LinkedIn Strategies

• by Dan Bailey

I was fortunate enough to speak at a SCAD Alumni event “Social Media and Self Marketing” on March 25 (to watch the video, visit http://vimeo.com/10530946 or the SCAD Alumni in Atlanta Facebook page). I covered several points, but gave special recommendation to read Sean Nelson’s blog post “Are You a LION, Turtle, HoundDog, or Alley Cat? What’s Your LinkedIn Strategy?” (http://www.communitymarketing.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/12/are-you-a-lion-turtle-hounddog-or-alley-cat-whats-your-linkedin-strategy.html; unfortunately in the discussion I may have misspoken his name). Here are my takeaways of Sean’s well-structured thoughts on LinkedIn strategic communications.

All of us in LinkedIn, whether we know it or not, are operating under a strategy. The better we understand this point, the more we can use our LinkedIn communications to our advantage. For example, LIONs are “open networkers,” those who will connect to anyone, and boast thousands of connections (as if this were the greatest objective of LinkedIn). Turtles on the other hand are the opposite of LIONs. Turtle’s cautiously move forward, connecting only to those they know well and trust. Hound Dogs, yet another category, connect to those they know and wish to know, while receiving LinkedIn invitations from those who promise value potential. The Alley Cats category represents those who invite only strategic connections, but will accept connections from everyone.

By identifying our LinkedIn strategies based on the aforementioned, and asking if these work optimally for us, we can then add more planning intelligence and grow with advancing information. Whether we be marketers, consultants, business owners or creatives, we can identify and enhance our positioning for personal success. We’re all selling some piece of ourselves. LinkedIn can sell our positioning well, whether for life-long career advancement within the walls of greater establishments, or prospecting and sales-cycle build. First-, second- and third-party LinkedIn connections can grant us communications speed and visibility that traditional tactics could not. Further, strategic planning and LinkedIn optimization can give us the successes we crave. So link up!

– Jake Aull, www.zenofbrand.com