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PM Forum - New York

Transforming Professional Networking

At the PM Forum December event in New York, Miles Jennings of Modis. launched his presentation on professional networking by discussing personal branding. He advocates developing a personal brand that enhances your company brand. An effective networker will develop brand attributes and points of differentiation, just as your company has. The goal is to become the person that your target wants to meet.

While he uses conventional networking methods, he focuses on LinkedIn as his most important networking tool. Why use it? With more than 30 million users, LinkedIn has become the most successful online business-networking platform. It offers an opportunity to project your personal brand to your audience - so that people not only find you, but also want to meet you.

Types of people to link to:
  • LIONs or LinkedIn Open Networkers: They connect with anybody and have a huge list of connections. You can find local ones through a radius search by zip code. Sort the results by number of connections. If you link to LIONs, note that the more connections you have, the less value each one brings.
  • Top industry networkers: Competitors, found by company.
  • Clients and target clients: Understand your client's company, track changes in personnel and events.
  • Friends and family.
Effective ways to use LinkedIn features
  • Joining Groups. Many of us join groups, but don't use them effectively. Your key benefit as a member is that you can send a message that will reach everyone in a group. So if you want publicity, you have an audience of fellow group members that may pay attention. The best groups have more than 10,000 members. Consider joining multiple groups.
  • Starting Groups. Miles feels the time to start a group is now, before there are too many. If you are the group leader, you are positioned as an expert. Leading a group can take time: group leaders mediate discussions, and screen requests to join.
  • Polls. A new LinkedIn feature, this tool enables you to ask a question, get responses, and then tabulate and publish results using LinkedIn tools. You can then promote the poll results to your group. This feature is currently in beta testing, so you can try it free of charge.
  • Content. Link your blog or other articles to your home page, and promote your expertise to groups. This helps establish your credibility as a leader.
  • Q&A. Asking questions and responding to the public forums is another way to establish expertise. Early responders get ranked higher.
  • Researching Companies. Most companies have a LinkedIn page, with an impressive collection of data. It compiles employee profiles--and shows whom employees are linked to. You can trace employee-vendor relationships, career paths and schools, and get a sense of the company culture. Note that LinkedIn users skew young, so statistical data may not include senior management.

The presentation Q & A led into an online tour of LinkedIn features, and actual examples of the strategies. Attendees left with a toolbox of methods to make their networking more effective.

Peter Levinson
LevinsonBlock LLC
www.levinsonblock.com

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