Is networking on LinkedIn the key to our evolution and survival?

 

Online networking technology has evolved dramatically, but many people get caught up in the technical aspects of how to use the stuff and forget that networking principles remain much the same.

Tools like LinkedIn provide you with a unique opportunity to connect with people whom you already know, grow your current relationships, brand yourself, and find new people connected to you by some commonalities. Effective utilization of your personal network on LinkedIn is a modern business skill. 

The hackneyed phrase "it's who you know" has been abused by companies touting their latest and greatest flavor of social networking software, but that phrase sadly falls far off the mark. The truth is that in today's over-informed digital business world, where bloated data moves at the speed of thought, it is not who you know that really counts, but who knows you. Professional online social networking tools are invaluable in creating personal brand equity and raising awareness about who you are.

 

The Evolution of Social Networks

LinkedIn serves a significant business need as an aid in expanding your professional influence beyond our simple human capabilities. This is particularly so among recruiters, who more than any other professional, depend on their networks for business success. According to anthropologist Robin Dunbar, humans can only maintain stable relationships with around 150 people. That number refers to significant relationships such as those in a family or tribe and other purposeful groups. In "The Tipping Point", Malcolm Gladwell explored the Dunbar number's effects on the dynamics of social groups. Those theories have been popularized and given rise to many business-related applications. 

Systems for managing and sharing relationships have long existed. From the original contact management systems like ACT! and GoldMine, to the very first networking sites like sixdegrees.com, each walks a fine line between sharing too much information and not enough to be of use. However, they have all tried to multiply our ability to maintain business relationships with hundreds, or even thousands, of people. It is this author’s opinion that in our hyper-connected world, this is a needed evolutionary development. 

The Neanderthals and Modern humans were contemporaneous species yet only one survived. Why? One often debated theory is that the evolution of more rapid and complex communication created stronger collaboration among communities and this made them better equipped to survive famine through the Ice Age. Though it has its opponents, I tend to agree with communication being at the heart of our survival. 

Our new threat is the digital divide. Network-aware devices already talk to each other: 4 billion people use mobile devices to connect. I believe we humans are becoming “network aware” and in fact some of us are already native to the digital environment. I’d like to call them “hyperlinked humans.” 

I suggest that social networking technology is an evolution of critical human faculties. Ad-hoc convergence of online social networks already exists in digital natives. Those of us who “live online” make the networks do what we want them to do, even if the technology isn’t there to officially connect them. Research in neural science includes the discovery of mirror neurons. These cells make it possible for us to experience communications from others intuitively and empathetically (source). 

“Humans, it turns out, have mirror neurons that are far smarter, more flexible and more highly evolved. […] a fact that scientists say reflects the evolution of humans' sophisticated social abilities. “

“The human brain has multiple mirror neuron systems that specialize in carrying out and understanding not just the actions of others but their intentions, the social meaning of their behavior and their emotions.”

 Like mirror neurons, the evolution of online social networks are central to our community tactic for survival. Technology is successful and gets broad market adoption when it makes an existing human process more efficient. Combining social intelligence with digital communications enables us to build communities exponentially faster and at a larger scale than ever before. 

 

Why do social networks matter?

They matter because our economic system is threatened with extinction. Our response is no longer merely top down as it has been in the past where we were handed dictates from our superiors. Today’s leaders are sometimes our peers and subordinates. The new paradigm is one-to-one, one-to-many and many-to-one. Through online social networks and the promise of Web 3.0, our experience with communication is richer than ever before. 

Online social networking software enables you to find quality people who may not be familiar with you or with your organization, and creates an opportunity to connect with them and sell them on your opportunities or your services, or just sell them yourself! They may be unfamiliar with you, your company or business, or may not have even been looking for something. 

Because you already know someone who knows them, you can feel more comfortable that they are a quality prospect. Also, because of that mutual connection, you can more easily overcome cumbersome barriers and begin a relationship with a little more trust and warmth than with a total stranger. Social networking sheds light on the contacts you never knew you had. 

 

Marketing Yourself on LinkedIn

You probably already know that you can contact people in your network to: 

• Rekindle old connections
• Maximise value in your weak connections
• Build business relationships with clients or hiring managers
• Find and meet prospective jobseekers
• Grow a referral network
• Heighten your corporate and personal brand
• Make new connections and grow your sphere of influence
• Open doors to future career opportunities, increased pay or promotions
• Increase visibility which improves influence and effectiveness internally with your organisation as well as externally.

 

And you probably already use LinkedIn to:

• Educate yourself and ask questions about other organisations
• Conduct competitive intelligence on companies, industries or individuals
• Make fewer cold calls and better prepare for them
• Leverage contacts you already have.

 

Here are some other ideas on how to market yourself and your organization on LinkedIn:

 

Participate in and Create LinkedIn Groups

• Groups are user-created and can be very specific including demographics, professional, personal interests
• Members read and generate content, link to news and start or engage in discussions, an excellent way to engage your target community in a conversation
• Members can view al other members, network with them and send them direct messages
• The Groups Directory is searchable by title
• You can create a group  for free
• Groups can be a great niche candidate pipeline
• Easy way to quickly build your brand in your target niche

 

Why create your own group?

• People are more likely to accept a group invite than a personal networking connection
• You can send a message to everyone in your group, even if they are not your direct connections
• Good group content can drive viral marketing
• Team project!  Share the workload, and if someone leaves they can’t take the network with them
• Focused and adjusted on-the-fly, they responding to your community's needs and offer them immense value
• Gain your audience's trust and attention if you offer valuable insights or information they don't get elsewhere

 

Use LinkedIn answers to engage your audience

• LinkedIn Answers Q&A categories where members pose and/or answer questions,  the questioner designates which were good answers and which was the best answer
• Intended to convey a sense of expertise, the system displays on one’s profile the number of best answers that person has written
• The Advanced Answers search allows you to find questions (or answers) by topic, keyword, answered vs. unanswered, keywords only in the question, etc
• Answering questions and getting the “best answer” helps establish you (and your team’s) credibility in your area of expertise
• Engage in conversations with your target prospects by answering their questions or by asking them to answer yours
• Examples
  • Ask for feedback on where to find more people like them
  • Answer questions about your company and jobs

 

Promote Events on LinkedIn

•  You can publish and promote events for free!
• Establish your credibility and/or brand by hosting webinars on topics of interest to your audience
• Event comments are ad-hoc discussion groups
• You can retain the attendee list which could easily include people outside your LinkedIn network
• Ideas:
  • Create a “virtual career day” and invite your target prospects
  • Co-host a webinar with an expert your prospects want to see

 

Utilize the power of Direct Advertising:

• LinkedIn Direct Ads are a very inexpensive way to reach highly targeted audiences
• Target your audience by:
  • Company Size
  • Job Function
  • Industry
  • Seniority
  • Geography
• Ex: ad seen only by Accountants at Manager or Director level, with companies larger than 1,000 employees and in the Atlanta area

 

This Thursday 7/30 at 1pm US Eastern Glenn and I will be presenting an Advanced LinkedIn webinar where we will review many of the above techniques in detail, along with the search methods Glenn discusses on his blog this week, and much more. 

Think you know everything there is to know about recruiting on LinkedIn? Take the webinar and then let us know what you think:

http://aces.arbita.net/webinars/advancedlinkedin-July2009