Hung Le

If you have any type of professional life, which most of us do, you should have signed up at
LinkedIn. You will create a profile just as you do on other social media sites. However, just
setting up your profile is not enough. You need to make sure your profile is complete and
working effectively so that you get the most benefit and value from it.

LinkedIn is recognized as a very effective way for professionals and businesses to build
relationships that eventually will lead to business opportunities. It is also recognized as a great
way to strengthen your network, maintaining it and keeping it strong, and ensuring you get the
most out of your business.

To begin with, you will establish connections that will help you increase your exposure online
and help you to boost your reputation. Make sure that you have filled out the business profile so
that those who are surfing and visiting the site can check it out. You should include people from
within your company that you work with.

Once you connect with others, you need to do more. To build a relationship you have to go
deeper. If you just connect but you never interact, there will be nothing for either of you to gain
from the experience. It’s critical that you interact if you want LinkedIn to be a successful
component of your business.

You might be surprised to learn that it is all in the timing. As soon as you make a new
connection, you respond to a question, you are introduced to a business associate, etc. you
need to make the move to communicate directly with this person. There are tons of ways to
bridge that gap and open up communication. You can ask a question, show interest in what
they are saying, give advice, etc.

Make sure that you make the most of every event. Pay attention to events and activities that are
happening in LinkedIn and that you are involved in. There are likely a number of events that
your business could benefit from. Try to find live events in your area, or follow web events.
Be a resource to other LinkedIn members. If you’re good at listening to others, it can be a very
valuable tool. Sharing your expertise with others is an excellent way to build significant
relationships within LinkedIn and these relationships are far reaching to your business and may
eventually translate to revenue.

Knowing how to build meaningful relationships on LinkedIn will help you to create a viable tool
that can benefit your business in many different areas.

P.s. For a step-by-step guide on how to get your LinkedIn presence up and running ASAP.
Download my FREE Report at www.Hung-Le.com/LinkedInForBusinessReport.html 

Personal branding is key to your success and LinkedIn is an excellent tool to help you achieve
that. Let’s look at 8 ways to maximize your LinkedIn and your personal branding.

1. Make the Most of your Profile
Using your LinkedIn profile properly is very important. When you communicate with others on
the site, your profile will speak for you. Don’t just upload any photo, upload a good photo. Don’t
upload your logo here. People want to see what you look like. Make sure you completely fill out
your profile – do not leave any areas blank.

2. Build Your Contacts
When you first join LinkedIn you need to build your contact base. Connect present and past
colleagues along with your alumni from your university or college.

3. Recommendations
Recommendations are very important. In fact, it is one of the most powerful tools that LinkedIn
has to offer. That’s because people recognize recommendations as sincere and trustworthy.
Other people must write them and they are very hard to fake or forge.

4. Use Groups
There are three ways you can use groups: lead generation, increase your LinkedIn profile
development, and personal development by learning from the group discussions.

5. Promoting Events
Using LinkedIn to promote your events is a very wise move. You can easily target your
audience and you can spread your information quickly all the while establishing your personal
brand.

6. Use Your Status Updates
The LinkedIn status updates are not used to their full potential. However, that’s been changing a
little bit thanks to the integration of Twitter with your LinkedIn profile, a move that was much
needed. Update your LinkedIn profile with relevant blog posts and news. When you use your
status updates wisely they can play an integral role in your person branding.

7. Using Applications
LinkedIn offers a very good learning center to help you get the most out of the various apps that
are available including the best way to go about creating your personal bonding.

8. Networking for Lead Generation
LinkedIn is a very powerful tool for you to use to connect with others who are looking to
individuals from within the corporate community. When you take full advantage of the tools
LinkedIn offers you can build a powerful personal brand. It will not take as long as you might
think, and it is worth every bit of time you put into it.

So.. how many of these methods are you implementing? Feel free to leave your thoughts below.

P.s. For a step-by-step guide on how to get your LinkedIn presence up and running ASAP.
Download my FREE Report at www.Hung-Le.com/LinkedInForBusinessReport.html 

In the 21st century we are constantly bombarded with all forms of media.. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Youtube and the list goes on.. goes on until majority of our customers build up a level of a resistance which snowballs down into our sales and indirectly impacts our business.

So let me ask you:

“Do you currently know the conversation your customers are having about your current products/services?”

If you answered yes.. you are ahead of the game!

If you answered no.. you’re in for a surprise my friend.

You see.. the whole point of marketing is to not only bring people’s desire to your products/services but to test how good you are at selling your ‘story’. How well you can sell the story attached to your product/service will determine the fine line between exponentially increasing your sales and falling short of that monthly sales target.

Now, you’re probably thinking.. what on earth has a story got to do with increasing sales? Think about this.. what’s the common quote: “people buy with emotions and justify with logic” ? A story.. well a ‘good story’ will have the capability of correctly triggering emotions which in turn will further persuade your customers/prospective customers to resonate with what you say and then.. and only then will you get their attention and once you have their attention.. they are more likely to listen to what you have to say.

The end result? You produce an avid fan who will roam about with “your story” as a conversation starter and explanation of why your product/service is worth it’s weight in gold!

Hence, which marketing channel has survived since Adam and Eve went on their first date? worth of mouth advertising – which is only possible through selling a ‘good story’.

So the next time you go out and spend thousands of dollars on traditional marketing methods in the hope of interrupting enough people for them to buy your product. First ask yourself the following questions:

1. “Do I know the conversation my current customers are having about my product(s)/service(s)?”

2. Does the story attached to my product/service resonate with my ideal customers?

It is only when the above questions can be answered that we have the permission and not the resistance of our customers which will in turn reward us with a greater number of products/services being sold.

After all, it costs 7 times more to acquire a new customer.. so why not leverage your current customers to provide essential feedback and sell them products/services which help solve THEIR problem whilst resonating with your story.. as oppose to focusing on the [ME] factor for a change?

When others recommend you on LinkedIn, it aids in you in establishing credibility. These days,
a LinkedIn recommendation could be the difference between you getting a position and not
getting a position. So how do you get someone who you have done business with to write a
recommendation for you? Glad you asked. Read on to find out how.

Even when the other party says “sure” they will write you a recommendation, the question
becomes can they write a good one. Just because a person is an excellent business owner
doesn’t mean they are a great writer.

A recommendation needs to be professional and it needs to tell those reading it why you are
recommended. Are you reliable? Do you do excellent work? Are you affordable? Are you top in
your field? You get the idea.

If you write a recommendation for the party you are asking for a recommendation from, it
accomplished two things. First, they will feel more obligated to provide that recommendation to
you. Second, if you write a good recommendation about the other party, then they can use that
as a bit of a template for writing yours and it is much more likely to be exactly what you want.
Make sure there is no swearing or cussing in the recommendation a person writes for you. A
recommendation should begin with the ‘best’ thing about the person. It should be brief, concise,
and to the point.

However, you should never write a recommendation for someone you have not worked with
personally, because you are putting your reputation on the line when you do so. Go ahead and
link to anyone that you link to anyone that you like, just be a little more cautious when it comes
to who you will write a recommendation.

This brings up another point. If someone you haven’t worked for directly offers to write a
recommendation for you, it is a good idea to not accept that recommendation. The reason being
is you do not know anything about that person and as a result if they are less than reputable
that will reflect on you and could be very detrimental to you in your quest to nail that perfect
job, to get freelance contracts, further develop your business network etc.

Recommendations are one of the most powerful tools that LinkedIn offers, and they certainly
set the site aside from other social media sites. Make sure you get the maximum value from
them.

P.s. For a step-by-step guide on how to get your LinkedIn presence up and running ASAP.
Download my FREE Report at www.Hung-Le.com/LinkedInForBusinessReport.html 

A common question I get from many marketing consultants I coach.. as well as from many
of the local businesses I consult with. The answer? YES. But why? Good thing you asked..

You have most likely already heard a great deal about LinkedIn. You’ve probably heard
the term being thrown around whilst particating in small chat with your peers or other
people in your field chatting about this so-called ‘LinkedIn’ down at your local cafe.. but
while LinkedIn is eight years old it is only in the last couple of years that professionals are
starting to realize just how powerful this site can be for your business and how much your
online presence will be strengthened via this marketing channel alone.

If you have not yet used LinkedIn or you are relatively new to the site, you’ll find some
great tips here that can help you maximize this social media platform and get the most out of it.
LinkedIn is an excellent tool for building your business and establishing relationships with
individuals within your niche market. If you use the following tips, you’ll see results. It won’t
take you long to build a strong following and accumulate connections. Your connection to other
professionals will grow daily. One of the most important things about LinkedIn is finding the
right persons to connect with to get the best results if you are using powerful strategies to target
followers. Otherwise, like many other social networking platforms.. if the approach is taken to
be another medium for ‘shouting’ at others and lacking the importance of building relationships
then you are destined to not only fail.. but to waste plenty of time and perhaps drown both your
reputation and your business’s reputation.

So.. what’s the best way to start?

Getting started on LinkedIn is somewhat like being the new kid in high school except easier.
I suggest to begin joining LinkedIn groups which are highly relevant to your industry (e.g. If
you’re an accountant then join the CPA groups). The key is to not hesitate. Instead, jump in
with both feet and start participating in discussions and making those connections. Make
yourself a goal to add at least one new connection every day. Over time, the results will
become evident.

It is really important that you have your LinkedIn profile 100% finished. Incomplete profiles
have the potential to hinder your ability to be found on the site. The more information you
are willing to share the more trust you will build and the more likely you are to enjoy success
with your LinkedIn profile.

When creating your LinkedIn profile makes sure you upload a good picture of yourself. Don’t
put up glamour and don’t put up your company logo. Use this spot to help to create to a visual
for those individuals that look at your profile. Let them see who you are. Make sure that you
obtain at least a few recommendations, which give you credibility. The easiest way to get a
recommendation is to give a recommendation. Continue to build these over time. The more
the better.

Finally, seek out groups that are relevant to your niche, your industry, your profession, etc. The
more groups you join the more opportunities to promote yourself and your company. Don’t
forget to take advantage of the company pages that you can build for no cost. It is yet another
tool to help you promote and grow your business.

LinkedIn is a social media site just as Facebook is. However, they are completely different in
their own right. There is no place for children or teens here. This is a site that’s for business
owners, professionals,entrepreneurs, and freelancers who want to build long lasting business
relationships.

P.s. For a step-by-step guide on how to get your LinkedIn presence up and running ASAP.
Download my FREE Report at www.Hung-Le.com/LinkedInForBusinessReport.html