Linkedin - is it for everyone? or some and others?

"Should I be on Linkedin?"

"Will it really add value to my sales team?"

"Everyone else seems to be doing it, will it help me?"

These are questions I'm increasingly asked when working with clients both in the private and public sectors. There are plenty of people who will insist that Linkedin is a must rather than an optional, but I disagree.

Given the time it requires to build a credible profile, (or cost if you get someone else to do it), then ensuring you develop the right connections, deliver the right message, the right strategy and right activity, having a profile will certainly be a drain on your time. Even if you spend just 15 minutes per day on Linkedin, that's an hour and a quarter per week, which per year, is a full working week ... at least. With such an investment of your time, the question of value must be closely scrutinised.

1) Are your clients and prospects on Linkedin?

2) If they are on Linkedin, are they definitely active? (i.e. is there evidence of up-to-date activity including posts, connections, endorsements, recommendations? And do they respond promptly to your invitation to connect with them?) 

3) What is your purpose for being on Linkedin? 


Example 1: 

I currently work with a business which distributes high quality materials to clients around the UK. They have two distinct parts to the business which I'll refer to as part 1 and part 2:

Part 1 - Their clients use Linkedin (albeit - their activity is limited).

Part 2 - Their clients do not use Linkedin and most have never heard of it (to some Linkedin coaches, this may not sound plausible, but it really is a genuine illustration!)

It makes sense for the account managers in Part 1 to develop their Linkedin profiles, but to closely monitor their activity and results, to check it is a worthwhile investment of their time. For account managers in Part 2, it would be worth keeping an eye on things in case their clients migrate towards Linkedin, but for now, there are probably more worthwhile things they could be doing to develop their business unit than being on Linkedin.

Example 2:

For a nurse working at a local hospital, there may be value in being connected to recruitment agents who deal with the healthcare sector, as well as other strategic contacts. However, is the development of a cohesive Linkedin strategy really a worthwhile investment of his/her time, when the NHS intranet and internal letters is where most of the action happens? ... probably not!

Whilst some of your success on Linkedin is down to your strategy, as with all things, Linkedin is more effective for some people than others.

If you are using it, I recommend the following tips:

1) Make sure you have specific reasons for being on there
2) Examine these reasons and check that they really do 'stack-up'
3) Have a clear strategy and process
4) Monitor your results v time  

Thanks for reading

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