Are You Utilizing LinkedIn?
Building a business takes outstanding management skills. The gift of managing time, money, people and their skills can help you grow your business. Online tools like LinkedIn can help you make connections with future employees and service providers, without spending a lot of time. It will most certainly help your business grow.
People use LinkedIn as an online resume. Members create profiles that provide a snapshot of their professional background – where they work currently, past work history, the businesses they own, and even the side businesses they run. So, if I am checking someone out, I visit LinkedIn because it’s usually the most streamlined place to scan professional qualifications.
LinkedIn is also a way to connect and establish relationships with new people, and expand and reinforce existing relationships. So what exactly can LinkedIn do for your business? Use it to:
- Expand your contacts. The right contacts can help you grow your business, whether you need to find business partners, suppliers or customers. Place a link to your LinkedIn profile prominently on your website (perhaps on the About page) and/or on your blog. That will encourage people to become one of your LinkedIn contacts. In addition, answer questions on the LinkedIn Answers network. Giving someone valuable information makes it easy to strike up an online conversation and from there build a relationship.
- Stay connected with existing business networking contacts. You’ve invested precious time in developing business contacts through networking –don’t let those contacts evaporate. Using LinkedIn, you can keep track of people you’ve met at in-person events or at trade shows – or people you’ve only met online. LinkedIn offers profile photos, letting you remember the person’s face even if you haven’t seen them in a while. Also, if you need an up-to-date email address for one of your connections, you can find it on LinkedIn.
- Draw traffic to your website and blog. You can link to your website and blog from your LinkedIn profile. Adjust your LinkedIn settings to notify your contacts whenever you update your profile. Then update your profile once a quarter and LinkedIn will send out a notice to remind your contacts to come see what’s changed. For instance, if you redesign your website or add a product line, you can update your profile and your contacts automatically will be notified.
- Get PR visibility. Many bloggers and journalists have LinkedIn profiles. While it may be difficult to get their attention by “cold call emailing,” try getting introduced to them through LinkedIn. You certainly do not want to spam them or annoy them. But connecting through LinkedIn is a low pressure way to start developing a relationship. Later on, after they “know” you, they may be more receptive to hearing about your online store, particularly if you serve a niche market or have distinctive merchandise.
- Reinforce your business brand. Your LinkedIn profile will include your company name. You can even include detailed information about what your business does as well as your products and services. Some savvy entrepreneurs include their URL as part of their name and title so that it appears every time their name is displayed on LinkedIn. These actions reinforce your brand at no cost to you.
- Hire service providers, freelancers, independent contractors and employees. LinkedIn is excellent for finding or checking out qualified help. All you need to do is request an introduction through an existing contact.
- Conduct market research. The collective wisdom of experienced business people is powerful. If you are exploring new price points, for instance, you could ask a question on the LinkedIn Answers network. You can also search extensively on LinkedIn and identify competitive data that way.
LinkedIn is a valuable and enduring tool. Some early adopters may have moved on from LinkedIn to the latest shiny object. However, most mainstream entrepreneurs and professionals still use LinkedIn actively.
Mobile Web – It’s Happening
It wasn’t long ago when computers in every home became a reality. Then the Internet came along, and businesses began selling their goods online. Reading the news now happens with the click of a button instead of a trip down the driveway. As technology has improved, many have bid farewell to pagers, traditional faxes, and home phones.
Now comes the “Next Revolution!”
Mobile technology is quickly becoming the next big thing. We’ve grown used to seeing cell phones on every ear, and soon mobile websites will be in front of every eye! Welcome to the mobile internet revolution!
Why Mobile?
Research and reports indicate the potential for over $60 billion – yes, BILLION – is just around the corner with the mobile technology revolution and mobile Websites. And the potential is most certainly more when combined with the new m-commerce capabilities of mobile phones and other mobile devices.
Turn to Integrity Tech
As a web development company, we realize that the industry is boundless. We are committed to staying in front of the exciting wave of mobile communications and mobile web site technology. We are pioneering the dot mobi revolution in southwest Florida for mobile users by bringing it to businesses and consumers alike.
Rich Content is King!
I’ve always made it a point to stay up on what’s happening in my industry, so when I read the uninformed writings of other local web developers, it just annoys me.
Web development firms locally, regionally and nationally are so stuck in the past that the statistics on their websites would lead you to believe that we are still stuck in the 20th Century. The problem with that is that we are about to begin the tenth year of the 21st Century – and they still DON’T GET IT!
Here are some facts:
In August 2008, broadband penetration among active Internet users in US homes grew by 0.78 percentage points to 91.54%, up from 90.76% in July. Dial-up users connecting at 56Kbps or less now make up 8.46% of active Internet users, down 0.78 percentage points from 9.24% in July 2008
As of August 2008, 96.81% of US workers connected to the Internet with broadband, up 0.3 percentage points from the 96.51% share in July. At work, 3.19% connect at 56Kbps or less.
One local developer even goes to the extent of stating the following: “Flash and heavy graphic use has no place on a business website.”
I’m certain the aforementioned quote was based on antiquated data about web site usage and bandwidth connection facts. That’s what happens when you don’t stay abreast of the industry in which you work.
Based on recent broadband access facts and web usage statistics, audio and video are becoming commonplace online. And as they are, businesses are racing to deliver rich content to a global audience. From 2003 until 2007, the combined commercial market value for dynamic Web content — including streaming video and audio, grew from $184 million to $841 million. In a recent survey, online advertising research company DoubleClick found that visitors to Websites click on video ads about five times as often as they do on static pictures or graphics. In fact, most users have come to expect streaming video and live audio on corporate sites. More than 60% of consumers say they now view video online.
Eye-catching content helps turn pedestrian Websites into compelling destinations for all ages of visitors. So, are you prepared to be left in the 20th Century because your website continues to deliver stale, static content?
Integrity Technology Group has partnered with Maxcast to give clients access to the finest web-based video delivery system in existence – Move Networks.
Move Networks’ technology brings the video-viewing experience online with clear differences from other streaming providers. Experience unparalleled quality in online video. Move Networks delivers high-fidelity video with a near-instant start and no buffering. Move Networks major clients – ABC Television; The Discovery Channel; FOX TV; The CW; Televisa; ESPN 360; and more – have chosen to stream their most popular shows online using the Move Networks publishing system. The technology benefits, economic benefits, and quality benefits to a broadcaster make the choice clear; Move Networks puts online video in the best possible light.
Integrity Technology Group is pleased to be able to offer this outstanding service through our affiliation with Move Networks.
It’s time for you to step into the 21st Century by taking advantage of this powerful technology. We are ready, willing, and able to help you achieve a level of success your current web presence has never been able to reach.
