:the place to B2B
The place to B2B
Do unto others as you would have others do unto you
IF YOUR BUSINESS IS B2B rather than B2C, then you should be on LinkedIn. Why?
Because LinkedIn is the biggest and most trusted business networking online site that there
is, with more than 175 million users across the globe and around 60,000 in New Zealand.
LinkedIn's mission is to "connect the world's professionals to make them more productive
and successful", and with new members joining up at the rate of two per second, it's growing
and connecting fast.
LinkedIn started back in 2002, so it has definitely stood the test of time as far as becoming
a reputable place to meet new business contacts and raise your personal and business profile.
Why should you spend time developing a great LinkedIn presence?
1. People are doing their due diligence online before they decide to contact you. Your
LinkedIn profile will be one of the first results to come up when someone searches for your
name, so make sure you are well represented.
2. It's a place to meet new business connections that you wouldn't meet otherwise due to
your location and current business circle.
3. It's a great resource for learning more about your industry from others.
4. It's another place to promote both your personal brand, and the brand of your company.
5. It's fast becoming the norm to have a presence and if you don't have one, you will look
like a dinosaur.
The conversation on LinkedIn is very different than other main social media sites. To be
safe, think of LinkedIn as your boardroom of connections, Facebook as your coffee shop of
connections and act accordingly.
To get the most out of LinkedIn, think about "do unto others as you would have others
do unto you". It's not a place to simply push your business into the faces of others at every
opportunity, but a place to add value with great content, network with future clients, and
join in business related discussions.
Even if you can't commit much time to networking on the site, do make sure that you have
a fully filled out profile at the very least. People are watching you.
Linda Coles
www.bluebanana.co.nz
58 | www.h e rmagaz i n e . c o. n z
