How the New LinkedIn Feature Could Give You the Inside Track

LinkedIn have recently introduced a new feature that enables users to follow companies they are interested in, called Company Follow. On the surface it’s a small change, but it could have major implications for both LinkedIn’s individual users and companies. Company updates will let you know about profile changes, new hires, recent departures and promotions within an organisation.

Nearly a million companies already have their company profiles on the professional networking site, and as the LinkedIn blog puts it:

“Starting today, you can be in the loop on new developments, potential business opportunities or even job opportunities by following companies of interest to you… Most importantly, this feature can deliver insights - you may be surprised at - such as the pace of hiring at your nearest competitor or the start of a whole new industry as you see web technology companies hiring geography teachers (for e.g.).”

I think it's a really smart move on LinkedIn's part. LinkedIn has always been known as the professionals social network or B2B networking playground online, so this feature makes sense. LinkedIn users can follow a company, by just selecting the Follow button on the companies profile or a member who is associated with a particular company. They'll be able to easily view the companies they are following and they will also receive recommendations on companies they might be interested in following.

So,where do you begin? Here's a few tips to get you started...

Companies

Companies use LinkedIn for various ways such as building a community, gaining new talent, or watching its competition. The Company Follow feature will ensure greater success for using LinkedIn to it’s fullest potential.

1. A new stream of followers and potential employee opportunity can be built. There is no restriction on the amount of companies a person can follow allowing a followers to build.

2. Pay attention to the competition. If anyone can follow you so can any company so know who is paying attention to you.

3. They said what? Know what the conversations surrounding your business are whether you like it or not. It’s better to know than not.

4. Keep your employees happy. By following your competitors you will know if they are in need of someone who could be found in your company. This provides you with an unique opportunity to keep your employees happy in ways that matter most.

5. Follow freely. You won’t be blocked so follow your competitor to protect your company and find ,if needed, new employees.

6.You may want to keep an even closer eye on what information you and your employees put on LinkedIn now – it was changes to profiles there that revealed that Apple had bought Intrinsity, and that was even before the introduction of this feature.)

Job Seekers

1.Be selective of the companies you follow. It’s imperative to follow companies where you will be of greatest value and that have a good reputation.

2.Discover what hidden jobs these companies may have by staying current its news.

3.Who’s coming and going? Find out what jobs are opening or closing and why.

4.Promotions. A friendly congratulations to an employee receiving a promotion can garner itself into a beneficial networking relationship.

5. Know what “Top Dogs” have joined with the company. By knowing what Executives or Senior Managers have joined you can insight into what the company is doing, accomplishing, or needing, which could be window of opportunity.

Tune Up Your Social Media Talent

Last Year, 11.8 million people tuned in to watch “Britain’s Got Talent” when the now infamous 'SuBo' made her screen debut . But in just a few days, the video of that same show on YouTube had generated more than 80 million views. That’s TV 11.8 million, YouTube 80 million. Anyone who grew up with television as the quintessential mass medium may need to take a moment just to absorb that fundamental shift.

2009 was a banner year for social media. Fuelled in large part by the impressive growth of Twitter and LinkedIn and the adoption of both by major brands and recognisable individuals, it's safe to say that social media truly went 'mainstream'. And more and more people have a nagging suspicion that things like Susan’s YouTube video are stark examples that social media tools really are changing the way that we communicate.

Through social media tools, a business can stay connected to a larger number of contacts and the networks they belong to, have access to the information and opportunities in those networks, and do it better and faster. Social Media Marketing provides businesses with a powerful tool that doesn’t need an overwhelming amount of complexity to be useful.

Here are five tips for companies looking to take their social media efforts to the next level in 2010.

1. Start small. It is best to start your Social Media transformation slowly. Let the change take its course without forcing it. If your company has several brands and products, pick one and start from there. Use this as the stepping stone for the Social Media transformation in your company. You can only change so much inside your organisation, so choose your battles wisely.

2. Find the right people to handle the transformation. You need sufficient manpower to successfully prepare your organisation for embracing Social Media. You need to find the right people to handle this endeavor, otherwise it will inevitably fail; the people behind this effort should be passionate - passionate and enthusiastic about building a relationship with your customers and your target market. Do not delegate this task to the person with the least responsibilities. This job needs specialisation and passion, not just free time.

3. Sync the technology. Your marketing or PR people should have the right resources in order to turn your plans into reality. Otherwise, find a new agency. Your agency should be able to understand Social Media, because only then will your efforts become successful.

4. Set and follow goals. You should have set goals as soon as you signed up for your Twitter and other social media accounts. In fact you should have had goals before you even signed up for your first social network account. Having goals will allow you to use social media effectively because you have a guide.

5. Don’t obsessively count fans and followers. It’s not the quantity of followers you have, it is the quality of followers that really matter when using social media for business. Stop obsessing about the number of followers you have and instead focus on really developing a strong community around your brand.

6. Commit to the whole thing. Using social media for business requires time and commitment. Make sure you really commit to updating your social media accounts. Some individuals and companies start a Twitter account and then abandon it without full understanding how it can really help them. You might encounter some problems or troubles as you go along but just keep going. There is no perfect social network and you just have to keep working on what you started to get the best results.

7. Check out the competition. Social media will provide you with opportunities to learn more about your competitors as well as your industry.

8. Plan for the long term. Granted that your initial efforts worked, where will you take it? At the beginning, you should start small, but you should plan big in case your plans do work. Your plans should go beyond making Social Media part of your organisation; instead, your plans have to be long term—and everyone in your organisation should be prepared. Using Social Media means putting a premium on the role of the customers in your organisation. This can be daunting and unsettling, so proper planning is required.

5 Tips On Recruiting The Perfect Person Using Social Media and 5 Tips On Getting The Perfect Job Through Social Media

Afternoon readers. As you may be aware, there’s a recession going on. And in the true spirit of money-saving, many companies are turning to advertising for free on social media networks (Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin to name a few) to save those all-important pennies.

This growing social media phenomenon can work to your advantage whether you’re a recruiter, a job-seeker, or simply using Twitter or Linkedin for your business.

Have a look at our handy tips below:

1. If you’re a recruiter, create a Twitter profile, a Linkedin Profile and Group, a blog, and a Facebook Page for your company. This way you can reach a massive user base of potential recruits. We’re going to assume you already have a website!

2. If you already have said profiles, are you using them effectively? Keep your tweets around 100 characters so that your followers can RT (Retweet) your posts to their contacts with more info if necessary. Make sure you are including the link to the advertised job as a shortened URL so it takes up less of your 140 characters. You can use a variety of websites for this. We recommend bit.ly, as it comes with free tracking stats so you can see how many people have viewed your job posting. Keep your Tweets, Facebook updates, and Linkedin statuses concise, clear and refer users to more information on your website.

3. Cross-pollinate your posts on all of your social media profiles and blog. Posting on all of those may sound like a lot of work, but it’s easy to post your update on Twitter, and then connect it to your Facebook and Linkedin profiles and your blog, saving you time and effort. Check out TwitterFeed for connecting everything together using RSS Feeds (Really Simple Syndication).

4. Add connections from Twitter, Facebook, jobseekers on Monster etc., and then go one step further by being a little more creative… Search Twitter’s “Trending Topics” for keywords like “job-hunting” and “unemployed” and add people who are in the market for a new job.

5. Of course, it’s easier to get followers (connections, friends and readers) to come to you, rather than hunt them down yourself, but this will happen naturally once you have a solid enough follower-base, and as users find your status updates, tweets and posts through other people they subscribe to. Don’t forget to keep marketing your profiles using your websites, business cards, and company documentation.

And for the job-hunters?

1. Follow recruitment companies such as @MonsterCareers, and @UKHub (and have a look at their blog) on Twitter for up-to-the-minute job Tweets, and register on their main sites too. @NickWalrond also provides great links to articles on CVs, Professional Networking and other interesting career and business info. Also, check out TwitterJobSearch. This great tool uses Twitter to find job posts.

2. Get on Linkedin to find job postings in your area and use the search facility to find the kind of companies you are interested in. Don’t forget to build up your Linkedin profile and seek a few ‘recommendations’ from old bosses to make you gold dust to employers. On the same token, make sure you have an up-to-date and proofread CV.

3. If you have a blog, write about what kind of job you are looking for, and similarly keep followers, friends and connections in the know about what you are doing and what jobs you are trying to find. Chances are one of your contacts will know someone who knows someone and will get in touch.

4. On a similar note, subscribe to the Blogs of companies you’d like to work for and you’ll be one of the first to know whenever a job is advertised.

5. Whilst Facebook is used more for keeping in touch, job postings are put on the Marketplace fairly often depending on your location and you never know when you might find something promising there.

For more great tips and info, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to our Blog. And whether you are recruiting or jobseeking, let us know how you get on in the comments below.

In other news, the UK Government has launched a 20-page guide to Twitter today encouraging MPs to start using the service to keep citizens informed. [Source: http://bit.ly/kFzP2]

Someone’s got the right idea eh?


Posted by Ady Harold - Web Marketing Manager

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