Great post by Wendi McNeill.  I could not agree with her comments more.

I can’t stress the importance for each and every speaker to create a strong online presence. Today about 90% or more of your buyers are going online to find their experts and you want to found quickly and easily. Below are a few tips to help you build a strong online presence.

The most obvious of course is a website. Have a site that speaks directly to your audience and one that clearly states your message so there is no confusion in the visitors mind as to what you do, what you have to offer and how you can benefit them our their audience. Make your site is easy to navigate and has all pertinent information. No flash, it not necessary and it’s a distraction plus it makes your site load slow and they will close it and move on to another website. Be sure and have your media kit online because this is where buyers want to find it. Don’t send hard copies through the mail unless requested.

Create videos and more videos! Today a lot of your marketing tools online are free or low cost so you all should be taking advantage of them because they will boost your online presence. Use YouTube to get your videos online and then copy and paste the HTML code and add the video to your website and blog. Your video can become a viral marketing campaign and be shared worldwide. It will also give the buyer a little taste of what you have to offer them.

Blog. Set up your blog and post on a regular basis you will be amazed at the results. Consistently be adding new content to your blog…search engines love new content. Many put off blogging because they feel its time consuming or they’re not sure what to blog about and this is a mistake. Remember your blog post doesn’t have to be the length of an article, it can be a short paragraph, some helpful tips or you can even share a post from another blogger, but be sure you add their blog link. Blogging will allow you to voice your opinion and stand out from the crowd and show the readers that you’re the expert in your subject matter. It builds credibility and increases exposure. You can set up a free blog platform using several blogging services.

Write articles on a regular basis, this is another top marketing technique. You are an expert and you know your subject matter very well, you speak in front of hundreds, so writing a short article on a regular basis should be a breeze for you. Once written make sure you submit it online to several article marketing submission sites and I highly suggest using EzineArticles to start. Offer your article to other bloggers who you feel may be interested, pitch your article to local, regional and national publications and add the article to your website. Remember to share your article as well with your social media followers. Article writing will expose you as an expert and give you more credibility. Your article could very well end up on a website you never dreamed possible so don’t hesitate on this one…just get it done.

Social Media. Yes we mention SM again and again and the importance of being involved with social media. This one I can go into length on but to briefly touch on it I would say that the two top and obvious ones to get involved with are Twitter and Facebook. Share high content and be helpful, this is not the place for hard selling but creating relationships and sharing your expertise. If you go the extra mile and truly share from your heart you will be amazed at the results social media marketing will bring you.

Sharpen your search engine process. Make sure you are clear on the keywords you use and be specific so buyers can find you. Most buyers will do a search when looking for an expert so make sure you don’t just have keywords such as professional speaker, workshop leader, coach or trainer. Use keywords that fit your subject matter.

Sign up box. Don’t forget to add this to your website. You can do all the marketing in the world but if you do not have a way to capture your visitors email and name it can be for waste. Your site has many purposes but the top two are going to be to showcase and grow your mailing list. Don’t use your ezine to entice visitors to sign up this doesn’t work anymore. Offer them something of value; create urgency as to why they need to sign up for it NOW. Be very target specific and let it speak directly to your audience.

Have a monthly ezine that you share with your readers. It’s important to stay in touch with your readers and always giving and sharing helpful content. Don’t oversell in your ezine or you will find people opting out. You want to provide information that will help them grow or solve their problems. Be a resource for them, let them come to like, know and trust you this will open the doors to communication, relationships and many opportunities.

Become a Media Magnet. With this I mean get yourself out there and everywhere so the media eventually comes to you for interviews and guest spots. The more media attention you can get via radio, TV, publications, etc. the more you will build your exposure and credibility. This will open many, many doors for you including speaking events and product sales. If your new to this start little by contacting your local media outlets and when you have done a few move on to regional and then national. Don’t forget about all the online media outlets as well. You want to become the ‘Go To’ expert in your field. Also, make sure you add all your interviews, guest spots, etc. on your website because this will build your platform and shows visitors that you are the expert they seek.

Send out Press Releases. You can do this to announce your upcoming events, new products, teleclasses, workshops, etc. If you have news to share be sure and get it out there via a press release and there are many free press release submission sites, simply do a Google search.

The above are just a few ideas and there are so many but it’s important to get yourself out there and be everywhere you possibly can online. You want the buyer to find you easily so when they type in your keywords, for example: Career Transition Expert you come up in the top on the Google search results, you want to have many pages of information just on you so they can see that yes you are indeed the expert they seek.

Wendi McNeill, Founder of Charli Jane Speaker Services and has been “Opening Doors of Opportunity” for public speakers since 2002. She is an expert in positioning and marketing public speakers, a workshop leader, speaking agent and also provides experts to media professionals and buyers.

You can find Wendi and plenty of resources and tips on www.CharliJane.com and also on http://www.Facebook.com/Wendi.McNeill

An important element of your business is testimonials.  I teach my clients to collect their testimonials from their speaking engagements and add them to their marketing packets, blogs. flyers and websites.

LinkedIn has a recommendation section where you can write testimonials about your colleagues.  The following testimonials came from LinkedIn.

Here is how I will use them:  Posting it right here on my blog, adding it to my speaking coaching page on my website.

It is tricky to say I am the greatest…however, if you use a third party endorsement you can say Executive Coach, so and so said ….. Now you can add it to your bio and speaker introduction.

I love the following words.  This is how my colleagues and clients rate me on LinkedIn.

Qualities: Great Results , Personable, Creative, Expert , Good Value, Integrity

“Susan is a brilliant, dedicated and enthusiastic teacher and coach. She has helped my sister to develop professional skills in public speaking, in front of live groups and on video. Her seminars and newsletters are chock full of invaluable information yet despite her popularity, Susan treats everyone as a unique and important individual. I would highly recommend her.”
- Sigrid Macdonald, Writer , Freelance

“Susan offers a great deal of information at an affordable price. Her speaker services calls and services offer a great deal of support for speakers.”
- Jeanette Chasworth, Interior Designer

“Susan helps speakers grow in their skills and marketing capabilities. She invests her time, energy, passion and expertise to develop others. I worked with Susan at a speaker showcase and video production session in Beverly Hills, and got fantastic results from the event and the video. I highly recommend Susan to anyone who wants to boost their speaking career to the next level.”
- Gene Mage, Speaker

“Susan provides a toolbox of services and experts for the business person or author who wants to develop a revenue stream from speaking engagements. I used both her training and directory and more than doubled my speaking revenue in less than 90 days.”
- Betty LaMarr, Executive Coach, Speaker

“Susan Levin will push you into greatness. She knows what needs to be done to help you and she will make sure you get there. She has an amazing capacity to attract some of the best speakers and teachers to her seminars.”
- Gurutej Khalsa

“I had the occasion to refer a client to Susan and Speaker Services. The reports from my client were glowing, beyond her expectations. She reported tremendous value from the experience with Susan. I will refer to her again and again.”
- Rory Cohen, Founder and President , Entelekey, Inc./Take 10 now

“Through her web site, www.speakerservices.com, I have received several speaking invitations which turned into contracts. Susan is well connected in the speaking community and is willing to share her connections and vast knowledge. Whenever ANYONE asks me how to begin a public speaking career my FIRST recommendation is that they visit Susan’s web site and join her networks. Susan has also given me a great deal of personal advice which has helped me go forward in my career as a speaker and consultent. I am honored to know Susan and to have the opportunity to work with her.”
- Michael Hingson, Speaker

“Susan is a great resource for anyone who wants to expand their talents in speaking and writing. I have worked with Susan on several occasions and she has always been helpful with great advice. You can count on Susan to give you un-biased advice that is in your best interest. Her company, Speaker Services is worth your investment if you want to become a speaker or writer for profit.”
- Steve Martinez

“I first met Susan at a meeting for the National Speakers Association and heard her speak. She offers wonderful services for anyone who is thinking about becoming a speaker professionally. I recommend her services highly.
- Basia Chris, Marketive”

“Susan is just amazing at getting new speakers up and running in the profession.”
- Debra Valle, Coach

“Susan’s years of experience pay off! She is able to help clients always create a professional product that will take them to the next step on the way to their goals.”
- Camille Leon, President , WAVEgeneration

“Susan has a tremendous wealth of knowledge pertaining to the speaking world. Her events are extremely entertaining and filled with useful information from people at the highest peak in their speaking careers. I was introduced to Susan three years ago at the start of my new career. I wanted to learn how to become a more effective speaker, however life and mainly fears gave way to me avoiding a phone call to Susan. That changed a year ago when I enrolled in the Speaker’s Bootcamp. Along with Jack Barnard, Susan has taught me so much that week about the art of speaking but mainly, the spirit within me to capture my audience. I highly encourage anyone interested in learning about how to become a speaker to contact Susan and her band of merry teachers. You will be a better person for it; even just to be in her network.”
- Keav Ung , Financial Consultant , Retirement Benefits Consulting

“Susan does such an amazing job of putting on seminars that really help people improve their speaking abilities and effectiveness in any environment. She also has an ability to attract great people to her workshops so that you are surrounded by high level instructors and fellow students. I highly recommend her to anyone interested in speaking.”
- Raul Martinez

“Susan is a long-time pro when it comes to helping people get going in the speaking business, and I say that in a good way. She is constantly looking for ways to help new speakers get their acts together-literally-and to help them create successful speaking businesses. The people she hires to help her are all.”
-Alan Stafford

“Susan is incredibly generous in sharing her knowledge. Her private consultations yield great results. She also creates powerful events with wonderful networking opportunities as well as top-flight experts in the speaking industry. Susan has a deep commitment to offering high value at reasonable prices – I highly recommend her and Speaker Services!”
- Moira Shepard

“I would strongly recommend Speaker Services to anyone who is thinking about using speaking in public to enhance their business. Susan is professional, available, knowledgeable, generous and I always had an excellent return on my investment from Speaker Services!”
- Jessica Waters [Duquette]

“Susan is a tenacious networker. This manifests itself both through her exhaustive online as well as offline projects. She really spends all day, every day, keeping her ear to the ground to be aware of opportunities, best business practices and the latest useful tidbits. While this would have the potential to be distracting in another individual, in Susan it creates a comprehensive knowledge of the speaking industry at all levels and from all points of view.”
- Sam Levy, Netman

“Susan Levin is an expert in the field of Speaking and Training and has truly helped me launch my speaking career. In addition, she has connected me with phenomenal speaking opportunities and wants to see all of her clients and business associates succeed. I highly recommend Susan and her company, Speaker Services!”
- Ursula Mentjes, Author, Speaker

“I have taken Susan’s Media Speak, Speaker Summit and Market Yourself as a Speaker workshops. Susan offers AMAZING value and goes above and beyond to make sure that her students are successful. Her speaker listings are excellent. I recommend Susan as a top professional as well as a compassionate and caring person.”
-Carole Hodges, Speaker, Coach

“Susan has a passion and dedication to helping business people demonstrate their expertise through speaking and getting media attention. She knows the best people and is a wonderful resource. She really wants you to succeed.”
- Dr. Jeanette Raymond, Therapist

“Susan has been an invaluable resource for me. Because of Susan, my presentation skills have increased, my confidence as a speaker has increased and she has introduced me to wonderful people who have been tremendously helpful in other ways. This includes media experts, radio and TV hosts, etc. In addition, the video demo on my website was done by her company. If you want to make speaking a career or use speaking as a vehicle to enhance your business, choose Susan Levin as your # 1 resource.”
- Todd Creager, Therapist, Author, Speaker

“Susan is a great coach in professional development. I’ve learned a great deal from Susan Levin and her organization on public speaking presentations, self promotion, and marketing. I highly recommend her for your professional needs.”
- Susan Orosco

Just thought I would let you know that I have been getting hit after hit after hit on a comment I made on a CNN article on Professional Speaking for a living. EVERYBODY wants to know how to get their name out there.  I am letting the folks who contacted me regarding a career in speaking know about your services and the upcoming Speakers Summit. The support I have received from you has TRULY paid off.
- Marja Lee Freeman

Susan Levin is a marketing consultant for speakers and authors.  She is the owner of Speaker Services since 1992.  The online directory Speaker Services brings speakers and audiences together.  She can be reached at susan@speakerservices.com

Post from Chris Brogan

I’m presenting to the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) conference today. These people all put on conferences for a living, a multi-billion dollar industry (note: I also put on conferences), and work with an events solutions company. What they’ll want to know is how all these social media tools can improve attendance, drive collaboration, extend the value of events, without taking away any potential revenue. They’ll want a very safe path, tried and true, with a step by step understanding of what will add to the bottom line and how to avoid things that will detract.

After years of attending and running events, I can tell you that it’s all still very much a lab environment. That said, here’s what I know.

Social Media Buzzes Up Potential Attendance

Hooking Twitter to your registration system such that it tweets out a message like “I just registered for PodCamp Boston on Jun 14th. Are you coming? http://bit.ly/regpcbos” is a powerful way to get more attendance. Also distributing discount codes and early birds via that method is equally effective.

Jeff Pulver did a lot of his promotion and ticket sales via Twitter for his 140 Conference, but then again, that’s an event about Twitter and real-time social media tools of its kind. Would it work as well for a less technology-based show?

It’s hard to say. The demographics of people joining Facebook, for instance, are promising. 650,000 new people join a day, mostly within the age range of 31-55, a little more than half are women. If your show is less technology-focused, there’s still a potential that you could find attendees via Facebook, as people use the tool in many ways in their off time.

But don’t be too optimistic. I’ve yet to find reports or case studies of Facebook having as successful a conversion for attendance. If you build a fan page, it’s just another place to have to push eyeballs and hope for conversion. To the plus, there are more people visiting Facebook than your website. To the minus, they’re not as well targeted. There’s potential there, but it requires a lot of effort. And Facebook ads have shown mixed results.

What’s required is a kind of social media sherpa, who can find you the audience you seek, who can reach to them on the platforms where they are already congregating, and who can help promote in tasteful ways that fit the sensitivities of the networks where your audiences are found.

Social Media Extends Communities

There are a number of community platform tools in all price ranges that might appeal to conference organizers. Some are custom-built to tie into registration systems. Others are separate-but-robust and allow your attendees to build a profile, make meetings at the event, share media, and a whole host of other potential uses. The upside is that this gives organizers a new way to provide sponsors and exhibitors a new place to make relationships. It’s another potential property to advertise on.

To the downside, these communities are rarely heavily used. I’ve been made to sign up for them in the past (and “made to” is the key takeaway for you), and the return on effort wasn’t exactly there. They can appear to be ghost towns, which might drag down the experience of the attendees and send false signals to all involved. Some are costly and require a lot of customization before putting them into practice.

Here’s the thing about communities, bottom line: if you’re going to build one, realize that you need a community manager capable of making content, capable of keeping the “cocktail party environment” going on the site, and capable of understanding potential business introductions of value that would give all involved some yield for being there.

Video and Audio Materials Drive Awareness

Creating video for a YouTube or other video channel of your best presentations is a great way to build awareness of the event, and a way to give your sales team something to talk about when calling up prospects. It’s also a great way to help prospective attendees realize what they could see at the event. Consider the difference between a printed brochure with a bunch of heads on it versus a series of video posts that show highlights or the entire presentation of past presenters.

There are lots of great ways to use video and audio materials to drum up business. Rick Calvert and Jim Turner did this expertly for Blog World Expo, including creating many anticipatory audio podcast experiences. The double benefit of how Rick and Jim did it was that they got their influential speakers to do these pre-show activities and then those were promoted to some extent, thus driving even more potential sign-up.

Here’s where most show organizers worry that they’re giving away the show, and that they can make money on after-show DVD sales. If you’re making a killing on that business, then don’t listen to me. However, I’ve rarely seen many people tell me with a straight face that their after-show DVD sales are a huge stream of revenue, or that the prospect of trading that stream for more paying attendees wasn’t a worthwhile trade-off.

Remember: this video and audio material makes for good sales lead conversational material, not just attendee awareness.

And just sticking the video on YouTube doesn’t mean you’ll have someone knocking down the door. We can talk about all the various elements that need to go into it, including calls to action and the like, but that’ll be another time.

Nothing Is a Slam Dunk, But It All Can Work

After years of experimentation with the various shows I produce or collaborate on, there are lots of ways that social media tools can add to the experience, and there are lots of ways that it can go horribly wrong. The positives are that shows extended by social media get talked about more, get more coverage, get more exposure, and have better potential to grow using non-traditional marketing methods. The negatives are that bad news travels fast.

All in all, the recommendation is to work with someone who understands and can build the strategy around the tools, instead of just throwing a bunch of tools together that you read about in various places. There are no shortcuts to building social media into events, but the yield from taking an intelligent approach is very much worth it.

I’m always happy to talk with you about how events can be extended. Drop me a line on my contact form and I’ll get back soon.

How Have You Seen It Done, Good or Bad?

What are the ways you’ve seen companies attempt to use social media in events, and what do you like or dislike about it?

Chris Brogan advises businesses, organizations, and individuals on how to use social media and social networks to build relationships and deliver value. You can reach him at: chrisbrogan.com

Social networking sites offer businesses and individuals both networking and marketing opportunities, all at no cost. However, if you don’t know how to make your social networking site work for you, you might end up losing business instead of gaining it! Here’s how to put your best foot forward in the cyber world:

Though there are many social media websites out there, it is important to select just two or three to focus on that will help you in achieving your business development goals.  These goals might include; branding, marketing, sales, or even branding for new talent in your organization.  Marketing 101 would suggest that you have a clear plan and definition of your objectives, strategies and tactics in order to head in the right direction.

Once you’ve selected the best two or three sites, focus on the core competencies of each.  For example, if the media is LinkedIn, consider the media’s various applications for your business.  Whether you are looking to create inside connections, find new marketing talent or build your brand, it is important to become familiar with the site and understand its full potential.   If you are interested in branding yourself as an expert in your field, check out the various LinkedIn groups that surround your industry.

Becoming an industry leader and a well known entity online is one of the newest and fastest ways to become famous. Eagerly answer questions and begin discussions that will allow people to see your expertise.  A close friend of mine used this strategy on Twitter and became known as a foremost expert in his field.  Less than one year after building his own personal brand, he was aggressively sought after for his expertise and experience in his field.

Another idea that has been of great help to me and my clients has been the use of social media shortcut sites like Tweetdeck and Ping.fm.  These sites help you save time when using social media by allowing you to send out messages simultaneously from one site.  Ping.fm actually includes Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn all in one, which is really useful for heavy users to ping all three media’s in one shot.  One benefit of Tweetdeck is that it lays out all of your activity into workable columns.  You can easily view and manipulate the messages you’ve sent, mentions you’ve had, searches you’re conducting and much more.

When using Twitter, remember that one of the most effective ways to find new clients or opportunities is to know how to effectively use the search feature.  If you are selling a product and want to know if other people are Tweeting about it or to find out what your competition is up to, this is the feature for you.  Simply type in the phrase or key words that someone might use when searching for your business and expertise, and then keep track of the search.  For example, if you are selling a CRM product called ACT, just type in the key words, “ACT OR ACT CRM.” You can also type in a phrase that relates to your search like, “What is the best CRM out there?” Either way, you have the opportunity to oversee the entire world of Twitter to see if your product is being spoken of.  Once you get a hit, you have the ability to begin a dialogue with the other party and see if there could be some business there or answer a question they might have.  This can be a powerful tool for creating new business using social media.

Many users of social media often want to know how they can judge their results. .Fortunately, there are a few useful tools out there to help in understanding your overall effectiveness with social media sites like Twitter.  Check out Twinfluence.com or Twitalyzer.com to see how you are really doing on Twitter.  These sites measure the amount of combined influence you are having on the Twitter community.  They track things like, Reach, Velocity and Social Capital, which in part defines how successful you’re being with Twitter.  As defined by Twinfluence, reach is the number of total followers a Twitterer has, which includes first and second-order followers. It is a measurement of one’s potential audience.  Velocity averages the number of first and second-order followers attracted per day since the Twitterer first established their account. The larger the number is, the faster that Twitterer has accumulated their influence.  Social capital refers to the average first-order network of a Twitterer’s followers.  It is the best way to measure how influential a Twitterer’s followers are.  By understanding where you need to focus your time and energies in order to get the best reach, velocity and social capital, the more effective you will be in obtaining the desired results.

Overall, the world of social media is changing every day.  Just when we think we have it under control, they add another feature that improves on the last.  It is an incredibly exciting time for sales and marketing people to take advantage and reap the rewards of working these media’s.  As for me, I am making new connections and creating new business opportunities everyday from using these tools.  As a speaker on social networking, I do get my share of nay-sayers and non believers in the audience from time to time, but they’ll come around.  I believe this because if they don’t, they may not be able to effectively compete in three to five years.  Whatever you might be doing with social media, stay focused on the social media’s that make the most sense for you.  By tracking and evaluating what’s working and what’s not, you will always come out better in the end.

Post by Steve Fretzin who is a networking expert and president of Sales Results, Inc.

NOTE: Workshop 10/24/09 in LA taught by Susan Levin  Social Media Marketing:  The New Frontier learn more

The New Frontier Workshop with Susan Levin

Saturday, October 24, 1-5pm, $99,  Marina del Rey, CA

Social media has profoundly altered the way we market and communicate.

Social Media Marketing is the use of technology combined with social interaction to create or co-create value.

Content + Context + Connections + Community = Social Media Marketing

Marketing on social networking sites like Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter can help increase the size of your email list and grow your business. The key to success is making sure that members of your target market are in your network.
 
In the workshop you will learn tools, tactics and implementation techniques to:

- Build your business with social networking and increase your online visibility
- Develop a social media strategy presence across the key social media platforms
- Leverage and create content, connection, and community
- Explore why it’s never about the sale, it’s always about the relationship
- Produce and distribute content that can be shared and extends the voice of your brand, product and company
- Discover how articles writing, blogs, utube can create brand awareness and buzz

Susan Levin is the owner of Speaker Services and a marketing strategist, Her expertise includes: speaker marketing materials, lead generation, building and boosting an online and social media presence, creating speaker products and creating multiple streams of income

______________

Register: http://www.speakerservices.com/teleclasses/detail/151

310-822-4922 PST

Excellent overview of leading and coincident economic indicators for our industry including:

Submitted By Anne Thornley-Brown from LinkedIn event Planning & Management Group

Anne Specializes in Facilitated Business Team Building Retreats, Executive Retreats, Sales Rallies, & Incentive Travel

1. Group bookings lag into and lag out of major recessions.

2. Smaller groups pose less risk than larger groups.

3. Mergers, acquisitions, and the vanished.

This trend indicates fewer large players, more small bookings, and slow going until at least 2011.

4. Commercial real estate loan defaults.

5. Look to the credit markets for guidance.

If and when credit is again made available to small businesses, and even to many large AAA-rated companies, then three to six months later, the booking pace will renew.

6. Unemployment and the stock market tell us little.

7. For coincident indicators, look at capital investment and consumer spending increases, especially for durable items.

This will tell you when the meetings industry recovery will begin, although it won’t tell you where, how big, or at what price. Those final factors are localized and are market specific.

Their Impact?

- Innovative companies will seize opportunity in 2010 and 2011.

- Group rates remain low until 2012.

Read more

By Chris Crum

Network Regularly Offers Useful Tips

LinkedIn has been running a series on its company blog in which guest authors (small business owners in some cases) share some ways that LinkedIn has helped them run their businesses.

The series is clearly a way for the company to get people using LinkedIn more, but not only is this a good strategy on LinkedIn’s part for corporate blogging, it also happens to be a valuable resource for business owners who are still unsure of what they an really get out of LinkedIn, and in some cases social networks in general.

The series includes posts like:

- Helping Your Contacts Find You at the Right Time

- Gain Quick Market Awareness by Participating in Groups and Discussions

- From Concept to Execution: LinkedIn Tips to Small Business Owners

- Here’s how LinkedIn Changed the Way We Did Business

- Helping Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners Win Global Clients

The posts in this series talk about things like asking the LinkedIn community to comment on best practices in certain niches and regarding specific technologies, as well as marketing, and finding people of influence. They talk about generating leads and referrals, and even gaining some perspective on web design and navigation.

Here are a few interesting facts about LinkedIn:

- It has over 43 million members in over 200 countries and territories around the world.

- A new member joins LinkedIn approximately every second, and about half of the members are outside the U.S.

- Executives from all Fortune 500 companies are LinkedIn members.

These are just some things LinkedIn wants users to keep in mind. To benefit from LinkedIn, you’re going to have to “develop a network that lasts,” and a while back, LinkedIn VP of Marketing and Advertising, Patrick Crane shared the following tips on how to do just that:

1. Upload your address book.

2. Focus on nurturing your network by seeing what questions their asking and helping them when you can.

3. Check your network updates frequently.

4. When you find someone you want to work with, pick the strongest connection you have to introduce you. (try advanced search).

5. Write recommendations for the people you trust and respect.

The moral of the story is that you should read the LinkedIn blog on a regular basis to get a variety of helpful tips on how you can use the professional social network to benefit your business. It’s not just fluff. You can actually get some solid ideas and use them to improve your own experience. By the way, if you are still unsure about the whole social networking thing in general, this study may interest you. It shows a direct correlation between brands engaging in social media and their bottom lines.

About the author:
Chris is a content coordinator and staff writer for SmallBusinessNewz and the iEntry Network. Subscribe to SmallBusinessNewz RSS Feeds.