Here are the four key reasons why Linkedin is an important platform for Construction Directors. They may seem obvious, but why does it matter, and what can you do to benefit?
1: Your Network is on Linkedin
Over 300,000 UK construction industry professionals have accounts on Linkedin and the numbers are growing monthly.
Because:
Our industry thrives on good relationships. Linkedin makes your network visible; it can speed up the process of generating referrals to the right person in an organisation. Not a substitute for face-to-face, but a tool to make it work better.
So to make it work:
Create a respectable network on Linkedin and use it responsibly to generate leads and help your contacts do business with the right people.
2: Your Prospects are on Linkedin
Linkedin can enable your prospects to check out your credibility, amongst their peers and yours, whether they are on Linkedin or not.
Because:
By being highly visible to search engines, Linkedin acts as your public home online, a whitepages for professionals. Its increasing size and respectability amongst larger organizations contribute to its success.
So to make it work:
Optimise your profile so that you and your colleagues can be found through search. Make sure your online credibility ties up with the information you share elsewhere – in tender documents and company brochures.
3: Your Employees are on Linkedin
With over 9 million Linkedin users, and over 300,000 in construction, you can be sure that some of your employees are on Linkedin.
Because:
Linkedin isn’t simply about getting a job, its about managing your career, a career which depends on relationships. Intelligent employees know this, and whats more, they rent their network to you whilst in your employ; so why not make good use of it?
So to make it work:
Find out who is using Linkedin, and who should. Sort out a social media policy that protects you and them, and helps you make good use of the power of your employees combined networks. Then train them to use it properly to generate business, and they won’t have to go looking elsewhere for recognition.
4: Your Clients are on Linkedin
Of the 9 million UK Linkedin users, over half a million are in senior management roles, and network members average 42 years old. 154,000 UK companies are represented on Linkedin, 4000 of them in Construction. Are you one of those?
Because:
Accessing Linkedin’s company features can enable anyone to develop a swift understanding of any client organisation they are working with, or hope to work with. The company feature is an extremely powerful way of connecting your online presence to your target audience.
So to make it work:
Develop a company profile on Linkedin that helps your customers and prospects understand how you operate and whom to contact. At the focus is your Company Page; use it to help all your client-facing staff do business well.
So what’s next?
If you’d like to know more about taking control of your company on Linkedin, contact us for a 10-step guide.
Image: Linkedin Logo by MarioSundar (CC)
Statistics: Linkedin Advertisers information and Advanced Search June 2012
LinkedIn is quickly becoming “the” networking site for professionals. The construction directors who feel LinkedIn is not for them may soon find their careers stagnating.
What utter twaddle. If you carry out a good, thorough and profesiinal job people will come back. We’re batting back tenders at the moment and the opertunities come from the fact we do a good job. We have a website full of photos, client quotes and snazzy design that prospective clients can check us out on. The website holds a significant amount of useful information that far exceeds what could be provided via a social network. Linked whatever is just a virtual space to collect data for marketing, being sold to us as essential by IT consutlants who would be out of a job without it.
Pick the phone up and speak to someone, it’s a lot easier.
“If you carry out a good, thorough and professorial job people will come back” – which is not exceptional it is just what is expected.
You are right Stu investing in your website is the most important “digital thing” you can do because it is your companies “digital real estate”.
However, a “snazzy” website is as good as a “snazzy” brochure left on a coffee table in a “snazzy” hotel and the probability of someone going back to either for another visit is very low.
People need to connect to you and find your site in the first place. More people than you might care to admit look you up on LinkedIn, google your name and company before they think about talking to you, most people have made a purchase decision before they even start a conversation with you.
A strong company page on LinkedIn adds to your SEO and “being found” as do LinkedIn profiles – when people search for your industry expertise ( searching for your company is not how you get found ) you’d do well if EVERYONE in you company has a strong LinkedIn profile that linked to your company page, people don’t “follow” company websites, they follow on blogs and social media.