From the redesigned Homepage, to the new Profile, and the recently revamped mobile application, LinkedIn has also started rolling out a new navigation bar.

So what's new about it?

As you explore the new navigation bar at the top of any LinkedIn page, you'll notice a few visually striking differences, including a simplified menu of tabs with just Home, Profile, Network, Jobs and Interests showing.

So if you're looking for your Contacts you'll now find them under your Network tab, and Companies, Groups and Influencers are under your Interests tab.

And the search bar has been moved front and center to make easier than ever to discover and find what you’re looking for on LinkedIn. You can search for People, Updates (this was Signal), Jobs, Companies, Inbox and Groups here.

Your settings and other account options are still just a click away. Instead of choosing the link under your name in the upper right of each screen, now you just hover over your profile picture in the same location and the drop down menu gives you quick access to your account options, language and settings.

Over the next month, all English-speaking members around the world will get to experience the new navigation.

QUESTION: The new navigation experience is designed to be simpler and easier to use. What do you think of it? Please join in the conversation below!

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© 2013 ChristineHueber.com

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete text with it:

“Marketing mentor Christine Hueber teaches business owners and entrepreneurs around the world how to create and manage profitable marketing that easily gets them more clients. Get her FREE report 'Top 10 LinkedIn Profile Marketing Secrets for Entrepreneurs' at www.ChristineHueber.com"

If you answered "yes," it's probably because you're not in the right place. Not to mention you're probably not inspiring other LinkedIn members to explore what you offer…in ways that capture a lead. 

To give you an idea of the lead generation opportunity you're missing out on…LinkedIn has over 200 million members across 200 countries and adds two new members every second.  Even more astounding is the fact that 35% of LinkedIn members log in to their account daily. 

As the largest online professional network worldwide, LinkedIn provides you with amazing visibility to connect with this audience. So how can you tap into this valuable lead generation resource?

You can tap into this valuable lead generation resource by inspiring other LinkedIn members into action…by getting them to dive deeper with you…into your blog post, to explore your LinkedIn profile, to register for a webinar or report download, to email or call you.

But your success in generating leads depends on your ability to be compelling.

What Determines Lead Generation Success

Generating leads with LinkedIn depends on being compelling and creating intense levels of curiosity. Your audience has to be hungry for more information about solutions to their most urgent problems. But not the solutions you sell.

You have to provide value to your audience and give them a "taste of success" of what's possible. This appetizer gets them to know, like and trust you more and more, with each interaction.

How to Engage

"But what do I say on LinkedIn to engage with my ideal clients?" I hear this from 90% of my new clients.

My answer?

Talk about whatever matters to them.

The best way to start generating leads with LinkedIn is to ask yourself, "What's the most urgent problem my ideal client need to have solved?" 

It sounds obvious, but are you doing it?

When you're interacting on LinkedIn, are you talking about solutions to your ideal clients' problems…methods to avoid mistakes or to achieve their goals…in ways that provide value? 

But the real secret to generating leads on LinkedIn is to share your expertise in a way that leaves your ideal client wanting more. This part will make or break your success.

Being compelling takes practice, but it's the only way to generate leads when using LinkedIn.

Engage Your Ideal Client

No matter what you offer, you have to give your ideal clients a reason to start engaging with you. Getting better results is that reason.

Here are three "places" to start engaging with your future ideal client on LinkedIn:

1. Groups
2. Messages
3. Updates

In each place, your opportunity is the same: Be compelling enough that your ideal client takes the next step with you.

Here are the three steps to get started generating leads on LinkedIn immediately:

STEP 1: Provide value. 

Be clear, helpful, yet not 100 percent thorough. Give tips and actionable information in ways that encourage more questions. Be specific but not so complete that your audience becomes fully satisfied. Find ways to share actionable information that make readers crave more.

STEP 2: Make results easy. 

Few things attract and engage your audience more than showing them you understand where they are now, how it isn't working and what they can do to easily and quickly get to where they want to be. And then show them how to get more. By using this simple technique you'll be more engaging, create a distinct voice for yourself…and you'll start generating leads with LinkedIn.

STEP 3: Have a clear call-to-action.

You're not selling. Instead, you're saying, "I have a solution for that" or "I've experienced that, been overwhelmed and frustrated and here's my system to fix it." Then make the next step to get the result they want (the system, knowledge or quick fix) clear. Give access to you and your content in return for them taking the next step with you. For example, on LinkedIn lead generation can start with interacting in a group, then becoming your contact, and then signing up for your compelling gift.

The opportunity to generate leads on LinkedIn is tremendous. Helping other members make progress in solving their urgent problem can help make what you offer become the obvious next step on your ideal client's path. 

QUESTION: Used effectively, LinkedIn an amazing source of leads. How will you get started with LinkedIn lead generation today? Please join in the conversation below!

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© 2013 ChristineHueber.com

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete text with it:

“Marketing mentor Christine Hueber teaches business owners and entrepreneurs around the world how to create and manage profitable marketing that easily gets them more clients. Get her FREE report 'Top 10 LinkedIn Profile Marketing Secrets for Entrepreneurs' at www.ChristineHueber.com/FreeReport"

If you have the new LinkedIn Contacts feature, it just became phenomenally simple!

You don't have to constantly scan your Home page or click through to their Profile any more to engage and interact when something's new in a contact's professional and personal life…or to get up-to-date with them before a meeting.

So how exactly do you use LinkedIn Contacts to get more clients?

Here are 4 simple and easy steps to do that:

STEP 1: Make comments on your contacts' new positions.

Post the position congratulations to their status update for maximum visibility, rather than sending a LinkedIn message.

Ideally you or your assistant do this daily for maximum results.

STEP 2: Send them messages for their birthdays that day.

Depending on your relationship with your contact, send the birthday wishes either via LinkedIn or via email. I recommend changing the default option and sending via email so you can manage the engagement for greater effectiveness going forward.

Again, ideally you or your assistant do this daily for maximum results.

BONUS TIP: To make the most of your efforts, I recommend batching your messages.

How do you do that?

What I suggest creating a template, and then do each type of message together. 

You'll of course want to personalize the messages for the greatest engagement.

IMPORTANT! Ask questions to start a dialog so you can then easily nurture a relationship to more referrals and more clients. For example, before your signature, ask "Is there any way I can help you?"

Of course, how you execute all of the above depends on your brand and again, your relationship with your contact.

STEP 3: Check your meetings.

At the far right of the scroll, you'll see a calendar with a number on it, if you've synced your calendar with LinkedIn Contacts. When you click the icon, your meetings for the day will appear.

Ideally you or your assistant do this daily for maximum results.

STEP 4: Manage your Contacts.

When you've finished with your messages to contacts and viewed your meetings, click the x on the top right of the screen to get better access to your contact information.

Underneath the scroll, in the contact information, you'll see a list of your contacts by your most recent conversation, the default view. For my contacts who appear in my screenshot above, here's some bonus visibility for you!

So what does "Recent Conversation" mean?

It means that if you viewed or responded to their email via an email provider you have synced with LinkedIn, the interaction will show.

For example, if you opened a contact's email to your email inbox, it will show as a recent conversation. If you responded to their email, that will show as a recent conversation as well.

I'll go more into the menu choices available for contacts in another article.

And know too, that this is just the tip of the iceberg of what's now available. Stay tuned for my articles as I dive deeper into all the amazing new features available with the new LinkedIn Contacts…and of course how you can use them to easily get more clients!

QUESTION: Do you have the new LinkedIn Contacts feature yet? What do you think of it? How are you using it to get more clients? Please join in the conversation below!

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© 2013 ChristineHueber.com

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete text with it:

“Marketing mentor Christine Hueber teaches business owners and entrepreneurs around the world how to create and manage profitable marketing that easily gets them more clients. Get her FREE report 'Top 10 LinkedIn Profile Marketing Secrets for Entrepreneurs' at www.ChristineHueber.com"

For the first time, you can easily share your unique professional story using rich, visual content on your LinkedIn profile…content that still further differentiates you from everyone else in your field and gives more depth to what you already have on your profile.

This also means you can illustrate your greatest achievements in the form of stunning images, compelling videos, innovative presentations and more.

For instance, if you're photographer you might choose to include several of your best photos, or if you're a copywriter you might upload a video of that ad you wrote for last year’s Super Bowl.

Or do you ever want to quickly review the last interactions you had with people before a meeting?

Today LinkedIn announced the launch of LinkedIn Contacts, a smarter way to stay in touch with your most important relationships.

With this new feature, LinkedIn brings together all your contacts from your address books, email accounts, and calendars with the power of your LinkedIn network.

LinkedIn Contacts is available both on LinkedIn.com as well as a brand new app for iPhone. 

With the new LinkedIn Contacts experience, LinkedIn is introducing features in three areas:

1. Bring all your contacts to one place

LinkedIn Contacts brings together all your address books, emails, and calendars, and keeps them up to date in one place. It will  automatically pull in the details of your past conversations and meetings, including how you met, and bring these details directly onto your contact’s profile.

2. Never miss an opportunity to engage

Get alerted on position changes and birthdays in your network…always a perfect opportunity to nurture your relationship. Also, you can set reminders and add notes about the important people in your life.

3. Take it on your mobile device

Stay connected on the go. LinkedIn Contacts is available as a standalone app for iPhone, so you can stay in touch with your contacts wherever you work.

Over the coming weeks, LinkedIn will start sending invitations to try LinkedIn Contacts to a limited number of members in the United States. If you’d like to be one of the first to check out this new experience, click here to join the waitlist.

QUESTION: What do you think of this new feature? Will you join the waitlist? Please join in the conversation below!

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© 2013 ChristineHueber.com

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete text with it:

“Marketing mentor Christine Hueber teaches business owners and entrepreneurs around the world how to create and manage profitable marketing that easily gets them more clients. Get her FREE report 'Top 10 LinkedIn Profile Marketing Secrets for Entrepreneurs' at www.ChristineHueber.com”

Adapted from: Official LinkedIn Blog

LinkedIn customer service confirmed for me this week that you can even make your updates public on LinkedIn…which is good news for entrepreneurs and business owners who want to increase their visibility!

Here's how to do it in 3 easy steps:

Step 1: From your home or profile page, click in the status update field to expand it as I've done in the screenshot, above.

Step 2: Choose one of the three options from the drop down menu that appears:

• LinkedIn + Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Connections

Step 3: Depending on the goal of your update or being on LinkedIn, choose how you want to share your updates.

For example, if you want to grow your network and your list on LinkedIn choose the LinkedIn option to make any update public on LinkedIn. This means it would be shared with the entire LinkedIn network! So those who aren't connected with you, if they viewed your profile, would be able to see that post.

Or if you want to cultivate a relationship with just your Connections, choose that option. This is a good option if you want to offer them something special, like a preview of something soon-to-be-released. This allows you to offer preferred access to your contacts.

On the other hand, if you want to share an update with the largest audience, share it with LinkedIn + Twitter. This will share it with the entire LinkedIn network, as well as your Twitter followers.

BONUS VISIBILITY TIP: Include a keyword hashtag so that Twitter users who are following your topic see your update in their feed. For example, I use #LinkedIn.

QUESTION: How are you using your LinkedIn status updates to increase your visibility? Which posting option do you use most? Please join in the conversation below!

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© 2013 ChristineHueber.com

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete text with it:

“Marketing mentor Christine Hueber teaches business owners and entrepreneurs around the world how to create and manage profitable marketing that easily gets them more clients. Get her FREE report 'Top 10 LinkedIn Profile Marketing Secrets for Entrepreneurs' at www.ChristineHueber.com”

After all, you are involved in conversations across LinkedIn day after day…especially if you're getting results.

That’s why LinkedIn has now made it even easier for you to start those conversations, share knowledge with other LinkedIn members and ultimately increase your visibility.

I'm excited to introduce a new way to engage with your network through the ability to mention your connections and companies in conversations on LinkedIn!

How does it work? 

It works similar to FaceBook mentions. Here are the 3 easy steps to mention a contact or company on LinkedIn and increase your visibility:

• Begin by typing the name of a connection or a company in your status update box or a comment field on the Homepage.
• Select someone from the list of your connections that appear in the drop-down, complete your status or comment and post it. BONUS TIP: Choose to post your update to LinkedIn or Twitter and LinkedIn to further increase your visibility beyond just your connections.
• The person or company you mentioned will receive a notification alerting them that they have been mentioned.

In addition to first-degree connections, you can also mention other LinkedIn members engaged in conversations in the comment sections of posts on the LinkedIn Homepage. Mentions will make it easier for you to start conversations with your network while also enabling you to respond in real-time when someone begins a conversation with you…all of which increase your visibility and, when done effectively, increase your visibility!

This feature began rolling out to English-speaking members late last week, and all global members may receive it soon. And because you’re engaging in meaningful conversations across other areas of LinkedIn, so look for the ability to mention your network beyond the Homepage in the near future.

So stay tuned…according to LinkedIn, there’s more to come! 

QUESTION: How do you use LinkedIn to increase your visibility? I’d love to hear your strategies.  Please join in the conversation below!

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© 2013 ChristineHueber.com

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete text with it:

“Marketing mentor Christine Hueber teaches business owners and entrepreneurs around the world how to create and manage profitable marketing that easily gets them more clients. Get her FREE report 'Top 10 LinkedIn Profile Marketing Secrets for Entrepreneurs' at www.ChristineHueber.com”

With so many voices on LinkedIn, from college students to big brand marketers, it’s easy to disappear in all the noise. So how do you create your own unique presence that attracts the right people to your LinkedIn profile?

Because if you are a promotional machine on LinkedIn, you drive your connections away. And if you share irrelevant content, your connections become numb to your message. Both are damaging to your LinkedIn relationships. The right mix of what you share on LinkedIn is important. 

It all starts with being truly thoughtful about the content you post, and how you choose to share it. Remember, it’s not just about getting you noticed on LinkedIn once—it’s about getting people to want to engage with you to experience the real connection and value YOU offer…you want to create a relationship with them, so they get to know, like and trust you. And they’ll do this when they resonate with you, your expertise and your insights.

Since much of my coaching and training revolves around LinkedIn, let’s explore what effective updates look like for the world’s largest online professional network. Below are three habits you should put into practice to get noticed on LinkedIn by your ideal market and build trust, rapport, and long-term client relationships (and that means more revenues too!).

HABIT 1: Offer useful content along with promotion

If all you do is offer useful information, that’s great and you’ll build a network, but you may suddenly find your business bank account balance less than you'd prefer. But if you promote yourself all the time, you’ll annoy your contacts. The key is to develop a effective mix of content and building relationships along the way, so your network will be happy to hear about what you have to offer.

Over time, I have developed a simple schedule to post great free resources, helpful articles, and information…along with making sure I am continually promoting the valuable courses and programs I have to offer those starting or growing their marketing. Here’s what a typical week’s LinkedIn update schedule looks like for me:

Helpful Business Article or Interesting News Item – 5-7 posts per week

Inspirational/Motivational Quote – 5-7 posts per week

Notifications of New Blog Posts and Articles – 1-2 posts per week

Promote Free “Top 10 LinkedIn Success Secrets” report – 5-7 posts per week

Promote Spotlighted Product or Program – 1-2 posts per day, depending if there’s a special offer, deadline, or time-sensitive event happening

And don't worry, you don't have to come up with all the content youself!

You can create some of your own content or you can also use it from other sources. Regardless of the source, it needs to be relevant to your connections. This means that your content must have context. 

Confused?

Context means you understand your audience and know what’s of most interest to them. Content and context work together to provide premium value to your connections. When done correctly, content and context feel helpful, not salesy. Think of context marketing as content marketing, but smarter.

Also, content doesn’t always have to be specific to only what you offer.  Determine what your clients find of interest, and deliver. Notice which of your posts generate the most “likes” and comments and examine these posts for commonalities.

HABIT 2: Share relatable stories or images

If appropriate, it’s important to let your customers, clients, and community see who you are as a person, beyond your brand. When I share about what I'm doing…an awe-inspiring moment like seeing wildlife during my day or an amazing experience, or even a solution I'm looking for, my audience responds with encouragement, their similar experiences or even disagreement (which can still be good if it gets conversation going and draws even more notice to your profile).

Sharing these moments gives people a chance to see what moves you deeply and personally. It lets people see you as a unique individual, who shares their hobbies, interests and perspectives. Remember, people will buy from you again and again because something about your voice, your unique way of presenting yourself, resonates with them. So don’t be shy about sharing some natural, candid…yet still appropriate posts to add a little personality to your page. 

Images tend to engage more than words, and they’re also a fabulous option when you’re busy or traveling and don’t have time to write. It’s a quick yet highly effective way to “touch” your audience. For example, whenever I'm travelling I love to share the experience with a picture. Sometimes, a snapshot is all you need to share your personality.

If your business isn’t personal or a personal brand, or you’re a more private person, look for stories or images your followers can relate to in some way, and preferably related to what you offer or do. As an example, success stories from happy clients or customers are always effective.

So sharing your personal side on LinkedIn is actually a good thing, no matter what you hear otherwise.  It gives a pulse to your professional persona on LinkedIn. People are able to relate with you when you present yourself as a real person.

HABIT 3: Respond and participate when you can

If you receive a response on something you’ve shared, it’s always great to comment back to the person and acknowledge them. A simple “Thank You” or “I’m so glad you liked it!” goes a long way toward building your community, and it only takes a matter of seconds. Every day or so, I go into LinkedIn to post a few comments of appreciation and acknowledgement. It helps me stay connected, and it’s one of the best ways to keep my ear close to the ground so I know what my customers want and need.

Sharing your opinion on your connections’ posts is another way to use your updates to bring your network to life.  Don’t believe me?  Try commenting on your connection’s posts for two weeks. Not only will it make you top of mind with them, but watch their responsiveness to your updates grow.  If you let them know you are listening, they will reciprocate. 

So it’s important to show that you’re not just feeding information to your LinkedIn account, but that you’re also absorbing other knowledge being shared. That’s when you truly become an active participant in your LinkedIn network. No successful entrepreneur has all the answers. It’s great to get out of your bubble and take some time each day to browse your community member’s updates and engage with them as well.

This is especially important when you are getting started and looking to gain ground by expanding your LinkedIn network. Look in groups for other users who also interact within your industry or with your target market. Comment thoughtfully in groups and, when you're connected with the person, on their posts. Offer insightful add-ons and responses. Be a contributor. Feel free to disagree in a respectful manner to encourage dialogue and increase your visibility.

QUESTION: How do you use LinkedIn to keep your community coming back for more? I’d love to hear your strategies.  Please join in the conversation below!

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© 2013 ChristineHueber.com

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete text with it:

“Marketing mentor Christine Hueber teaches business owners and entrepreneurs around the world how to create and manage profitable marketing that easily gets them more clients. Get her FREE report 'Top 10 LinkedIn Profile Marketing Secrets for Entrepreneurs' at www.ChristineHueber.com”

Last year alone, there were 5.7 billion searches performed on LinkedIn and every day millions of professionals find others and get found through LinkedIn search. With the new features, whether you’re searching for people, jobs, companies or groups, LinkedIn can now provide you with the most relevant results based on your professional identity, your network, and how the people in your network engage with LinkedIn.

Improvements to search that make it even smarter include:

• Auto-complete – As you type your search term you’ll be prompted with options for what you may be looking for, and the more you search, the better it will get at predicting what you want.
• Suggested searches – Now when you type in a search term such as “product manager” you’ll see example search queries for people or jobs related to product manager as well as a preview of top results to help you find what you’re looking for in one click.
• Smarter query intent algorithm – The more you search for content on LinkedIn, the more it learns and understands your intent over time to provide the most relevant results.
• Enhanced advanced search – Not only has advanced search gotten a new look…you're still able to deepen your search with filters like location, company, school and more. The former Signal feature has been integrated into it.
• Automated alerts – According to the LinkedIn blog, you can save time by saving your searches and we’ll alert you when the results change. ​I haven't seen this yet, but it may be still rolled out on my profile.

The updates also mean that even if you search for the same thing as someone else, your results will be customized to you…like Google Search results. The new smarter search is starting to roll out to members today and will be available to all global members in the coming weeks.

QUESTION: How do you use LinkedIn search? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below. 

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© 2013 ChristineHueber.com

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete text with it:

“Marketing mentor Christine Hueber teaches business owners and entrepreneurs around the world how to create and manage profitable marketing that easily gets them more clients. Get her FREE report 'Top 10 LinkedIn Profile Marketing Secrets for Entrepreneurs' at www.ChristineHueber.com”

Do you know where all the money you’re earning is actually going in your business?

Many small business owners operate in a wave of confusion when it comes to their cashflow and net profits.

That’s why, next TUESDAY, I’m interviewing Financial Management Expert Sue Thompson to help demystify your business finances.

You’ll learn how to generate the real numbers you need to manage your business, how to identify your BEST moneymaking ideas, and how to set and achieve goals based on the cash you want to PULL from the business (rather than chasing “gross revenue” goals). You don’t want to miss these applicable lessons.

It’s all on our call, happening next week. Please join us by clicking here!

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“Get Your Cashflow in Order for Higher Profits…”

with Christine and Financial Management Expert Sue Thompson

Monday, March 26, 2012 at 11am PST

FREE

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This call is FREE, and if you’d like to join us for this call on Monday, March 26, at 11am PST, click here to sign up now.

Dedicated to your success,

Christine

PS — When you sign up for the call today you’ll also enjoy a FREE recording of this call as well as Sue’s free report "Cashflow Checklist."  Learn more and sign up here!