Making the link
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Social networking website LinkedIn has more to offer operators and truck dealers than you might think K From dealer profile pages to used truck discussion groups, social networking website LinkedIn can be used as a powerful tool for those in the road transport industry.
With four out of five professionals in the UK signed up to LinkedIn, it's likely that you are already a member of this social network. And if you're not, most of your customers and competitors will be.
For many people, LinkedIn is all about recruitment — whether that means finding a new job or your newest member of staff. The used truck sector is no exception to this. A quick search reveals that Mercedes-Benz, for example, is using the site to recruit a truck sales executive at one of its franchised dealerships. However, recruitment aside, LinkedIn offers some other features that are less well-known, but just as relevant to buyers and sellers of used trucks.
In good company So you have signed up for a LinkedIn account, completed your profile and added your connections (see box 'Taking your first steps') — what next?
First, whether you are a truck operator or a dealer, you should make sure your operation has a company page. This is a place for you to promote your services, share business updates, list your employees and provide contact details for any prospective customers. Although it is called a page, it is more like a mini website, consisting of separate sections such as Careers and Products.
To start building your company page, click on Companies in the main LinkedIn menu and then click on the Add a Company link on the right-hand side.
For detailed instructions, select the FAQ link next to it, which will launch the LinkedIn help centre.
Britcom International, Sherwood Truck and Van, and CM's own publisher Road Transport Media are a few of the companies that are already using the Company Pages feature. And for a really excellent example of a company page, take a look at Volvo Trucks (linkedin.com/company/ volvo-trucks). Click on the Products tab to see the entire truck range and recommend or share a particular model.
Some of the features LinkedIn offers are surprisingly sophisticated. For example, it is possible to show different versions of your Products page to different audiences. So a dealer could create one version of the page for its UK customers and another for its overseas customers.
Group activity Next, explore some of the groups that LinkedIn offers. They are, in effect, discussion forums based around particular topics or industries. They enable you stay on top of new developments in your sector, as well as raise awareness of your business and position yourself as a — sorry for this — `thought leader: To access groups, click on Groups in the main menu and then type in a keyword or phrase of your choice in the search box on the right. If you type in Commercial Motor, for example, the site will list this magazine's own networking group as the first result. Click on that, and you will be taken through to the group.
CM's group (bit.ly/cm-group) is fit for the entire road transport industry, but other, more specialist, groups do exist. The official Daf Used Trucks group, for example, has nearly 600 members. The Scania Worldwide Network has its own group, with 2,300 members; and if you are in the export market, search for the Global Used Trucks Trading group.
Many of the used truck groups are used less as discussion forums and more as unofficial online marketplaces — sellers post their stock and buyers post their requirements.
While this is a simple and free way to reach customers, it does not have the same functionality as a dedicated used trucks website such as CM Used Trucks (usedtrucks. commercialmotor.com).
For example, it is much more difficult to search for a particular make or model. However, the advantage is that it is very easy for buyers and sellers to communicate with each other.
Of course, if there is no suitable group for you on LinkedIn you can always set one up yourself. To do this, click on Groups and then on Create a Group. But growing a busy group from scratch can be a challenging and slow process, even if you invite all your contacts to join. You will also have to decide whether to make your group open or closed (see Jargon buster box). • JARGON BUSTER Bamboozled by buzzwords? Terrified by terminology? Let our jargon buster help you out.
• Linkedln: the world's most popular social networking site for professionals.
• Closed group: a discussion group on Linkedln where only members can read the discussions.
• Open group: the opposite of a closed group — you don't have to be a member to read the discussions. Depending on the group's settings, you may need to be a member to contribute.
• Connections: these are your contacts on Linkedln. They are the equivalent of Facebook friends or Twitter followers.
• Endorsements: a new feature on Linkedln that lets you recommend people for particular skills.
TAKING YOUR FIRST STEPS New to Linkedln? Don't worry, signing up is simple. It's also free, at least for a basic account (which is all you need to use the Groups and Company Page features we look at in this article). To get started, follow these three steps: Go to linkedin.com, complete the Join Linkedln Today box and click Join Now.
Once you have signed up, the next step is to connect with those people you know who are already using Linkedln. Hover over Contacts in the main menu and click on Add Connections.
Finally, complete your personal profile so that new contacts can see your business, contact details, skills and experience. In the main menu, hover over Profile and click on Edit Profile.