designated expert on LinkedIn?
What would you like to know about using LinkedIn?
Comments (2)
Read through and enter the discussion by using the form at the endNeal Schaffer - December 17, 2009 10:15 AM
Excellent article on why everybody should be on LinkedIn. I have been blogging primarily about LinkedIn for more than a year and recently published a book that you should check out if you really want to maximize your LinkedIn presence and learn about all of the functionality that is available for you:
Looking forward to your future blog posts!
- Neal Schaffer
Dan Erling - December 18, 2009 10:41 AM
Great blogging platform Robin. I am looking forward to following your posts.
Linked In is now a necessity. I used to encourage my recruiting team to stay current in their ability to navigate through Linked In. Now the ability to negotiate the waters of business through Linked In has made mastery a must. CEOs, Presidents, CFOs, etc. are now all in Linked In.
I doubt we'll be using Linked In in 10 years -- that is not how technology works, but I do think that the creators of this social media site have found a method of connecting that is truly a valuable tool.