Business and the relationships it needs are now happening on the internet. Anna-Maria Wiśniewska, a speaker at the second edition of the LinkedIn Local meeting at Olivia Business Centre, talks about the laws that govern popular social media, basic mistakes in the presented content, as well as about the power and synergy of LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

Olivia Business Centre: How does LinkedIn Local help and how does it translate into business reality?

Anna Maria Wiśniewska: This is a fantastic initiative to tame a website that is still little known and mysterious in Poland. It seems complicated, but luckily it’s just appearances. It seems that it takes many hours spent learning this service to take full advantage of its features, but it turns out that my clients are ready to act very quickly, usually after one hour of training. Regular use of LinkedIn helps you learn its nuances in order to use the site to the maximum, building much-needed contacts and relationships, which in turn we use in business. It’s worth noting how important the role of LinkedIn is – it connects people, acting a bit like inception (laughs). Such a virtual in real life.

What was your role during LinkedIn Local at Olivia Business Centre?

I had the pleasure of being a speaker during the second edition of the event. I am very happy to have the opportunity to contribute to an initiative that is growing more and more.

What did you talk about?

I’ve been comparing LinkedIn and Facebook because I’ve noticed that there are a lot of people who favor one medium over the other, sometimes unnecessarily. I consider them to be complementary services, thanks to which we build an important image in social media, create a community around us, gain and maintain contacts.

How important is image?

Unbelievably, because it depends on how others perceive us, how much they trust us. Social media is often the “first point of contact” between the customer and information about us. The trend has changed – today we are much more willing to look for knowledge in the first place on Facebook, leaving the benefits of Google in reserve. Taking care of how we present ourselves in social media is important, because based on what we reveal, others form opinions about us. It’s up to us what our followers see – and that’s good news, because we can plan everything carefully. The content should clearly indicate what we do, what our values are, what we can help others with – so that the potential customer knows what they can get from us. Conscious building of the image on the Internet should be close to reality, without stretching and unnecessarily inflating the “balloon”, so that no one gets the impression that we are creating ourselves as someone we are not, which – as a consequence – always ends unfavorably.

Which social media should we take care of the most?

Depending on your business. Usually, my advice is to evenly distribute the focus across three services: Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, which is still underused for business purposes, which can be a secret weapon. However, nothing forced. At the beginning, let’s start with one service – I usually suggest Facebook or LinkedIn – to be able to draw conclusions about our enthusiasm, time resources, financial resources, creativity and, above all, results.

Instagram doesn’t convince you though?

It is difficult to understand this reluctance. It seems to me that this medium is sometimes associated with stylized photos in which there is little truth. With no selection of followed accounts, we can feel flooded with perfect bodies, beautiful faces, and a sense of not fitting in with this world. The truth is that we have full control over what we see – just like on Facebook. After all, substantive content also does a great job, you just need to have an idea for it. The so-called InstaStory, which enables a closer, more intimate relationship with viewers (which translates into trust and then sales) and allows you to reach a much wider audience than just your followers. It’s worth a try.

What can you expect when you start working on building your social media image?

If we approach it methodically, with the right plan and the knowledge of what to pay attention to at the beginning, then with a good start we can count on a flood of reactions from our followers. The most common reactions, apart from likes and hearts, numbering in the hundreds, are comments with congratulations, words of support and admiration, as well as private messages and phone calls. Not only on the day we planned to show the world all the work, but also long after it, when the client accidentally meets a friend somewhere in the city. Unfortunately, after such a boom, the reaction curve drops, but this is what image building is all about, so that we can increase interest in ourselves and what we do with the regularity of publications and their value.

How to estimate the effectiveness of actions?

Always after the results. Likes and comments should translate into sales of services. If we have a lot of reactions – that is, our content touches people, but we don’t sell – then something is wrong. Unless our goal is not to sell, but that’s a completely different issue. Let’s remember that you can’t pay for anything with likes. They are only a means to an end. The content may well arouse few reactions, and we still acquire customers from social media. Therefore, fact-based analysis is paramount.

When should a professional step in?

There is no one perfect moment. For some, this is the moment when social media activities start to overwhelm us. For others, the best solution will be to use the knowledge of experienced people from the very beginning – to have a planned course of action right away and not to get lost. As long as we have the means and assume the willingness to intensify our activities and earn money – there is nothing to wait for.

What are the most common problems that customers come up with?

It all depends on the customer. Most often, they ask what actions they should take at the very beginning. The spectrum of possibilities on social media is large, so they start to have a sense of chaos. Then you need an honest conversation, getting to know the client’s values and motivation in order to be able to make a personalized strategy for them. For businesses, we tend to focus on building communities and creating content that aims to entertain and sell. Corporate clients, on the other hand, want to take care of the company’s image through employees, being sure that this is the key to gaining the trust of customers. In addition, they know that such image-building workshops are an attractive break from the routine at work.

Who can afford to neglect space on the internet?

No one – if they want to stay on the wave, move with the times and enjoy the benefits of technology. Of course, let’s not demonize that if we are not on the Internet, we cease to exist. Especially if the sales channels are not based on social media. Nevertheless, I emphasize that they should be taken care of. No one wants to be seen as someone who doesn’t care about their own backyard. How could we then take care of the customer properly? I believe that the image is an element that completes the whole picture, as long as we do not lose our common sense trying to build the impression of a person much more professional than we really are. Honesty and transparency are the best idea for a good relationship with customers. You have to be patient and disciplined, and the results will really surprise you.

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SEE THE PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE EVENT