This week I attended a helpful LinkedIn session hosted by Higher Bracket. LinkedIn Canada employees Sarah Lawless and Carine Syriani shared interesting insight about the application, the highlights of which I captured below.

I can’t say there was anything too surprising, but it’s nice to have one’s assumptions validated.

LinkedIn stats
• 2 members joining per second
• Typical demographic 40 to 55 male earning over 100k, but this is changing (younger audience)
• Canada is number 5 worldwide out of all LinkedIn countries (except they count Europe as one country!)
• 4.1 million Canadian members
• Average time spent on LinkedIn per session? 4 minutes
• The majority of LinkedIn revenue is generated from paid memberships from users (e.g. Job Seeker account)
• What do most people do when they visit LinkedIn?

o Review their own profile
o Look at their connections’ updates (newsfeed)
o Search for other people

Profile tips
• Should you have a profile photo? Research shows people whose profiles have photos build trust more quickly.
• Should you show you have a life outside work (e.g. interests, volunteer work, associations)? Companies increasingly want to know you’re balanced, and they take your outside interests into account to evaluate cultural fit.
• Status updates can lead to an increase in profile views.
• Keywords, particularly in your work experience, are important for improving your search results.
• Don’t make your profile too text heavy. “Wordy” profiles get less attention.

Recruiters
• In Canada, the number one place recruiters finding candidates is LinkedIn.
• 95% of recruiters are on LinkedIn today.
• Recruiters get nervous about a candidate if they search a candidate and there is no LinkedIn profile! They question the candidate’s potential. They also pay attention to recommendations.
• Most recruiters don’t limit their search to titles – its more about keywords.

Other
• Inmail open click rates are highest in industry 30 to 60 percent open rate.
• 80 percent of developers working on applications for the free site.

When I logged into my Rogers account today I noted a special alert button. It led me to the following message:

We're pleased to squeeze more money out of you now!

Does anyone else find this as funny (and sad) as I do?

Image via http://disgrasian.com

Dan Zarella, the Social Media Scientist, challenged his readers to create a rhyme about one of his favourite topics: that too many people sell social media as feel-good advice without the scientific grounding.

Dan, I take up your challenge.

“Social media, so warm and fuzzy!”
Sold by the slick (and sometimes scuzzy.)
“It’s a panacea! The holy grail!”
Believe without question, prepare to fail.

Don’t be fooled – there’s real science behind it;
Reach beyond engaging, befriending and blind fit.
Heed @danzarella. As his saying goes:
Stop looking for those *&^)#*$@! #unicornsandrainbows.

Bravo! I had a good chuckle when I logged in today.

It just kept getting better!

I love it!

So I thought, why not?

I’ll let you know if I hear back from Sherlock.

Recently I was asked to provide evidence that LinkedIn was a valuable tool for senior executives and not just middle managers.

You might recall the buzz in 2008 when Oracle sourced their new CFO, Jeff Epstein, through LinkedIn. This blog post cites other examples how Fortune 500 companies are using LinkedIn for recruiting senior management.

I reached out to senior executives in my network for evidence that LinkedIn was useful in their professional efforts. Some key observations:

• LinkedIn is indeed a key part of the career efforts, and it is creating real opportunities.
• It is an extension of their traditional off-line networking, but LinkedIn provides a way to quickly expand and leverage their network. “Time saving” is a recurring theme.
• Senior executive efforts focus not only on making their presence attractive and searchable, but even more on using it for due diligence on potential employers.
• The “who has viewed my profile” feature was mentioned frequently during conversations as a key benefit.

1. JM, Vice President, Consumer Packaged Goods

Here are my first two thoughts that pop into my head as examples of the value of Linkedin as an excellent tool for senior searches. And I think the rationale for these and other benefits is the extremely broad reach of the membership.

Using the “Who has viewed your profile” feature I have recently identified two President and CEO’s that have visited my Linkedin profile. Both followed after I had spoken with a recruiter about an opportunity with their respective companies. One led to a face-to-face meeting with the President/CEO and the other did not because I did not pursue the opportunity.

Another valuable tool is the company search function where I can identify members of a company’s executive team that I am linked to through my connections. In two instances I have found 2nd degree connections who had recently left executive positions with an organization of interest to me. In both cases I was able to receive candid and incredible insight into an organization’s leadership, structure, dynamics/politics on the leadership team and within the organization, as well as very specific insider insight on the role of interest to me.

2. PL, Vice President, Insurance

I think LinkedIn is even more important for senior executives than for middle level managers. The number of job postings for senior executives is very limited as opposed to middle level managers, who are often selected by internal employees’ referrals.

Even though approximately 25% of positions are filled by recruiters overall, that number increases a lot for executive positions (often confidential search) , and recruiting firms will look on Linkedin for potential candidates.

My goal is to make sure I appear top of the search results when people search for Vice President of Sales. I believe number of connections in your network, group affiliations, keywords in your profile are extremely important to make this happen. You also need to make sure your contact details are visible and easily found.

I go on Linkedin everyday to see activities like number of searches and who has viewed my profile. I also use it to look at different companies I have targeted, and see if I can get an intro from second or third party contacts.

I received 3 phone calls from New York and 2 from London England, about consultant work possibilities, all through Linkedin.

3. RA, Vice President, Wholesale Distribution

When interviewing with specific companies I can track people who have either worked previously at the target company or are currently employed. LinkedIn searches allow me to see who in my current network is connected to those people.  As you know, the opportunity to get insight into a company prior to an interview is huge.

LinkedIn also allows people with whom you are networking to quickly scan your background without relying on resume distribution. And, when you start meeting strangers for networking efforts, you get to know what they look like and their background and interests in advance of the meeting, and vice versa.

4. UM, Senior Director, Retail

LinkedIn has been tremendously helpful in my job search. In fact – I have LinkedIn to thank for helping to get me in the door at two companies, Company X and Company Y, both at the top of my target list.
One of the folks in my network had heard about an opening for a senior position at Company X that he thought I would be well suited for and he fired me a quick message to alert me to the opportunity. I really wanted to find out who the hiring manager was so I could ensure that my cover letter and resume got to the RIGHT people and not lost in the HR web.

I searched my network to see who was connected to Company X. One of my contacts was connected to several people at Company X, so I asked him if he would reach out to his contacts to find out who the hiring manager was. He gladly reached out to his contacts and successfully connected me to the hiring manager. The result was a great interview with the CEO of Company X.

At the same time I have had three successful interviews at Company Y and am through to the next stage for an interview tomorrow with the folks that would be reporting to me! In preparation for my third interview with Company Y I was able to reach out to a new connection on LinkedIn. I met her at an event and invited her to join my network as she had previously worked at Company Y and was able to provide some insight on the company culture and some of the people I was meeting with.

5. RP, General Manager, Telecommunications

LinkedIn is new to me, although as a rookie I am making progress and have become a convert.

Admittedly my views about LinkedIn initially were misguided by my own perceptions which most importantly were not based on any real fact. With an open mind I set about increasing my knowledge around the capability of the tool and the Social Media landscape in general.

In a very short time frame I discovered the power of LinkedIn.  Today, when I think of how LinkedIn has helped me , the first thing that comes to mind is ” Speed Networking on Steroids “  Quickly, I learned how easy it was to connect with people while also providing , in part , a road-map to companies where I have a personal interest. Also, joining a number of targeted groups has provideda good venue to remain current with industry trends and to establish valuable contacts.

Lastly, I like how LinkedIn allows you to market and test your brand message. Changes are easy to make and are real time.

In summary, keep an open mind when learning about LinkedIn and focus on understanding and learning from the network and never be afraid to ask for help from the experts!

6. SB, CFO, Real Estate

I can indeed verify that the LinkedIn site is not only useful, but REQUIRED for all levels of job searches.

I was able to connect with a number of past associates who were able to provide potential leads on jobs (and an instant reference given their working history with me). I can’t remember how many times I had associates/headhunters/etc. tell me to “look them up on LinkedIn” rather than “send me an email”. Social media may at times get confusing in terms of its purpose for old folks like me in the e-suites, but can anyone doubt the value of social media after what happened in Egypt!

In the end we should all realize that the ability to find that next job is all based on how well networked you are, and LinkedIn is a very important aspect of that networking.

7. DM, CFO, Financial Services

DM told me that he was contacted by a recruiter about a CFO role at Company Z. DM checked out Company Z on line and reached out to his 1st degree LinkedIn contacts with connections at Company Z. As part of his research he sent a LinkedIn inMail to a current employee, and used LinkedIn extensively to research the people with whom he would be interviewing along the path.

Have you heard any LinkedIn anecdotes? Would love to hear your stories in the comments.

I’m a fan of Twitter and regularly speak in front of audiences about why I like it.

Often I get someone who says something like, “Sure you love it, but you work in the field of social media. What about Twitter for non-social media professionals?”

I picked up that gauntlet and reached out to people I know to ask how they’re using Twitter. The answers may surprise you.

1. Retail consultant

Alex Arifuzzaman, Partner at InterStratics Consultants Inc., one of Canada’s top retail consulting firms, uses Twitter to track news from his industry, news that he would either never see or else get it weeks or months later. Twitter also drives traffic to his web site, which is now visited more than any of his competitors. Follow Alex at @alex_ari.

2. Business strategy consultant

Andrew Jenkins is a management consultant specializing in emerging technology business strategy.

1. One day he tweeted that he was at conference.
2. A well-known business strategist replied to the tweet, saying that he wished he were there.
3. Andrew replied, offering to send him the presentation afterward.
4. Coincidentally, Andrew was then invited by a mutual acquaintance to attend a workshop where the same business strategist was also attending.
5. Andrew met the strategist in person and, as a result, was invited to collaborate on the strategist’s new book.
6. Andrew became a contributor to Business Model Generation, one of the top 10 business books of 2010 as voted by Fast Company and Inc.
7. He was invited to attend a conference in Amsterdam with other contributors. He has used the book and framework extensively in his business, has expanded his network of contacts and has won business because of this credibility.

Follow Andrew at @ajenkins.

3. Authors

Amy Ballon and Danielle Botterell own Admiral Road Designs which makes personalized fleece baby blankets (that make fabulous gifts, incidentally). Recently they launched a book, Mom Inc., stories and experiences about the world of mompreneurship.  Twitter has been great for spreading the word about the book and for sharing media links. Amy notes, “they are tweeting to us about buying our book!”

Follow Admiral Road at @admiralroad and Mom Inc. at @mominc.

Amy also tipped me to Kelly Oxford, an Edmonton stay-at-home-mom of 3 who, through her digital writing – including Twitter – has landed a book deal and has a sitcom in the works. Trust me: she is very funny. Twitter is the perfect medium for her short, sardonic observations and a very easy (and fast) way for fans to discover and share her, including the likes of Howard Stern, Jimmy Kimmel and Jessica Alba.

Follow Kelly at @kellyoxford.

My friend Mike Fraeitta shared a story about a SciFi author who was successful with Twitter. The author would follow people who tweeted about books that were similar to the kind he wrote. Those people would follow him back. He soon had enough of a following of other people interested in science fiction that, when he had a new book to sell, he had an audience of customers who, as it turned out, bought his books. Like magic.

Follow Mike at @MikeFraietta. (Sorry, I don’t know the SciFi author specifically, but Mike is worth following.)

4. “From concept to market” consultant

I wasn’t quite sure how to categorize Sheena Repath’s business, IdealSamples. Suffice it to say that this is a company which helps bring product ideas to life: if you have a concept, the IdealSamples team will help you through the process, saving you time, headaches and money.

Sheena admits, that she was like everyone else when she first started using Twitter. She couldn’t figure out how it was going to help her business. However, very quickly she experienced the following when active on Twitter:

1. It helped her establish credibility.
2. Allowed her to create a conversation about what IdealSamples does, a new concept in business.
3. Twitter was (is) great for educating people on how IdealSamples can help them.
4. Twitter gives them a channel to share tips and advice before expecting clients to buy.
5. Twitter also makes it easy for IdealSamples to research and qualify potential customers.
6. Twitter makes it easy for people to understand exactly who IdealSamples is, what they do and what they stand for.
7. Twitter is a great tool for referring business.

The number 1 thing Sheena noticed as a huge benefit of using Twitter? Normally when you start a business type that hasn’t existed previously in the market, it takes time to educate people, build rapport and to start letting people know you exist. Twitter allowed IdealSamples to jump into the market without spending any money and allowing things to grow organically.

Follow IdealSamples at @IdealSamples.

5. Autism application

This one is from my friend Mike Winter, President of Chalkboard Marketing, whose wife Sara has used Twitter almost exclusively to market her business. She’s built a website and application for Teens and Tweens on the Autism Spectrum to communicate with one another called Squag (www.squag.com). Mike noted that given the Internet has been such an incredible resource for parents with children affected by autism, Twitter was a really unique tool for reaching them directly and for washing out some of the noise that you would get through more traditional marketing tools.

Follow Squag at @squagdotcom.

As you can see, using Twitter for business successfully extends beyond “social media consultants”. But this is to be expected. After all, it’s just another communications channel.

Do you have any stories of Twitter business success to share?

While not officially diagnosed, I’m fairly convinced I am susceptible to the occasional migraine (if not a migraine, a wretched nausea-inducing, head-throbbing diabolical headache) brought about through extreme weather changes.

As an early-warning device I subscribed to MediClim, a web site that alerts possible health compromises driven by the weather. Not surprising I just received one today, given the rain warning under which Toronto labours (and it is indeed raining relentlessly):

Alert Message
Your migraine is more likely to be aggravated in the next 24 hours. Please follow your doctor’s advice as closely as possible.

Ok, noted. The email also offered a link to weather alerts for the past 30 days for my area. Curious, I bit. Here’s where I landed:

Sign in to view alerts. Sign in - where?

So I need to sign in to access what I’m looking for.

Do you see a sign-in button? A sign-in link?

Nope, neither do I.

The sign-up link is easy to find. But why not the sign-in for existing subscribers?

Eventually I realized that “MyMediclim” on the top was where I was to sign in.

Obvious? Maybe to others, but not to me.

Why make me work so hard when it could be so easy?

I have the great privilege of helping people in career transition leverage social media to help achieve their professional goals, whether it’s finding a new job or starting their own business.  It is especially rewarding when concepts really resonate, the proverbial light bulbs shining brightly in clients’ eyes as they absorb new ideas. And, when I’m lucky, a client will come back to me with tales of successfully applied learnings.

But I never expected this kind of story.

I have kept in semi-regular contact with Thomas Schulz*, a client who attended each of my seminars.  Recently he emailed me a story and asked I share with future students. He said,

“Last week my father got in touch with me for the first time in 15 years because of LinkedIn.”

Thomas and his father had a rocky relationship since his parents separated when he was eight. Fifteen years ago during their last heated conversation Thomas told his dad never to contact him again. Thomas subsequently regretted this, recalling more of the good things his father had done rather than the bad.

In the mean time his father had returned to his native country of Germany where he reconnected with his second wife and son, Thomas’s half brother, who was two years old the last time Thomas saw him.

Over the years Thomas had tried looking up his father, brother, and stepmother several times without success.  Looking for a Schulz in Germany is like looking for a Lee in China.

It was the LinkedIn account Thomas set up which made it possible for his brother to find him and his father to reach out.  As Thomas said, “it speaks to your advice that you have to share enough to be found!”

Thomas is now planning a trip to Germany to reunite with his family.

LinkedIn is great for doing business. Who knew it was also a catalyst for reconnecting family?

* Names have been changed for privacy reasons.

Yesterday began like any other Monday. I was pleasantly surprised to find that a couple of people had commented on previous blog posts; it always makes me happy when others read the blog and are moved to write. Other than that, nothing out of the ordinary.

As the day progressed, I couldn’t help but notice an above-average volume of new Twitter followers. I’m not talking spammy “Make MONEY on line!” followers, but real, bona fide people followers. I usually pick up a few new followers a day, but this was extraordinary. What made it more surprising is that, due to various personal distractions, my digital dabblings have diminished of late.

Something was up. And I didn’t do it.

I Googled my name – nothing out of the ordinary. I Googled my web site – likewise, nothing new. I shrugged, and watched the Twitter followers continue to grow.

This morning, the mystery was revealed.

In my inbox, a socialmention.com alert – Women in Blogging: 125 Fearless Female Bloggers posted on Kikolani.com, the intelligent social media blog by my digital friend and impressive blogger, Kristi Hines.

Wow.

Reacting to the chronic dominance of male voices in lists of top bloggers, social media marketers, search marketers and entrepreneurs, Kristi took it upon herself to identify 125 women writers with a digital presence.  Not only was I blown away by the privilege of being amongst such a respected, high profile group of writers (not to mention being named in a heavily-linked reference guide which obviously took many hours to compose), but due to the gods of alphabetical order I was listed second.

What can be learned from this?

1. Pay attention to unusual activity in your digital realm. Don’t assume a spike in traffic/Twitter followers/etc. just happens on its own.

2. Set up various alert mechanisms to catch on-line references to your name. In the race between Google Alerts, Backtype, and Social Mention, the latter came in first for this event.

3. Don’t overlook the value of relationships that are made through digital channels. Kristi and I had a pre-existing relationship; I didn’t just appear on her list because she did a random search. (Uh, at least I don’t think so? Kristi? lol)

4. Leverage positive mentions. Watch the residue I leave from this on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and on Kikolani.

5. Always remember to say thanks. Thanks, Kristi – you rock!

Today I received an addressed but unsolicited package containing Christmas cards and envelopes from the Mouth and Food Painting Artists.

My dilemma:

I don’t need them, but it’s a shame to recycle perfectly good usable envelopes and, if needed, Christmas cards.

But if I keep them, ethically does it not behoove me to remit the $11.95 they’re asking for the cards?

But then again, is it ethical to pray on people’s guilt in order to generate revenue?

And yet, it seems a worthwhile cause to support people who use art to overcome physical adversity.

And so I sit, staring at cozy wood cabins in snowy landscapes.

What would you do?