As you work towards monetizing LinkedIn we’d like to offer some tools to help you work more effectively.

Non-LinkedIn Tools

LinkedIn Presence Scoring Tool
Ever wondered how your LinkedIn efforts compare to the average user.  The Linkulator grades your LinkedIn activity on a scale from 0 to 100, and shows you the average score among those who have graded their profile.  The results also include tips on what you can do to improve your score and presence.

Google Alerts to Track Topics
This isn’t a LinkedIn tool but it can be used to track LinkedIn related information.  Set up a Google Alert to track LinkedIn related topics to keep up to date with changes and information about LinkedIn.

Xobni Email Plugin
This Outlook plugin opens a summary window that displays information on each email sender and how you connect to that person.

LinkedIn Tools:

Outlook Toolbar
The Outlook toolbar is an excellent way to have full-time access to your LinkedIn contacts and information even when you are not on the LinkedIn Web site.  The tool integrates your LinkedIn data with Outlook, provider you instant access to en email sender’s profile.

Browser Toolbars (IE & Firefox)
The LinkedIn Browser Toolbar allows you to directly access LinkedIn, it allows you to search from anywhere, and also get the scoop on inside job connections. With easy one-click access to LinkedIn, you can easily see the LinkedIn profiles of everyone sending you Web mail.

Jobs Insider
The Jobs Insider comes with the LinkedIn Browser toolbar.  With it you can see how you connect into a job listing and see how you are connected to the position.  The tool works with Monster, CareerBuilder, HotJobs, Craigslist, SimplyHired, Dice, or Vault

You can request an introduction to the hiring manager, get your resume to the right person, or find out more about the company

LinkedIn Widgets

Company Insider
Let your users discover how they are connected to companies on your site. You pass a company name and we’ll show how many people the user knows and a few sample names. This widget works great for news sites and blogs, letting readers connect to people at companies you mention. It also works well on jobs sites where job seekers can see who they know at hiring companies. Use it anywhere to inject professional networking into your site.

Profile
Show LinkedIn profiles on your blog, website, or application. The Profile widget shows the public profile of anyone in LinkedIn. Use it to show your own profile on your blog or website. Or use it in your business application to show profiles of people. The Profile widget takes a Public Profile URL and shows the public profile for that person. Your users can then click through to see the full LinkedIn profile page, including how they may be related and communication options.

Share on LinkedIn
Add a Share on LinkedIn link to your website or blog allowing your users to share your content with their LinkedIn connections or networks. This gives your content legs: one user visits your site and can notify literally tens, hundreds, or thousands of others. Works great for news sites, blogs, and other content rich sites.

I would also consider the various LinkedIn applications tools as well.  Down the road I’ll add a post reviewing these but for now you can access them from the LinkedIn site.

Which tools have you found useful?  And what are some LinkedIn tools that I missed that you think everyone should know about?

Over the last few years, I have had the opportunity to speak on Social Media and even been fortunate enough to help clients leverage it and make money. Anyone who has been in the field for a few years has seen social media go from a “No way this will work in business, my kid uses it” to a legitimate sales tool that generated three million dollars in sales.

Yes, we do live in exciting times!  Media companies are merging, magazines are closing and the newspaper industry is in a fight for their life.  Do I believe social media is the end all be all?  In a word…NO!  Do I think it is another way to connect with millions and millions of people who are either your target market or are your customers?  Yes, I do.

If you have ever been to a networking function you know exactly what I am talking about. At a typical function, you can meet anywhere from 20 to 50 people through the course of the event.  Not bad for a few hours of work and out of those contacts you may or may not find someone interested in your products or services. Note I said interested in your products or services.  Your company still has to add this prospect to your sales funnel and work through your individual sales process.

Using social media is really like going to a networking event that is on steroids.  Think about it.  With social media you can connect with thousands or hundreds of thousands of people.  The only limits you have are the limits to the number of people in the space.  Like networking in person, there are still “best practices” to networking in the social media spaces.  As is the case in any group, you can quickly alienate yourself in the social media spaces as easily as you can face-to-face.

The easiest way to avoid being ostracized in the social media world is have a strategy.  Yes, a strategy.  You have a twitter account, a Facebook account and a LinkedIn account, so how are you using them to connect with your target market?  Better yet, why does your target market want to connect with you in these spaces?  This is where strategy comes heavily in to play.  Next, you need to have sound tactics.  What message are you putting out and should it change depending upon the social media space?

Below you will find a chart (developed by our own Sean Nelson) that SONARconnects uses when we discuss social media with our clients.

I look forward to your comments and hearing how you are using social media in your business.

How is your company using social media to connect and monetize?

Iran couldn’t keep the news out. They blacked out the airwaves, banned reporters, jammed the internet, and crushed heads.

But the new tools of technology—the Social Media—prevailed, and the whole world watched and listened as the Iran Thugocracy was revealed.

The information age is here, and there was nowhere to hide. Twitter, cell phones, Blackberry and all the rest put an unyielding spotlight on the evildoers.

The genie was out of the bottle and the tyrants couldn’t stuff it back. Social Media is a tool for freedom. It gave everybody a voice.

The Iranian people were heard, not just because they protested, but because their message was powerful. The message was not about the election: it was about freedom.

There are lessons here for marketers. First is a new definition of “transparency.” Now the beams you send come right back at you, reflecting your warts. No make-up can hide your blemishes, no spins can deflect your misstatements.

Second, the sounds you utter are amplified, and you’re in an echo chamber.
Marketers aren’t on a stage any more; they’re out in the audience.

And third, no matter how new the media, the message is the key.

Social Media gives people a new voice, and it’s virtually free. Freedom of speech can’t be denied, but there’s no guarantee that anyone will listen, or react. Why should the audience give attention, why should they care? The Iranian people had something powerful, interesting, and universal to say: we are oppressed and we demand our rights.

What is the key benefit that a marketer wants to convey? Why should anyone pay attention and care enough to buy their product? Social Media can make new connections, but by itself can’t deliver new customers. The Iranian protesters had a worthwhile cause to communicate, and they did it. What is so important about our product, and how can the new Social Media connect to new users for us?

George Lemmond

Great news. You woke up this morning and a video produced about your brand has over 760,000 views in a 24 hour period. Twitter is a buzz about your brand, your video is being translated in every language imaginable and your brand has truly gone global. You now know what it means when a video goes viral. Congratulations are in order, right?

Wrong!!! See, the problem is this.  All of the hype about your brand is negative. Yes, you read it right, negative. Neither you nor your ad agency produced the buzz. Instead, a couple of employees with a little bit of time and a $150.00 camera made the video about your brand, posted it on You Tube and the world watched.

Think it can not happen to you and your brand? Do you still think social media is a fad or something your kids do for hours on end? This is exactly what Domino’s thought until it happened to them.

Last week, Donino’s Pizza faced a truly trying time when a video was posted on You Tube showing two employees defacing its food. In a 24 hour period, the video went viral and social media sites were a buzz. With 760,000 views on You Tube, it is enough to make any marketing executive shutter.

Another case in point is Aston Martin.  Someone on Twitter decided to set up an account using their name and started tweeting (sending out messages) as Aston Martin.  To make a long story short, the tweets were not all good.  Aston Martin found out their brand was hijacked and contacted Twitter to have the account shut down.  How many tweets did Aston Martin (the hijacked brand) send out?  Enough that people took notice and objected to the comments.

Bottom line:  Social Media has arrived.  Will it have the same look and feel next month, next year or ten years from now? No, it will not.  Social Media will continue to evolve as we will.  These are exciting times to be in the advertising and marketing world as the industry is being turned on its heel.  Change is inevitable; how you handle it is up to you.

What is your plan to protect your brand?  Do you have a process in place for what to do when your brand comes under fire?  Your brand will come under fire.  Will you be prepared when it does?

Take action today and put together a list of the major social media sites and actively monitor these sites.  Google has some great tools that will help you to do this.  Find out who you need to contact at each of these sites and what the process is to have your hijacked brand removed from the site.  How can you leverage the same sites to help you in your campaign?

It is up to you to protect your brand!

Here’s the marketing outrage of the year. The Port Authority of New Jersey and New York has changed the name of the new signature building at the 9/11 terrorist strike from “The Freedom Tower” to “WTC I.”

Why? Because the word “freedom” makes it hard to sell, they say. They are trying to find tenants for the 1776 foot office/monument, and its tough sledding. But the rumor has it that China has popped for about three floors. Did China insist on the change? Why should they object? Are they afraid of the word? Or of the concept?

To me, “WTC I” invokes sad memories. It makes me think of bad, past days. Dark days of heroism, grief, and, yes, terrorists. But “Freedom” is inspirational and looks forward to days of light, progress and joy.

The old Twin Towers were not a raging success. I don’t think their occupancy was ever that great; I don’t know why. Maybe the new building will have a curse on it, and be hard to rent no matter what name it bears. If I were a salesman for the project, I know I’d rather be selling freedom than a tombstone.

There will be a brief chapter in my new textbook called “Courageous Marketing.”  It will cover brands that survived the recession by plowing forward. It will describe  the guts of taking uncertain paths. It will honor those who are single minded, despite pressure to diversify. It will not include the chicken-hearted politically correct sycophants like the Port Authority of New Jersey and New York.

The climate these days is to decry the greedy capitalists. The ones who make profits on the backs of the needy unfortunates. But they’re the ones who take risks for freedom, the brave people who aren’t afraid to step up with pride and say, “This is what I stand for. Want a piece of it?”

George Lemmond

A lot of people say that retailing, as we know it, is dead. Why go to a store when you can compare and shop on the internet, get it paid for and delivered without leaving home?

Despite its growth and acceptance, internet sales are still less than five percent of all purchases. I predict it will never reach fifteen percent? Why? Because people need to shop. They need to get out and connect with the world,

In my experience at Target I saw nine reasons why people came into our stores. Do you fit any of these?

1. They want to be in a crowd. It’s somewhere to go, to be with human beings.  They can’t stand to be alone. They need sporting events, restaurants, or just walking through the city.

2. The opposite—to be alone. In other words, to be lost in a crowd. When they get stressed out they relax by shopping. Somehow they recharge their batteries there. They can still be anonymous while making human contact.

3. They want companionship. They come in pairs. “Hey, let’s get together—we can go shopping!” Some couples develop strong bonds—they are facing the world as a team.

4. They want to see what’s new. It’s a better way to be with it and not rely on what they read in the paper or see on TV.

5. They need a challenge. It’s a competitive sport. Compulsive shoppers are very competitive. They can sniff out a bargain from a hundred yards away.  They bag their stuff as trophies, and come home victorious.

6. They need to pamper themselves. They need to spend in order to affirm their beauty and worth. It’s an award they bestow on their egos. It makes them feel better than a workout at the gym.

7. They need to dream. They need to see how the upper class lives. They envy wealth. Women try on stuff that there’s no way they can buy.

8. They need to brag. These are the worst kind. They have to show how smart and rich they are.

9. They need something. Duh. This applies mostly to men. Shopping is a problem for them to be solved—go out and find it, shoot it, and bring it home.

My Dad hated shopping: he waited in the car for Mom and smoked his pipe.  My daughter was told by her mother, “Clean your room or I’ll make you go shop with your father!”

Of course people will switch from one reason to another, day to day. Sometimes from store to store.

But can you imagine what it would be like if there were no shopping?  How else could you satisfy the basic need to be connected?

George Lemmond

Despite reports of advertising’s imminent demise, it still does work, under the ideal circumstance.

The proof.  I was comfortably vegetating on my couch watching my third NFL game of the day, when a TV commercial interrupted my peace. I sprang into action, put on my Nikes, ran to my car, and raced to the nearest place where I could buy the product that alerted me to its existence.

I completed the transaction, drove expectantly homeward, and enjoyed the satisfaction of a purchase well made.

Are you longing to know what it was that awoke my latent need or instilled the urgency of my frenetic action? Or what irresistible force overcame the immovable object?

It was Arby’s.  The TV situation depicted a man who couldn’t find a living soul until he found a live one. The discoveree was stuffing his mouth and explained that everybody is at Arby’s, where they are selling five Roast Beef and Cheddar Sandwiches for five bucks. That triggered me.

So, is this the proof that you needed that advertising can work? Yes.  All you need is a product that works, the right audience, a brand that is acceptable, and an incentive. It’s obvious that timing is essential.

Attached is a press release from a client, Emory Johns Creek Hospital (EJCH), who just won the E-HEALTHCARE LEADERSHIP AWARD.  

We at Town Planner Calendar are both proud and honored to have been chosen to develop this project with Emory Johns Creek Hospital.  I appreciate EJCH’s leap of faith in choosing our agency to help them in launching their first social media site.  We at Town Planner Calendar are very passionate about Social Media and its limitless roles in procuring tangible results for our clients.

Congratulations Emory Johns Creek Hospital!!!

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                          Media Contact: Johnel Reid                                November 18, 2008

EMORY JOHNS CREEK HOSPITAL WINS E-HEALTHCARE LEADERSHIP AWARD FOR VIDEO BLOG

JOHNS CREEK, GA – Emory Johns Creek Hospital was recognized for its outstanding website at a special presentation in Orlando on November 11 during the Twelfth Annual Healthcare Internet Conference.  The EJCH blog and video blog sites earned the Award of Distinction, the number one award among hospitals of 200 beds or less, in the category of Best Web 2.0/Rich Media category.  “It is an honor to be recognized for our considerable efforts this past year,” said Johnel Reid, Director of Marketing for the hospital.  “What began as an experiment for us, has gained momentum and produced significant results,” she added.

Emory Johns Creek Hospital’s site was chosen from among 1,100 entries by a panel of 114 judges familiar with healthcare and the Internet. “A growing number of healthcare organizations are clearly embracing the Web and emerging technologies,” says Mark Gothberg, eHealthcare Leadership Awards chairman.  Gothberg notes that many organizations have invested in new sites or made significant improvements in their existing sites.  “Such rich media forms as video, audio, blogs, and discussion groups are changing the landscape of Web sites,” he says. 

The hospital launched its blog and video health library with the help and video production of Scott Dunn, of SONARconnects.  “We know that people are changing the way they receive their news and information and we know the Internet plays a significant role,” said Reid.  The team videotaped interviews with their medical staff about a variety of health related issues and then posted the videos to the Internet.  “In less than four months, the 150 videos we have posted have received more than 11,000 views,” Reid said. 

“Our audience can expect to see our blog continue to evolve,” said Reid.  “We are finding ways to become more interactive and build relationships with our patients and the community.  Healthcare marketing, at its core, is about relationships — building trust among physicians, hospitals and patients,” she said.   “Traditionally, healthcare marketing has been fairly conservative.  We are fortunate to have leadership that embraces this experiment ,” Reid added.  “We have exciting plans for 2009 that will include improving the quality, server response and using more social media elements.”

“It’s rewarding to work with clients to help them find ways to reach their markets in new ways.  The Internet is changing how people get their news, their information, even their entertainment.  It is changing how people connect with each other and with the companies they choose to do business with,” said Dunn.  “In the case of Emory Johns Creek, we found a way for doctors to reach their target audiences in a very personal, non-traditional way.  It’s a win-win situation for everyone – the doctors get the value of knowing their messages are being heard, the audience gets the information they were looking for, and the hospital builds relationships with the communities they serve.

Emory Johns Creek Hospital is known for its state-of-the-art technology in a luxurious, hotel-like setting.  Services include advanced orthopaedic surgery, joint replacement, spine surgery, 24/7 emergency care, state-of-the-art all digital imaging including a 64 slice CT,  The Birth Place with Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, 24-hour anesthesiologists, intensive care, advanced cardiac care, rehabilitation services and women’s services.  Emory Johns Creek Hospital is home to the Atlanta Bariatric Center, designated a Center of Excellence by the American Society of Bariatric Surgeons.   

For more information, please visit emoryjohnscreek.com.   To find a physician close to where you live or work, call 678.474.8200

For those of you who missed my first blog about Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company, that blog can be found here: Joffery’s Coffee & Tea. In a nutshell, Joffrey’s sent out a free packet of coffee to anyone who would blog about them.  I found out about it from a couple of other bloggers who found out about it from a couple of other bloggers, and so on and so on.  Viral advertising at its finest!

A couple of days ago I checked my mail and found another package from Joffrey’s.  This package contained Coffee 2.0, which was a great surprise.  Thanks, Joffrey’s, for sending the package my way and for keeping me caffeinated.

Why am I taking the time to blog about this?  Simple.  Joffrey’s does not leave their success to viral advertising alone.  Rather they use viral advertising as one way to touch their target market and gain exposure.  Coupled with their viral marketing is their product. They do not rely on the internet alone. Instead they use the internet to connect with people, and in turn then send people their product.  This allows Joffery’s the ability to measure their advertising.  As most of you know, I am not a huge fan of viral marketing by itself.  This is a great example of how to use viral marketing while getting your product in the hands of people who use it.

The other reason that I am blogging about this is that Joffrey’s does a GREAT job telling me a story.  Let’s face it.  You can buy coffee pretty much anywhere.  Coffee is not a new concept and Joffrey’s understands this.  They know that I will not buy their coffee because it is coffee; rather I will buy their coffee because of how their story makes me feel while I drink/purchase their coffee.  They tailor their story to their target market.

Below you will see the contents of the package Joffery’s sent out.  Playing off the Internet 2.0, they have Coffee 2.0, complete with UPDATES and info on HOW TO INSTALL (where do you usually see updates and info on how to install?).

Joffrey’s - all I can say is keep up the good work.  Continue to grow your business virally while putting your product in the hands of your target market.  Thanks for connecting with me and I look forward to your next product.

Please click on the images below and they will open up for you to read the information on the paper and on the bag.  Use your browser back button to come back to this page!

I look forward to your comments.