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The Problem With LinkedIn Endorsements – And 6 Quick Fixes

September 5, 2013 by Joel Marans 5 Comments

My friend Jack is looking for new career opportunities. Jack noticed his friend Larry had endorsed Moe, a senior leader at a company he’s trying to get into. Jack asked Larry to tell him about Moe, figuring if he knew him well enough to endorse him, he’d know him well enough to offer a warm intro.

“Who’s Moe?” Larry replied.
“You endorsed him on LinkedIn!” said Jack.
“Oh. Him. I don’t know really know him.” Larry said. “And I just clicked that stuff to get rid of it on the screen.”

This is a true story. While the names have been changed out of respect for my still-employed-friend, it also sums up the core problem everyone seems to have with LinkedIn Endorsements. They take zero effort. They’re a hit-and-run social interaction. While it’s easy to blame LinkedIn for making this feature too easy to use, as my friend Tim Burrows says so well, “A social platform is no better or worse than the people that use it. And more importantly, how they use it.”

The real issue I see is that improper use of this feature creates more noise than value. That said, I believe there are six ways we can all improve LinkedIn Endorsements so they’re more authentic and real for everyone.
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4 ways to avoid a Twitter PR disaster

February 8, 2013 by Joel Marans Leave a Comment

Embarrassing, #FAIL-worthy tweets from corporate accounts is nothing new. When it does happen, media coverage and case studies ensue. Smart brands respond appropriately. Others make the situation worse. The municipality I live in has become the latest victim of the tweet-gone-bad phenomenon. In this case, an offensive, obscene message was tweeted from the corporate account. It’s possible the account was hacked. It’s more likely this was accidental, and the person responsible thought they were updating their personal account. What made this message so offensive is that the tweet criticized city residents and their inability to handle snow – during the biggest snowstorm we’ve seen in years.

This situation gives those of us who aren’t suffering through a real-time PR nightmare a chance to reflect on four basic ways to protect our own organizations from being tomorrow’s social media case-study. [Read more…]

Why I Won’t Connect With You On LinkedIn

November 24, 2012 by Joel Marans 2 Comments

Look – it’s not you. It’s me. I’m sure you really are a swell person. It’s just that I feel you’re looking for something else. When you send me a LinkedIn connection request and we don’t really know each other, I’m sorry – but for you to get the most out of LinkedIn, you deserve better than me.

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5 Ways Smart Sales People Use LinkedIn

July 28, 2012 by Joel Marans 4 Comments

In a previous post I talk about how today’s socially-savvy sellers find ways to warm up leads and avoid the dreaded cold call. Not surprisingly, many of these smart people use LinkedIn as their primary source of intelligence gathering. With over 160 Million users in over 200 countries, LinkedIn is the defacto social network for business. And while it’s great for finding new clients, it’s equally valuable as a way to learn about customers you already serve.

What follows are five ways smart sales people use LinkedIn to build their personal brand, manage their time more effectively, and prospect for new clients. In case you were wondering, none of these tips require a paid LinkedIn account.

And a gentle reminder: your audience on LinkedIn is not recruiters – it’s customers. If you do a great job, recruiters will find you. That’s their job. [Read more…]