Social Media Club Sydney: Using LinkedIn to build brands
Social Media Club Sydney has announced Cliff Rosenberg, the first managing director for LinkedIn Australia and New Zealand, as the speaker for its next industry event to be held later this month.
Rosenberg will discuss how the social networking site for business professionals can be used to build brands.
He will be joined by strategic marketing consultant, Michael Field.
LinkedIn, which celebrated its seventh anniversary this year, now has over 65 million members globally with around one million in Australia. It appointed Rosenberg to the new role of MD at the end of last year as part of its growth plans for Australia and New Zealand.
Other social media groups that have recently launched include Digital Citizens and Social Media Women.
I was just at the American Society of Journalists and Authors conference in New York and one of the speakers was talking about how LinkedIn was pointless.
As an example, the speaker asked people in the audience (maybe about 200 during lunch) if they had a LinkedIn profile and more than half of those in the room put their hand up. Then, the speaker asked, out of those people who put their hand up, who had actually scored work through LinkedIn and only two people had.
More people had found work, or developed better professional relationships, through Facebook and Twitter. As for new social media, everyone was talking about Foursquare.
So, I guess it’d be interesting to hear how LinkedIn is going to help build brands. Since the event’s sold out, I guess I’ll have to wait to read about it!
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Interesting point from the speaker Lizza. I would be curious to know how many of those people are aware of what has gone on behind the scenes in their respective recruitment processes (by headhunters or businesses direct). It can be costly to approach people via ‘inmail’ or difficult via ‘adding’ people as you have to have their email address, so I suspect most people are contacted via phone. With twitter the correlation is there as there are fewer barriers to contacting people via a tweet or DM.
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Lizza,
I am not Facebook friends with many people from work, particularly other companies, so I don’t really agree with that.
LinkedIn was not that great about a year ago but has reached critical mass recently. It is more appropriate than being Facebook friends with people you hardly know and who you don’t necessarily want looking through your holiday photos.
I have been offered services from other companies through Linked In, have done deals having found out the names of people through it and, recently, been offered some pretty good jobs through it. (Although not enticing enough obviously).
It’s working at the moment!
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Re: the speaker at the New York conference
Did he/she ask if anyone in the audience had intentionally used LinkedIn to find work? How many of the LinkedIn users had a full profile? How many had worked to make more and new connections? It’s hard to use that tale as a descriptor for LinkedIn, when we really don’t know how that impromptu focus group is using the site.
I’ve gained clients through LinkedIn relationships (and Twitter) and see it as a very important networking and branding tool (one of many…)
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Hey Doug and Julian,
Thanks for the feedback. I think I started up a LinkedIn profile ages ago and never got around to completing it. I might give it a go and see.
It was interesting that most of the US journalists and authors at the conference used Facebook to network. Maybe their profiles aren’t private and that’s how they get work? I’m not sure. I’ve only ever used Facebook to keep in touch with friends, and friends of friends, and randoms I don’t remember meeting.
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Good for keeping people on the radar for when it might be important to talk to them (as a potential employer e.g.). I find the discussion/forum side of things a bit stifled by people wanting to craft clever statements. or spruik their services. might not be the right temperature / mood / mind set / place for it.
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social media women – thats pretty funny – must be a hoot
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Just quietly, Digital Citizens isn’t a social media group – it’s an informal organisation for discussion of social, ethical political and professional issues relating to the digital space*. That does include social media, but also new technologies and a bunch of other stuff that probably hasn’t even been invented yet…
I’ve found LinkedIn to have huge value, both personally and professionally, though I think Tim is dead right – the discussion part still feels pretty spammy, though I think that may be because it’s relatively new.
In terms of branding, its value is huge, and there are plenty of people who view Facebook as a closed network – so why wouldn’t you go where they do choose to hang out?
Should be a good event – nice one @SMCSyd.
*At least, that’s what it says on our website…
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The Aussie mob has spoken! Gotta go. I have a LinkedIn profile to set up …
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Some interesting points made above! It might be worth checking out this article from Fortune which discusses the value of building professional networks and the importance of managing your online brand:
http://money.cnn.com/2010/03/2.....ahoo_quote
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I went to a similar event last week (hosted by Financemark) with Cliff and a LinkedIn networking guru Raz Chorev. It was a real eye opener, I think all 200 in attendance went to the office afterwards and updated their LinkedIn profile.
A great concept, focus on professional network (not social like Facebook) and the potential is great. I learnt lots of great tips on improving my profile so I am putting my best foot forward. Any have now connected to many coleagues whom I haven’t seen to over a decade in some cases.
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LinkedIn is gaining popularity in Australia and still has a professional image for social networking that some people/demographics might be more comfortable with over Facebook and Twitter.
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