Over the past few days we’ve emailed our subscribers about LinkedInfluence 2.0, a fantastic course from Forbes contributor Lewis Howes about how to get more business from Linkedin.
(Yes, Lewis writes and contributes to Forbes.com about his business success which he attributes largely to Linkedin).
Since then a number of our email subscribers have written in wanting to know about our “best practices” when it comes to having your intern work on your Linkedin strategy.
Here are our Top 7 Ways Your Intern Can Help You Grow Your Business On Linkedin, which can be easily achieved when you apply the strategies and principles taught inside Lewis’ updated course, LinedInfluence 2.0:
1. Build your Company Profile
Did you know that you company can have a profile page on Linkedin? Think of it as Linkedin’s version of a Facebook Fanpage. They are easy to build, and give people searching about you, your business, and your industry a place to get more information about your business? Don’t have a company profile yet on Linkedin? Get you intern to build you one, or improve your existing one.
2. Research & Join Groups
Have your intern research your industry and find out what the most active and largest groups are for it on Linkedin. Have them join these groups, and then inform you as to which ones you (as the business owner) should also join. Also make sure to have your intern find out who the group owners are for the biggest and most influential groups in your niche. Send them a personal message, and connect with them…offer to see if you can help them with anything related to their group (or anything at all!)
Also, don’t just think about the groups in your niche, but also think about the groups that your ideal customers are members of and “hang out” in. Once they’ve done this for you, and both you and your intern have joined the group, you’re going to want to have them…
3. Monitor Discussions In These Groups On Your Behalf
There are a TON of great debates and discussions going on inside of all of the groups related to your niche, but how many of them are you contributing to? More importantly, how much spare time do you have to monitor all of these great debates and discussions going on inside of Linkedin groups every single day? EXACTLY.
Instead, assign your intern to monitor these discussions, and notify you when there’s one that you should contribute to. Not only will you be able to position yourself as a helpful expert within your niche, but your intern will learn a lot more about your industry as well!
4. Start (or grow) Your Existing Groups on Linkedin
Don’t have your own group on Linkedin, dedicated to your niche? Start one! Have a group, but not seeing enough growth or discussion inside of it? Have your intern start discussions, and grow it, by:
- Inviting others inside Linkedin
- Inviting people on Facebook & your Facebook Fanpage
- Inviting people on Twitter
- Creating a short YouTube video with an invite
- Joining other groups and inviting those people (pay close attention to the end of Module 2 inside of LinkedInfluence 2.0 for exactly how to do this without looking “spammy)
5. Using “Answers” On Linkedin
Linkedin has a huge database of people asking questions and getting answers. Have your intern search this for questions that people have about your industry, so you can answer them, provide value, and be helpful to others in your niche. (There’s a lot more information on exactly how to do this in the most effective manner inside Module 4 of LinkedInfluence 2.0).
Then have your intern take your answers, and turn them into content for your website. This content could be in the form of:
- Blog posts
- Articles
- Videos
- White Papers
- Free Reports
6. Creating Events On Linkedin
Just like you can create an event on Facebook and invite your friends, you can also create an event on Linkedin and invite others as well. Events can be live events, meetings, seminars, webinars, meetups, or anything else! For example, if you’re a real estate agent, invite people to your open houses; if you’re a business owner having a sale, invite others to your big sale (whether it’s online or offline).
7. Share Everything You Do On Linkedin On Your Other Social Networking Sites
Whether it’s answering a question, posting a comment in a group discussion, sharing content inside your own group (or one that you’re a member of), writing a new blog post, issuing a new press release, or hosting an event on Linkedin, make sure that your intern shares this activity on your other social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook.
Hopefully this post has given you some ideas on how you can engage your intern with your Linkedin strategy. We would highly recommend giving them (and yourself) the ultimate guide in helping market and grow your business using Linkedin, which would be to pick up your copy of the newly updated LinkedInfluence 2.0, which we have personally reviewed and gets our top rating for anyone looking to generate more business from Linkedin (and having their intern help them in the process).
