2 Million People...Genius Marketing or Suckers

By now everyone either received or at least saw the posts and emails about you being in the top 1, 5 or 10 percent of Linkedin profile views in 2012. If not, here is mine as an example.

Keep in mind you are either one of 2, 10 or 20 million people, respectively, who could have received these emails.

There were even others that went to other countries if you were part of the first number of people who logged in to Linkedin.

Did Linkedin just go after all the ASW's out there? No they went after everyone and probably got more than they thought they would from this stunt. Sure I am adding to it, but there is some genius here to be reviewed.

1) Size matters, but not really
Without a huge customer base, this may not have worked so well, then again, you can come up with any number or percentage of your customers or readers or followers to produce a similar marketing campaign around your brand.

Imagine if IBM did this based on people who tweet about IBM or have attended the most seminars or in a more entertaining light, who has the most IBM giveaways. But would it provide reason for people to look up  IBM or call their sales rep? I am sure IBM has some great metrics to pull this off.

2) Let the people do your work for you
When your followers and readers extol your virtues, that is worth it's weight in gold. This is where size does matter a little bit, but really it is the quality of who follows you, and their followers. Influence, and not the type found in Kred or Klout exactly, helps in this. But even more important is the belief and strength of your brand and company to work with everyone, the lovers and haters, of your brand. And your marketing costs are lower because of the word of mouth.

3) Keep Moving Forward
No doubt out of 200 Million members, Linkedin has enough paying them that cash flow is not an issue, well I hope not. But is that enough? No, they have shut down their Q and A section, which I will miss, and have seemed like a little Facebook and a little Google with their various changes and not quite there changes. But without trying to move forward, you don't stay still, you really fall backwards as others progress beyond you. So this was yet another move forward for them.

Make fun of it all and everyone's gullibility but the bottom line is Linkedin scored a major coup, this time. The one drawback is next time will people care what the email says in the same way? Time will tell.

Are you Lotusly Linkedin? Social Networking speaking of course

Those of you that have followed me for the last year or so know I have a group on Linkedin for Lotus Software Professionals.

Having been on Linkedin since it's beta pretty much, you would think I had millions of people connected to me, or I should.

But no, I have a relatively small number, 2,770 direct Connections that link me to 10,011,500+ professionals

But what is interesting is wether you are another BP or just an IT person who likes Lotus, the need or interest of people to belong to a community is impressive. Note to self, must clear the recruiters out better.

Why have the group? It's a passive way to interact with people. Find new roles, new business oportunities, friends in funny places and indulge some other habits, like advertising partnerships. Some people do ask me about advertising which I am open to, if there is a proper fit or benefit to everyone, not just for me, although single malted Scotch is always welcome.

While I try to be helpful in other ways, like answering questions or people's postings for jobs, some of those have become better friends because it's not always about Lotus.

OK, my linkedin update is ALWAYS about Lotus.

But you should try it, some of you will nto want to share your links, unless your links are all CXO's, and some of mine are(would like to shield those few who need to be shielded), what are you afraid of? That you might help someone else?
That is not in the true spirit of Lotus or collaboration is it? after all, why did you join linkedin in the first place if you did not want to share your links?

If you think you are opne to it, and haven't yet, you can join my group here if you have not already. It has over 1,000 members as of this morning. Many of which are Lotus friends or blog readers or twitter followers or ex comrades in arms from my Lotus days.

My goal in the next 6 months is to double our companies revenue...at Microsoft's expense. And averages say 1-2% of the people in my list need my help at least I have a list to work with now. What have you done to prospect lately?

Groups were meant for forming

Linkedin is now accepting invitations for groups. I have requested one for Lotus Professionals.
Figured might as well try to expand our horizon right?

I like it, created a Yahoo! group for it. Why not a Quickplace?
well there are some issues on my side(hosting, equipment, space, resources) and Yahoo! just makes it easy as pie. I would like to move it and other groups to Quickr and am working on building a box with it on it.

But this item is about evangelising other ways to communicate. So I am branching out to other spaces. Will I do a facebook entry(a bunch already exist so no). Myspace? Not likely either.
Second Life? Only if I get more than 25 people asking for it. I have yet to find 25 people who use it.
I have an avatar in world and it is stuck at the Lotus compound :-)
Got the shirt too, in world.

So please let me know where/what else can i do to promote/grow Lotus Evangelism from your perpsective.