Any marketer waiting for the world to get back to normal hasn't been noticing the new reality. Every day, a new headline, book, TED talk or coffee shop conversation proves anew that customers, products, markets and marketing approaches aren't just undergoing change -- they've changed already.

The old paradigm -- where businesses produced, marketers talked, consumers listened and sales followed ­-- has given way to an economy where customers co-create, marketing involves two-way interactions, and customized product offerings move into the marketplace via channels unheard of even a few years ago.


Thought leaders haven't even settled on a single term for the world marketers face.

America Online founder Steve Case, commenting on the acquisition of Zipcar by the Avis Budget Group, describes the deal as evidence of a new sharing economy, adding, "And fasten your seat belts: It's just beginning."

Seth Godin, in his newest book, "The Icarus Deception," names it the connection economy, in which "the value we create is directly related to how much valuable information we can produce, how much trust we can earn and how often we innovate."

Social media consultant Gary Vaynerchuk calls it "The Thank You Economy," which he describes as "a fundamental shift in how businesses behave," prompted by how the Internet has empowered customers, requiring businesses to either "scale the caring their grandparents exhibited towards their customers or watch their competition pass them by."

For businesses marketing with outdated approaches, the stakes couldn't be higher.

Normal has left the marketing arena

Any marketer resisting change should simply wave a white flag. No business sector is immune.

As evidence, pull up coverage of the 2013 CES, the giant 46-year-old consumer electronics trade show, and you'll see phrases like "waste of time" and "a vestige of a bygone era." ZDNet estimated that "half the products introduced won't actually materialize," in part because 68 percent of people are satisfied with the technology they already own, and in part because consumers are more interested in solutions to what The Washington Post terms "seemingly intractable problems such as sanitation in the developing world, sustainable agriculture and data privacy."

And by any name, consumer opinions are driving the new economy. Their voices are amplified like never before, and marketers need to be tuned in and responsive. As proof, look at how outrage over new Gap and University of California logos prompted withdrawal of both redesigns, a nod to what New York magazine called consumer dislike (it also used the word hatred) of "change for change's sake forced upon them without consultation."

Don't get crowdsmashed

Attune your business to consumer interests by addressing these three questions:

• What do customers love about your business and what one change could make them love it even more? Example: Disney is replacing its popular decade-old FastPass, which allows visitors to skip long lines, with an RFID-encoded MagicBand bracelet that unlocks the resort experience with a flick of the wrist.
•  What aspects of your customers' experience cause annoyance and what one change could eliminate that point of irritation? Example: Starbucks addressed public pressure to reduce trash by rolling out $1 reusable plastic cups, along with the incentive of a 10 percent discount each time the cups get used.  
•  What attributes or values make customers choose your business over others and what one change could deepen or reward their commitment?Example: Nearly a million small businesses have started using Square card readers, enabling them to complete purchases on the spot while also responding to customers' preference for a charge payment option.

If you’re on LinkedIn, you’re a member of the world’s largest business networking site for professionals.

With over 200 million people using LinkedIn you need to find ways of building relationships with the right people so that you can make good use of this platform.

Of course, the first thing you need to do is to decide who you want to engage with: prospective clients, your next employer, strategic business partners, professionals in your industry etc. Once you who you want to attract you will need a plan to make sure you don’t waste your time and your efforts when you’re using LinkedIn.

Incorporate the following strategies into that plan and you’ll stand more chance of success.

# 1. Make A Good First Impression

You don’t get much time to make a first impression on LinkedIn or anywhere else. When people find your profile via a search or by accident they will look at your photograph and at your professional headline. In two to three seconds they will have decided whether or not to read further. You have one image plus 120 characters to inform the reader of:

• Your role
• The level at which you work
• Your industry sector
• The value you deliver.

Here’s how I use my 120 characters.



With your image and your professional headline you’re trying to show that you’re a professional person. You want to help the people viewing your profile to decide that they want to connect with you, to contact you, to read more about you and so on.

Spend time getting your message right and practise squeezing more information into your 120 characters.

You will be rewarded for your efforts.

#2. Use Relevant Key Words

Before you start writing your summary and the information about your career, your company and your work think about the key words you intend to use as you write your profile. You will use these words in the job title fields, in project headings, in your list of skills and expertise and in the text that you write – just like when you’re writing a web page.

Be specific. If I’m looking for an EU VAT Taxation Specialist on LinkedIn (and I recently sourced such a person for a client) I would not have found you, if you had just called yourself an accountant in your profile.

Likewise, if you describe yourself as an executive coach, I won’t know that you’re an expert in conflict resolution, dispute resolution and employment tribunal avoidance unless you tell me.

LinkedIn is the place to be specific with the terms you use about yourself and your abilities.

Write in the language of the people you want to find you. Explain, for example, that you help newly appointed executives to transition from management roles to board level responsibilities and include several references to what you do so that your expertise will show up in LinkedIn searches.

Use the skills and expertise area, too. Use key word terms that you hope your target audience. They will find you more easily if you work in this way.



#3. Be Visual

LinkedIn is nudging us all to be more visual in our approach to using the platform, whether we’re producing company pages or working on individual profiles. Follow the advice.

Upload images, videos and presentations to supplement the text you write. This will help to build your credibility on LinkedIn.

You’ll demonstrate that you know what you’re talking about and that you can deliver. For example, if you’re a professional speaker, video clips of you delivering a presentation will underline your abilities.



#4. Use Updates Effectively

Even if you have a great profile and a fantastic company page, you won’t engage with enough of the right people on LinkedIn, if you wait for them to find you. What you need to do is to post updates that will be of interest to your chosen target audience.

Don’t simply post a link to the latest article in a newspaper or other authoritative source. Write something about the update. Offer an opinion about why it is important. Ask a question. Explain why you’re taking the position you’re taking in your blog post. Make the news story part of your communication. Don’t just repost something you have read elsewhere.

Don’t stop there. Use the “like” function and the “comment” function to show you pay attention to the updates of people in your community. Share relevant content on your profile and in the groups to which you belong. Again, make a point with your update. Show that you are an interesting person with well-thought-out opinions that are worth listening to. Don’t just join in the conversation. Start one, and because you’re on LinkedIn, make it a meaningful conversation.

…Finally

The majority of people on LinkedIn don’t use the platform well. Their profiles are badly written and they don’t know how build, or to engage with, a professional community. If you follow any of the strategies here, you will get ahead of a lot of people on LinkedIn. You’ll also be starting to make LinkedIn work for you.

I know LinkedIn works for me and for my business. See how you can use it to help you. Which of these strategies do you think will help you to make a big impact on LinkedIn quickly? You’re welcome to share your thoughts and your plans below.









































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