Pro Installer July 2015 - Issue 28 | Page 8

8 JULY 2015 PRO INSTALLER PRO NEWS www.proinstaller.co.uk In her monthly column on social media Sarah Ball, Communications Director at specialist glazing and construction marketing and PR agency, Balls2 Marketing, talks about how to use LinkedIn for business. Linking In Facebook for grownups LinkedIn is often referred to as Facebook for grownups, and it’s probably the best way to describe it. But while it’s like Facebook in lots of ways, LinkedIn is all about business. The old saying: “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know” has never been more fitting. And linking with people can open up opportunities. Get your profile right Step one is set up your profile. It’s not a CV so make it easy for people to see what you do and how it can benefit them. Choose a head and shoulders photo that’s appropriate to your business. So if you normally wear a uniform, that’s what you should wear. You want people to recognise you, so make it clear and representative of you at work. Link-up Then start linking. You want as many as possible to get started. Here’s a list of ideas to get you started: • Friends and family • Customers • Suppliers • Local businesses • Other companies in the industry Be a groupie One way to increase the number of connections is to join groups. There’s a whole range of groups on LinkedIn including ones for local businesses, the glazing and construction industry, and networking groups like PIGS (People in Glazing 6