With all the focus on Facebook and Twitter for social media tools, LinkedIn is often forgotten. According to Guy Kawasaki, LinkedIn is one of the most powerful tools for business and career-building. According to Lewis Howes, it is the most powerful tool for building a small business or career.

Three Powerful uses for LinkedIn:

1. To become SEEN
   1. To be findable
   2. To have your career information easily accessible and available
   3. To connect to others
2. To become KNOWN
   1. To keep yourself in people's awareness through updates
   2. To share information about your career, business, and events
   3. To become familiar
3. To become a RESOURCE (to be connected)
   1. To join groups around your topics of interest
   2. To participate in group discussions
   3. To be seen as an expert
   4. To share information learned in the groups with your followers and friends

The key components to making LinkedIn work effectively for you:

1. Keywords
   1. Include words that apply to you that can easily be used by google
   2. Use keywords that match your website
2. Profile
   1. Keep it up to date
   2. Include as many things about yourself as you can
3. Groups
   1. Find and join groups that support your profession
   2. You can set it up to send you emails when new posts are added or you can go to the group when you want to review.
   3. Use it to find material that you can blog about or share with your clients/customers
   4. Also a way to establish yourself as an expert
4. Answers
   1. Answer questions on group forums
   2. Also watch for questions posted and answer them
   3. Establishes you as an expert
5. Testimonials (recommendations)
   1. Get clients and peers to recommend you
   2. Recommend peers and others you have done business with
   3. Both end up on your page
6. Customizing for you
   1. Important you make it work for you
7. Include in other static media
   1. Create automatic posts when you use twitter or a blog
   2. Put your LinkedIn URL on your business card and website

During this time of uncertainty, it is important to use all the tools we have available to reach out to our clients and potential customers. LinkedIn is one of the best tools to connect with peers, mentors, and referral.

Social media is a powerful tool for marketing our business, but it isn't the best or only tool. And, like any tool, it is most effective when used correctly. Too often, therapists get caught up in the myth of social media being a quick and easy answer for marketing without understanding the basics of using the tool effectively.Frequently, marketing is seen as "selling," so many businesses and therapists using social media, such as Twitter, Facebook and even LinkedIn, spend most of their posting time promoting their business--announcing specials, appointment availability, sharing new services or practitioners- rather than building a relationship with their followers or fans. While this information can be helpful, it begins to sound and feel like a carnival barker or the stereotypical "used car salesman." It manifests a poor job of identifying the customer/client's needs and addressing those needs.

Frequently, marketing is seen as "selling," so many businesses and therapists using social media, such as Twitter, Facebook and even LinkedIn, spend most of their posting time promoting their business--announcing specials, appointment availability, sharing new services or practitioners- rather than building a relationship with their followers or fans. While this information can be helpful, it begins to sound and feel like a carnival barker or the stereotypical "used car salesman." It manifests a poor job of identifying the customer/client's needs and addressing those needs.

Just like in any interaction with customers or potential customers, people are looking for ways to get their needs met. A business or practitioner that clearly identifies the needs of a potential client and then offers ways to address those needs, more easily engages the interest of the client. This highlights the importance of identifying the practitioner's target market. Once the "who are we serving?" question is answered, it becomes much easier to identify the clients needs and how to best meet them. The focus, then, of interactions becomes addressing the clients needs--education, suggestions, research--rather than the business' needs--filling open appointments, making payroll, etc.

In fact, most marketing professionals suggest an 80% focus on building the relationship through information and education, and a 20% focus on promotional and business material.  Once you identify your target market and identify their needs, consistent presentation of information that helps the client understand how you can best meet those needs, allows you and your business to develop a reputation as the best source for meeting their needs.