LinkedIn has over 65 million professionals in their network, it is amazing they don’t really get the buzz that both Twitter and Facebook command.  Last month, they introduced a new tool which might give them a boost in the buzz department. Similar to a Facebook Fan Page, you can now follow companies. Being a company follower on LinkedIn will get you status updates such as promotions, recent hires, and company profile updates. The initial launch interaction opportunities are fairly basic, but as the feature matures more opportunities will be released to improve communication between companies and individuals. 

It is extremely simple to follow a company.  For instance, you can follow Parallel Interactive Communications by going to our LinkedIn profile and click on the “Follow Company” link in the upper right hand corner.

LinkedIn also recently launched eight new features related to link sharing, status updates and posting articles similar to Facebook. What do you think? Can LinkedIn compete with Twitter and Facebook?  Read More

This year, the Woothemes.com team met for a week-long, working retreat and decided to use the trip as an experiment to connect with their customers by testing out their own products in the real-world. The goal was to get the team together for usual company brainstorming, but they also wanted to practice what they preach and show off their new themes and applications for small business.  They set up a blog, iphone applications, and used Twitter and Facebook to stay connected with customers and fans. The results were a great success, with website visits up 55%, unique visits up 52%, and page views higher by 13%. The experiment in social media generated 5 key takeaways which any small business can learn from:

• Social media doesn’t have to be complicated to be successful
• You can tie social media into anything
• Know what you want to get out of social media before going into it
• Transparency builds trust, and trust can lead to sales
• When you can, practice what you preach

WooThemes.com used their own products in a unique way to make a connection with their current customers, increase their social presence with new customers, and most importantly increased sales.  Read more

Just getting started with LinkedIn? Download Hubspot’s free ebook How to Use Linked In for Business. This guide has everything you need to know, from building and optimizing your personal profile, to starting and managing a LinkedIn group to using LinkedIn for lead generation. And don’t forget to connect your Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. It is easy to do and will ensure your content gets viewed.  And don’t forget to connect ; your Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. It is easy to do and will ensure your content gets viewed.

Social marketing is all about ‘eyeballs’. The more visible you are, the more popular you become. Learn how to take advantage of the opportunity to sync your Twitter and LinkedIn profiles by watching this tutorial video or viewing Hub Spot’s easy-to-use visual guide. Linking your profiles is easy-to-do and will ensure your content gets viewed. Use your status updates to make announcements, feature prominent messages and highlight special offers.

There are hundreds of articles on how to make the best use of your tweeting efforts. And yet with each article, you might only pick one or two points then move on. With so much information out there, a consolidated mix of basics is essential. Michelle Bowles posted a super blog, 5 Ingredients for a Perfect Twitter Marketing Recipe, which offers a concise, easy-to-digest way to maximize your Twitter marketing strategy.