LinkedIn eliminated the Events Application this past week.  

In the meantime, here are ten ways you can use LinkedIn to get the word out about events you are hosting or attending. 

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1.   Send an individual status update

•  Post several times, sharing details about agenda, speakers, venue, etc.
•  Post at different times of the day and different days of the week
•  Always include a link to the registration site
•  Encourage others involved in the event to "like" or "share" for more traction

2.   Send a company status update

•  It goes out to company followers, so continue to grow this group
•  It stays posted on your home page until you post several new updates
•  If you feature an update on your home page, it stays at the top of your company page
•  Encourage others in the company to "like" or "share" for additional traction

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3.   Send a direct message to a specific group of interested first-level connections

•  You are limited to 50 connections at a time for a single direct message
•  Higher impact than status updates because it is a direct message (shows up as email)

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4.   Share the event in relevant groups 

•  The relevance of the event to the group is very important
•  Share the information in the Discussion section in the form of a question

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5.   Place a PDF of the event details or registration form in Box.net files application

•  A good description will entice the reader to click and open

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6.   Post a PowerPoint presentation in your SlideShare application with event details

•  Could be as simple as one slide with event details
•  This has high eye-catching appeal in your profile

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7.   Discuss the details of the event in your Summary section

•  Besides the event details, you can reference that more details are in Box.net files
•  Could include a reference to one of your website links (see #10 below)
•  Consider putting this at the top of your Summary as you lead up to the event
•  Can include website for registration, but it will not be hyperlinked

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8.   For a period of time leading up to the event, include an event teaser in your Headline

•  This can be very impactful, but don't do this for an extended time
•  Be sure to change back to your day-to-day keyword-rich Headline right after the event

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9.   Blog about the event, and then use either Blog Link or WordPress application to attach your blog to your profile

• If you have a blog, you should already have it linked to your profile
• When you add a new blog post, your network will be automatically notified via status update

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10.  Use one of your three websites to link people to event details or registration page

• Reference the website link in your Summary section
• Describe the website link clearly (e.g., "Register for LinkedIn class")

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There you go. Who needs the Events application anyway. I hope these ideas help you fill the room.

Speaking of events, I am honored to be one of the featured speakers at the upcoming online Social Media for Soul-opreneurs Mini Summit. I hope you can join me.

Louise Crooks, the host of the Social Media for Soul-opreneurs Mini Summit, has put together an awesome group of experts to speak about hot social media platforms that are great for your business.   

Starting on Thursday, December 6th , this no-cost webinar series will share information on how you can build more visibility and connect with more people who need you by using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, daily deals (like Groupon), and YouTube.

Join me, the other experts, and Louise for the Social Media for Soul-opreneurs Mini Summit, and gain a real understanding of these platforms, how you can use them, how not to use them, and much more.

Details and registration here.