iMedia: There's been a frenetic push to launch all the Web 2.0 applications you can. Yet, LinkedIn has managed to build a wildly popular social network while eschewing many of the so-called "killer apps" out there. Is there a lesson in that for marketers?
Steve Patrizi: We believe there's an enormous opportunity for developers to add value to LinkedIn. At the end of the day, LinkedIn is a network of professional connections with applications layered on top of it, like People Search, Answers, Company Profiles, Recommendations, People You May Know, etc. Not all of those applications actually live on LinkedIn -- there are about 60 publishers who have implemented our Company Insider widget that lets a user see how they're personally connected through their LinkedIn network to a company that's being written about in a story. We know that there are many more ways to get value out of your professional network through applications, but we're also fanatical about making sure that LinkedIn stays true to the promise we've made to our members -- that we'll help you be more productive and successful as a professional. We'll be offering advertisers opportunities to participate in this effort in the months ahead.
The advice we'll give there is that you'll gain far more brand affinity if you truly create applications that will help people be more productive and successful. The temptation will be to create an application that will be all about your own brand, and the smart advertisers will realize very quickly that that approach will fail and the right approach will be to truly add relevant value to the user experience.
iMedia: Both Barack Obama and John McCain have used LinkedIn to communicate with business leaders. If we use the two candidates as stand-ins for major brands, what lessons can we extrapolate from this kind of dialogue?
Steve Patrizi: Approach this with an honest intention to have a frank conversation and give people a platform to debate the critical issues, and don't set up the conversation to specifically speak to just your own message.
Southwest Airlines recently did this: Their CEO, Gary Kelly, posted a question in our Answers section asking our users how an airline can make you more productive. Over the course of seven days, 134 thoughtful, well-written, deep answers poured in discussing the topic. Some people had critical things to say about Southwest, but many praised not only Gary's use of the forum but his interest in actually hearing their input. If you look at how the conversation unfolded, you see people -- and, since this is on LinkedIn, you can see exactly who these people are -- talking about things Southwest had recently done, like opening up new routes or optimizing their boarding procedures. One person said they had been flying other airlines for the past three years, but based on what they were reading, they were going to give Southwest a try. Gary didn't specifically ask for people to talk about Southwest, but they did it anyway, and in most cases, they convinced others that they should try Southwest if they haven't in a while. The lesson here: Stoke a conversation about subjects that matter to people, not about your own brand.
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Michael Estrin is deputy editor at iMedia Connection.