Well, now I’m definitely offering a service and I’m definitely on LinkedIn !

Thanks Derek

Linkedin is particularly prevalent in the professional community – lawyers, accountants, consultants, architects and the like.

Professionals have always won most of their business through networking. Since they deliver intangible services, you can only tell if their “product” is good by getting to know them, their capabilities, whether you like and trust them etc.

Linkedin has brought that sort of networking online.

What I’ve rarely seen mentioned in discussions on Linkedin is the main way professionals “in the know” actually use it to win business.

They don’t drive traffic to their website with it, or get email signups, or expect a call from having a great profile. They use it to search for people they’d like to meet, find a common connection, then ask that common connection to introduce them (preferably over the phone or face to face).

I talk about this alongside other strategies in my article on “10 Linkedin Tips for Professionals” here” http://www.ianbrodie.com/marketing/linkedin-tips-professionals/

Cheers,

Ian

If you have a service you provide but you’re not on LinkedIn….. I’d think twice about using you…. :-/

I use LinkedIn simply as a place to put my resume, show my strengths, skills and achievement and as a place where real people can contact me and I can contact them. I use LinkedIn to find people who can perform a service and would like others to find me if they ever wanted some scientific/ medical writing or biomedical editing.

I have recently been more involved in the Groups to mingle with like-minded people.

I’ve not found it to be much of a marketing tool beyond that, but you do it right, put the right information and give sensible updates concerning your skills then other people, interested in your service, will find you.

I’m sure lots of people are doing it and just don’t realise. I try to educate where I can but have ‘disconnected’ users in LinkedIn who do it constantly.