LinkedIn for Small Business: What happened to the Group Statistics?

In social media, change is the ONLY constant. That is so true for LinkedIn. Not too long ago, I posted an article about how LinkedIn members can use Group Statistics to determine if a group is worthy of joining. Alas, Group Statistics are not available on LinkedIn now. At first I thought it was me, my internet access, or my browser. After doing a little research, I came across this forum thread discussing the loss of the Group Statistics feature. UGH! Another useful feature removed.

Bloggers, LinkedIn Members, Small Business Owners: How do you feel about this new change on LinkedIn? Frankly, I found Group Statistics to be very useful because it gives some idea as to the level of engagement within the group.

In Social Media, Change is the ONLY Constant

What can we do? Click the feedback link on the right side of your LinkedIn homepage. Maybe if enough of users express the same concern, we'll get the feature back. In the meantime, I have to go back to my other post and make a note that the information is obsolete

Thoughts?

Image courtesy of mrpuen at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

LinkedIn for Small Business: The Company Page Part 3

Hello Small Business Owners! We've spent a great deal of time talking about the LinkedIn Company Page and how it can enhance your LinkedIn profile and your business' branding.  Today we will be talking about engagement and how to build that all important relationship with your followers.

Engagement = Relationships!

Remember a few weeks ago, we had a post about creating a homey feeling for your LinkedIn Group?  Well, we need to create that same sense of 'home' with the followers on your company page.

How do we accomplish that?  I'm so glad you asked!  First, remember that your followers are just as human as you are.  People love stories that involve a general human interest.  Think charities, social responsibility, good causes, etc.  Set up Google Alerts to search for these stories in your industry and share them on your company page.

Do you have a blog page on your company website?  If you do, share some of your blog posts on your company page.  Do watch the amount self promotion and sales pitches.

Do you have employees with LinkedIn profiles that work for your company and are in good standing? Encourage them to link their employer field to the company page, and FOLLOW your company page.  Once they complete these steps, they will appear on the company page as employees.  Now are you  giving a HUMAN face to your business.

Your Company Page following will take time to grow.  Be patient and continue to share your company page via your LI news feed.  DO acknowledge any likes, comments and shares so that your followers know you are paying attention to their feedback.

Sharing Human Interest Posts = Caring

Here's a quick summary of how to create that sense of 'Home' using your LI Company Page:

1. Share Human Interest Stories
2. Share Blog Posts
3. Encourage Employees to Follow and Link their profile to your Company Page
4. Acknowledge all likes, comments, and shares

AND, if you love the thought of having a Company Page, but don't have time to manage one, simply fill out my contact form.  You can also look me up on Google+ or LinkedIn.

Image courtesy of Boians Cho Joo Young at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

LinkedIn for Business: The Company Page Part 2

Welcome back small business owners!  In our last post, we talked about how a LinkedIn Company Page can enhance your own profile AND help you and your business appear in search results.

Today we will talk about how the LinkedIn Company Page can also enhance your business' brand.


What is branding? Entrepreneur.com defines branding as
"The marketing practice of creating a name, symbol or design that identifies and differentiates a product from other products."
source: http://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/branding

There is a tool that can help you use your LI Company Page to differentiate your business from competitors: The Showcase Page.

LinkedIn Showcase Page = BRAND AWARENESS

Some of you may remember the 'products and services' page that LI done away with.  Those have been replaced with Showcase Pages that can be used to show off specific business areas, brands, products, services or long term innovative projects.  You can even list a distinct website on each Showcase Page - it's like have a landing page right there on LinkedIn.

Amazon's LI Company Page is a great example of how Showcase Pages are used.

For more information about LinkedIn Showcase Pages, visit the LinkedIn Help Center. 

Would you like to set up a LI Company Page but have no time?  I'd love to help! Look me up on LinkedIn or Google+.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

LinkedIn for Small Business: The Company Page Part 1

Recently, I posed a question to local business owners on the Greenville-Spartanburg SC Connections LinkedIn Group:

Question for local small business owners:

How do you use LinkedIn to promote your business?

One business owner replied, saying he doesn't use LinkedIn to promote his business, and admitted that he wasn't sure how to use the platform for his business.

Confident that other business owners share the same thought, we're starting a 'LinkedIn for Small Business Series' to help.

Today we will take a look at LinkedIn's Company Page Feature.

LinkedIn Company Page = Easy Access to YOU and YOUR BUSINESS

Why go through the trouble of setting up a company page on LI?  Well, you're on LinkedIn so potential customers will find you, right?  Did you know LinkedIn is like a search engine?  An LI company page can be linked directly to the current employer field on your profile. That means easy access to you and your business information via your profile, or a LinkedIn industry or keyword search.

Setting up a LinkedIn Company Page is quite easy to do, and it's FREE. Simply go to 'Interests', select 'Company', and then click on the 'Create Button' to begin setting up your page.  Click here for detailed instructions from the LinkedIn Help Community.

Two things to remember as you create your new page:

1. You will be prompted to input an email address during the set up process.  Once your page is set up, you will not be able to create another page with the same email domain.                                                                                           
2. Think long term!  You will have the option to assign page admins.  Is someone setting up your company page for you?  Will that email address or company page be accessible after that person leaves your company?   I've seen companies stuck with a page they can't access.  

Our next post will take a closer look at some of the company page features that can be helpful to the small business owner.

Do you need help setting up a company page?  Shoot an email to me at jeaninevidalsolutions@gmail.com.

AND if you would like to go even further and become a LinkedInfluencer, check out this affiliate offer from www.LinkedInfluencer.com!

Image courtesy of renjith krishnan at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Have you Critiqued Your LinkedIn Profile Pic Lately?

First impressions are lasting impressions, and one thing your LinkedIn pic will surely provide browsers is a first impression of who you are and what kind of work you do.  I recently had a chance to watch a great tutorial from Linked Into Leads showing some of the best profile photo fails.  It's a quick tutorial that shows both good and bad examples of pics. Click here to view the video.

Jeanine Vidal

I thought it would be a great idea to use the tips from the video and critique my own LinkedIn profile photo. Yes, this is me.

LinkedIn profiles should:

1. Be from the elbows up to include the face - Check!
2. Show attire that complements your profession - Check!
3. Good background - Check!
4. No couple pictures or family pet pictures - Check!

Thankfully, I am fully clothed (can you believe the profile pics that are shirtless?), but I can't help but feel there may be room for improvement. I passed the hard checks, but the pic is obviously an old selfie cell phone pic.  It may be time for an update, and maybe with a better quality camera.

So, your assignment, dear readers is to self critique your LI profile pic.  Tell me about your results in the comments below, or you can email me at jeaninevidalsolutions@gmail.com.

Do you want to become a LinkedIn Influencer?  Click here for more information. Thank you for checking out my affiliate link!

Creating that 'Homey' feeling for your LinkedIn Group

LinkedIn Groups can provide a wealth of information about your industry, but many LI users are turned off by groups due to the spammy blasts of self-promotional posts.  Now I understand many entrepreneurs and small business owners create groups to enhance their online presence and brand.  The struggle comes with growing the group and with member engagement.  What's the best way to help your group grow and to encourage group engagement?

Simple! Your group will just have to be one of the GREAT groups on LinkedIn that people want to join.  Create a welcoming atmosphere and persona within your group where members feel comfortable approaching you via private message, or freely commenting on a discussion post.  Below are a couple of ground rules to follow to help you accomplish this:

Posting Frequency
Post from your own blog site or website no more than 1x a week.  The idea is to generate discussion, not use the group as your personal billboard.

Post Quality
Post direct questions.  Group members love direct questions - it makes people feel like they are part of a community. AND you are most likely to get more comments with these kind of posts.

Set the rules and Stick to them
Don't feel guilty.  Only try to let content through that you feel will be truly helpful to the group.

Reward your Members
Read other people's posts and provide a meaningful comment.  Reward other members when they post genuine discussion questions (and not a link to their site) by featuring these posts on the Manager's Choice board.

What methods have you found helpful to encourage growth and engagement?  Please share - we'd love to hear from you!

Do you need help starting a group, or with a group that's lacking that 'homey' feeling?  Shoot me an email at jeaninevidalsolutions@gmail.com.

Image courtesy of jscreationzs at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

One Simple Trick To Finding a Great Group on LinkedIn

Update 7/21/2015:
Unfortunately, due to LinkedIn removing the Group Statistics feature, this post is obsolete.  Click here for an update on this issue.

LinkedIn Groups are a great way to find information about current trends in your industry.  However many groups are either overrun with self-promotional posts that are really just a link to someone's website, OR they are so tightly moderated that no one checks the new membership queue for weeks or months at a time.

How can you tell if a Group on LI is worth your time?  I've found one simple statistic that lets me know in an instant if the Group is a GREAT Group or just another crappy spam fest:

After browsing to your choice group, click on the gear wheel in the upper right hand corner. Next, click on 'Statistics' under the 'About' section.  Go to 'Activity' and here you can find the number of comments compared to the number of posts. More comments mean more engagement. Members are actually communicating with each other instead of just posting, posting, posting.

Here's an of example of a Group that has a higher comment rate:

And here's an example of a Group that have a LOT of posts, but few comments:

Higher comment rates indicate a healthier membership. These are the groups where new connections can be made and great ideas can be shared.

If you are a group owner, my next post will provide advice on how to create that comfortable atmosphere where members are happy to leave comments.

Do you have a favorite LinkedIn group?  Please share with us in the comments!

Need help with your LinkedIn profile or Group Management?  Look me up on LI or email me at jeaninevidalsolutions@gmail.com.

More on LinkedIn: Managing the Manager's Choice in LinkedIn Groups

Greetings fellow LI Group owners and managers!  Occasionally there are discussions posted in our group that we would like to spotlight.  The easiest way to highlight a special post is to use the Manager's Choice setting.  Selected posts are prominently displayed in the Manager's Choice banner that appears at the top of the group.  Many of us are probably already aware of how to add a post to the Manager's Choice section: simply click on the discussion you want to add, and look for the option in the lower left pane of the discussion page.  Here, you can 'add to Manager's Choice' or 'undo' if you want to take the post down.

Adding and undoing Manager's Choice selections are easy enough.  What if you want to change the order of the posts, and where do you go to add a picture, or HERO image, on the front tab?  Did you know there was a limit to the number of posts you can have in the Manager's Choice section?  We'll answer each of these questions below.

1. How do I change the order of the Manager's Choice posts?

 When you are in your group, look for the Search tab at the top.  The Search tab will be located next to Manage tab.  Click on Search.  Once in the Search section, on the left hand panel you will see two options on the menu: Manager's Choice and Set Manager's Choice Order. Click on 'Set Manager's Choice Order'.  Now you can number your posts in the order they should appear.

 2. How do I add a HERO image in the Manager's Choice banner?  

When you are in your group, go to the Manage tab. Once in the Manage section, on the left hand panel, find the 'Group Information' option.  Click on 'Group Information'. The 'Add a Hero Image' option will there right below the 'Add Logo' sections.  Here, you can upload a pick for your Hero image.  Keep in mind the size requirements for the Hero image (646x200 or larger).

3. Is there a limit to the number of posts I can have in the Manager's Choice?

Yes, the limit is 10 posts.  In my experience working with LinkedIn, there's no error or message that indicates you've reached your limit.  If you're trying to add posts to the Manager's Choice section, but they never appear there, check the number of postings.  You may have reached your limit.  If that's the case, you will have to select the 'Undo' Manager's Choice setting for one post to allow another one in its place.

The tips have helped me greatly in managing LI groups for my clients.  I'm sure they will help you too.  Have you found other ways to work with the Manager's Choice banner?  I would love to hear your ideas - just leave them in the comments below and I'll be sure to respond.

So you're creating a Group on LinkedIn? Here are 5 Things You Should Know...

Did you know there are over 2 million groups on LinkedIn?  We have open networking groups and we have alumni groups.  Some users create groups centered around their companies.  And now you've decided to create a group on LinkedIn, too. What do you do now?  This post is not another boring tutorial on how to set up a LI group.  Here, we are going to look at the softer side of group management strategies, and talk about the things that aren't shared in tutorials.  Are you aware that owning or managing a group on LinkedIn will require posting planning, and a regular time commitment?  Below are some tips to help you prepare yourself for real group management duties.

1. What's the objective of the group?

What do you expect to your group to accomplish, and who are your target members? Perhaps you are trying to use the group to establish yourself as an industry expert.  Maybe you're using the group as a means to drive traffic to your site.  Or, the group may serve to satisfy the need to vent and share frustrations. These sound like basic questions, but they are the most important questions to answer when you are starting a new group. The answers to these questions will give your group focus, and will help you determine what discussion topics will fit.  

2. Do you want your group to be informative, collaborative, or both?

When creating a group, LI gives you several options for 'group type', such as alumni, corporate, nonprofit, networking, professional etc.  While you are selecting your group type, think about whether or not you want your group to be informative, collaborative, or both.  Again, the reason is to help focus on the type of postings you would like to see within the group.  An informative group may have 'how to' postings and discussions that offer tutorials or instructions on how to do something.  A collaborative group may post more direct questions that encourage discussion or debate.  In a hybrid of the two, we might find a follow up on an informative post with another post that presents a thought provoking question.  

3. What's your posting plan?

You can't create a group and expect the group to just post discussions on its own. A good group manager needs to be an active participant in the group.  If you know the group objective, and whether the group will be more informative or collaborative in nature, you can outline a plan for your own posts.

For example, let's say you've created a group to establish expertise on a topic. You've decided to keep the group informative in nature.  Your posting plan may be a tutorial series of weekly discussions.  Each week, you have a new post that offers a 'how-to' step in a process.

Following a plan or outline will give you direction on what to post next (instead of randomly posting on different topics).

4. How much control do you want to have?

Yes, there are group rules you can establish.  The rules set the guidelines, but real control comes from monitoring and moderation.  As a group owner, you can control membership and postings.  New memberships can be controlled by making the group closed, or private.  This is done through the 'Request to Join' during group creation.  You can also elect to make members submit comments and discussions for approval, or you can allow all members to post freely.  You can even allow members to post comments freely, but require approval for discussion submissions.

There are pro’s and con’s with each level of control, and they all revolve around the moderation queue. Join requests and submission requests are all held in a moderation queue until released by the group owner, manager or moderator.  Moderation is a great way to filter out spammy posts, and to deter LI users that may not bring any value to the group from joining.

The same moderation techniques may also deter well meaning users who would be a great boon for the group.  This may be due to the growing number of LI users complaining that their posts never see the light of day.  If you do elect moderation, please consider the amount of queue time deemed acceptable to group members.  Holding posts for two weeks or longer will certainly discourage member participation.

Which brings me to my last question...

5. Are you ready for the time commitment?

You already know that you will need loads of time to plan and post your own discussions.  But have you thought about these areas:

How often do you plan to check your moderation queue?  Daily? Weekly? If you elect to have a members only group, how often do you plan to check for membership requests?  A good way to turn off members to a group is to keep a group moderated and not check the queue for a few weeks.  I once joined an SAP group on LI.  It was members only, but I did not get approval to join until 6 months later.  Seriously?

If you have an open group with no moderation control over submissions, don’t think housekeeping is not required.  Un-moderated groups are easy to spot; just look for the groups with the same users posting link after link after link.  Spammy content can be as big a turn off as not allowing any content.  If you go with an open and un-moderated group, plan on checking your forum daily.

How much time do you plan to dedicate to checking other posts and offering a comment or two? Remember, a good group owner is an engaged owner.  Group members are well pleased when others take the time to read their content, and many reciprocate.  Read a posting or two and leave a thoughtful, meaningful comment to let members know their contributions are appreciated.  Participating in your own group will encourage other members to join in the fun.  

Ready...Set...Go...
Setting up a group on LinkedIn is easy, but management takes a little more work.  Knowing the answers to the questions above will help you manage your group with finesse.  Good luck!

Blocked on LinkedIn? Here's What You Can Do To Recover...

Booted, moofed, blocked, deleted....Are all of your comments and postings on LinkedIn groups suddenly disappearing in to the vast abyss of the moderation queue?  When you keep seeing the message 'your comment has been submitted for review' after posting in every single group, then you may have been SWAM'd.

SWAM stands for site-wide automated moderation status.  This happens when a group manager blocks you from a group. When that event takes place, all postings to all groups you are a member of go to the moderation queue for the manager to review and approve.

Frustrating? Yes, it is and I completely understand your frustration. One of the biggest mistakes I made early on as an SM manager was getting swamd due to overzealous posting.  It was a painful lesson, and I do accept the double DA points for failing to read group rules before submitting those posts.

What can you do now?  Believe it or not, you can recover from being swam'd. The first thing you need to do is re-read (or read for the first time) the group rules you are a member of.  Somewhere along the lines, a rule got broken.  Just accept that and move on.

Side note:
I know what you're thinking: how can Joe Blow who posts link after link after link not get blocked, but I do?Now, we can have a whole discussion about group fairness, and whether or not managers are correct in blocking some members and not others.  We'll save this for another discussion because there is a lot to talk about that :)

Steps to SWAM'd Recovery:

1. Private message (PM) the group managers or owners (if possible).

To send a message to the group owner or manager, click on the 'i' for the group information, and then on the 'Group Profile' link.  Hover over the name and click on the 'Send Message' link.  All that is needed is a polite text asking to have your posts allowed through again.  Remember, most group owners are unaware of their members being tagged with a swam'd status.

Be prepared: The group owner may or may not respond.  Some owners are highly engaged with their members and may be willing to hear you out; others may not respond at all.  This goes back to my side not about group management.  There's more to talk about on that topic, but we will save it for another discussion.

If a send message link is not available, then the owner or manager has turned off the option to receive PM's from group member. If that is the case, you will only be able to PM the group leader if he or she is a connection.

If the group owner is unresponsive, or PM's are not possible, move on to step 2.

2. Dust yourself off and find another group to join.

There are over 1.4 million groups on LinkedIn.   LI users are limited to 50 groups, so yes, there are plenty of other groups out there!

3. Read the Rules, and Follow Them!

To avoid reliving this headache after your on a 'free to post' status again, be sure to read the rules in all of your groups.

4. Start your own Group

You can create and own up to 10 groups on LinkedIn.  Yes, there is work involved in growing a group membership, but as the owner, you can post what you want without the fear of getting SWAM'd.

I've recovered from the SWAM'd experience by following these steps, and you can too!