LinkedIn Primer, Part 2

Last week, I blogged about LinkedIn and it’s appropriateness for business networking. In this entry, I will explore the question, why is LinkedIn useful?

The LinkedIn user pool -- 53 million members as of January 2010 -- is uniquely qualified for event and business marketing. Users of LinkedIn are active and upwardly mobile professionals, eager to expand their professional reach and abilities. Unlinke Facebook, the chances that your great aunt Sally will become your organization’s biggest fan are slim.

LinkedIn also allows professional group pages, such as alumni organizations, companies, and professional groups. Group pages serve as a central gathering spot for persons of similar interest as well as a resource for expert advice or help. Group discussion pages provide a safe space for peers to share information and converse about current issues in their field. Participating in group discussions gives users visibility and allows you to build credibility as an expert in your field.

LinkedIn groups are designed to have longevity – so while you may not want to create one for a one-time event, LinkedIn is an appropriate place to nurture an online community around your organization, topic, or issue. Once your community begins to grow, you can then tap that community for ideas and participation in your meetings and events.

LinkedIn for Business Primer, Part 1

I’ve blogged a lot about social media this year, talking about the most common platforms including Facebook and Twitter. In my opinion, these two along with LinkedIn form the trifecta of free social networking applications that are useful for conference marketing. In this two-part entry, I will discuss LinkedIn and offer some tips for getting started with the site.

Let’s start with the basics: what is LinkedIn? LinkedIn is a professional networking site, designed for business use – networking, self-promotion, and job seeking. If Facebook is a family picnic, LinkedIn is an after-work cocktail reception.

A user’s LinkedIn profile is essentially a professional resume, complete with job titles, dates, and descriptions. Because everyone is on their best behavior, there are limited opportunities for personalization such as photos (save for a single profile picture), video, or other multimedia content.

Because it’s geared towards working professionals, LinkedIn has a few features not found on other social networking sites. There are opportunities to ask someone to recommend your work, providing opportunities to create an online brag book. You can also ask a contact to “introduce” you to someone else, expanding your network through that of others.

To learn more about LinkedIn, here’s a short video on how it works.

Why Social Media Matters

The world of social media changes every minute. Whereas it used to be enough to put together a blast email campaign, your conference delegates are increasingly turning to online tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to find information and make decisions.

Many meeting managers struggle with the relevance of social media. We hear, "Sure, it’s exciting. But the learning curve is steep and I’m already busy. How does it benefit me? My organization? My attendees?"

A recent article titled “10 Ways that Social Media Will Transform Events in 2010” provides a concise list of why event managers should work to incorporate social media into the planning process. Just a few highlights include the ability to:

• Gather real-time feedback and address attendee concerns in real time.
• Facilitate peer-to-peer learning and audience-to-speaker learning rather than just traditional speaker-to-audience learning.
• Extend the reach of live events beyond the boundaries of time and space.
• Create dynamic online communities that allow attendees to connect with people of similar interests.
• Reach audiences never before possible.

Read the full article here.

Taking (Social) Networking to the Next Level

Many of us are familiar with social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and MySpace. Savvy planners who want to connect people beyond time and physical space are increasingly looking to social networking tools like these to build communities and forge relationships. Although I have been part of these online communities for several years, I had never really considered that they could also increase the effectiveness of my conferences.

Last spring, however, I planned a convention in Florence, Italy that introduced some social networking tools to engage their army of student volunteers. As technology association this client is often ahead of the curve, but they struggled to connect with 150+ students traveling from all over world.

A social networking tool seemed like the perfect fit, so we established a Facebook group approximately nine months before the conference began. Although it was intended primarily as an information tool, the students also utilized the discussion board to make travel arrangements and rent apartments together. Within just a few weeks, the group had taken on a life of its own – totally driven by the students. By the time they arrived onsite, the students were excited to meet the virtual friends they had already made.

Onsite, we utilized a Twitter stream to inform the students of breaking news, changes in schedules or tasks, and even what was being served at the coffee break. Last year’s experience was so successful that we’re rolling out the Twitter stream to all attendees this April. We are also considering beta testing an emerging technology called SWIFT (www.imswift.com), designed to connect attendees in real-time onsite though the use of their mobile devices.

In the coming years, I anticipate that social networking will become an integral part of managing any conference. With just a little extra advance planning, these easy – and often free! – tools can be used to generate excitement and connect people who are spread far apart geographically.