Guest Author - Meg Meyer

It is a well known principle that "who you know" is important. If you want a job, a recommendation, or an opinion - networking with people in similar positions, or with similar interests can greatly increase your chances of getting what you want.

It works with guerrilla style marketing, too! If you have a product launch, a company promotion, a news blip, or a new website update to promote, sites like LinkedIn and other social networking sites are great tools to get the word out to people who care to know about it!


Get LinkedIn Free

Signing up is simple, using just your name and email to get started. Joining is free, and there are different sections for you to fill out about who you are, what you like, and where you've worked and studied. Here's what my profile looks like, though I'm not done with it - http://www.linkedin.com/in/megmeyerdotcom.


Get Connected

Then, you make connections. Colleagues at the same company. Members of the same organizations. Alumni of your alma matter.

Note: People have differing definitions of what it means to "know" someone. Some have better memories than others, so the guy you crushed on in grad school might not remember you. That's ok, most people will be keen on connecting - otherwise why join a social networking site?


Get Recommended

Did a former manager or colleague love your work? Were you teacher's pet? Ask for a recommendation! A recommendation should be specifically reserved for people who you have worked with, or whose work you know exceptionally well and would stake your own reputation on. LinkedIn states "A recommendation is a comment written by a LinkedIn user to recommend a colleague, business partner, or provider of a professional service." The goodfellas would call it "vouching." Can you vouch for this person? Recommend them! If not, be content to just be connected and maybe get to know each other's work.

Note: Recommending just anyone, blindly is considered not ethical. In the worst sense, is considered "black hat" or at very least gaming the system. Linked In allows you to recommend a colleague, business partner or provider of a service. If you would say "I don't know this person's work that well" - I would not suggest recommending their work.


Why You Should Use this Tool

Connections can help you find jobs. Recommendations can help you look better to prospective employers. Recommendations can also help you find good people to hire, or give business to. Unlike many of the social networking sites geared towards teens and college party-goers, LinkedIn is designed for the professional set. Connect, network, make friends, share prosperity.

Isn't that what living in abundance is all about?

Special thanks to Kristen Houghton of the Marriage Site of BellaOnline. An email exchange with her inspired this article.

Tip: For more tips on Internet Marketing, Small Business, and Making Money Online, visit Small Business Services | Executive Business Coaching and find out what I'm up to!