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5 Reasons continued way to amplify your conversations out- side of your network and build newrela- tionships. While in the legal industry, the attor- neys Iworkedwith bothmonitored and engaged in group discussions. These client-centric groups ranged from real estate and construction to finance and entrepreneurism and became a solid lead-generation opportunity. Contacts would ask to attend seminars or get more information on the topics online, and group interaction gradually evolved into business. For example, we began monitoring conversations around win- ning government contracts and,through LinkedIN,we invited a business person seeking help on how to get started to a webinar presented by our attorney. In the end, that invitation led to new work for the firm. Build your company's online presence while drivingmore traffic to your website. LinkedIn offers an excellent portal to improve your com- pany's search rankings and drive more visitors to your purchasing or corporate website. How? It has created a power- ful mechanism to elevate people and companies on search rankings that are active on LinkedIn. Try it. If you're on LinkedIn, type your name in Google. LinkedInwill often come upwithin the top three and almost always in first view. That is a key reason to use LinkedIn smartly and ensure the mes- sage you want to send about you and your company is spot on. For those not using LinkedIn, it offers another reason why not being present could be a detri- ment to your company's online mar- keting strategy. LinkedIn is also an excellent referral source for your company.Themore peo- ple in your company with profiles on LinkedIn with links to your site, the more opportunities you've created to drive eyeballs back to your website. I recently worked with a client who adopted LinkedIn companywide, sup- porting profile development and the inclusion of LinkedIn profile URLs in employee signature blocks.Within two months,LinkedIn became its No. 1 web- site referral source. Overall traffic went up and visitors spent two to three min- utes beyond the home page on the site. LinkedIn is a sophisticated social media tool when used smartly and can be an important component of your company's online marketing mix. If you're new to social media and want to dip your toe in the water, LinkedIn rep- resents a solid option. It's established, credible and scalable over time. u About the Author Ann McDonough is a principal atW Communications. She can be reached at ann@wmarcom.com and, of course, on LinkedIn. Bridging continued comments here. However, when firms are obsessed with improving gross mar- gin and payroll expense, they are focus- ing on the two factors that matter most in terms of profit enhancement. No other profit drivers have as dramatic an impact—not even sales volume. Moving Forward If typical firms continue to act typi- cally, they will slowly but systematical- ly put themselves at a disadvantage they ultimately cannot overcome. Every firm needs to cross the divide to high-profit results. High-profit is not an automatic state of affairs.Getting there requires re- thinking some of the central things that firms are now doing. The budgeting process needs to be turned on its head and management needs to be singular- ly focused on gross margin and payroll control. u About the Author Dr.Albert D. Bates is founder and presi- dent of Profit Planning Group.His latest book,TripleYour Profit!, is available at www.tripleyourprofitbook.com,as well asAmazon and Barnes & Noble. ©2012 Profit Planning Group. FEDA has unlimited duplication rights for this manu- script. Further,members may duplicate this report for their internal use in any way desired. Duplication by any other organization in any manner is strictly pro- hibited. ©2012 TableCraft ProductsCompany, Inc. H o r s d ' o e u v r e s Your first stop for everything tabletop. From everyday essentials to fashionable serving ware, the extensive TableCraft® line of tabletop products deliver the function you demand with the style you want. And you will find just the quality items you need in stock and ready for prompt delivery. For a free catalog, call 800.323.8321 or visit tablecraft.com. Follow us on facebook/tablecraft.com. . S t y l i s h l y S e r v e d May/June 201 2 33