Social Selling on LinkedIn

What is LinkedIn? According to Brian Church, it's one of your most powerful networking tools and a valuable resource for information, as well as an opportunity to brand yourself and your company.

"People still think of LinkedIn as your resume on the internet," says Church, who is country manager for Canada at the social media site. "They don't understand how powerful the site can be."

In this week's episode of the PROFIT BusinessCast, Church explains the ways in which LinkedIn wants to be powerful:

Recruiting. Church says only a small percentage of users are actually doing this.

Branding. Profiles become your individual brand; business pages and groups your corporate brand. This is not your resume, says Church. "Think about how do you want to promote yourself in the marketplace. Make your profile more robust—write it like a story." He suggests taking advantage of the site's rich media options and posting video to your profile.

Social selling. Church explains that once you have a strong brand, you can use it to schmooze the right people, either as a potential partner or client. "One of our goals is to eliminate the cold call—nobody wants to be cold called," says Church.

What are Church's goals for SMEs in Canada?

Focus on talent. "It can't be underestimated how transformative getting the right people in place can be for an organization of any size," he insists.

Establish culture from the beginning. "It's something people are exposed to right from the beginning at LinkedIn, starting with the interview process," says Church.

Transform our country with innovation. "I'd love to see us really become the country the world looks to for innovation in different categories."