The release was obviously picked over, obsessed on, written and rewritten by a team of attorneys, executives, writers, etc. Here is selection from this corporate masterpiece…

““Consistent with the 2020 Vision, our roadmap for winning together, we act today as an aligned system….Our new North American structure will create an unparalleled combination of businesses, which will serve as our passport to winning in the world’s largest nonalcoholic ready-to-drink profit pool.”

The mind reels.

1)Identify the primary and secondary audiences.
industry niche, typical title, basic job function, age,

2)What is the objective of the white paper?
Generate leads? Educate? Introduce? Establish market position?

3) What is the main challenge, problem, issue the target audience faces?
GeSince most white white papers use a problem-solution approach this is important to agree upon before even an outline is written. 

4) How does your product/service address this problem/challenge?
While a white paper is not overtly promotional you should  integrate your solution into the main argument. 

5) Who are the key people who must be interviewed?
While company documents and research are important to development of the white paper, interviewing key people to get the company’s perspective is crucial.

6) What is the schedule and timeline?
Make sure all the players involved in the development of the white paper are aware that there is a schedule and deadlines need to be met.

Stay tuned to my announcement of a Linkedin webinar course on using Linkedin to build your business, whether it’s looking for speaking or consulting gigs or promoting your services. If interested, write me at leon @ altmancommunications.com

You also need an SEO (search engine optimized) plan, where content is placed on the right websites, blogs, and forums. But put together SEO content and the right strategy and financial advisors and planners will be able to be very selective of which prospects they allow to be clients. For more information, check out financial copywriter.

If you’d like to ignite your marketing, check out www.onlinemarketingexpress.com
Contact me at 888 650-9714 or write me at
leon @ altmancommunications.com

Now mind you I’m not talking about job-seeking, even though that is one of its primary objectives.

In fact, studies show that small-business owners are more likely to use LinkedIn than employees working for a corporation. And tests show that links from Linkedin yield better results than links from other social media. In a recent contest involving 2,350 business related links from 12 marketing and social media sites, 55% came from Linkedin, 13% came from Facebook, while Twitter referred 11%.

So how do you make money using Linkedin? In fact, it is tricky. Out and out selling will get you either banned or ignored. There is a more sophisticated way to monetize Linkedin (and it doesn’t depend on your network. It can be done even if you have a small number of network contacts).

To find out all about, check out my Free, Step by Step Webinar: How to Cross the Bridge from Linkedin to Web Profits at http://www.yourlaptopbusiness.com/free-linkedin-webinar.html

But the fact is, driving people from a  social media network to a website is the way to attract new clients and customers. You won’t attract them  in significant numbers by  just interacting on a social media site.

Using social media to attract clients works best for independent FAs, especially those  who have some degree of access to their websites, and those marketing financial products.

The social media site that works best for financial marketing is Linkedin. From a compliance standpoint, there are more controls, stricter privacy regulations and, frankly, a wealthier audience on Linkedin.

For a step by step plan on attracting clients and customers using  Linkedin, check out this   free webinar….

How to Cross the Bridge from Linkedin to Web Profits: http://www.yourlaptopbusiness.com/free-webinars.html

So  how do you go about using Linkedin Answers?

1. Click “Answers” at the top bar of the Linkedin Answers page. It is the tab furthest to the right.

2. On the right side you can browse questions by category. So if you want to position yourself as a marketing expert, pursue questions with a marketing and sales theme around them.

3. You will then see a list of questions from your chosen category. Browse through these questions, and select a question you wish to answer.

4. You can also use “Advanced Search” to find questions that are even more focused on a particular topic. It lets you search for both the keyword and the category your potential questions fit into. You can then have more control in finding the kind of questions you want to answer.

Remember that Linkedin Answers expects a degree of professionalism and accuracy in your answers. Anecdotal experiences may be useful for you, but will often be insufficient in proving the soundness of your answer. This means that you need to give your answer evidence to verify the accuracy of your answers.

You also have to keep in mind that Linkedin Answers works on a keyword basis. Just as you can use Advanced Search to look for questions via keywords, so too can other Linkedin users use Advanced Search to look for answers to their questions via keywords. So if you are answering a question about labor disputes, make sure that important words from the question itself are found in your answer.  

Last but definitely not the least, you can use Linkedin Answers to direct traffic to your blog or website, especially if the answers you gave are in some way related to what you have previously discussed in your blog. Keep in mind, however, that the objective of putting any link into your answer is to add some references to the information you have just provided. Blatantly promoting your blog on Linkedin can and will result in you getting banned from the network. Subtly introduce your website as a reference and make sure to indicate that it has something to do with the answer you have provided.

Use Linkedin Answers correctly, and you will steadily find yourself becoming more and more prominent in the network. As your reputation grows, potential clients, employers and media will find you and seek you out as an expert on your topic.

If you want to take advantage of Linkedin and boost your web profits, don’t miss this free webinar – “How to Cross the Bridge from Linkedin to Web Profits.” To register, click >> http://www.yourlaptopbusiness.com/free-linkedin-webinar.html

Keyword-rich headline

Make sure the primary keywords you want to be associated with are in your professional headline. For the sake of illustration, let’s say you are a marketing consultant. If you want people to find you for consulting jobs, then you need to put up ‘marketing consultant’ as part of your headline.

Linkedin profile searches work by scanning the headlines of each and every profile for keyword entries, much like how Google or Yahoo! finds websites based on the keywords you enter into the site. This is why your headline’s contents are vital to your profile’s visibility and prominence in Linkedin.

A professional-looking photo

Unlike Facebook or MySpace, Linkedin is a social network of professionals.  You are looking for people to hire you for a job or to use your services, so leave off the funny hats and party mug shots and put up a professional looking photo.

Use your name in the url

By default Linkedin assigns a long, incomprehensible url to your profile. But you can easily edit this and and use your own name in the url if it is available. This will heighten your visibility in the network and make it easier for people to find you.

Write your summary  with your target audience in mind

The summary is a brief but vital part of your profile that encapsulates your entire professional career into a few short paragraphs.Remember to write the summary of your Linkedin profile in a way that would interest prospective clients or employers.

Do not simply put yourself on a pedestal and shower yourself with praise. Determine the needs of your clients or employers, and provide professional solutions that make you stand out from the rest of the competition. Do not forget to add in your  keywords in your summary as well, as this will increase the chances you will come up on a search list.

Be accurate and specific in your work history

Nothing says ‘professional worth’ better than an accurate and specific list of accomplishments that you have achieved. List these accomplishments as explicitly as you can, but stick only to the details relevant to your professional growth.  People often get too general or go off on tangents in their work history.

If you can quantify the value you added to a company you will stand above the competition. Did you increase sales by 27%? Then say so.  Did you contribute to new business? If so, try to be as detailed as possible. How much was the new business worth to your company?

Stories can also work well - as long as they are part of a case history and illustrate the value you added to a project.

When your profile is keyword-rich, your target audience will be able to find you. If you follow that up by being specific about your accomplishments and the value you added to a company or a project, then your profile will shine a lot brighter than your competitors.
If you want to take advantage of Linkedin and boost your web profits, don’t miss this free webinar – “How to Cross the Bridge from Linkedin to Web Profits.” To register, click >> http://www.yourlaptopbusiness.com/free-linkedin-webinar.html

Here are six common LinkedIn mistakes you need to watch out for.

1) Not using keywords properly

This is perhaps the most prominent LinkedIn mistake people make when crafting their profiles. They focus so much on polishing their profile’s looks that they totally forget to to put keywords in their profile headline and summary.

If you do not enrich your LinkedIn profile with keywords, you will never appear on the site’s list of results when a prospective client or employer types in their needs. For example, if you are a marketing consultant, then the phrase “marketing consultant” needs to be placed in your headline and profile summary in order for people searching for that phrase to find you on LinkedIn.

2) Joining groups but not participating

Another very common type of LinkedIn mistake is to join a myriad of professional groups but never taking the time to join in the discussions.

Groups are one of the most powerful tools available in the LinkedIn networks. They allow professionals to share their ideas and opinions about things, and users are empowered to display their professional competence in these  discussions. Join a group and take the time to share your own professional thoughts on the topics at hand.

3) Trying to sell yourself on group discussions

LinkedIn is NOT the place to explicitly advertise your products and services, although you can do so in a subtle and unobtrusive manner.

People bluntly promoting their wares are not welcome in LinkedIn. Advice and professional feedback are the topics of discussion, and these are your primary tools for marketing your products and services. Help out potential employers or give some advice to prospective clients and you are already marketing yourself.

4) Emailing people you don’t know

Some of the more common LinkedIn mistakes involve emailing people out of the blue. This can quickly get you kicked off LinkedIn if people report “I don’t know this person.”

Emails are closely guarded on LinkedIn, and are meant to be used by close contacts and professional associates. If you want to contact someone you don’t know on LinkedIn look for connections on the network who might be able to introduce you.

5) Not using a custom URL

LinkedIn allows its users to create a customized URL in place of the default URL, and this feature is often ignored by newer users.

Not taking advantage of this tool greatly reduces the chances of prospective clients and employers finding your account. You can change your URL where it says “Public Profile/edit.” Use your name, if it is available, as this will greatly increase your profile’s uniqueness and visibility in the network.

6) Not focusing on results in your profile

Aggrandizing yourself will not work in LinkedIn, but your achievements will work wonders in influencing others. One of the most common LinkedIn mistakes users make on the network is being too general and abstract in the work history portion of their profiles. Be as specific as possible about your accomplishments in your work history and you will do a much better job selling yourself to potential clients and employers.
If you want to take advantage of Linkedin and boost your web profits, don’t miss this free webinar – “How to Cross the Bridge from Linkedin to Web Profits.” To register, click >> http://www.yourlaptopbusiness.com/free-linkedin-webinar.html