Hello:

 

Welcome back to Wayne’s World. biz guy rocksRock on, Garth! Pretty bad humor, I know, but I have been wanting to use that as my opening line for so long. Thanks for bearing with me on my flashback to my past.

 

This week I am going to share with you the highlights of the 2011 Midyear Power Formula for LinkedIn User Survey. But before I start, I want to thank all of you who took the time to complete the survey–over 470 respondents this time around.

 

Congratulations to the three individuals who won the Grand Prize–my Linkedin DVD Training Bundle, with a value of $109. It is really priceless, but I had to put a price on them! In other words, you get to see me on your big screen TV or computer for over 3 hours. Sounds like a party to me, don’t you think, Garth?  

 

My comments will be the 35,000 foot view of the survey results, but you can get the full details by clicking here. 

 

I will start by sharing with you a snapshot of what Mr. or Mrs. (Ms.) Average LinkedIn User looks like: 

  • They score LinkedIn as a 4 or 5 (5=Extremely important, 1=Not important at all) (61%)
  • They also use Facebook (78%) and Twitter (51%) for business
  • They have been on Linkedin for over a year (78%)
  • They are using the free account (91%)
  • Their primary purpose for using Linkedin is to grow and keep in touch with their network (55%)
  • They say that LinkedIn has helped them with:
    • Reconnecting with past business associates/colleagues (68%)
    • Researching people and companies (66%) 
  • They have over 100 first-degree connections (63%)
  • Their profile is not 100% complete as defined by Linkedin (56%)
  • They allow their first-degree connections to view their other first-degree connections (68%)
  • They are a member of at least 10 groups (54%)
  • They spend 0-2 hours a week using LinkedIn (53%)
  • They could use help on LinkedIn with the following:
    • Developing a specific strategy or plan for how to use LinkedIn (66%)
    • Want to understand the ways in which advanced users are using LinkedIn (58%)
  • They found the following features on Linkedin most helpful:
    • Groups (75%)
    • People searching and related information gathering (63%)
    • People You May Know (63%)
    • Company searching and related information gathering (55%)

 

Okay. So, what are the actionable takeaways from this data, along with my two cents on each?

  • You better have at least 100 connections. (This is the fuel that makes it go)
  • Quit obsessing about whether you should be on the paid account. (This could change, but as of now you probably don’t need a paid account)
  • Take advantage of the fact that most of your connections allow you to look through the names of their first-level connections. (There’s gold in them thar hills; no doubt about it. This could and should be your #1 strategy!)
  • In your two hours a week, you should be involved in groups, people and company searching, and checking People You May Know.
  • Most importantly, try to develop a strategy or plan, and it should start with researching people you want to meet since that is what LinkedIn is the best at. (Download my free resource: “People Searching: Your Ticket to Improved ROI”) I will provide more strategy tips in future emails.