Today we had the privilege of hearing Kevin Knebl, the CEO of Knebl Communications, speak at the AAF luncheon in Dallas. Kevin is so smart and hysterical! He cracked a lot of jokes and gave us great insight on social networking and how to best utilize the tools on LinkedIn. We learned that relationships are everything and that to just know the tools isn’t as important as using the tools to build relationships. He focuses on relationship building through these three bullet points.
Create a method to build positive relationships.
Everyone has heard their mother say, “If you don’t have something nice to say, then don’t say anything at all.” Social networking is just the same, it’s all about building positive relationships that have a purpose. There are numerous definitions of the term social networking. In this case, we are not talking about going to a party after work hours and getting talked up by a less than sober person who keeps trying to hand you their business card. Instead, we are talking about building a network of relationships that connect you to other relationships, so in turn you are left with a web of people that can help you and your business in a positive way.
Have a clear and compelling social media presence.
Make sure your entire profile is compelling. It’s important to utilize the tools that you have available, and you can do so by filling out your whole profile. This is especially significant when it comes to filling out your LinkedIn summary. There are 2,000 characters available for your summary, so why aren’t you using them? Most people don’t know that LinkedIn has its own SEO algorithm. By optimizing your summary through the use of keywords, you will increase the visibility of your LinkedIn profile. The best way to write your summary is to periodically incorporate the word you most want to be targeted for throughout your summary in an effective, yet not obvious way.
Use technology to build and leverage relationships.
LinkedIn has an array of tools that many people neglect to use. The advanced people search is one of those tools. The key is taking interpersonal connections and applying it to technical tools in order to get a refined search. You may know that it’s possible to search for people based on company, school and location, but did you know that you can also search for people based on industry, years of experience, seniority level, interests and even company size? By using LinkedIn’s vast database, you can build and leverage relationships much easier.
The AAF luncheon was a huge success. Kevin Knebl is extremely intelligent when it comes to social networking. He does have 6 million connections on LinkedIn after all! Not only is Kevin a great teacher, he is also a very nice guy. He even invited us to come over to his house if we ever happen to get stuck in a snow storm in Monument, Colorado!
If you would like to learn more about social networking and get tips on best practices, follow Kevin Knebl on Twitter!
