LinkedIn vs Facebook / Twitter for Events management

Recently, I've done a survey on my 500+ connections in LinkedIn on "Is LinkedIn a better platform to promote Industry Events?"

Thanks to my network and their replies, I have some good feedback. (The answer was basically -- YES, but...)

1) LinkedIn will allow you to target your audience and industry. There is a higher chance of response when you ask questions or promote your events in LinkedIn groups.

2) Most users on LinkedIn do not check it daily. Do not expect a lot of discussions from a lot of people. Some LinkedIn users login once a week, and check their groups maybe once a month. Facebook however has a lot of traffic, and a lot of people check it daily.

3) LinkedIn allows you to looks at the credential of your audience. When someone asks a question, you get to see his job description. You can also tailor your response depending on your audience.

4) A Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn Hybrid is great. Facebook and Twitter is used to drive traffic to the LinkedIn Group Discussion by posting interesting articles or questions to entice people in the relevant Facebook groups to participate.

As LinkedIn is not used daily, event promotion must be done early, and even after the event, Facebook can be used to upload photos of the events, to keep groups active and engaged till your next event.

Thanks for your great responses.

-- Robin Low

LinkedIn group to promote industry and events

For B2B and promoting industrial events, LinkedIn is probably one of the more focused social media tools an event organizer can leverage on, but what exactly makes it so good?

I'm helping a friend who is running an event management company that promotes the use of new sustainable energy for vehicles. A group was started before the event next month and got slightly more than 50 members now.

After getting used to the different arsenals you can leverage on LinkedIn, I have some observations.

In LinkedIn, the people that join your group are usually from the industry, and most of them have a lot of knowledge. There is sometimes no replies, even in big groups if the topic is not interactive enough, simply because a lot of people who join the groups are just "readers" and not a lot of them will be active enough to post discussions.

Compared to Facebook, many users do not check their LinkedIn everyday. Many people I connect with check LinkedIn once a week. In terms of going into groups and reading or posting discussions, people check even less.

Suggested from fellow social media enthusiasts, I started a Facebook group on the same topic and cross promoted the groups on both LinkedIn and Facebook. And testing some links posted, I find that people are much more active on Facebook than LinkedIn. However, many people may still feel uncomfortable to join groups in Facebook, and they are more likely to participate in discussions on a LinkedIn group.

The idea sort of worked as whenever there is new information, I post on LinkedIn and Facebook, providing multiple touchpoints for group members, and members do get involved slightly more as there are multiple places to get to the discussions and news.

I hope to get more data on this new hybrid way of using a Facebook Group to draw people to the LinkedIn group for discussions, will provide more information soon.

-- Robin Low

Simple Tips to get LinkedIn Started

The following are the few tips that will encourage more connections and networking opportunities on LinkedIn

1) Like your resume, update your LinkedIn profile with your latest information.

2) Add a photo of you in your profile.

3) Search for friends on LinkedIn. You can search them by name or sign in with your email and LinkedIn will find friends in your email list.

4) Add your company profile, blog and twitter account.

5) Add applications that you are already using so that it can automatically publish updates to your LinkedIn profile when you add updates.

6) Recommend friends and colleagues.

7) Join groups you are interested in and are passionate about.

-- Robin Low

Reasons to Use LinkedIn

1. Connecting with Friends and Colleagues

LinkedIn allows you to connect with friends and colleagues, you can get and give recommendations and references. LinkedIn also lets you see the status updates and recommendations of your connections.

2. Keeping track of everyone

After connecting with friends and colleagues, you can keep track of them, check on their updates and check on the references for new hires and their connections.
3. Join groups and Find likeminded people

There are numerous groups in LinkedIn that allows people to network with others with the same interests or in the same industry. Whether it is an Alumni group to keep up with fellow Alumni or special interest groups to learn about photography, there are always people to connect with to discuss topics that are of interest.

4. Keep up with others in the industry

LinkedIn allows people in the same industry to connect to share knowledge and information.

5. Make business connections

LinkedIn is a perfect tool to make business connections and maintain relations. Besides meeting likeminded people on group forums, you can get recommendation from friends and the connections you make. These business connections can likely end up in sales or partnerships.

6. Resource Center

By joining groups and posting questions and answering other questions, LinkedIn is a great source of information.

7. Personal Branding

By providing insights, tips and answering question, you can demonstrate proficiency and be a thought leader. Adding a link to a blog in your signature can also publicize your blog and other webpages.

8. Recruitment

LinkedIn is a great place to find suitable candidates, besides sourcing from friends, colleagues and other connection; groups allow job posts as well. You can find suitable candidates, view their recommendations and references.

9. Participate or organize professional events

LinkedIn allows hosting of events for professionals in the same area to physically meet up as well. For professional networking, nothing beats face to face.

10. Find Venture Capitalists

There seems to be a willingness to help out others on the network, with the understanding/expectation that someday you might need help or a connection also. Even if you have no VCs in your immediate network, someone in your connection or group may have and can help with the connection.

11. Gain visibility

By just being out there discussing on forums, you inevitably can spread and generate interest in your business and the work that you do. As an entrepreneur or business owner, sharing ideas and information on what your company does, you can generate awareness and branding of your company.

12. Check out competitors

As you can promote your company, your competitors can do so as well. With LinkedIn, you can see your competitors’s teams, clients, references, plenty of information that is not readily available to you otherwise. You may also see where they’re coming from, or what they’ve been up to recently.

13. Conduct Market Research

Crowd sourcing for ideas and opinions on group forums is a good way to understand the trends in the marketplace. If you’re considering launching a new product, you can see what type of demand there is for this type of product. Do research on what companies are offering. Make use of the Q&A feature to post your questions.

14. Facilitate Introductions

You can become a connector for people by introducing someone you know to someone else in your network. This gives you greater credibility and improves your chances of actually getting introduced to others that may be helpful to your network.

15. Show recommendation

One of the most invaluable features of LinkedIn is its ability to show recommendations, which allows employed people to see if a potential supplier, partner, or employee is worth dealing with.