Don’t get me wrong, I love statistics. But “how can you use social media to grow your business?” That’s where it gets exciting because most of the tools are free or relatively in-expensive in terms of cost. You just have to be willing to invest the time required to engage and interact.

So while many people are focused on talking about how they can help small businesses, we choose to show small businesses how to do it themselves.  We knew that those who can, will do it themselves, and those that understand the need for social media, but lack the time or resources, will seek to outsource the work.

As a full fledged member of the David clan (small businesses), we continue to help businesses understand how to use the Social Web, making sure they understand the need for a strategy, and the tactics to accomplish their goals and objectives.

In business there is a process of familiarity that most people go through prior to making a purchase. The first step is they have to know that you exist. Next they need to like you or your product or service. Finally they have to have some level of trust. If they know, like, and trust you then you have a shot at earning their business.

Social media provides numerous opportunities to introduce you or your company to other, to capture their attention through sharing content, or build goodwill through being a resource.

• Using Twitter you might share a link to a interesting news article or blog, written by you or just something interesting you found on the internet.
• Using Facebook you might share an interesting photo or video that causes one to take notice.
• On LinkedIn it might be starting a discussion in a group or by connecting two of your connections.
• You Tube has grown into the number two search engine. When I want to know how to work a piece of software I look to YouTube first.

The effect of providing value to others, belonging to common groups, or being connected, is that your community begins to recognize you.

If people like your content or the value you share they will inevitably begin to form a positive opinion of you. How you interact with others will also factor into the “Like” equation.

The final piece, Trust, is something that will build over time if you consistently participate, help others, share great content and value. At Social Media Sonar we have used our blogs and video to share value, helping others better understand how the social web, advertising and marketing work together.

Be sure to check out some of the free resources:

• Our Blueprint:  Graphically lays out a process to incorporate social media into a online marketing plan
• Conversion Rate Optimization Guide:  Walks through increasing conversions using scientific testing methods.  (the guide is on the Surge Labs site)
• Resource Center:  Includes a collection of tools for LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, three free Linkedin Guides, a look at three LinkedIn eBooks.
• The Linkulator:  The only online tool to numerically grade your LinkedIn profile

Hopefully these tools will help you utilize social media to drive new business.

Social Media Sonar provides the following four resources for FREE… 1.  The Blog, 2. The Online Marketing/Social Media Blueprint, 3.  Conversion Rate Optimization Guide, 4.  Resource Center.  If these help you implement your own online marketing program, great. We love helping people. If you decide you need some help, great. We love new clients.  Contact Us if we can help you.

One of the benefits of writing a book (in my case two books which will be released on June 1st) is that you reacquaint yourself with some features that are not always top of mind.  These five feature won’t make or break your LinkedIn experience but they are useful.  Drum roll please…

Add a You Tube Video to Your Profile

You can do this with either Slideshare or Google Presentation.  My perspective was that Google Presentation was a little faster, but you should try both to see what works for you.

Here is how you would add a video using Google Presentation:

• Add the Google Presentation application
• Go into Google Docs and create a new presentation
• Click on Insert (top link) and click on Video
• Search for your video on YouTube and choose your video
• Click on File (top link) and choose Rename – rename your presentation
• Go back into Google Presentation from your Profile
• Click on your video and Post to Profile

When the slide show is clicked the video will play.

Create an Email Signature on LinkedIn

You can use LinkedIn’s Email Signature Tool to add a LinkedIn signature to your Outlook (2003, 2002 XP, and 2000), Outlook Express, Mozilla Thunderbird, and Yahoo email accounts.

Here is an example (there are 17 templates available):

To create your signature do the following:

1. At the bottom of each LinkedIn page there are three rows of text links.  Click on ‘Overview’ at the bottom of your home page in the ‘Tools’ row.

2. Click on the ‘Try it Now’ button in the ‘Email signature’ area at the bottom of the ‘LinkedIn Tools Overview’ page.

Once you fill in the information you would like to include click the text link “Click here for instructions”.  This will open up a pop up window with the html code and instructions.

Customize your Search Views

When you conduct a people search or a Group member search you get a list of the results.  At the top is a drop down to choose how to view the results.  You can choose Basic, Extended, or Create a New View.  Choosing the New View opens a pop up window that allows you to include what you would like in your view.

This is a Premium feature that is available for a time to all types of accounts.  Use it while you can and don’t be surprised if one day it disappears if you have a free account.  LinkedIn wants to suck you in and once enough people use it, it will become a carrot to get you to upgrade to a paid account

Have new questions emailed to you based on a topic

Track topics based on keywords and categories in LinkedIn Answers to review and respond to questions posed by other LinkedIn members.  When you look at a category on the right side at the bottom of the Browse box is a text link to “Subscribe to new questions in” whichever category you are currently viewing.

Add Personal Contact Information to your profile

At the bottom of your Profile Edit page is a space to include the following information:

• Phone number
• Instant Messaging ID
• Address
• Birthday
• Marital Status – do I see an eHarmony tie in coming down the road?

There a lot more relevant information that LinkedIn should allow you to share so let’s hope they expand this down the road.

Wrap Up

That’s it for today.  On Monday I expect to release two new LinkedIn Books and a Work Book.

1.  The LinkedIn MBA: This guide looks at just about every page and link and explains their purpose and it’s use.  This detailed book will provide everything you need to build your LinkedIn foundation.

2.  The LinkedIn MBA Workbook: The companion piece walks you through creating a “Killer” profile and building your online credibility through questions and exercises.

3.  LinkedIn Marketing Secret Formula: This book is pure strategy and details the strategies I have developed and used that have resulted in prospects calling me to do business.  It identifies the three LinkedIn networks you can use to communicate your message, indirectly, to tens of thousands of LinkedIn members.  I also detail the secret process I have used to drive traffic to my blog going from 2,200 visitors in March to close to 50,000 in May.

The books are available on the blog by going to http://www.socialmediasonar.com/book.html

Have a great weekend… I’m off on a camping trip with the family to recuperate before the book release.

Sean Nelson

This week I was set to post the first Podcast from Linked Intuition, which was to be created on Saturday through my new Podcast show Radio North Fulton.  Unfortunately my cohort Scott Dunn, of Sonar Connects, woke up not feeling well and spent the day on a chicken soup IV.   Hopefully we can reconnect this week and I’ll post it next Monday.

So to keep Monday a good day, today’s topic is LinkedIn related tools and widgets.  You might have heard of some of these.  You might be using some.  But a lot of people are not aware of all of these, so here they are.

Non-LinkedIn Tools

LinkedIn Presence Scoring Tool
Ever wondered how your LinkedIn efforts compare to the average user.  The Linkulator grades your LinkedIn activity on a scale from 0 to 100, and shows you the average score among those who have graded their profile.  The results also include tips on what you can do to improve your score and presence.

Google Alerts to Track Topics
This isn’t a LinkedIn tool but it can be used to track LinkedIn related information.  Set up a Google Alert to track LinkedIn related topics to keep up to date with changes and information about LinkedIn.

Xobni Email Plugin
This Outlook plugin opens a summary window that displays information on each email sender and how you connect to that person.

LinkedIn Tools:

Outlook Toolbar
The Outlook toolbar is an excellent way to have full-time access to your LinkedIn contacts and information even when you are not on the LinkedIn Web site.  The tool integrates your LinkedIn data with Outlook, provider you instant access to en email sender’s profile.

Browser Toolbars (IE & Firefox)
The LinkedIn Browser Toolbar allows you to directly access LinkedIn, it allows you to search from anywhere, and also get the scoop on inside job connections. With easy one-click access to LinkedIn, you can easily see the LinkedIn profiles of everyone sending you Web mail.

Jobs Insider
The Jobs Insider comes with the LinkedIn Browser toolbar.  With it you can see how you connect into a job listing and see how you are connected to the position.  The tool works with Monster, CareerBuilder, HotJobs, Craigslist, SimplyHired, Dice, or Vault

You can request an introduction to the hiring manager, get your resume to the right person, or find out more about the company

LinkedIn Widgets

Company Insider
Let your users discover how they are connected to companies on your site. You pass a company name and we’ll show how many people the user knows and a few sample names. This widget works great for news sites and blogs, letting readers connect to people at companies you mention. It also works well on jobs sites where job seekers can see who they know at hiring companies. Use it anywhere to inject professional networking into your site.

Profile
Show LinkedIn profiles on your blog, website, or application. The Profile widget shows the public profile of anyone in LinkedIn. Use it to show your own profile on your blog or website. Or use it in your business application to show profiles of people. The Profile widget takes a Public Profile URL and shows the public profile for that person. Your users can then click through to see the full LinkedIn profile page, including how they may be related and communication options.

Share on LinkedIn
Add a Share on LinkedIn link to your website or blog allowing your users to share your content with their LinkedIn connections or networks. This gives your content legs: one user visits your site and can notify literally tens, hundreds, or thousands of others. Works great for news sites, blogs, and other content rich sites.

I would also consider the various LinkedIn applications tools as well.  Down the road I’ll add a post reviewing these but for now you can access them from the LinkedIn site.

Which tools have you found useful?  And what are some LinkedIn tools that I missed that you think everyone should know about?