Keep rocking LinkedIn by taking control of your personal branding and exploring the new platform features. In this episode, my guest, Kevin D. Turner, shares invaluable insights on enhancing your LinkedIn profile. Discover the power of making small but impactful changes, leveraging LinkedIn’s AI features, and the power of free resources for your network.

How to Use AI on LinkedIn

1. You can use AI to write your headline and personal summary.
2. Use AI as a starting point for creating more personal posts.
3. The more you use LinkedIn’s built-in AI features, the more it will learn your writing style.

Enhancing Your LinkedIn Profile with Personal Branding

Showcasing your personal brand on LinkedIn is something we can all do more of. My guest, Kevin D. Turner, shares his thoughts on how you can keep rocking LinkedIn by showcasing your personality on the platform. As Kevin says, If you don’t own your own brand, someone is going to own it for you.

One thing you can do that makes a big difference is to make little changes to your LinkedIn profile. As a personal branding expert, Kevin encourages you to utilise LinkedIn’s built-in AI features to help sharpen your profile and make it more accessible to recruiters and other search engines.

It’s also really important to create free resources for your network. When you’re inundated with messages and requests, having a YouTube channel, course, blog, or LinkedIn newsletter, to name a few, provides valuable content while saving you time – and establishing yourself as an expert in your field.

The Future of AI and LinkedIn

LinkedIn continuously introduces new features and updates to enhance user experience. However, as Kevin points out, these updates are not rolled out to everyone at the same time. Understanding how LinkedIn’s rollouts work and why they adopt this approach is important.

One of Kevin’s favourite new features is LinkedIn’s built-in AI. One feature that’s still in development is the AI-powered headline and personal summary generator. You can also use this AI as a starting point for creating tailored content to post.

LinkedIn has also launched an exciting new AI-powered Job Seeker Coach, which aims to provide personalised guidance for people seeking employment on LinkedIn.

How do you show up on LinkedIn? Have you explored any of LinkedIn’s AI features yet? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments on the episode page.

In This Episode:

• How rollouts work on LinkedIn [12:00]
• Why LinkedIn doesn’t roll out updates to everyone at the same time [13:00]
• Why it’s important to create free resources [19:30]
• How to make LinkedIn more accessible and inclusive [21:15]
• How little changes to your LinkedIn profile can make a huge difference [26:00]
• Some of the best new LinkedIn features [31:00]
• The best way to use AI on LinkedIn [33:00]
• How LinkedIn became profitable in year one [35:00]

Links & Resources

UpLift Live – Use Code LBSPEAKER for £20 Off!

Subscribe to Keep Rocking LinkedIn!
Follow Kevin D. Turner on LinkedIn | YouTube
Follow TNT Brand Strategist LLC on LinkedIn 

Find Louise Brogan Online
Follow Louise Brogan on LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
Subscribe to LinkedIn with Louise Brogan on Apple Podcasts | Spotify

What makes a good headline on LinkedIn?

Why are you using LinkedIn?

We dive into the next of our series of LinkedIn Basics - writing a great headline to attract your ideal clients. 

Check our other basics epsisodes

This episode is sponsored by Sales Maven Society - a fantastic monthly membership hosted by Nikki Rausch.  You can get your first month FREE by going to www.louisebrogan.com/salesmaven 

www.louisebrogan.com

In this episode, host Louise Brogan sits down with Adina Jipa, Founder and CMO of SocialInsider, to discuss the insights from the 2024 LinkedIn Benchmarks report. Discover the latest trends, strategies, and analytics that are shaping LinkedIn as a go-to marketing tool for B2B brands.

**Key Highlights:**

- LinkedIn's Engagement Surge:
  - LinkedIn has seen a 44% year-over-year increase in engagement rates, becoming a crucial platform for business marketing.
  - The platform fills the gap left by changes on Twitter/X, attracting more content creators and businesses.

- **Rise of the Creator Economy:**
  - LinkedIn allows individuals to become creators, achieving high engagement with their audiences.
  - Businesses are investing more in LinkedIn due to the growing user base and engagement opportunities.

- **Effective Content Types:**
  - Multi-Image Posts: These posts have the highest engagement rate on LinkedIn, outperforming carousel posts.
  - Videos: The most shared content type, essential for a diverse and engaging content strategy. Videos should be under ten minutes and can be broken into shorter clips for better engagement.
  - Polls: Generate the highest impression rates, useful for research, audience insights, and content generation.

- LinkedIn Groups vs. Newsletters:
  - LinkedIn groups are less effective for engagement and impressions.
  - The newsletter feature is recommended for better brand visibility and audience engagement.

- Posting Frequency and Strategy:
  - Brands have increased their LinkedIn posting frequency by 10% in 2024.
  - Aim to post at least once per working day, using a mix of text, multi-image posts, and videos.
  - Limit posts with external URLs to keep the audience engaged on LinkedIn.

- Leveraging Employee Networks:
  - Employee advocacy can significantly boost post interactions. Educate and encourage your team to create and share content on LinkedIn.
  - Consider starting with the sales team and expanding to other departments.

- Caption Length Insights:
  - Shorter captions work best with multi-image posts.
  - Experiment with caption lengths for other post types to see what resonates with your audience.

**Top 2024 LinkedIn Benchmarks:**
1. 44% increase in LinkedIn engagement rate Year-over-Year.
2. Multi-image posts generate the highest likes and comments.
3. Videos are the most shared content type.
4. 10% increase in brand posting frequency.
5. Polls have the highest impression rate.
6. Multi-image posts with short captions achieve the highest engagement.

Watch the Full Interview
For more detailed insights, watch the live interview between Louise Brogan and Adina Jipa https://youtube.com/live/t6jop2cHens

Resources Mentioned:
- [The Magic of Employee Influence] by Ivana Brutenič and Kristína Cichý Kováčiková - A guide to activating employee ambassadors on LinkedIn.

Follow Us
- YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/linkedinwithlouise
- LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/louisebrogan

Subscribe and Review:
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. Your feedback helps us create better content for you.

---

**Contact Information:**
For inquiries, reach out to us at team@louisebrogan.com 

What is LinkedIn live? Does everyone have it? And what’s the difference between LinkedIn live and LinkedIn video? 

This week on the podcast, I talk about the importance of creating video content on LinkedIn. This can be done through LinkedIn live – LinkedIn’s live streaming service – or through LinkedIn videos that you can pre-record, edit, and upload onto the platform or record directly on your smartphone using the LinkedIn app.  

LinkedIn live is an application-only service that not all users currently have access to, so if you haven’t applied yet, in this episode I explain why you should and give you plenty of details on how to use the service via the third-party software StreamYard once LinkedIn grants you access. If you’re wondering whether you should apply through your LinkedIn company page or your personal profile, if you want to find out how to pull your viewers’ comments onto the screen so you can engage with them, or if you want to know exactly how to use your background, this is the perfect episode for you. 

You will learn…

1. Why you should apply for LinkedIn live (more than once!) and how to fast-track the processing of your application. 
2. How to use the paid version of StreamYard (third-party software) to go live on LinkedIn – plus, I share my best tips on how to plan and prepare for your LinkedIn live in advance. 
3. Why it’s important to be consistent with your LinkedIn live content and how to encourage your audience to join in and watch. 
4. How to find out what to talk about on your LinkedIn live sessions.  
5. How to notify your network about you going live on LinkedIn and how/why you should check your analytics.  

Resources mentioned in the episode

StreamYard – third-party software that allows you to go live on LinkedIn. 

They Ask You Answer, by Marcus Sheridan – book. 

Using LinkedIn polls to survey your audience – see What type of questions would you like to see/hear on LinkedIn live? 

Headliner – app for adding subtitles/captions to your videos. 

Do you want to learn more about using LinkedIn for business? 

If you want my help to leverage LinkedIn to raise your profile, check out LinkedIn Learner Lab – my group coaching and membership program to help you create an effective LinkedIn strategy and start building your network on LinkedIn. 

This is perfect for you if you want to get to grips with LinkedIn and have regular access to me – you can ask questions any time and come along to our group calls twice a month. The program also includes 6 training modules (each consisting of 4 to 5 bite-sized videos) and teaches you everything you need to know to use LinkedIn as a lead generation tool for your business. 

And if you want to work with me on a 1-to-1 basis, every month I offer a maximum of 4 LinkedIn VIP Intensive private coaching sessions. These 3-hour sessions are perfect for you if you want some help to optimise your LinkedIn profile, build a content strategy plan and learn how to use LinkedIn to generate leads and sales.  

How can women lawyers raise their visibility on LInkedIn?

This week's guest, Paula Price, is a podcaster, lawyer and coach who knows all about using LinkedIn strategically and authentically to raise profiles and build connections.

Connect with Paula https://www.linkedin.com/in/paula-price-15162546/

Interested in the LinkedIn Mastermind?  Visit https://louisebrogan.com/linkedin-mastermind/

Julie Tierney is a Divorce Solicitor, Head of Family Law at Edwards & Co. Solicitors specialising in separation and asset division.

Julie is recognised as a leader in her field in Family and Matrimonial Law in Chambers 2018:

“The “simply outstanding” Julie Tierney is recognised for her strong track record on divorce and ancillary relief applications. One client says: “She goes the extra distance to meet the realistic expectations of her clients. She is hard-working and exceptionally competent.”

I invited Julie onto the Social Bee podcast for a number of reasons – firstly we are friends (think that comes across pretty clearly!), but mainly because I see Julie using social media in a way that not many people in her profession are.

As part of the BelfastHour team at Edwards and Co, you will find Julie tweeting away every Thursday evening during this fast-paced Twitter chat for N.Ireland.

Julie also writes a blog (hallelujah… if you are not writing a blog yet, here’s Why you should be writing a blog ) and has an up to date LinkedIn profile.

Social media is not just for hanging out with your friends, or the remit of the small business owner/entrepreneur. There is a huge opportunity for professionals to raise their visibility online using social media and blogging. We talk about how Julie does this, how her career has gone to date, and about being a millennial…

Julie will be on the panel of speakers at our upcoming Social Media Bootcamp in Belfast on 31st May – tickets are on sale now and are moving fast, so why not join us for a day of getting your social media sorted too.

How to connect with your ideal audience on LinkedIn, with Amy Grubbs
Who are you connected with on LinkedIn? Is your network made of people who you feel you can build relationships with and who understand you and your business?

Are you specific enough about who you connect and work with?

This week on the podcast, I interview Ottawa-based Amy Grubb. Amy is a commercial lawyer who primarily helps other lawyers build the boutique practice of their dreams through coaching,
consulting, masterminding, and community work.
After leaving the corporate world, Amy started an online business that slowly opened her eyes to a different way of networking and connecting with prospective clients.

When she started her own practice as a commercial lawyer, Amy tailored her services to entrepreneurs in the creative space.
But over time, she transitioned towards working with other lawyers, and specifically with solo and small firm lawyers, offering freelance help but also advice and support on how to market themselves and bring more clients into their business.

In this episode, Amy talks about her experience of focusing in on a specific target audience in her business and on LinkedIn. She shares how she’s been using the platform to connect with her ideal audience, and specifically with people she can engage and build connections with. If you’re using LinkedIn for business and feel your network does not reflect the type of people you’d love to
connect and work with, tune in to find out what worked for Amy and her business.

You will learn…
About the benefits of focusing in and making your offer crystal clear so you can attract more of your ideal clients – niching down makes it easier to market yourself and bring more leads and sales into your business!
1. What the ideal frequency for posting on LinkedIn is if your aim is to do business with
employers and corporates.
2. Why it’s important to be intentional in the type of network you create on LinkedIn (and any
other social media platform) – you are in control of your network and your social media experience.

About Amy
If you’d like to connect with Amy, you can find her on LinkedIn or on her website. You can also find her in her Facebook group: Solo/Small Firm Lady Lawyers.

Related episodes
Getting rid of your content gremlins with Amanda Webb.
Do you want to learn more about using LinkedIn for business?
If you want my help to leverage LinkedIn to raise your profile, check out LinkedIn Learner Lab – my
group coaching program designed to help you create an effective LinkedIn strategy and start building your network on LinkedIn.

More about me
If you found this episode useful, come and join Amy and me on Friday 12 th June 2020 for our LinkedIn live catch up.

And if you enjoy the show, I’d be very grateful if you could share it with at least another person and leave me a review on iTunes. And if you haven’t subscribed yet, why not?

And if you want to find out more about how you can work with me or what events visit www.louisebrogan.com

What’s working on Twitter in 2019.

Do you know the difference between tweets, re-tweets, hashtags, and direct messages?

Should you use images and GIFs when posting?

How long should your tweets be? 

To re-tweet or not to re-tweet?

This episode is the fourth one in a series that covers what is working on social media in 2019, and it’s all about how to use Twitter to connect and interact with like-minded people. If you want to learn how to use this fun social media platform to successfully promote your business, this is the episode for you. This week, I break down the Twitter lingo and terminology and even give you my best tips to get involved in Twitter Hours. 

You will learn…

1. How Twitter works and how you should use it to connect and interact with others to promote your business. 
2. What tweets, re-tweets, hashtags, and direct messages are and how and when you should use each of them (including tips on what to do if you receive any negative comments!). 
3. What Twitter Hours are and how you use them.  

Resources

Episode 38 – Talking Ethical Hour with Sian Conway. 

If you want to find out more about how to use Twitter for your business, inside my monthly membership, The Social Bee Academy, I can teach you how to set up your own Twitter profile and how to use the platform to promote your business. 

The first month is only £10 if you use code SOCIAL-BEE-TRIAL. After that, for only £30 per month, you get access to me and the rest of the community to ask for help with anything you need to know about social media, marketing, and growing your business online. We even have a buzzing Facebook group where I regularly share valuable training and updates. 

If you’re in Northern Ireland, I also run regular workshops to help you use social media for your business, so keep an eye out on Eventbrite for any upcoming workshops you may be interested in. 

Social Media Bootcamp.

If you’re a regular listener to the show, you’ll know I’m running a bootcamp-style conference on Friday, 31^st May 2019 in Belfast at the iconic Titanic hotel, with my friend and colleague Ashleigh Watson of Copper Square Communications, and I’ll be delivering a session on what’s working on social media in 2019. 

To find out more about the conference and what to expect from the event, have a listen to episode 77 of the Social Bee podcast – Why I am co-hosting Social Media Bootcamp in Belfast.

For more information and to book your ticket, click here. 

*If you’re flying in, book your flight to Belfast City Airport.*

And if you have any questions about the conference or would like more information about where to stay, email me at louise@socialbeeni.com.

More about me. 

If you want to connect with me on Twitter, my handle is @SocialBeeNI.

If you enjoy the show, I’d be very grateful if you could share it with at least another person and leave me a review on iTunes. You can also come and join my Facebook group for podcast listeners: Social Beehive where we chat about the topics I cover on the podcast.

And if you want to find out more about how you can work with me, head over to my website or email me at louise@socialbeeni.com.

Or join my 30-day social media challenge and receive exclusive access to my monthly value-packed webinars. 

On Air Coaching call with Veronica Sagastume of Fortified Accounting.

V is the CEO of Fortified Accounting, a Silicon Valley based business offering Accounting & Business Solutions for StartUps.

V had several questions for me including:

1. Since I have both a personal profile and a new business page, when I create content, when referring out my firm, team and services, should I say: We, Our, Us, not I, Me.

2. Should I create and publish the same type of content on my personal profile as on my business page?

3. What type of content would you recommend (posts, polls, videos, etc) to attract and connect with my ideal clients: Startup companies in the Software as a service industry in their first 3 years of business?

4. What should my business page profile focus on vs my personal profile.

If you would like to know the answers, then tune into the podcast today.

Connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisebrogan

Find V at https://www.fortifiedaccounting.com/ or connect with her on LinkedIn.

Need to know what LinkedIn is and how to use it? Check out this video https://youtu.be/8YTuZ8ufitA

In this week's episode, I host an on-air coaching call with Sara Kappler to answer her burning questions about using LinkedIn.

Sara wanted to know how to leverage her success in the past, to reach more clients, by using testimonials and recommendations on LinkedIn.  

We discuss how far back you go in terms of your connections, connecting with people from your corporate past, and networking. 

We also talk about the Skills and Endorsements section on your LinkedIn Profile.

https://www.louisebrogan.com

How do you know what to post on LinkedIn?

How can you come up with ideas for content to market your business?

Tune into today’s podcast to find out!

This is something that a lot of people struggle with, and one of the reasons they hire me to help.

1. This is your business network so try to keep it professional
2. Be strategic – remember you want to win business on LinkedIn
3. Keep yourself on a time limit – don’t get distracted and end up spending too long on your LinkedIn

Remember the four pillars of using LinkedIn –

• Building a valuable network
• Getting your LinkedIn Profile up to date
• Sharing content that helps your audience
• Using LinkedIn Messaging to build on your relationships

Read more here 

Make sure you share content that relates to your role – in this example, Sarah Doherty shares a personal story as well as lessons about personal finance

Start with thinking about all the questions you get asked by potential clients. Write them down on a piece of paper and then under each one, find sub-topics. Keep an eye out for articles or stories in the media to share that relate to your topics. Work on writing your posts with the purpose of serving your audience. Start conversations with your network and you WILL start to get leads and inquiries directly into your inbox.

If you need help coming up with a strategy for your LinkedIn content, then do reach out for a strategy session: https://louisebrogan.com/workwithme/

I am going to be delivering a series of podcasts focusing on how law firms can leverage LinkedIn - this week, let's look at why, and dive into LinkedIn profiles.

Our boutique LinkedIn marketing agency offer done-for-you services for law firms.   Contact Louise@socialbeeni.com to find out more 

Geraldine Carter is the host of the Podcast: Epic Business Growth for CPAs – we have a great conversation about how Geraldine can use LinkedIn to connect with her ideal client.   We cover how and why Geraldine should create a LinkedIn company page, and how to create content and posts that attract new customers and raise her profile.

We also discuss how Geraldine became an unexpected feature in Seth Godin’s Ted Talk on tribes – check that out here:

https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-tribes-we-lead-seth-godin

If you would like to get help with your LinkedIn, then book a 10-minute discovery call with me today at https://socialbee.as.me/?appointmentType=5654105

Click here to get my free guide to growing a genuine LinkedIn Networ

You can find Geraldine at www.shethinksbigcoaching.com 

When is the last time you updated your CV?
Is it worth getting your CV professionally written?
How is your LinkedIn profile different from your CV?

This week on the podcast, I interview CV writing expert Laura Harmsworth. With a degree in
geography and a career path that’s surprisingly similar to mine, Laura set up her business in 2012 to
help people write CVs that open doors. If you have years of experience and are struggling to decide
what to include on your CV, or if you’re ready to invest in having your CV professionally written,
Laura provides a fantastic face-to-face service and a quick turnaround.
You will learn…
1. Why you should always tailor your CV to the specific role you’re applying to (even when that
means leaving some information out!).
2. What recruiters and companies are looking for when screening your CV (and why you should
keep it as simple as possible).
3. How your CV is different from your LinkedIn profile and how you can use LinkedIn to
enhance the information you include in your CV.

About Laura
If you’d like to connect with Laura you can find her on her website and on LinkedIn.
Introducing the LinkedIn Power Hour
From January 2020, I’m introducing a new way to work with me to get better at LinkedIn. If you want to make the most of the platform and get more business through LinkedIn, why not join one of my new LinkedIn Masterminds.   If you want to find out more or are interested in being part of the first intake in January 2020, get in touch via my website , or email me
at louise@socialbeeni.com.
FREE tips on how to grow your LinkedIn network
If you’d like more tips on growing your LinkedIn network without being salesy and spammy, you can
download my FREE guide here.
Get my help to build your personal brand on LinkedIn
If you need help in creating your LinkedIn profile, check out my LinkedIn training and services on my
Work with me page.
I offer two types of LinkedIn profile reviews:

1) Get my feedback through a 20-minute video.
2) Upgrade to an additional 30-minute Zoom call to go through my comments and ask me
questions.
If you want my help with your headline and profile, I also offer a done-for-you service where I write the About section of your profile for you.
And if you’d like more help on your LinkedIn strategy, you can work with me on a one-to-one strategy session.
More about me
If you enjoy the show, I’d be very grateful if you could share it with at least another person and leave
me a review on iTunes. And if you haven’t subscribed yet, why not?

Marketing on LinkedIn is more like a marathon than a sprint.  And with a marathon, you need to plan, prepare, and train, if you want to succeed! 

I invite you to reach out when you are ready to work together - you can find out how I can support you here 

https://www.louisebrogan.com/workwithme

The key to success on LinkedIn is consistency.

To find out more how we can support you, visit www.louisebrogan.com/retainer 

Do you want to write better for your LinkedIn audience? This is the episode for you. I’m joined by professional writer and LinkedIn writing coach, Lynnaire Johnston, to discuss writing for LinkedIn. From the dangers of using AI to write for you to Lynnaire’s personal tips for writing better, we dive into all things writing. It’s time to make personal connections on LinkedIn through the written word.

Tips to Start Writing for LinkedIn

1. Start writing whatever’s on your mind, and you will eventually end up talking about what you want to talk about.
2. Use short, simple words and sentences.
3. Don’t use jargon or marketing terms.
4. Have one idea per paragraph and one main idea per post.
5. Have white space and multiple paragraphs.
6. Don’t use hashtags in your post; it is confusing.

About Lynnaire Johnston

Lynnaire is considered to be a top 20 international LinkedIn expert and works with clients globally to help them leverage the power of LinkedIn to achieve professional success. She is the author of 2 books about LinkedIn, one a best-seller, the other listed by BookAuthority as a top LinkedIn book of all time. She is a regular guest on podcasts worldwide and hosts her own events – masterclasses, LinkedIn lives and LinkedIn audio rooms. 

Lynnaire is the founder of the Link∙Ability members site for those wanting to be successful on LinkedIn. Lynnaire and her team provide done-for-you and coaching/training services to individuals and companies globally.

Coming from a journalism and broadcasting background, Lynnaire has been a reporter, feature writer, magazine editor and copywriter for the majority of her career. She has written for industries as diverse as automotive, beauty, local authorities and not-for-profit. She founded her copywriting business, Word Wizard, in 2000 and began specialising in LinkedIn in 2016.

The Dangers of AI Writing

Lynnaire Johnston joins me to talk about how to write for LinkedIn. Especially with the rise in AI writing technologies, it’s important for people to understand the importance of human writers. While useful in some situations, AI writing is full of long sentences and far too much jargon. As Lynnaire says – reading it just makes her eyes glaze over.

The rising use of and reliance on AI writing will inevitably make people worse writers. But, especially on LinkedIn, using AI to write your posts and comments defeats the purpose of the platform. “We’re here on LinkedIn to develop relationships, get to know people, and build the know, like, and trust factor. So, how is AI going to help us do that if we are not communicating directly with our audience?”

Tips to Write for LinkedIn

If you’ve been turning to AI to help you write because you don’t know what to say, Lynnaire offers some great advice. Get your inspiration from your life and some of the things that happen to you; even carry a notebook around to take notes about your day. Then, just start to write. Even if you don’t know exactly what you want to write about, by writing about anything, you’ll eventually come to the point you want to make.

Lynnaire also shares the importance of consistent posting on LinkedIn. Honestly, it doesn’t matter what schedule you stick to. What matters is that you show up regularly. And, if you’re wondering how to become a better writer, Lynnaire says the best way to improve your writing is to read more.

How often do you post on LinkedIn? If you’re not consistent, what’s stopping you from posting regularly? Let me know in the comments on the episode page.

In This Episode

• The dangers of AI writing [7:30]
• How AI is going to make people worse writers [10:15]
• How to get started writing [14:00]
• Where to get the inspiration to write for LinkedIn [21:30]
• The importance of being consistent on LinkedIn [27:00]
• How to improve your writing [30:45]

Links & Resources

Linkability the Book
Business Gold

Find Lynnaire Johnston Online
Follow Lynnaire Johnston on LinkedIn | YouTube

Find Louise Brogan Online
Follow Louise Brogan on LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

The 7 things you need to know about creating your first online course

Have you thought about creating an online course but aren’t quite sure what it should be about? 

Or maybe you’re set on a topic, but the tech scares you? 

In this solo episode I walk you through the 7 things you need to know about creating your first online course. 

If you haven’t considered creating an online course before, in the first part of this episode, you’ll find out exactly why creating an online course could be a great idea for your business (and your lifestyle!). And if launching a course is on your to-do list this year, tune in to find out what type of course you should create, how to come up with a great topic that your audience are going to love, and how to create a course that sells!  

You will learn…

1. Why pricing your course at the right level (not too low and not too high) is the key to its success. 
2. How to come up with the right topic for your course to make sure you have an audience who will want to buy it as soon as you launch. 
3. How to build and nurture the people on your email list to sell more of your courses (I’ll tell you exactly what to include in your emails!).

Useful links:

My group coaching course, How to build your first online course, opens for sales on the 11^th March 2019 and will run for 6 weeks. I’d love to help you create your first online course! 

How to use Facebook for Business (online course).

Social Bee Academy (my monthly membership). 

ConvertKit (affiliate link).

More about me. 

My brand NEW Facebook group for podcast listeners: Social Beehive. If you enjoy the show, come and join us, and we can chat about the topics I cover with my guests on the podcast. 

Have you got an idea for a future episode? 

I’m committing to creating the best podcast episodes to help you move forward in your business. If you have any suggestions for topics you’d like me to cover, please email me at louise@socialbeeni.com or send me a message on Facebook. I’d love to hear from you! 

If you enjoyed this episode and want to find out more about how you can work with me, head over to my website or email me at louise@socialbeeni.com.

Or join my 30-day social media challenge and receive exclusive access to my monthly value-packed webinars. 

Jac Julien is a reformed “organized mess”. She noticed how many entrepreneurs and business owners were simply running on the hamster wheel, chasing shiny objects, putting off today what they can do tomorrow (and those other clichés). Jas uses her experiences as a clinical psychologist and productivity expert to be help entrepreneurs break through the barriers to productivity so they experience the time, freedom and happiness they dreamt about when starting their business. 

Have you ever thought about being a guest on someone’s podcast? Would you like to increase your visibility by sharing your expertise on someone’s show but aren’t sure about the best way to reach out to a podcast host? 

Then tune into this episode! 

This week on the podcast, I interview Julie Fry, who is the founder of Your Expert Guest, a podcast guest strategy and booking agency, where she helps experts share their message on podcasts to reach larger audiences and grow their business. Passionate about creating meaningful connections, Julie supports business owners and experts to leverage podcast guesting as a visibility, brand awareness, and lead generation tool. 

In this episode, Julie shares her best tips on what to do and NOT do when you reach out to a podcast guest or when you’re invited for an interview by a host. The key is to put yourself in the shoes of the listeners and think about how you can be a resource for the host and add value to their audience. If you’re a podcast host, Julie also shares valuable advice on how to select your guests and explains why it’s good practice to ask them to rate and review your show.

If you want to find out why being a podcast guest should be part of your marketing strategy, this is an episode you won’t want to miss! 

You will learn…

1. Why guest podcasting is one of the best marketing strategies out there and what the benefits of being a guest on someone’s podcast show are. 
2. What to do to become a great podcast guest.
3. What things you shouldn’t do when you’re invited as a guest on someone’s podcast. 

About Julie

If you’d like to connect with Julie you can find her on her website or on LinkedIn. And if you’d like to take Julie’s FREE quiz to find out if you could leverage podcast interviews to grow your visibility, you can do so here. 

If you’re a podcaster and would like some FREE guest recommendations or would like Julie to share your show on her social media channels, fill in Julie’s form here. 

Resources mentioned in the episode

Selling through relationships with Nikki Raush (podcast episode).

The pumpkin plan, by Mike Michalowicz (book). 

Do you want to learn more about using LinkedIn for business? 

If you want my help to leverage LinkedIn to raise your profile, check out LinkedIn Learner Lab – my group coaching and membership program to help you create an effective LinkedIn strategy and start building your network on LinkedIn. 

This is perfect for you if you want to get to grips with LinkedIn and have regular access to me – you can ask questions any time and come along to our group calls twice a month. The program also includes 6 training modules (each consisting of 4 to 5 bite-sized videos) and teaches you everything you need to know to use LinkedIn as a lead generation tool for your business. 

And if you want to work with me on a 1-to-1 basis, every month I offer a maximum of four LinkedIn VIP Intensive private coaching sessions. These 3-hour sessions are perfect for you if you want some help to optimise your LinkedIn profile, build a content strategy plan and learn how to use LinkedIn to generate leads and sales.  

Download my FREE LinkedIn guide

Would you like to learn about the 4 exact steps you need to take to get success on LinkedIn, no matter what type of business you run? Then download my FREE 10-page LinkedIn guide here. 

More about me

If you found this episode useful, come and join Julie and I on Friday 7th August at 6pm BST for our LinkedIn live catch up. And if you can’t watch us live, you’ll also find the recording on my YouTube channel. 

And if you want to find out more about how you can work with me visit  my website or email me at louise@socialbeeni.com. 

Why do we buy things? Is pricing always a deciding factor? 

Does how we phrase something or the colours we use on our website buttons matter? 

In this week’s episode, I interview Melina Palmer, who hosts The Brainy Business podcast. Melina has a Master’s Degree in Behavioural Economics and helps businesses to understand why people buy and how the brain makes decisions. Through her workshops, talks, and online courses, Melina teaches people how, by making small tweaks to your messaging, pricing, and products, you can increase leads and conversions. 

In this episode, Melina shares some of the key concepts of behavioural economics that she also unpicks and explains in her own podcast show – things like ‘framing’ or ‘nudging’. And to celebrate the launch of her first online course, Melina has kindly shared not one but two exclusive discount codes with the listeners of The Social Bee podcast and is giving us access to her first course module (all about mindset) for FREE! Just scroll down to find the relevant info and enjoy this episode. I hope you’ll find it as fascinating as I did! 

You will learn…

1. Why the way you say something is so much more important than what you’re trying to communicate (and how knowing this can help you make more sales in your business). 
2. How the subconscious brain works (and what it’s driven by), and why it’s responsible for making 99% of all decisions. 
3. Why ‘familiarity’ is important and why you should think about different ways to say the same thing to your audience to help them take it in and accept it. 

More about Melina 

Melina’s podcast – The Brainy Business. In our interview, Melina specifically mentioned episode 61- Color Theory, where she talks about how Google tried several shades of blue for their buying buttons. Check it out! 

Melina’s website – The Brainy Business. 

Melina on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 

Melina is also launching her first online course on Pricing, which includes a live workshop on Zoom. The course starts on September, 9th 2019, and she’s kindly offered the listeners of The Social Bee podcast the following discount codes:

• Use code BEE100OFF to get $100 off the online course PLUS workshop – buy here. 
• Use code BEE50OFF to get $50 off the online course – buy here. 

You can also access the first module (on mindset) of Melina’s Pricing course for FREE – just click here to access it. 

Podcast episodes mentioned in this episode

Episode 73 – Selling through relationships with Nikki Rausch. 

Want to work with me?

Join The Social Bee Academy!

I run a monthly membership, The Social Bee Academy, where I can teach you how to raise your visibility online through social media, email marketing, podcasting, blogging, and much more. The first month is only £10 if you use code SOCIAL-BEE-TRIAL. After that, for only £30 per month, you get access to me and the rest of the community to ask for help with anything you need to grow your business online. 

If you’re in Northern Ireland, I also run regular workshops to help you use social media for your business, so keep an eye out on Eventbrite for any upcoming workshops you may be interested in. 

My one-to-one strategy session on LinkedIn

If you’d like more help on your LinkedIn strategy, you can work with me on a one-to-one strategy session. 

LinkedIn 4-week coaching programme (September 2019)

Want to become a thought leader on LinkedIn, raise your profile, make connections, and build your business? Then join my 4-week group coaching progamme in September. To apply and reserve your space, email me at louise@socialbeeni.com.

The Social Media Bootcamp – Content Marketing for Business. 17th October 2019, Belfast

Following the success of our first Social Media Bootcamp in May 2019 at the iconic Titanic hotel in Belfast, my friend and colleague Ashleigh Watson of Copper Square Communications and I are proud to announce that tickets for our second bootcamp-style conference are now on sale. The second Social Media Bootcamp is all about Content Marketing for Business and is taking place on Thursday, 17th October 2019 in Belfast. 

Here are some of our amazing speakers – go and check them out! 

Erin Thomas Wong, founder of Making Mumpreneurs. 

Alex Curtis, founder of The Lead Engine. 

Ian Anderson Gray, who was my guest on episode 91. 

More about me. 

If you enjoy the show, I’d be very grateful if you could share it with at least another person and leave me a review on iTunes. And if you haven’t subscribed yet, why not?

Also, come and join my Facebook group for podcast listeners, Social Beehive, where we chat about the topics I cover on the podcast, you can share your feedback, and get in touch about upcoming episodes. 

And if you want to find out more about how you can work with me or what events I am running in the future, head over to my website or email me at louise@socialbeeni.com.

To receive exclusive access to my monthly value-packed webinars, join my 30-day social media challenge.

If you enjoyed this episode, let us know! 

Do you think your business is too niche for LinkedIn? Do you hold off using the platform because you don’t think it will work for the type of business you run?

Time to think again!
This week on the podcast, I interview US-based Culinary Brand and Anniversary photographer Amanda Richardson. Amanda helps culinary professionals (and personal private chefs in particular) who want to strategically grow their brand through the art of photography.

Amanda’s story is fascinating – with a background as a chef, she re-trained and pivoted her career several times. By combining her love for food and wine with photography, she first learnt how to take photos of food
before training in how to photograph people too.

In this episode, Amanda shares exactly how she used her unique passions and skills to identify a specific set of ideal clients and serve their needs. By becoming a skilled photographer of both food and people, Amanda is able to help her clients showcase their culinary creations as part of their
personal brand. Tune in to find out how, by sharing content on LinkedIn that’s strategically targeted to her audience, Amanda’s been able to grow her network and become a well-known professional in her specific niche.

You will learn…

1. Why it’s important to be able to empathise and sympathise with the unique needs of your clients.
2. How to make sure your LinkedIn headshot stands out.
3. How to use LinkedIn articles to connect and engage with more of your ideal customers and clients.

About Amanda
If you’d like to connect with Amanda, you can find her on her website, on LinkedIn, and Facebook.

Resources mentioned in the episode
Katelyn James Photography.

Do you want to learn more about using LinkedIn for business?
If you want my help to leverage LinkedIn to raise your profile, check out LinkedIn Learner Lab – my membership designed to help you create an effective LinkedIn strategy and start building your network on LinkedIn.

Download my FREE LinkedIn guide
Would you like to learn about the 4 exact steps you need to take to get success on LinkedIn, no matter what type of business you run? Then download my FREE 10-page LinkedIn guide here.

More about me

If you found this episode useful, come and join Amanda and me on Friday 26 th June 2020 for our LinkedIn live catch up.

If you enjoy the show, I’d be very grateful if you could share it with at least another person and leave me a review on iTunes. If you haven’t subscribed yet, why not?

You can now receive and send private messages on LinkeDIn company pages.

In this episode, we ask why you would want to do this,  how to respond and I walk you through the options.   You can also watch a walkthrough video of this new feature here - https://youtu.be/zOXwZa4DuCM

To chat about how we can help you with your company's LinkedIn presence, book a call with Louise www.louisebrogan.com/inquiry 

How to connect with people on linkedIn

What are the do’s and don’t s on connecting with people on LinkedIn?

Should you accept all connection requests?  How do you decide whether or not to accept someone’s connection request?

I share my thoughts plus those of my network.  

To work with Louise visit www.louisebrogan.com/workwithme

LinkedIn have brought a new reaction on board!  Its sort of blue like a smurf.... but laughing like a comic.   I am going to be using it as a smile emoji I think - the blue like is just not really cutting it!

Our podcast journey is transitioning a little - I am going to start hosting guests for interviews - am excited to bring this to you.

If you are looking to upgrade your LinkedIn game, then you are invited to join me in Belfast on 29th September for a small group one day workshop.  You need to bring a laptop and you WILL walk away with a ew profile, solid content strategy and understanding of what works on LinkedIn.

www.louisebrogan.com/one-day-workshop for tickets 

How do you write a great LinkedIn profile?  

Visit www.louisebrogan.com/workwithme and we can write it together

Running a successful family business across multiple countries, with Esther Ocampo

If you were to move countries, would you be able to keep running your business? 

Wouldn’t you love to be able to serve clients all over the world? 

Esther Lawson de Ocampo is based in Northern Ireland but owns a family-run digital marketing agency that operates in Mexico and the US and has clients in several other countries. Through her agency, IPA Group, Esther, her family, and their staff provide services in both English and Spanish. In this interview, Esther shares how she overcame the challenge of moving countries and starting all over. She may have moved across the world twice (from Northern Ireland to Mexico and back), but despite leaving Mexico, she’s managed to keep her very successful business running. Tune in to find out how and hear Esther’s fascinating story. 

You will learn…

1. How to approach warm leads (people you’ve met in person or that you’ve interacted with online). 
2. Why it’s important to keep your skills up-to-date, especially in the online and digital world. 
3. Why attending networking and business events can directly contribute to the success of your business.  

Useful links:

Clockwork: Design your business to run itself, by Mike Michalowicz.

More about Esther Ocampo:

Esther’s website. 

Esther on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. 

More about me. 

Social Bee Academy (my monthly membership). For only £30 per month, get access to me and the rest of the community to ask for help with anything you need to know about social media, marketing, and growing your business online. 

My Facebook group for podcast listeners: Social Beehive. If you enjoy the show, come and join us, and we can chat about the topics I cover with my guests on the podcast. 

Have you got an idea for a future episode? 

I’m committing to creating the best podcast episodes to help you move forward in your business. If you have any suggestions for topics you’d like me to cover, please email me at louise@socialbeeni.com or send me a message on Facebook. I’d love to hear from you! 

If you enjoyed this episode and want to find out more about how you can work with me, head over to my website or email me at louise@socialbeeni.com.

Or join my 30-day social media challenge and receive exclusive access to my monthly value-packed webinars. 

Setting up an HR Consultancy and using social media with Aine Crilly

Do you ever need help to manage your staff or the people who work alongside you in your business?

Would you know where to turn to if you wanted to find out more about local policies and procedures in your industry?

In this week’s episode, I interview Aine Crilly, who owns an HR Consultancy called The HR Elephant in Newry, Northern Ireland. Aine and her team support business owners with recruitment and selection, education, CV building, and career guidance amongst other services. The HR Elephant was one of the sponsors of mine and Ashleigh Watson’s first ever Social Media Bootcamp, which took place in Belfast at the Titanic hotel on Friday, 31^st May 2019. In this interview, you’ll learn about how Aine started her consultancy, about how she has leveraged social media to create and strengthen her online presence, and about how she is able to grow her business and work with a variety of clients both from the UK and Ireland, despite having two very young children!

You will learn…

1. Why you need to keep learning and innovating in your business. 
2. How collaborating with other trustworthy businesses is key to developing and growing your business. 
3. Why you should post articles and share videos on LinkedIn. 

And as an added bonus, if you’re not familiar with the phrase, you’ll find out what ‘Irish twins’ are! 

More about Aine

You can find Aine on her website, The HR Elephant, on Facebook and LinkedIn. 

Aine is currently offering a free HR Health Check to anyone signing up to her email list – you can access it by filling in this form.  

Useful resources mentioned in this episode

Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill. 

My social media podcast series 

If you want to know more about how to use social media for your business, I’ve recently run a series of podcast episodes that you might find useful. 

How to use Facebook Groups in 2019.

What’s working on Twitter in 2019.

How to use LinkedIn in 2019. 

What’s working on Instagram for your business in 2019. 

What’s working on Facebook for your business in 2019. 

My monthly membership - The Social Bee Academy  

I run a monthly membership, The Social Bee Academy, where I can teach you how to raise your visibility online through social media, email marketing, podcasting, blogging, and much more. Visit www.louisebrogan.com/join to get your special offer. After that, for only £30 per month, you get access to me and the rest of the community to ask for help with anything you need to grow your business online. 

If you’re in Northern Ireland, I also run regular workshops to help you use social media for your business, so keep an eye out on Eventbrite for any upcoming workshops you may be interested in. 

More about me. 

If you enjoy the show, I’d be very grateful if you could share it with at least another person and leave me a review on iTunes. You can also come and join my Facebook group for podcast listeners: Social Beehive where we chat about the topics I cover on the podcast.

And if you want to find out more about how you can work with me or what events I am running in the future, head over to my website or email me at louise@socialbeeni.com.

To receive exclusive access to my monthly value-packed webinars, join my 30-day social media challenge.

Why do you need content marketing?

My guest Lyndsay and I discuss the value of creating content to make marketing your business easier.

If you want support to get your content planned for LinkedIn, please visit https://www.louisebrogan.com and check out our Done-For-You services as well as our new content planning service

Growing your business through podcasting with Colin Gray

Do you listen to podcasts?

Have you been thinking about starting your own podcast show? 

In this week’s episode, I interview Colin Gray (a.k.a. The Podcast Host), who helps people to start and run successful podcasts. Colin started his career in university, teaching lecturers how to use technology more effectively. That’s when he first came across and learnt about podcasting back in 2008. Fast-forward to today, and Colin hosts his own podcast, The Podcraft Podcast, runs a membership to help people start and run successful podcasts, and provides podcasting software through altitude.com. In our interview, Colin and I talk about what makes a great podcast show and discuss the various formats you can choose from (and why) when it comes to podcasting. Also, stay tuned until the end, when Colin and I compare notes about our speaking careers, and Colin shares a great tip that will help you evaluate whether being a speaker is right for you and your business. 

You will learn…

1. How to create a unique angle for your podcast show. 
2. What a ‘seasonal show’ is and what the benefits of creating one are (both for the host and for the audience). 
3. How a podcast show is different from a Netflix series! 

And much more!

More about Colin

Colin’s podcast – The Podcraft Podcast. 

Colin’s website – The Podcast Host. 

Colin’s podcasting software – Altitude. 

Colin on Twitter. 

Want to work with me?

Join The Social Bee Academy!

I run a monthly membership, The Social Bee Academy, where I can teach you how to raise your visibility online through social media, email marketing, podcasting, blogging, and much more. The first month is only £10 if you use code SOCIAL-BEE-TRIAL. After that, for only £30 per month, you get access to me and the rest of the community to ask for help with anything you need to grow your business online. 

If you’re in Northern Ireland, I also run regular workshops to help you use social media for your business, so keep an eye out on Eventbrite for any upcoming workshops you may be interested in. 

My one-to-one strategy session on LinkedIn

If you’d like more help on your LinkedIn strategy, you can work with me on a one-to-one strategy session. 

The Social Media Bootcamp – Content Marketing for Business. 17^th October 2019, Belfast

Following the success of our first Social Media Bootcamp in May 2019 at the iconic Titanic hotel in Belfast, my friend and colleague Ashleigh Watson of Copper Square Communications and I are proud to announce that tickets for our second bootcamp-style conference are now on sale. The second Social Media Bootcamp is all about Content Marketing for Business and is taking place on Thursday, 17^th October 2019 in Belfast. 

Here are some of our amazing speakers – go and check them out! 

Erin Thomas Wong, founder of Making Mumpreneurs. 

Alex Curtis, founder of The Lead Engine. 

Ian Anderson Gray, who was my guest on episode 91. 

More about me. 

If you enjoy the show, I’d be very grateful if you could share it with at least another person and leave me a review on iTunes. And if you haven’t subscribed yet, why not?

Also, come and join my Facebook group for podcast listeners, Social Beehive, where we chat about the topics I cover on the podcast, you can share your feedback, and get in touch about upcoming episodes. 

And if you want to find out more about how you can work with me or what events I am running in the future, head over to my website or email me at louise@socialbeeni.com.

LinkedIn company pages dashboards have had a makeover! 

Learn what is what, how to find what you need, and how your Company can use the new Dashboard effecitvely.

We also cover the new features for LinkedIn Premium Company Pages and I share what features I like best

Today's Actions for all company pages

Featuring top content to increase reach

Simplifying content sharing with RSS feeds

Utilizing notifications for consistent posting

Premium features like custom call-to-action buttons, visitor insights, and custom testimonials

How to draft posts with AI assistance

Growing followers faster with auto invites

We walk you through setting up these features, sharing insights on how they can benefit your business, and providing tips on how to get the most out of your LinkedIn company page.

Whether you're using the free version or considering premium, this guide will help you enhance your LinkedIn presence and attract more B2B clients.

Full video walkthrough - https://youtu.be/bjs0W9Qa-mM

Today's solo episode is all about how to use LinkedIn Stories to engage and interact with your network on LinkedIn.

Have you noticed something new under your LinkedIn profile yet? LinkedIn has just introduced Stories. And if you're wondering how you can use this new feature to support your business, this episode is for you.

This week on the podcast, I share everything you need to know about LinkedIn Stories. As you may know, Stories have been a feature on other social media platforms for a while now - see Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat. Like on other platforms, LinkedIn Stories stay on your profile for 24 hours. You have the ability to add up to 100 Stories per day, with a max length for a video story of 20 seconds. This gives you a lot of room to create and share short, quick, and engaging content that is both lightweight and image-focused.

If you want to find out how to get your network to engage and interact with the content on your Stories so you can strengthen your community on LinkedIn and promote your business, don't miss this episode!

You will learn…

1. What LinkedIn Stories are and how to create a Story by adding an image, a video, or by creating a video post.
2. Five different ways to come up with content that will help you start conversations with your network.
3. Who can see and reply to your Stories, how to add stickers or text, and how to choose from the available colour options.

Resources linked to this episode

How to Use LinkedIn to Build a Powerful Network - article.

How to build a network on LinkedIn you want to connect with - article.

And, How to use LinkedIn Stories for business - article.

Do you want to learn more about using LinkedIn for business?

LinkedIn VIP Intensives

To work with me on a 1-to-1 basis, every month I offer LinkedIn VIP Intensive private coaching sessions. These 3-hour sessions are perfect if you want some help to optimise your LinkedIn profile. I also help you build a content strategy plan and teach you how to use LinkedIn to generate leads and sales. The sessions are interactive, fun, and practical. You leave with a fully optimised profile, a complete plan of action, and feeling raring to go! 

Download my FREE LinkedIn guide

Would you like to learn about the 4 exact steps you need to take to get success on LinkedIn? My tips work no matter what type of business you run! Then download my FREE 10-page LinkedIn guide here.

More about me

Would you like to find out if I can help you use LinkedIn to make more sales in your business? Head over to my website and book a FREE 15-minute discovery call with me.

If you enjoy the show, I’d be very grateful if you could share it with at least another person and leave me a review on your favourite platform. And if you haven’t subscribed yet, why not?

Natalie Eckdahl, CEO of BizChix joins me for this special episode of the Social Bee Podcast. If you are a regular listener, you will know that Natalie is one of my favourite podcasters so it was a complete honour for me to have her as a guest on my show. We talk about how Natalie has changed her business since I have been following her - changing it up a gear, building a team and running live events. Natalie also runs very successful masterminds for women entrepreneurs and ended 2018 by launching her first book! You can find out more about the BizChix over at www.bizchix.com and grab a copy of her book, Reset Your Mindset, on Amazon - it's a great read!

Do you ever feel you have a book in you but don’t think you could actually write one? 

Are you confused about the difference between traditional publishing and self-publishing?

Do you ever wonder whether self-publishing could be an option for you? 

If you want to find out how a book can act as a springboard that will bring amazing opportunities to you and your business, don’t miss this interview with Alexa Whitten, who helps business owners write books for lead generation. Alexa’s business, The Book Refinery, is a one-stop-shop for all your book-related needs. She can help you define your idea for a book, coach you while you write it, and also take care of all the publication requirements, including cover design and book interior design. In this episode, Alexa sheds some light on the different options you can choose to take your book project from an idea in your mind to a physical product that will wow your audience, show off your expertise, and bring more raving fans knocking at your (business) door. 

You will learn…

1. How traditional publishing differs from self-publishing and the process you need to follow if you want to find yourself an agent. 
2. Why self-publishing is a great route for entrepreneurs who want to write a book. 
3. What the different ways you can self-publish your book through Amazon are, and why you should sell directly from your website if you want your book to act as a lead generation tool. 

More about Alexa Whitten:

Alexa’s website – The Book Refinery. 

Alexa’s book – Publish Your Way To More Clients. 

Alexa on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.  

Alexa has very kindly offered a discount to any listeners of the Social Bee podcast who are interested in buying her book, Publish Your Way To More Clients – if you listened to this episode, you can get the book for only £2.97 + P&P, so don’t miss out on this crazy offer! 

Useful links and resources: 

Social Bee Podcast Episode 66 – How to be a Virtual Assistant, with Catherine Gladwyn.

Social Bee Podcast Episode 57 – HR for small business, with Mandy Hamerla. 

Traditional Publishing vs Self-publishing – your options, by Alexa Whitten. 

More about me. 

My membership: The Social Bee Academy. 

My brand NEW Facebook group for podcast listeners: Social Beehive. If you enjoy the show, come and join us, and we can chat about the topics I cover with my guests on the podcast. 

If you enjoyed this episode and want to find out more about how you can work with me, head over to my website or email me at louise@socialbeeni.com.

Or join my 30-day social media challenge and receive exclusive access to my monthly value-packed webinars. 

Do you feel brave enough to show your personality on social media? Are you absolutely clear on what you stand for and what sets you apart from the competition? And do you use storytelling as a tool to build trust in your marketing?
This week on the podcast, I interview chartered marketer Nicole Osborne. Nicole is a social media trainer, a personal branding coach, a marketing consultant and a speaker, and she works with
ambitious founders, entrepreneurs, and business owners to help them grow their audience and improve their marketing results.
In this episode, Nicole shares the story of how she moved from East Germany to the UK 25 years ago and how, after years in the corporate world, she decided to start her own business – Lollipop Social.
As a fellow social media trainer and speaker, Nicole and I have met in person at various events, but I was pleased to be able to dig deeper during this interview and learn more about how Nicole
prepares her engaging talks, where she includes stories that add value, give the audience a great experience, and make her personal brand memorable.

You will learn…
1. About the pros and cons of using a business name vs using your own name when you start
your own business.
2. Why it’s important to know what works on specific social media platforms, but, at the same
time, how some key principles about personal branding and storytelling apply across all
social media channels.
3. Why you should always consider replying to comments on LinkedIn (and other social media platforms).

About Nicole
If you’d like to connect with Nicole, you can find her on LinkedIn or Instagram.

Related episodes
Making your mark online with Jammy Digital.
Do you want to learn more about using LinkedIn for business?
If you want my help to leverage LinkedIn to raise your profile, check out LinkedIn Learners Lab – my group coaching program d esigned to help you create an effective LinkedIn strategy and start building your network on LinkedIn.

If you found this episode useful, come and join Nicole and me on Friday 19 th June 2020 for our LinkedIn live catch up.
And if you enjoy the show, I’d be very grateful if you could share it with at least another person and leave me a review on iTunes. And if you haven’t subscribed yet, why not?

Connect wisely on LinkedIn for powerful business connections.

That’s what my guest, Fiona Walsh, did, and she’s seen a huge increase in business opportunities. After working together, Fiona posted relevant content consistently on LinkedIn, which led to increased engagement, valuable, relevant connections, and paid speaking opportunities. In this episode, she offers advice on securing paid speaking gigs and emphasises the importance of networking and following up both on and off LinkedIn.

About Fiona Walsh

With 25 years in corporate, Fiona Walsh has seen her fair share of bad slides. As an IT Manager/Trainer, she became the primary go-to person for help with anything PowerPoint-related. 

Fiona set up Empower Presentations to provide bespoke PowerPoint training to organisations. She loves it when a client gets an ‘aha’ moment as they realise there’s a more innovative way to do something, and it will save them time. She is passionate about teaching people how to create slides that are fit for purpose and engaging. 

Fiona also focuses on presenting confidently, including best practices in the boardroom, at a conference, and online, for example, with MS Teams. Fiona is a certified Microsoft Master Trainer and became Director of Education for the Presentation Guild (a global organisation for presentation professionals) in January 2023.

Business Opps from LinkedIn Connections

When Fiona and I first started working together, we focussed on creating a monthly content plan for LinkedIn. This plan takes so much stress and pressure off a business owner who is trying to create consistent content on the platform.

Soon after Fiona started posting consistent and relevant content, she noticed her engagement increase. Her use of relevant hashtags enabled the right people to find her, leading to increased valuable connections, speaking opportunities, and business growth worldwide.

Fiona soon started receiving opportunities for paid speaking events on LinkedIn, which has taken her to a number of conferences. Her advice for landing paid speaking gigs on LinkedIn?

1. Look for what events are out there

2. Look at the companies that host those events

3. Connect with key people at those companies

4. Take the conversations off LinkedIn

The art of the Follow Up

Fiona has mastered the follow-up conversation, often reaching back out to someone she’s worked with in the past. She also says that she often connects with people who don’t send her a message – in fact, these connection requests often come from her ideal customers. If she feels they may be a good connection after viewing their profile, she’ll send them a message after connecting. This often leads to a business opportunity.

Fiona also shares how she’s made powerful connections on LinkedIn that led to a mutually beneficial referral relationship. Without LinkedIn, she would not have found her referral partner and increased sales.

Finally, Fiona and I discuss the benefits of having a Creator profile on LinkedIn and why it’s so important to post consistently.

How has posting consistently on LinkedIn resulted in more sales, speaking events, or opportunities for you? Let me know in the comments on the episode page.

• How creating a monthly content plan for LinkedIn takes the pressure and stress off you [3:30]

• When Fiona’s business growth started to change [5:45]

• How LinkedIn can open opportunities [6:15]

• How to find events in your niche [8:15]

• The power in a follow-up conversation [10:30]

• How LinkedIn connections can result in powerful mutual business collaborations [14:00]

• Why it’s good practice to check out everyone’s profile who sends you a connection request, even if they don’t send a message [18:00]

• What you need to know about the Creator option [20:00]

• Why it’s important to post consistently on LinkedIn [24:00]

Key Takeaways

Fiona’s Top Tips to Get Started on LinkedIn

1. Think about how you’re going to use LinkedIn

2. Consider a topic for each month

3. Try to post at least once a week for the next four weeks

VIP Plus Package

Find Fiona Walsh Online

Follow Fiona Walsh on LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube

Find Louise Brogan Online

Follow Louise Brogan on LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

Subscribe to LinkedIn Louise Brogan on Apple Podcasts

Podcast Ep. 202 – Six Simple Guidelines For Using LinkedIn in Your Business

Podcast Episode 200 – Are You Selling Or Marketing On Linkedin?

Episode 199: More People Are Noticing You Than You Think On Linkedin

Have I got a treat for you this week! I’m so excited to share this week’s podcast where I catch up with the absolute queen of sales, Nikki Rausch.
 
Nikki is the founder of Sales Maven where she teaches tangible skills that, when you take action and implement them in your own business, will give you massive results. Not only is she a sales strategist, she’s also a successful author of multiple books, podcaster and founder of the online Sales Maven Society.
 
In this episode we talk about how to pick up buying signals before you get a sale, and the right (and very wrong – clue: don’t mention Darth Vader) ways to connect with your targets on LinkedIn.
 
Nikki is a real fount of knowledge for all things sales and being confident. We talk about how to be assertive (but not pushy) and even how to deal with the knock-backs. Here’s just a taste of some of the other advice she shares…
 
1.     How to be a resource to people and offer them real value
2.     The importance of ‘pre-framing’ a first video or face-to-face conversation
3.     Why you need to have pricing on your website
 
I hope you enjoy listening to this one.
 
 
About Nikki
You can find Nikki on LinkedIn or have a look at her website yoursalesmaven.com
Exclusively for listeners of this podcast, Nikki has also shared her new e-book ‘Closing the Sale’ which you can download here: https://yoursalesmaven.com/ebook/

Should employees in larger organisations use LinkedIn? What happens in terms of compliance, and especially in fields like insurance, which are thoroughly regulated?

 Keith is the Social Media Manager and Employee Advocacy Lead at Zurich UK, a world-renowned company operating in the field of insurance.

In his role, Keith educates and enables Zurich employees not only to better understand the world of social media but also to actively participate and share content. 

You will learn…

1. About the difference between a LinkedIn company page and the new My Company Tab on LinkedIn.
2. Why staff social media training is key when it comes to navigating complex compliance issues.
3. How you can leverage your employees to boost your organisation.

About Keith

If you’d like to connect with Keith, you can find him on LinkedIn or Twitter.

LinkedIn VIP Intensives

If you want to work with me on a 1-to-1 basis, check out the LinkedIn VIP Intensive private coaching sessions. 

Download my FREE LinkedIn guide

Would you like to learn what daily and weekly tasks will help you build your network on LinkedIn? Then download my FREE 10-page LinkedIn guide here. My tips work no matter what type of business you run!

More about me

If you enjoy the show, I’d be very grateful if you could share it with at least another person and leave me a review on your favourite platform. And if you haven’t subscribed yet, why not?

Carol Wheeler is a leadership coach and Strengthsfinder expert.   We discuss her growing business, and how Carol is leveraging video on LinkedIn to great success - both with her local network and in attracting new clients. 

Check out this video on YouTube for more help with getting started on video on LinkedIn

https://youtu.be/4Cuo2NCvpLQ

Connect with Carol:

https://nopaleadership.com/

Are you generating leads from your LinkedIn activity?

How much time do you need to spend on LinkedIn to start bringing consistent inbound leads for your business

LinkedIn is seen as the professional social media networking site. According to a State of B2B Marketing Report from Wpromote, 89% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn for lead generation, and 62% say it generates them leads, over two times more than the next-highest social channel.

But HOW do you use LinkedIn for lead gen?

Let’s look at seven ways to generate inbound leads for your business from LinkedIn.

You can see the full show notes here.

What is your personal brand and how do you build one on LinkedIn?

Do you have a LinkedIn profile? Do you create content and engage on the platform? Have you thought about how you want people to remember you?

In this week’s solo episode, I talk about building your personal brand on LinkedIn. I explain why you need to think carefully about the way you present yourself on LinkedIn (and online in general) and why having a strong, professional profile is important.

If you want to raise your profile on LinkedIn, I encourage you to focus on what you want to be known for and on how you can position yourself as an expert in your industry. As a platform, LinkedIn currently presents a unique opportunity for you to grow your personal brand, expand your network and have your own voice online, so don’t missyour chance!

And if you want to find out more about how I can help you with your LinkedIn profile, stay tuned until the end or visit www.socialbeeni.com/workwithme 

You will learn…

1. Why you should think about how your personal brand comes across on different platforms.
2. Why you should start commenting on other people’s posts on LinkedIn (even if you’re not
   ready to start posting your own content yet!).
3. Why writing articles on LinkedIn is a great way to raise your personal profile and help you make your mark on the platform.

If you’re in Northern Ireland, I also run regular workshops to help you use social media for your business, so keep an eye out on Eventbrite for any upcoming workshops you may be interested in.

The Social Media Bootcamp – Content Marketing for Business. 17 th October 2019, Belfast
Following the success of our first Social Media Bootcamp in May 2019 at the iconic Titanic hotel in Belfast, Ashleigh Watson of Copper Square Communications and I are proud to announce that tickets for our second bootcamp-style conference are now on sale.

The second Social Media Bootcamp is all about Content Marketing for Business and is taking place on Thursday, 17 th October 2019 in Belfast.

Here are some of our amazing speakers – go and check them out!

Erin Thomas Wong, founder of Making Mumpreneurs.
Alex Curtis, founder of The Lead Engine.
Ian Anderson Gray, who was my guest on episode 91.

More about me.
If you enjoy the show, I’d be very grateful if you could share it with at least another person and leave me a review on iTunes. And if you haven’t subscribed yet, why not?

If you have any questions on this episode or LinkedIn, please get in touch.
And if you want to find out more about how you can work with me or what events I am running in the future, head over to my website or email me at louise@socialbeeni.com.

How much content have you shared on LinkedIn recently?

Do you struggle with coming up with ideas for posts or how to write those posts? Let me take the pain away! Find out in today's episode why you should think about outsourcing the content creation and take yet another thing OFF YOUR PLATE!

I have been working recently with a handful of clients on an ongoing basis. And I have to say, I absolutely love it.

What I like more is the impact I can see happening. When people are working consistently with me they are seeing improvements and are getting really good leads. We're talking four and five-figure leads.

I really get to know about the client and their business, and the type of people who are reaching out to them and the type of people we're trying to reach. So it's really exciting and fun.

Find out more about working with me on an ongoing basis here

Check out the standing desk here

Gus Bhandal, the founder of M Guru, a digital marketing agency in central England, shares his journey from studying marketing in 1996, through various roles and experiences, to starting his agency in 2017.

His unique approach to leveraging social media for business growth, especially LinkedIn, has positioned him as a go-to expert in the field (in Birmingham ;)) Gus discusses his pivot from running a popular pub to focusing on digital marketing, emphasizing the importance of social media in attracting customers. As the pandemic increased reliance on digital platforms, Gus's expertise in LinkedIn became highly sought after, marking his deep dive into the platform around 2020.

Throughout the conversation, Gus shares valuable insights on LinkedIn's power in building communities, personal branding, and the significance of attending industry events for networking.

He also touches on Uplift Live, an upcoming LinkedIn-focused conference he's co-organizing, designed to delve deep into effective LinkedIn strategies with top experts in the field.

**Key Takeaways:** - Gus Bhandal's rich background in marketing and his transition from hospitality to digital marketing.

• The impact of the pandemic on the surge in demand for LinkedIn training.
• - The essence of LinkedIn for professional networking and community building.
• - The significance of attending industry events for personal and business growth.
• - A preview of Uplift Live, the must-attend LinkedIn conference for deep strategic insights.

 **For More Information:**

To learn more about Gus Bhandal and his work, find him on LinkedIn or visit the M Guru website. 

For those interested in attending Uplift Live and possibly securing a discount, visit [uplift-live.com](http://uplift-live.com) and mention being a friend of Louise. Join us in Birmingham on March 21st for Uplift Live for an immersive day of learning and networking with LinkedIn aficionados.

If you are using social media to promote your business, you might get frustrated from time to time.  You think of something wonderful to post online and write it out carefully, checking your spelling and grammar.  Choose a nice photo to go with it and post it.  Away it goes, into the ether.  And you wait to see if anyone will click like.  Or comment.  Or even better, send you a message via messenger or email. 

But all you get is crickets.

And in the meantime, you see other people posting stuff that regularly seems to get huge engagement. But they are saying the same thing as you!  Aren’t they?

The focus of today’s podcast is to discuss all the weird and wonderful hacks that people use,  with the belief that it will boost their engagement on LinkedIn.

Before we dive in though,  I want to let you know the real way to get engagement on LinkedIn.  

1.  Identify who you are talking to
2. Share something that starts a conversation or helps them in some way
3. Always have a call to action – ask a question or spur some sort of action after they read your post
4. Engage with other people’s posts  

I have been working with an amazing client recently on a series of linkedin strategy sessions.  At the end of each hour, we discuss ‘homework’.   This varies for each individual client (as does the training – it depends on what you need help or strategy on!).  My client’s homework was to write an article for LinkedIn that spoke directly to her ideal client.   Within 2 hours of posting this article, she has already received three comments.  Which is fantastic for a LinkedIn article in 2020.  I expect many more people will leave their thoughts in response to this piece during the next few weeks.  

I don’t believe in hacking the system.  You can use any or all of the following tricks that people suggest but if you share genuine content that your audience is interested in, you will win business on LinkedIn.   Being aware of what works for you is not a hack – I think learning how a social media platform works, what works ON it, and measuring your results is a far better use of your time. 

1.   Some suggest using hashtags that are not relevant to your post e.g. hashtag#innovation

Innovation has 38 million followers. 

However – my work is NOT about innovation. And interestingly, I did attract the attention of some linkedin users to comment on my post, who are not in my network and after they posted, I was pretty sure I won’t be adding them any time soon! 

I recommend you choose hashtags that relate to what you are saying – then someone who follows that hashtag is much more likely to be interested in, and engage with, your content. 

 Where do you place your links.   

This is a highly debated topic amongst LinkedIn users.  Some will publish their post and go back to edit it, and add in the link.   Others will put links in the comments.  

Why does it matter?

The theory is that the algorithm doesn’t like you sharing content that takes the reader off LinkedIn. I actually wonder does the reader decide he/she doesn’t want to go off linkedin!  IF you consider the high volume of people accessing social media through mobile apps n (57% of linkedin users),  they are scrolling through the posts on that platform and it would take a high interest story to take them to another site.  

Gary Gleeson made the following point - . I have tried putting the link in the comments and the reach does increase, but I still prefer to post using schedulers as I am always busy working then.

 Timing of your posts

Hubspot research a few years ago suggested  the best days to post content on LinkedIn are between Tuesday and Thursday, either early in the morning, lunchtime or early evening. 

Having read some of the comments on my own original post, I think a lot of my network read Hubspot because they mentioned the 10am slot on a Tuesday morning.  Of course, what if you work internationally?  Then all bets are off! 

I would suggest this applies to professionals – if your target audience is a small business owner this may differ.  There is some suggestion that the senior C-suite execs are more likely to engage after 8pm at night! 

Having a quick review of my last four weeks, my most popular day is Thursday … hmmmmm

So test this out for yourself! 

Recommending people you have never met

Some people will recommend you for work even though they have never even had a conversation with you. 

This is interesting.  Why would you recommend someone whom you have never worked with?  Back in the day this was very common practice on LinkedIn.  

LinkedIn used to ask you to endorse up to eight of your contacts regularly.  And I believe it became a little irrelevant.  This option has now gone.  An improvement! 

Maybe it depends on your line of business. But for me, followers for the sake of followers makes no sense. Am I missing something? I’m looking to LinkedIn as a place to curate a specific tribe of people for reciprocal support, resources, and those most likely to do business with me. So my tactics here are very strategic. Is that wrong? hashtag#LinkedInInfluencer 😉

Casey Gromer, CMO for Entrepreneurs

The people recommending me for skills they couldn’t possibility know I have is utterly baffling to me. What’s behind this? Is it the modern day form of you scratch my back I scratch yours? So that I’ll owe you something in the future? 

Aine Morgan - working with mums who work in the Big 4 Accountancy firms

Using Engagement Pods

What is an engagement pod? A group of people who collaborate together and post/comment on each other’s content

I have talked about this on the podcast before and I did use this method about a year ago – but for many reasons, I stopped.  You find the same people commenting on each others posts every day. It is time consuming.  You have to comment on something you may not actually find relevant.

This could be a good opportunity for a time management exercise. If you are in an engagement pod, how much time does it take you each day? Would your time be better spent connecting with your own potential clients? 

Scheduling Tools

Not using a scheduling tool, because it effects your reach. 

 Many of my connections on LinkedIn have said using a scheduling tool can have a negative impact, the general consensus seems to be for native posting. 

However, if your time is limited, choose where to spend it. And if scheduling your posts in advance, or hiring a virtual assistant to schedule them for you works for you, then carry on.

Liking your own posts or tagging yourself at the end of a post

In the last few days I've seen: - Liking your own posts - Tagging yourself at the end of your own post - "I'll connect with everyone who comments below"  

These are all 'tricks' currently in favour in early 2020. The best advice I can give you is to create interesting content that your audience want to engage with, and not to get weighed down with trying to beat the algorithm on any social media platform.

The first hour after hitting publish

There is "the golden hour" - posts which get a lot of engagement in the first hour after publishing always go on to do well. How do you know when this is? Watch your own posting schedule and see what time of the week works for your own audience. If you have time, respond to comments on your post in that first hour and measure how effective this strategy is.

Would you rather focus on winning business?

Then be strategic - what works for your audience? What do they want to know about? Build a genuine network around your profile on LinkedIn, and engage with them.

Consider how much time you are spending trying to get more clicks or likes - and decide if your time would be better spent on InMail or better still, picking up the phone and calling your prospects.

To get help with your LinkedIn strategy, why not schedule a discovery call today.

Here’s a belter which is a sure fire winner, Louise. Find people on LinkedIn you don’t know and then send them a connection request. Maybe even make it a personalised one. Then as soon as they accept send them a DM saying, “BUY MY STUFF. BUY MY STUFF. BUY MY STUFF.” It works every time. I made 7 figures just last week using this “hack”.

I would love to find out what other 'hacks' you have been told about for LinkedIn and whether you try them out or not... 

www.louisebrogan.com

Hannah Smolinski is a CPA and the founder of Clara CFO Group, a virtual CFO agency providing small businesses with financial clarity and profit maximization strategies. Her experience working for one of the world’s largest accounting firms inspired her to make corporate expertise accessible to small business owners through fractional CFO services. She also hosts a YouTube channel with over 35,000 subscribers and uses the platform to help small businesses achieve financial success.

We have a good old dig into business, YouTube, video and so muchmore on this episode.

www.youtube.com/c/LinkedInwithLouise 

WEBSITE: https://claracfo.com/

CONTACT INFO: hannah@claracfo.com

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/claracfogroup

10 ways you can use video on LinkedIn as content.

Video is a fantastic way to connect with your audience. Here at Louise Brogan Ltd, we work with our clients to create pillar video content that can be shared across different platforms. Our focus is on LinkedIn, but the video can also be uploaded onto YouTube, your website and through your company newsletter.

How do you come up with ideas on what to put in your video?

We have that sorted for you. Our team will put together a strategic plan to help you create video content that will attract your ideal clients, and even new employees.

To help you get started we have a few ideas to share on the podcast today.

To find out more about how we can help,  book a call here www.louisebrogan.com/inquiry 

To book your place on our LinkedIn and YouTube workshop in Belfast, sign up here

If you’ve ever wondered how you can get directly in front of your target audience to amplify your brand message, then wonder no more. Joining me on this week’s podcast, Esther Kiss explains how she turns her one-of-a-kind publicity strategies into million-dollar sales.

Esther is the founder of the US based publicity and marketing agency, Born To Influence. She specialises in helping experts and personal brands get more publicity through appearances on TV, in newspapers, magazines and on some of the top podcasts in the world.

In this episode, Esther shares her experience of going from marketing professional to publicist extraordinaire. We talk about some of the big-name clients she has worked with and how she has built on their existing marketing strategies to find the hook for media pitches.

We also discuss Esther’s insights into how you can position yourself so that media outlets want to talk to you by:

1. Connecting your unique expertise with the trending topics in local and national news
2. Using research studies to create your own engaging hook for your brand
3. Podcasting to build your knowledge-leader status so that high profile collaborators want to take part

If you want to hear more, and to ask Esther any questions directly about her approach to building publicity, we’ll be live on LinkedIn this Friday 23 April at 3 pm. Simply visit my LinkedIn page to tune in.

About Esther

Esther Kiss is the founder of Born To Influence, a boutique publicity firm specializing in helping experts and personal brands get more credibility, leads and sales. Her clients have been featured on TV, in newspapers, magazines and on some of the top podcasts in the world, resulting in millions of dollars in additional sales.

Esther has worked on campaigns in a variety of industries from SaaS products, mobile apps and digital information products to New York Times and other national bestseller book launches to philanthropic projects.

She's also the producer and host of Born To Influence: The Marketing Show, where she interviews highly successful entrepreneurs and New York Times bestselling authors about their publicity and marketing strategies.

To learn more, go to: www.estherkiss.com

How do you create, market and sell your first online course? If you are building a business online working with customers and clients on a one to one basis, you might be ready to create your own online course. Where do you start? In this episode, I talk through the seven steps to creating, marketing, selling and growing your own online course. To join my free three-part video series on how to create your own online course, the top mistakes to avoid in creating an online course, and the top tech tools to use, sign up today https://louisebrogan.com/freetrainingonlinecourse/ 

On Wednesday 16th November, I was honoured to be invited to attend a special reception at Buckingham Palace by HM King Charles III to celebrate the contribution of small business to the UK Economy.     Little did I know what was going to happen!    

How to verify your employees on your LinkedIn Company Pages and why you should.

If you have a  Company Page on LinkedIn you now have the ability to verify those employees so that they can acess the My Company tab. 

This tab is only available to companies with more than 10 member of staff registered with the company on LinkedIn.   Find out more about the tab, the verification and see if it is a good fit for you and your business on LinkedIn.

Nikki Rausch is a sales expert who helps entrepreneurs sell with authenticity, move clients seamlessly through their sales process, and close more deals by building strong relationships. 

How do you feel about selling in your business?

Do you ever wonder why prospective clients decide not to take you up on the offer of a discovery call? 

Wouldn’t you just love to be able to move people seamlessly through your sales processes? 

Then you’re going to love this interview with sales expert Nikki Rausch. Nikki helps entrepreneurs sell with authenticity, move prospective clients seamlessly through their sales process, and close more deals by building strong relationships. In this episode, Nikki shares some actionable tips on how to invite your prospective clients to engage in a conversation with you by always making it easy for your audience to connect with you directly. If you want to know why the ‘shotgun approach’ to sales doesn’t really work, why you should always personalise any messages you send out to your leads, and what the principles of ‘relationship selling’ are, don’t miss this value-packed episode!

You will learn…

1. How ‘relationship selling’ will help you attract more loyal fans and clients. 
2. How to structure your ‘sales staircase’ so you know exactly how to move clients up the next step of the process. 
3. How to get started with sales, even when you haven’t even left your corporate job yet, or if you are at the very early stages of your business. 

More about Nikki Rausch:

Nikki’s website – Sales Maven.

Nikki’s books: Six-Word Lessons on Influencing with Grace and Buying Signals.  

Nikki on LinkedIn and Facebook. 

Nikki has very kindly offered a FREE copy of her E-book Closing the Sale to any listeners of the Social Bee podcast – you can grab your copy here. 

More about me. 

My membership: The Social Bee Academy. 

My brand NEW Facebook group for podcast listeners: Social Beehive. If you enjoy the show, come and join us, and we can chat about the topics I cover with my guests on the podcast. 

If you enjoyed this episode and want to find out more about how you can work with me, head over to my website or email me at louise@socialbeeni.com.

Or join my 30-day social media challenge and receive exclusive access to my monthly value-packed webinars. 

LinkedIn with Louise takes you on a deep dive into the world of LinkedIn, unveiling the secrets to effectively utilizing this powerful platform for business purposes.

Host Louise Brogan provides a step-by-step guide to accessing and interpreting analytics on a LinkedIn company page, empowering businesses to measure their performance and make informed decisions. With valuable insights on increasing followers, capturing leads, and optimizing content, Louise equips listeners with the tools and strategies they need to leverage LinkedIn for remarkable growth. Don't miss out on this opportunity to unlock LinkedIn's full potential and propel your business to new heights.

#engagement rate, LinkedIn, analytics, company pages, visibility, green lights, links, inquiries, social media,  podcast

Want some help figuring it out for your own company?  Book a call today at www.louisebrogan.com/inquiry

In 2020, LinkedIn released a LOT of new features – here are some of the top ones:

1. Add a Featured Section

Adding a new ‘Featured’ section to your LinkedIn profile – this section is where you can share your featured highlights including Posts, Articles, Links to external online content and upload photos or documents.

How to use the LinkedIn Featured section in your personal profile.

2. Add a Poll

Adding a new Polls option to your text posts – one of my favourite new features! I suggest you try this feature out once a month – polling your network is a great way to encourage conversation and debate, plus finding out what your network REALLY think about!

How to use LinkedIn Polls

3. Open to Work

If you are currently looking for a new role, you can add an option to your personal profile that shows your network you are ‘open to work’

Click on the ‘Open to’ button underneath your headline – then choose Finding a new job as your option.

You can choose location, job titles, and whether you want full-time, part-time, temporary or contract work. You can also choose whether to share with only recruiters, or with your whole network.

Once you have completed this, a green circle will appear on your profile picture.

4. Reactions on your LinkedIn Posts

Before 2020, you would have been able to click to ‘like’ someone's post on LinkedIn. Now we have six reactions available – like, celebrate, love, support, curious and insightful.

Remember – if you leave a comment, this will raise your profile and visibility rather than just clicking a reaction.

5. Video Messages

Did you know you can send a video message to your connections?

On your LinkedIn mobile app, go to messaging, click on the video sign and you can create and send a video message.

How to use messaging on LinkedIn (and why you should)

How can your team help to market the business on LinkedIn?

Empower them through training,  engage their networks and reward the shining stars.

We support companies who want to use LinkedIn to market their business AND their CEO on LinkedIn - whether you want to attract new talent, connect with your customer base, or raise the profile of your business, we canhelp.

Reach out to Louise on LinkedIn or check out how we support our clients here - www.louisebrogan.com/retainer

For our full contingent of online video training, visit www.youtube.com/linkedinwithlouise 

Are you looking for ways to add more revenue streams to your business? 

Would you like to find out how I increased my revenue by 50% in 2018? 

In this episode, I talk about the six income streams that helped me grow my business in 2018. If you are looking for ideas and inspiration to help you push your business forward in 2019, you’ll find out exactly what I invested my money in in 2018 and what opportunities I will pursue in 2019 to ensure my business continues growing. 

You will learn…

1. Why investing in your business development is key and how it directly impact the bottom line of your business.  
2. What you can do to add more revenue streams to your business in 2019.  
3. How unpaid gigs and projects can help you raise your visibility and profile (and lead to exciting opportunities down the line). 

Useful links:

My membership: The Social Bee Academy. 

My mastermind.  

Raise Your Visibility Online Summit, 2018. 

Join my 30-day social media challenge and receive exclusive access to my monthly value-packed webinars. 

Affiliate links I mentioned in this episode:

The Membership Guys

Convert Kit

Simply Business

Events I mentioned in this episode: 

Atomiccon  with Andrew and Pete.

Youpreneur Summit 2019, with Chris Ducker. 

Will you be joining me? It’d be great to see you there! 

If you enjoyed this episode and want to find out more about how you can work with me, head over to my website or email me at louise@socialbeeni.com

Have you seen some LinkedIn accounts with follow instead of connect on their Introductory card?

What does this mean and which should you have on your profile?

How to Connect with someone on LinkedIn

The default setting on LinkedIn profiles is to show the ‘Connect’ button. It appears to the right of your profile photo.

When you connect with someone on LinkedIn, you are automatically following their content.

How to follow someone on LinkedIn

When you ‘follow’ someone on LinkedIn, you will see posts from that person in your newsfeed, but they will not see yours. When you follow someone but don’t connect, they are not following your activity on LinkedIn.

Why do you choose Follow first rather than Connect?

According to LinkedIn, your network should consist of people you already know. The follow option is to follow posts and articles from someone you want to hear from, but you don’t know.

For example, the above profile is the News Editor for LinkedIn News. So you may want to follow her articles on LinkedIn news.

Having a smaller network of people you want to engage with on LinkedIn usually provides a better experience than connecting with lots of people you don’t know.

How to build a powerful network on LinkedIn

One reason to choose to follow someone rather than connect, is if they are a thought leader within your industry and you want to keep on top of what is happening in the industry.

Examples of people you may want to follow – speakers, podcasters, authors, politicians.

The key differences between Followers and Connections

• When you are connected, you can see each others posts in your feed
• Followers can see your posts in their newsfeed. If you want to see one of your followers posts, you can follow them.
• You can only send messages to people you are connected to unless you have LinkedIn Premium*
• You can only endorse your connections for their skills
• You can only recommend (or request a recommendation from) a connection, not someone you follow

*With LinkedIn Premium, you can send up to 15 ‘InMails’ per month to people who are not your connections.

Conclusion

If you wish to build a network of people to engage with on LinkedIn, then it is probably a good idea to keep your profile as ‘connect’ first.

If you wish to build a following of people who want to learn from you and read your content, then set your profile to Follow first.

How can you use LinkedIn to build thought leadership, even if you work in a highly-regulated industry?

This week on the podcast, I interview my good friend Rhonda Peterson. Rhonda is a Coach for financial professionals, a speaker, and a workshop facilitator.

Rhonda guides financial services executives, entrepreneurs, and emerging leaders to lean into their strengths and energy to increase their ROI, both professionally and personally.

As more people within financial services using LinkedIn, those who work in a highly-regulated industry seem to struggle to hit the right balance between using the platform to build relationships and remaining compliant with their employer’s regulations.

However, raising your profile on LinkedIn doesn’t need to be causing any issues to your employer or your industry.

Establishing yourself as a thought leader on LinkedIn is possible, even if you work in a highly-regulated industry.

In this episode, Rhonda and I discuss a couple of examples from our networks, and Rhonda shares how she’s using LinkedIn to grow her career as a speaker. If you want to find out how you too can become a thought leader on LinkedIn, make sure you tune in!

You will learn…

1. Why you should be using LinkedIn to reach out to your connections and ask for relevant introductions.
2. The exact steps you can take to build your thought leadership on LinkedIn, regardless of the industry you work in. 
3. How you can use LinkedIn to get more work. 

About Rhonda

If you’d like to connect with Rhonda, you can find her on LinkedIn or on her website. And if you connect with her on LinkedIn, don’t forget to send Rhonda a personalised message and let her know you’ve listened to her interview on this podcast. 

How to use LinkedIn to get more leads and sales with Janine Coombes 

How can you use LinkedIn to get more leads and sales? 

Do you know what type of content works specifically for your business and your audience? 

This week on the podcast, I interview small business marketing manager Janine Coombes. Janine helps one-man-band business owners to narrow down the one thing they want to be known for and to promote their business. 

Earlier this year, Janine published a spoof video of herself all dressed up, wearing pearls, and putting on a silly voice. On LinkedIn. The video became so popular with her audience that Janine decided to start her own video series – The Secret Marketing Show. Now in the process of planning the third series of her show, Janine is testing out a new format. But what was the key to the success of her videos? Janine decided to just be herself – to create content that appeals to her personality and her brand. To be bold and brave enough to create content that allows her to attract the right audience and put off people who wouldn’t want to work with her. 

You will learn…

1. How to find your first clients after leaving your corporate career, even if you decide not to work with corporate clients.   
2. Why you should use clear calls to action at the end of your LinkedIn posts to attract leads and make sales. 
3. Why it’s important to have goals when posting content on social media – for example, are you looking to get engagement on your content, or do you want to make sales? 

About Janine

If you’d like to connect with Janine and watch her amazing videos (a.k.a. The Secret Marketing Show) you can find her on LinkedIn and YouTube. Janine is also writing a book called The Content Marketing Myth, due to be published in Q1 of 2020. 

Get my help to build your personal brand on LinkedIn

If you need help in creating your LinkedIn profile, check out my LinkedIn training and services on my Work with me page. 

I offer two types of LinkedIn profile reviews:

1. LinkedIn Profile video walkthrough with 2 page action plan
2. Upgrade to an additional 30-minute Zoom call to go through my comments and ask me questions. 

And if you’d like more help on your LinkedIn strategy, you can work with me on a one-to-one strategy session. 

More about me. 

If you enjoy the show, I’d be very grateful if you could share it with at least another person and leave me a review on iTunes. And if you haven’t subscribed yet, why not?

If you have any questions on this episode or on LinkedIn or would like to offer any feedback, I’d love for you to reach out. You can find me on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. 

Also, come and join my Facebook group for podcast listeners, Social Beehive, where we chat about the topics I cover on the podcast, you can share your feedback, and get in touch about upcoming episodes. 

And if you want to find out more about how you can work with me or what events I am running in the future, head over to my website , keep an eye out on Eventbrite, or email me at louise@socialbeeni.com. 

Do you sell online courses? Perhaps you’re running a challenge or offering a free PDF or a webinar to encourage people to sign up for your membership? 

Are you interested in finding out how you can replace your existing funnels with ‘conversational selling’ and increase your digital sales?

This week on the podcast, I interview Mike Kelly, CTO and Co-Founder of MemberVault, an easy-to-use resource hub that allows you to showcase your free offers and paid products in one place. Whether you offer digital products, courses, memberships, or one-to-one services, MemberVault helps you share your content and keep your followers engaged using gamification. 

In this episode, Mike gives us an insight into how the platform works, but also shares the story of how and why he and his wife Erin came up with the idea for this product. Using MemberVault allows you to qualify warm and hot leads within the platform and reach out to them individually, so you can go from ‘funnelling’ (a very seller-centric approach) to ‘serving’ (a more user-centric approach). If you sell digital products in your business (free or paid-for), and you want to find out about a different and more engaging way of selling, you won’t want to miss this episode! 

You will learn…

1. Why having all your digital products in one place allows you to replace your existing sales funnels and increase your conversion rates. 
2. Why you should qualify your warm and hot leads and reach out to them individually (Mike calls this ‘conversational selling’). 
3. Why you should always listen to your users and create products or services that alleviates a pain point they are experiencing, rather than something that you (the business owner) want to build and sell.  

About Mike

If you’d like to connect with Mike, you can find him on LinkedIn. 

Try MemberVault for free

And if you would like to try MemberVault, you can use my affiliate link here. You can create a free account, join the helpful MemberVault Facebook group that Mike and Erin’s team run, and try out all the features before you buy. 

Do you want to learn more about using LinkedIn for business? 

If you want my help to leverage LinkedIn to raise your profile, get your message out there, and create a solid strategy on how to use LinkedIn for your business in 2020 and beyond, check out my Work with Me page.  

I offer 3 types of services: 

• A LinkedIn profile review with a video walkthrough of your profile and a 2-page action plan for you to implement.
• A LinkedIn profile review + consultation, including a 45-minute strategy session for using LinkedIn.
• And a series of 4x 1-hour LinkedIn strategy sessions followed by a tailored action plan.

If you have any questions, send me a message on LinkedIn or email me at louise@socialbeeni.com. 

Would you like FREE tips on how to grow your LinkedIn network?

If you’d like more tips on growing your LinkedIn network without being salesy and spammy, you can download my FREE guide here or head over to my website to pick up my FREE LinkedIn profile tips.  

More about me

If you enjoy the show, I’d be very grateful if you could share it with at least another person and leave me a review on iTunes. And if you haven’t subscribed yet, why not?

If you have any questions on this episode or on LinkedIn or would like to offer any feedback, I’d love for you to reach out. You can find me on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. 

LinkedIn, networking and community

An early adopter of LinkedIn, Karen Tisdell recognised the platform’s potential when working as a recruiter. Foreseeing the importance of how business leaders are perceived online, Karen began her LinkedIn profile writing business. Now in her 12th year of business, Karen regularly facilitates LinkedIn training for some of the biggest companies in Australia. Her true love, however, is writing profiles for business owners. Located in Sydney, Karen asserts her family complains that her voice travels through walls and so given the challenge of time differences, she doesn’t work or connect with people located outside the Asia-Pacific region.  

Links: www.karentisdell.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/karentisdell/

www.facebook.com/KarenTisdellLinkedIn 

www.twitter.com/karen_tisdell

Interesting facts about Karen - she loves collaboration and runs a regular Friday LinkedIn Live session with Michelle J Raymond - a company page specialist.

Karen loves LinkedIn personal profiles. They enjoy robust discussions on what LinkedIn strategies are best and 'compete' to add value to our audience. Check out the LinkedIn RoundUp with Raymond & Tisdell. 

Karen does not connect globally unless the person is also a LinkedIn trainer or LinkedIn expert.

Pick your Pond

We talk about the importance of 'picking your pond.'

You want a pond that's kind of connected to another pond, maybe there's a little stream connecting them. And you want to pick a pond and know where the big fish are, the ones that go through multiple ponds.

It's all about finding the right people. So pick your pond and and look at who's in the waterways near you and the other ponds and play in that.

We talk about how generous Karen is in business, sharing tips and opportunities to fellow trainers. 

Karen says she love connecting with people who do the same thing as she does. She thinks about

"who can I introduce this person to?"

"How can we grow great together?"

It's not about carving up the pie. It's about making your pie bigger.

Questions Karen asks her clients

In order to deliver an excellent service, there are a lot of questions asked including:

• what do you do?
• What's your process?
• What's your call to action?
• What do you want people to do when they hit your profile?
• What is your objective?

We are more connected than our parents. We are far more connected than our grandparents. All the studies are saying that we know far more people. Yes.

Fact: the average American meets 80,000 people in their lifetime.

So, you know, LinkedIn is, it's really important. Because when you meet so many people, it's hard to stay front of mind. We each think that we're special and memorable. But to the other person, they're meeting so many other people as well!

So having a LinkedIn profile, makes you stand out that much more and a winning LinkedIn profile, really good profile converts.

To build trust, you need to be seen in three different places,

Somebody hears you on a podcast, and then they see you on a stage and then they write something.

Profile Writing Tips

Does your profile align with your goals for being on LinkedIn?

Does your background banner align with what you want to be known for.

For example - on your background you've got a picture of a beach. That tells us you want to be on holiday!

We love the beach, but on't have it in your background banner as that doesn't tell me anything about how you work with technology.

So think about your goal and make sure that you're putting that that strategic goal, that strategic intent, sort of all through your profile.

If you are ready to build the LinkedIn profile you deserve, get in touch.

https://www.louisebrogan.com/workwithme

Running a Virtual Assistant business with associate team members with Claire Grace

Have you ever thought about hiring a Virtual Assistant to support you in your business? 

Could hiring a Virtual Assistant save you time AND money? 

In this week’s episode, I interview Claire Grace, who is the founder and CEO of a Virtual Assistant business that supports female entrepreneurs. Whether you’re looking for ongoing support to manage your workload or help with a one-off project or event, Claire and her team have got you covered. Claire also supports female business owners with social media strategy and as an Online Business Manager, who is someone who helps you co-ordinate operations, projects, and people in your business. In this interview, Claire shares her experience of starting her own Virtual Assistant business after an ‘accidental’ 15-year-old career in banking. Specifically, we talk about the choices that Claire made when starting her business and why she opted for an associate business model, rather than working as a solopreneur. 

You will learn…

1. What a Virtual Assistant is and how they can help you in your business (because it’s not just about getting ‘stuff’ off your to-do list!). 
2. Why creating a team of trusted associates who help you in your business isn’t just a great benefit to you but to your clients as well. 
3. Why open communication and building honest relationships are key when you’re starting out in business. 

More about Claire

You can find Claire on her website, on Facebook and Instagram. Here’s the link to Claire’s Virtual Assistant ROI Calculator.

Other resources mentioned in this episode

Georgina Chapman, Virtual PA – the Virtual Assistant I mention and recommend in this episode. 

My one-day mastermind in Belfast

I am running a one-day mastermind on the 22^nd August 2019 in Belfast to help you move your business forward and set yourself up for success for the rest of 2019. On the day, you get 30 minutes in the hot seat to discuss any issue or questions you may have about your business and receive support and input from myself and other like-minded entrepreneurs. So if you want to grow your business online this year, email me at louise@socialbeeni.com to reserve your spot. 

Social Media Bootcamp – Content Marketing for Business. 17^th October 2019, Belfast

Following the success of our first Social Media Bootcamp in May 2019 at the iconic Titanic hotel in Belfast, my friend and colleague Ashleigh Watson of Copper Square Communications and I are proud to announce that tickets for our second bootcamp-style conference are now on sale. The second Social Media Bootcamp is all about Content Marketing for Business and is taking place on Thursday, 17^th October 2019 in Belfast. 

*Super early bird tickets are on sale until the 31^st July 2019*. 

My monthly membership - The Social Bee Academy  

I run a monthly membership, The Social Bee Academy, where I can teach you how to raise your visibility online through social media, email marketing, podcasting, blogging, and much more. The first month is only £10 if you use code SOCIAL-BEE-TRIAL. After that, for only £30 per month, you get access to me and the rest of the community to ask for help with anything you need to grow your business online. 

If you’re in Northern Ireland, I also run regular workshops to help you use social media for your business, so keep an eye out on Eventbrite for any upcoming workshops you may be interested in. 

My social media podcast series 

If you want to know more about how to use social media for your business, I’ve recently run a series of podcast episodes that you might find useful. 

How to use Facebook Groups in 2019.

What’s working on Twitter in 2019.

How to use LinkedIn in 2019. 

What’s working on Instagram for your business in 2019. 

What’s working on Facebook for your business in 2019. 

More about me. 

If you enjoy the show, I’d be very grateful if you could share it with at least another person and leave me a review on iTunes. You can also come and join my Facebook group for podcast listeners: Social Beehive where we chat about the topics I cover on the podcast.

And if you want to find out more about how you can work with me or what events I am running in the future, head over to my website or email me at louise@socialbeeni.com.

To receive exclusive access to my monthly value-packed webinars, join my 30-day social media challenge.

This week’s podcast is all about a new feature that’s just launched on LinkedIn – it’s called LinkedIn Creator.

If you’ve never heard of it - or even if you have but have no idea whether it’s right for you - then listen up! I’ll be talking you through the who, where, what, why and how in this simple-to-understand breakdown of everything you need to know.

PODCAST PLAYER

Over the last 10 years, LinkedIn has really changed from where it used to be. Back then, you may have turned to LinkedIn to find a job and would have maybe updated your profile accordingly. Fast forward to today and there’s a small, but growing, group of people who are creating content on the platform, for the platform. For example, live videos, writing articles, blog posts and comments all intended to start conversations.

In this episode, I discuss who LinkedIn creators are, and how to judge for yourself how, and why you’re using LinkedIn to see whether you might fall into this category (heads up - not everyone will, and that’s totally fine!).

Once you’ve made that decision, track along with me to understand the three key elements that Creator offers:

1. Introductory card: what it is, where to find it, and what it should say about you
2. Number of followers: How to see how many you have and whether they’re visible and clickable to your network
3. Newsfeed prioritisation: How to ensure that what your followers see are the 5 or 6 things that you want them to read/watch

If you want to find out more about LinkedIn Creator, why not book in with me for a VIP session? The online session lasts for 3 hours and during that time we will go through your LinkedIn profile with a fine-toothed comb; working out what needs to change if you have an existing profile, or how to start from scratch. We also go through your settings to make sure your profile is optimised – which means that people wanting to work with you can find and connect with you easily. I also offer a monthly retainer option to support and help you achieve your goals on an ongoing basis (see the links below).

I work with clients all over the world, so time zone is certainly no barrier!

Please just get in touch with me to find the most convenient time and let’s get it booked in - my June diary only has a couple of slots available now, but I would love to work with you!

I’d love to hear what you think of LinkedIn Creator? Do you think it’s for you? Are you going to use it? Please do let me know.

Don’t forget to rate and subscribe to my podcasts, if you enjoyed it and found it useful, please give it an ‘A’. Thank you!

Useful links

To view my youtube video on LinkedIn Creator, watch it here: https://youtu.be/Tq3tKJ5vJns

To see my LinkedIn VIP offering, all the details are here: www.louisebrogan.com/linkedinvip

Please see the overview of my monthly retainer package here: https://louisebrogan.com/what-does-a-linkedin-retainer-package-look-like/

Why is thought leadership important?

Clients and customers want to work with companies they ‘know, like, and trust’, and this trust can be built by demonstrating your knowledge and expertise.

Decision-makers within companies - big or small - spend time reading and watching content online. Well-crafted content that delivers a concise message has the potential to influence how people view your brand and, crucially, their buying behaviour.

49% of decision-makers say that thought leadership can be effective at influencing their purchasing decisions.

89% of decision-makers say thought leadership enhances how they view a brand or organization online.

Edelman and LinkedIn Research, 2020

So why are so few people sharing thought leadership pieces?

It’s possible that organizations don’t realise the impact that sharing thought leadership can have. Without clear measurement of what impact this has on a brand, this activity may be pushed to the back of the to-do list.

My experience in working with clients on their LinkedIn strategy teaches me that many would like to share thought leadership content but feel they don’t have the skills or experience to know how to do this.

If you want to learn how to use thought leadership to help your business or organization, read on.

Thought leadership on LinkedIn can take the form of writing posts or articles, commenting on other people’s content, and sharing video.

Use your knowledge and experience to create content that answers your audience’s key questions.

Put yourself in the mind of your audience – what can you share with them today that will be of service to them?

What does your audience want to learn from you?

Here are three key areas to focus on:

1. Industry news – updates, insights, and experience from working inside your field of expertise.
2. Product or service information – how do you use your product? What benefits can your services bring? How will they impact your customers?
3. Brand values – what does your company stand for?

Why does this matter?

On the LinkedIn Business blog, C-suite figures back up the importance of sharing thought leadership.

47% of C-suite executives say they shared contact information after reading thought leadership.

45% of decision-makers say thought leadership compelled them to invite an organization to bid on a project when not previously considering them, and 57% of them say thought leadership directly led to awarding business.

61% of C-suite executives say they’re more willing to pay a premium to work with an organization that has articulated a clear vision.

LinkedIn Business Blog: Marketing Solutions

Maybe you’re thinking you haven’t got time for this. But the good news? Sharing one thoughtful piece on LinkedIn per month in the form of an article, or showing up with a short video once a week is all it takes.

Three different ways to share your thought leadership on LinkedIn

1. Writing long-form articles

Writing an article for your LinkedIn profile takes a bit of time and effort. And yes, articles get less views than posts. However, your ideal audience or potential clients will do their due diligence when looking to work with someone. And this includes checking what articles you have written. A well-crafted article will show up in search results online. So use keywords and consider what your ideal reader is searching for.

Also, by highlighting your article in the Featured Section of your profile, you can make it easier for your readers to find your pieces.

How to write articles that people will read and share

(this article first appeared in Social Media Examiner)

2. Share video content

Video marketing is an excellent way to share your thought leadership. Why not show your audience the behind-the-scenes of your company? Or demonstrate how your product works? Video will get your message across quickly.

So create video for your audience. Go back to the questions you get asked about your product or service and answer those.

If you have an event coming up, create a buzz around it using video. If you’re hosting a webinar, record a short promotional video that shows your audience what they will gain from attending your session.

How to use LinkedIn live and LinkedIn video for your business

3. Engage with your network

Using LinkedIn effectively means that the content you produce isn’t all about you. Sharing content shows your thought leadership, but remember to also spend time commenting on your network’s posts. Don’t forget to engage inside industry-specific LinkedIn groups because establishing your thought leadership is a two-way street. Also, when someone comments on your content, always respond to them.

Plan your thought leadership pieces.

What is your end goal? Don’t overcomplicate it. Your network enjoys digesting content – try to make it accurate, shareable, and relevant.

If you need help planning out what content you’re going to create, consider booking a LinkedIn VIP Intensive to work on your profile, content, and strategy for using LinkedIn.

How to use your LinkedIn Company Page with thought leadership

Do you have a team? Consider showcasing your team members and their expertise. Encourage the team to contribute to your Company Page content. Once they publish posts, videos, or articles, ask members of your team to share this content in their own personal networks too.

Supporting and highlighting your own employees makes your business more attractive not just to future employees, but also to those companies that share your brand values.

LinkedIn has had a surge of engagement in 2020, with an increase in traffic by 25% as more professionals are working from home. So don’t miss the opportunity to share your expertise and knowledge and to demonstrate leadership.

If you’re not leading, you’re following.

LinkedIn

If you would like to discuss creating a strategy for building your thought leadership on LinkedIn, reach out. My LinkedIn VIP intensives are the perfect fit for individuals, and my corporate training packages will suit an SME or corporation.

Traci Baxley joins me for an on-air coaching call on how to 'jump back in' to LinkedIn following a change of direction with her business.  Traci is a Life Coach for Moms,  supporting women who are chasing the elusive “balance” instead of choosing harmony and grace to guide their lives. Traci helps moms move from fear-based parenting to intentional parenting with radical love using her parenting philosophy, Social Justice Parenting.

Traci specializes in supporting moms of transracial families. She offers cultural coaching and consulting for transracial families (white parents with black/biracial children) and adoption agencies working with transracial families. 

I met Traci in the US in November when she was a keynote speaker at a conference we were both speaking at and I love her approach to parenting as well as business.  In this on-air coaching call we work through how LinkedIn can be a resource for Traci, and how she can change and adapt her profile to fit her true passion in business.  

Find out more about Traci here

Connecting

When you go to a conference and meet business connections, do you say “let’s connect on LinkedIn”? Unlike five years ago, when you would be swapping business cards and email addresses, now, you’re much more likely to find someone saying, let’s connect on LinkedIn and possibly even connecting with you while you’re actually at the conference.

Here are key things to do when you or your team are planning to attend a conference

Before You Go

1. Prepare

Have a fully optimised LinkedIn company page, and LinkedIn personal profiles for all of the members of your team. This includes not just the team members who are attending the conference, but also your senior management team, your CEO, your C suite level.

As your sales team are connecting with people, having conversations and meeting your ideal clients, those people will be checking out your whole organisation’s LinkedIn presence.

If an interested party visited your firm’s LinkedIn page, what would they see? Posts about your products and services? They can also see all the employees attached to the page.

They’re also going to check out who are your C suite. Who is your CEO and what do they post on their personal LinkedIn, if anything. In my experience, there’s often a very scant presence on LinkedIn.

Are you tired of trying to juggle running your business and managing your LinkedIn profile?

We understand the challenges of balancing all of the demands of a successful business, which is why we offer LinkedIn content management services to help alleviate some of the stress.

Our team of experts will create and curate content that is tailored to your brand’s messaging, target audience, and goals. By outsourcing your LinkedIn content management to us, you can focus on growing your business and leave the social media management to us.

Contact us today to learn more about how we can help elevate your LinkedIn presence and drive more leads to your business.

2. Planning ahead

You’ve got your tickets booked. If you are taking a booth, you have reserved the space you’ve ordered your marketing materials, everything that you need that you’re going to take along to the conference. Maybe you have business cards, maybe you’re launching a new product. All of that is all set up and Ready to go.

A couple of questions to ask yourself:

• Who else is attending the conference?
• Who is going to be speaking?
• Are any of your existing network going to be attending?
• Are there any fringe events happening?

Start to connect with people on LinkedIn ahead of time. Send a message to say why you are looking forward to attending, or who you want to hear speaking.

Organise to meet people for a coffee if there aren’t meet-ups already organised.

3. For Conference Organisers

Have you created a LinkedIn event for the conference?

Have you shared social graphics for all your speakers to post on their LinkedIn profiles?

Are all of your sponsors showcasing your event on their own company pages? Write a short paragraph for them to post -make it easy for others to promote your event. Include an event hashtag.

Have you considered UGC (user generated content)? Create a graphic your attendees can use, to share on their own social media that they are attending your conference. If an attendee shares a post about your event, consider using it on your own Company page content, and comment on posts they write about your event.

4. Suggestions for messages to send ahead of time

Here are a few suggestions of messages to send to someone who is also attending the same event as you:

Hi **NAME**. I can see you are going to be speaking at **EVENT**. I’m coming too, and am really looking forward to your talk.

Hi **NAME**. Are you going to **EVENT**? I’d love to connect with you ahead of time.

Hey **NAME**. I see that you and the team are going to be at this event, I’d love to catch up with you if you have time for a coffee.

5. Create content your team can share about the Conference

In the run up to the conference, talk to your sales team and tell them about your marketing plan. You’re going to providing them with content on the company page.

Invite your team to share that with their network in an authentic way that starts conversations about your business.

Do not simply repost the company page content. By training your team and providing them with content, you are giving them tools that they can use to share and amplify the company message, and particularly with whatever is going to be happening at the conference.

6. Speaking at a Conference

If you want one of your team to be a speaker at a conference, the people who book those speakers are also on LinkedIn.

Suppose your CEO aims to establish themselves as a recognized authority in your industry. Begin by regularly posting content on their personal account, showcasing their expertise and thought leadership. Aim to share such content multiple times a week. Add a section on their personal profile listing them as a speaker.

7. At the Conference

Download your QR code from LinkedIn and save it to your phone. This way when you meet new connections you can easily connect with them on LinkedIn. Why not temporarily save the QR code image as your phone screensaver so it is easy to access.

Now you’re not scrambling to get on LinkedIn to find the person’s name that you’re speaking to, you literally just hold up your phone, the QR code is on the screen, and the person that you’re speaking to can scan that code and literally connect with you there.

Another top tip, take pictures of your team while you’re at the conference and post those on the company page, it shows that you are an active company.

If you meet people at the conference, take a photograph with them and post it on your company page or your personal profile, tag the person and say you know what you learned from them, or what you got out of the conference, keeping it all inside the realm of what you’re there for business to do for business.

8. After the Conference

Now, what I do recommend is that once you get back to your hotel room, or you get back to the office the following week, once a conference is over, all of those people that you connected with, send them a quick short message to remind them who you are.

Say it was great to meet you in Frankfurt at the conference last week. I hope you got home safe – I’d love to continue the conversation here. If you’re interested in having a chat, let me know.

9. Prepare your team

So all of this sounds really simple and easy. And it is. But why aren’t people doing it?

Maybe your sales team aren’t really comfortable with LinkedIn, maybe they need a little bit of upskilling or training and how to use LinkedIn effectively.

When your company or team or you yourself are planning to go to a conference, what should you be thinking about? What should you be doing ahead of the time when you’re there, and to follow up afterwards.

10. Ongoing LinkedIn Efforts

Continue being consistent with posting content on LinkedIn, so that those people that you do meet at the conference have actually got something that will remind them of you.

For example, if you connected with Bob, and you went to Frankfurt, and you’re back home now and you’re working away, if you’re still sharing content once a week, that talks about what it is that your business does, and Bob is posting stuff on LinkedIn, and comment on his stuff to keep you top of mind.

Because if you go back to the office, after the conference, all those lovely warm leads will fade away if you don’t follow up with them.

And being visible by sharing posts on LinkedIn is a really simple, simple, easy way to do that.

Come and connect with me on LinkedIn. And let’s have a conversation about it. And also, if you don’t have an in house marketing team devoted to creating content for your LinkedIn. That is exactly what we do here at Louise Brogan limited. We love writing content that helps your company get more visibility and leads and sales. So reach out.

There is something truly inspiring about hearing how people I’ve worked with have got on afterwards. So, in this week’s podcast I wanted to share some of these success stories with you all, as it’s a wonderful opportunity to hear how even small changes can make a real, measurable difference.

In this episode I will tell you about two women who I have worked with that have both had unbelievable success as a direct result of raising their profiles on LinkedIn.     

The first is a client of mine who’s based in the Maldives. wanted to use my profile review service to improve her visibility to her target audience. It was all the more important too given the devastation of the pandemic on the tourist industry. As a result of my session with her, she got back in touch recently to tell me about some money-can’t-buy coverage that she received from a global publisher. Thrilled is an understatement!

My second story is one of my ‘done for you’ clients where my team write the LinkedIn posts for you. We posted a good news story on the Friday, and by the following Monday it had more than 10,000 views and many many comments.

But success is not just about coverage, views or comments – it’s also about the real-life business impact. So, I’ve also got a great example of how one client’s work with me led directly to two, yes TWO, five-figure new business contracts.

If you’d like help with your LinkedIn strategy and for me to create this kind of success for your business, then please get in touch and I will get straight back to you.

www.louisebrogan.com/workwithme 

Thank you for listening, don’t forget to leave a review and tell me what you think.

Have you been thinking about organising your own event?

Do you ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes to make sure a conference-style event runs smoothly on the day?  

As you’re listening to this episode, mine and Ashleigh Watson’s first ever Social Media Bootcamp will have taken place in Belfast, at the iconic Titanic hotel. In this solo episode, recorded the day before the event, I run through what went into organising the bootcamp – from picking a venue to finding a printer for our fantastic workbooks and lanyards. But most importantly, I tell you more about the speakers, panel members, and the team involved behind the scenes and how I got to meet them all in person before asking them to be a part of the event. Stay tuned for more information about the 2020 Social Media Bootcamp and a one-day Mastermind I’m organising later in the year. 

You will learn…

1. What goes into organising a bootcamp-style event – from finding a venue to printing lanyards (and not forgetting those very important special touches!) 
2. More about each of the speakers, panel members, and the team who have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to make the Social Media Bootcamp happen. 
3. About the importance of attending events, making face-to-face connections and building relationships with other business owners, especially if you want to become a speaker yourself! 

Related podcast episodes

Episode 42 – Taking a Pilates class online with Louise Humphrey. 

Episode 48 – Making your mark online with Jammy Digital. You can also check out Martin and Lyndsay’s membership Make Your Mark Online. 

Episode 56 – Build your brand story with Lucy Eckley.

Episode 85 – Batching your content writing and running your own business with Sara Bussandri.  

My social media podcast series 

If you want to know more about how to use social media for your business, I’ve recently run a series of podcast episodes that you might find useful. 

How to use Facebook Groups in 2019.

What’s working on Twitter in 2019.

How to use LinkedIn in 2019. 

What’s working on Instagram for your business in 2019. 

What’s working on Facebook for your business in 2019. 

My monthly membership - The Social Bee Academy  

I run a monthly membership, The Social Bee Academy, where I can teach you how to raise your visibility online through social media, email marketing, podcasting, blogging, and much more. The first month is only £10 if you use code SOCIAL-BEE-TRIAL. After that, for only £30 per month, you get access to me and the rest of the community to ask for help with anything you need to grow your business online. 

If you’re in Northern Ireland, I also run regular workshops to help you use social media for your business, so keep an eye out on Eventbrite for any upcoming workshops you may be interested in. 

Live recording from our Social Media Bootcamp Panel on Podcasting.  

With podcasters Ian Anderson Gray of the Confident Live Marketing Podcast, Alex Curtis of the Lead Engine and Sara Bussandri, shownotes writer from the Social Bee Podcast.  

We discuss podcasting, take questions from the audience and have fun doing it! 

How do you know if you are ready to invest in a coach or consultant for LinkedIn?

When you are struggling with what to say, how to use LinkedIn and need some accountability and support, maybe it is time to think about hiring a coach.

Six benefits to hiring a coach or consultant to help you with your LinkedIn this month?

1.  It is hard trying to figure stuff out on your own

2. You save time by bringing in someone who already knows how to use the platform

3. It is much easier having someone help you understand how to write posts that get engagement and start conversations

4. You get to plan what you are going to post about on LinkedIn without having to sit down and stare at a blinking cursor

5. You can have someone else’s eyes on what you have already done, who knows what little tweaks and change can make a difference to your content

6. Working with someone who specialises in using LinkedIn means they know what is working now - from new features to algorithm changes and updates, without you having to worry! 

www.louisebrogan.com/workwithme

Hannah Smolinski is a Chief Financial Officer in Seattle, Washington. Only she doesn't work for one big corporate, she works as CFO for businesses like yours and mine! If your business is growing, you don't want to spend hours figuring out your book keeping, profit making, or where you can save money in your business. You would be better to outsource and invest in a CFO who can look at your accounts, your decisions and give you the best advice on growing your business going forward. Hannah and I talk about the role of a CFO, and how she finds clients online, offline and networking.

Did you know that LinkedIn offer you a reallyeasy way to write content?   It is the LInkedIn News top ten list!   When you see content that relates to you and your business, share those news stories and you might even get picked up. by the news editor and shared..

Www.louisebrogan.com/linkedinvip 

The answer is both yes and no.

You cannot choose specifically who sees your posts on your personal profile, remember this is your professional business network, not a list of your friends and family.

There ARE some tweaks you can make - whether it is only your connections who see your post, or the wider online community.

Yes -you can choose a target audience for your Company Page posts. You can filter by location, industry, region and many more options.

To get help managing your LinkedIn Company Page, get in touch today with Louise@socialbeeni.com

Have you ever had the following happen?

Someone sends you a connection request on LinkedIn with no message and you have no idea who they are, or why they want to connect with you.

Someone connects with you on LinkedIn and as soon as you accept their connection request, they send you a sales message. Or an automated message.

Don’t miss the opportunity to start a conversation

When you connect with someone on LinkedIn without a message, you are missing a huge opportunity.

LinkedIn is the social networking site for business owners and professionals. When you connect with someone, you add them to your network.

In order to build a valuable network full of potential customers, clients and collaborations, start out with having a conversation with your new contact.

When someone logs into their LinkedIn account and sees a handful of new connection requests – 2 with a message and 3 without, which ones do you think they will look at first?

When you receive a genuine message from a new connection, the usual thing to do would be to reply. Now you have moved beyond one of many connections in the newsfeed, to one to one in the inbox.

How can you add a message when connecting?

• Click on the person’s name that you would like to connect with
• Click on “Connect” on their introduction card (if you are using mobile, click on the three little dots to the right of the ‘connect’ button)
• Select ‘Add a note’
• Write your note and click on Send

Beware: Not all connection messages are the same

Imagine you are at a conference or business networking event. Someone comes up to you, shakes your hand, gives you a business and walks away without saying a word.

Or worse, you meet someone at an event, say hello and they immediately tell you what service they provide at and ask would you like to buy it.

Would this method work with you? What do you think your first reaction might be?

Don’t waste the opportunity to make a great first impression when connecting with someone on LinkedIn.

So what connection request message can you send?

First of all, think about WHY you want to connect with this person. Are they in the same field as you? Have you heard them on a podcast?

Did you see an article they wrote? Will adding them to your network add to the value you get from LinkedIn?

Have a look at their LinkedIn profile – is there something in their profile you can connect over?

What recent posts have they shared? Can you start a conversation about a topic they seem interested in?

Five examples of LinkedIn messages to send when connecting

Here are five examples of messages you can send when connecting with someone on LinkedIn:

1. The person you met at a networking event – try to send this connection request within a few days of meeting someone:

Hi Traci,

‘it was great to meet you at the event today – I’d like to connect so that we can stay in touch’

2. Someone you have heard on a podcast

Hi Martin,

I heard you on the LinkedIn with Louise podcast – I loved what you said about how to manage teams well. I thought it would be good to connect here on LinkedIn’

3. Someone you want to connect to, but haven’t met yet

‘Hi Barbara,

I saw your post on social media marketing and I liked how you wrote about the different platforms needing different approaches. LinkedIn is my own preference and I’d like to connect with you here. Looking forward to seeing more of your content,

4. Someone who might be able to help you in your business

Hi Louise,

I work with a team and we are struggling to get leads on LinkedIn. I heard your podcast about LinkedIn strategy and we’d love to have a chat with you to see if you can help us.

5. Someone you have been referred to

Hi Allison,

I am connected to Martin Huntbach, and he recommended I connect with you as we have a similar audience. Looking forward to finding out more about what you do.

If you received any of the above messages, do you think you would respond?

If the answer is yes, now you are starting a one-to-one direct conversation with someone.

You may not convert the new connection into a lead but when you get to know someone through a conversation, they will remember you and your business. This leads to genuine business relationships which leads to growth and sales.

Bonus sixth connection request message example

Here is a genuine message I received this week in my inbox:

Hi Louise, I’ve been enjoying your posts and would love to connect and have you in my network. Regards, C

Guess what? I replied and we had a conversation.

If you would like help and support with your own LinkedIn strategy, get in touch to find out how I can work with you.

How to tell your business story in the media with Amanda Berlin 

Do you struggle to explain what you do? Do you feel you’re not working with the right types of clients and would like to find more effective ways to be visible and reach out to your ideal customers? 

Then tune into this episode! 

This week on the podcast, I interview Amanda Berlin, who is a visibility and business consultant for entrepreneurs. Amanda works with clients on holistic visibility to help them grow their business and impact based on tactics employed during her 12 years in the corporate PR world, guiding strategy for major brands. Amanda and her clients have been featured in all types of media — from Business Insider to Entrepreneur on Fire and WNYW Fox 5 to Bustle.com. She’s the host of The Empowered Publicity Podcast and loves arming soul-powered business owners with the ideas and skill-set they need to go from hidden industry gems to recognizable trusted experts. 

In this episode, Amanda shares her own journey from leaving the corporate world to setting up her own business with the purpose of making a bigger impact on people’s lives. Today, Amanda helps clients to form collaborations and alliances, build concrete and genuine connections, pitch to the media and employ the PR tactics that align with her clients’ individual business goals. If you’re interested in getting PR coverage for your business (whether it’s TV, radio, podcasts, online publications, national newspapers and magazines, etc.) and want to do that in a way that makes sense for you and your business, this is an episode you won’t want to miss! 

You will learn…

1. Why it’s important to tell your business story in a way that interests and relates to your audience AND that is palatable to the media. 
2. Why podcasts are the most effective media to generate a deeper connection with listeners or to get in front of a new audience. 
3. Why you should always understand your business goals and create a strategy BEFORE you decide on what PR tactics to employ – different aims call for different platforms and different types of publicity! 

About Amanda

If you’d like to connect with Amanda, you can find her on her website – click on the Connect tab and you can send an email straight to Amanda’s inbox. And if you’re ready to make new profitable and meaningful connections, you can join Amanda’s FREE 5-day Connect Fest challenge. Over the course of 5 days, Amanda shares templates and ideas for emails to send to contacts you’ve lost touch with or to people you admire and want to build a connection with. 

You can also tune in to Amanda’s podcast – The Empowered Publicity. 

Resources mentioned in the episode

My articles on Social Media Examiner:

How to Use LinkedIn Events to Promote Online or In-Person Events.

How to Use LinkedIn to Build a Powerful Network. 

How to Create LinkedIn Articles That People Will Read and Share. 

Do you want to learn more about using LinkedIn for business? 

If you want my help to leverage LinkedIn to raise your profile, check out LinkedIn Learner Lab – my group coaching and membership program to help you create an effective LinkedIn strategy and start building your network on LinkedIn. 

This is perfect for you if you want to get to grips with LinkedIn and have regular access to me – you can ask questions any time and come along to our group calls twice a month. The program also includes 6 training modules (each consisting of 4 to 5 bite-sized videos) and teaches you everything you need to know to use LinkedIn as a lead generation tool for your business. 

And if you want to work with me on a 1-to-1 basis, every month I offer a maximum of four LinkedIn VIP Intensive private coaching sessions. These 3-hour sessions are perfect for you if you want some help to optimise your LinkedIn profile, build a content strategy plan and learn how to use LinkedIn to generate leads and sales.  

Download my FREE LinkedIn guide

Would you like to learn about the 4 exact steps you need to take to get success on LinkedIn, no matter what type of business you run? Then download my FREE 10-page LinkedIn guide here. 

More about me

If you found this episode useful, come and join Amanda and me on Friday 17th July 2020 at 2pm BST for our LinkedIn live catch up. 

And if you enjoy the show, I’d be very grateful if you could share it with at least another person and leave me a review on iTunes. And if you haven’t subscribed yet, why not?

Before you go, do you have any questions on this episode or on LinkedIn? Would you like to give me some feedback? I’d love for you to reach out. You can find me on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. 

And if you want to find out more about how you can work with me or what events I am running in the future, head over to my website or email me at louise@socialbeeni.com. 

This week I talk to Alex Curtis of the Lead Engine Podcast.  Alex is an expert on creating leads through paid advertising online - and has niched down to work with businesses in the Financial Services industry.  

We discuss how Alex found his niche,  how he helps his clients, and we walk through a great example of how you can use LinkedIn ads to generate leads in your business.

You can find out more about Alex at https://theleadengine.co.uk/about-us/

Sharing your personal brand on social media with May King Tsang

Have you ever found yourself coming across posts on social media about an event you’d been considering going but decided against? If you have, you’re likely to have experienced FOMO, or Fear of Missing Out. 

This week on the podcast, I interview May King Tsang, who is the one and only Live Social Media Reporter and FOMO Creator in the UK. In a nutshell, organisers can hire May King for the duration of their event to allow her to create and share unique live content (including interviews with speakers and sponsors) and engage with other attendees on social media.

Organising, marketing, and running any sort of live event requires a considerable investment of time. Hiring someone like May King allows you, the conference organiser, to focus on your day while quality content is being created and shared on social media. This doesn’t just create FOMO and excitement about the event you’re running (and any future ones), but it also allows your audience to get familiar with your personal brand. And as a result, your customers and clients will come to you! 

You will learn…

1. Why creating and sharing a strong personal brand on social media allows people to connect with you on a deeper level (remember that people buy from people!). 
2. Why the selling mindset no longer works – marketing is a two-way conversation with your audience where consumers have the power and no longer want to be talked at. 
3. What tangible benefits you can expect to receive from adding value and creating excitement around an event, festival, conference, etc. and sharing it on social media. 

About May King

If you’d like to connect with May King, you can find her on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. 

Get my help to build your personal brand on LinkedIn

If you need help in creating your LinkedIn profile, check out my LinkedIn training and services on my Work with me page. 

I offer two types of LinkedIn profile reviews:

1. Get my feedback through a 20-minute video.
2. Upgrade to an additional 30-minute Zoom call to go through my comments and ask me questions. 

If you want my help with your headline and profile, I also offer a done-for-you service where I write the About section of your profile for you.

And if you’d like more help on your LinkedIn strategy, you can work with me on a one-to-one strategy session. 

LinkedIn group coaching programme

In mid-November, I am launching my first-ever 4-week LinkedIn group coaching programme, where I can teach you everything you need to know to use LinkedIn to make more sales in your business. To reserve your place, email me at louise@socialbeeni.com. 

More about me. 

If you enjoy the show, I’d be very grateful if you could share it with at least another person and leave me a review on iTunes. And if you haven’t subscribed yet, why not?

If you have any questions on this episode or on LinkedIn or would like to offer any feedback, I’d love for you to reach out. You can find me on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. 

Also, come and join my Facebook group for podcast listeners, Social Beehive, where we chat about the topics I cover on the podcast, you can share your feedback, and get in touch about upcoming episodes. 

And if you want to find out more about how you can work with me or what events I am running in the future, head over to my website , keep an eye out on Eventbrite, or email me at louise@socialbeeni.com. 

I love statistics and analytics in social media - how do you know what's working if you don't go back and find out what engaged your audience?

In this week's podcast, I take a run back through the best and most engaging posts I shared on LinkedIn this year.   No surprise to me (but possibly to you!) that all the top ten were txt only posts - a mixture of LinkedIn polls and pure text posts. 

Find out more about polls and other new features released by LinkedIn this year here

Reach out if you'd like some support building up your LinkedIn presence in 2021 - and find out why having a small but mighty network is the best option.

www.louisebrogan.com/call 

What is the difference between the content your law firm posts on their Company Page vs what your attorneys share on their personal profiles?

Key things to consider - invest in your team and their knowledge of using LinkedIn,  support them and use LinkedIn's own employee advocacy tools.

For help, get in touch with Louise@socialbeeni.com

www.louisebrogan.com 

Why are some people afraid of posting on LinkedIn?

This is something that I hear time and time again from people.

Whether it is my clients who hire me to work with them -

• to help them understand how they can use LinkedIn as a vehicle to raise their profile,
• raise their visibility online, and win business as a result.

Maybe they want to get speaking engagements, maybe they want to host corporate workshops, maybe they want to work one to one with people.

There are different reasons why people want to use LinkedIn for business. Those are some of the main reasons people hire me to work with them. But I would say at least nine out of 10 clients that work with me have a stumbling block over fear about using LinkedIn to market themselves or raise their profile online. And that's what I want to talk to you about today

If you want to reach out for help with your LinkedIn account, then check out ways to work with me here and book a call

https://louisebrogan.com/workwithme/

Join Louise and Angela to find out what's working, and what's not, on LinkedIn in 2023

We cover AI, profiles, LinkedIn for non-profits and more.

Angela Pitter is the founder and CEO of LiveWire Collaborative, a digital marketing
consultancy. We collaborate with clients to build comprehensive solutions that help them
find their target communities and convert them into customers. Our superpower is
helping business owners understand how their digital footprint shows up for their
customers and clients and where it isn't showing up so they can close the gaps and find
the people who need their help most.

LiveWire Collaborative offers various services, including Online Strategy Development
and Implementation for mid-size businesses, Social Media Analysis, Facebook Ads, and
Email Marketing. Additionally, LiveWire Collaborative specializes in social media training
for corporations and organizations, both onsite and virtual.

Previously featured on the TV series Chronicle, WCVB, Angela is a highly sought-after
speaker who has personally trained thousands of CEOs, business owners, and
consultants worldwide on her signature LinkedIn Influencer framework. She is the
recipient of numerous awards and was recently recognized by the Charles River
Regional Chamber of Commerce and GetKonnected as one of the Top 50 Most
Influential Business People of Color.

She is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and holds both her M.S. in
Administration and B.S. in Computer Engineering from Boston University. Angela
currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Charles River Regional Chamber of
Commerce.

Follow her on Twitter: @angelapitter and visit website
www.livewirecollaborative.com

This week, I am closing the doors on my LinkedIn group coaching programme – Level Up Your LinkedIn.  This is for you if you want to use LinkedIn to start attracting your ideal client to reach out to work with you directly.  

www.louisebrogan.com

LinkedIn Etiquette

Every social media platform has its own etiquette or expected behaviour.  

People go to Facebook to connect with friends and family.  They go to Instagram for a daily dose of inspiration.  Twitter is great for short sharp news briefs (and political announcements!).

If you aren’t posting the same content on each platform, then what works on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is definitely a more business-like platform. That doesn’t mean it has to be boring or stuffy.  A good rule of thumb is to treat LinkedIn like an in-person networking event. 

Let’s imagine you are going to a networking event in your hometown this week.  How will you prepare?

Normally you will find out who is running the event.   Find out if there is anyone who will be there who may be a person of interest to your business. 

But we don’t only connect with potential clients at networking event.  At least, I don’t.   I also connect with people who seem interesting. Potential collaborators.  Someone who is good at conversation.

In an article on Forbes about the best way to network by the Young Entrepreneurs Council, they suggest the way to approach networking is to go with the intention of helping someone else:

True networking occurs when there’s an understanding that everyone in the room has equal value. In its purest form, it’s about people enjoying other people, communicating passions and connecting with others who share those passions. It’s about listening, figuring out what others need and connecting them with people you think can help, without any designs for personal gain. The most successful networkers build genuine relationships and give more than they receive. They go beyond thinking, “What’s in it for me?” to ask, “How can I help?”

So why not apply the same to LinkedIn?

The most successful and engaging profiles in my network are the people who help others.  Sharing advice, tips, answering questions. 

But what do you need to do first? 

1. Get your LinkedIn Profile optimised.

When someone sees your profile on LinkedIn, and clicks on it to find out more, you want them to find something interesting enough that they reach out to connect with you.

2. Make it clear how you help people.  

In your headline and your About section, do people understand how you work and what you do?

3. Start engaging. 

You start conversations.  Approach people and ask them about what they do. 

If you need help with any or all of the above, please reach out to me.  People work with me who want to have a clear and complete LinkedIn profile that leads to business.  My one-to-one clients leave our strategy session with a workplan full of ideas and actions that make spending time on LinkedIn valuable.

What do you not do on LinkedIn then?

The main ‘crime’ I see on LinkedIn, is immediate selling. 

There is nothing worse than accepting someone’s connection request and immediately getting a sales message. 

If you went up to the coffee table at the networking event and said hello to someone, what are the next words out of your mouth?   Do you launch into sales mode?  IF you do, I will find a way to make a swift exit!   It’s the same with LinkedIn.  When someone sends me a sales message after connecting, I drop the connection right away.  

Building a valuable LinkedIn network is about relationships.  People will hire you when they get to know you.  Not when you drop them a cold sales message straight after connecting.

What about etiquette on creating posts?

I have seen some truly awful posts on LinkedIn.  Posting conversation starters that wouldn’t be out of place at 2am at the local dodgy nightclub. 

Please keep your adult X-rated conversations off LinkedIn. 

Did you know that you can report a post on LinkedIn?  The person who made the post won’t be notified that you have reported them. It is important to LinkedIn to keep their platform a professional one. 

What about the posts you see that are attention grabbing?

I prefer to work with clients who want to develop a presence where they can show their knowledge and expertise.  Not in an arrogant way. But in a way that engages their audience and helps them with a particular issue or problem.

What would be an example of this?

I was working with a client who is a sales coach at the end of last year.  She has a particular style of working with her own clients.  However, if she only posted about her great sales successes and wins, she isn’t demonstrating how she works.  Or particularly engaging me to converse with her. 

 This client instead posts conversation starters about how to help YOU in your sales journey.  By giving examples of how she has overcome certain obstacles in sales, and asking questions in those posts, she is getting great engagement on LinkedIn.  With the type of people who are attracted to her style of selling.   And how do they know her style of selling?  Because of the way she posts on LinkedIn!

The top advice I can give you is:

Optimise your LinkedIn profile first.

Deliver value in your posts

Be helpful

Stay professional

Comment on other people’s post where relevant

Share content that your audience will find interesting

Start conversations.

Answer all comments on your posts.

On this week’s podcast, I interview Amanda Webb of Spider Working. We discuss the ‘Content gremlin’ – the little gremlin that sits on your shoulder and tells you to start creating content and sharing it all over the internet.

Amanda works with people who’ve got all those bits and pieces up and running, and I help them put that together into like a sales driven strategy.

They know that everything that they’re doing online is driving towards that end goal. It can be hard to do when you’re in it yourself because there’s so much going on. So a lot of the time, Amanda is telling people to quit doing things rather than telling them to do new things.

We streamline their processes, they make sales, and they never, they get rid of the content gremlin, and they never have the worry that they’re wasting time again.

Amanda Webb, Spiderworking

We talk about Amanda’s early career in the IRish Film industry and how that worked out (plus a common connection with an Irish movie!)

Amanda shares how consistently creating her weekly video show has led to her filling up her client base and how this one piece of content is chopped up and re-used across her social media channels.

Find out more about Amanda by visiting www.spiderworking.com

For help with your LinkedIn, go to www.louisebrogan.com/workwithme

How to create and share document posts on LinkedIn

Using Canva to create super clear carousel or document posts for your LinkedIn personal profile and Company page posts.

This tutorial takes you step by step through how to use a Canva template, what content to put on your slides and how to upload this onto LinkedIn with a post that draws in your ideal clients and starts engagement with your network. Canva https://www.canva.com/join/rdq-tyr-mvr

You can watch how to do this on the new video over on YouTube here - https://youtu.be/PQjVQRfoQfk

Connect with me on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/louisebrogan

Learn how to use LinkedIn for Business and start by downloading your free guide to using LinkedIn www.louisebrogan.com/download

Rebecca Oggenfuss teaches entrepreneurs, small business owners, and public figures how to build, manage, and protect their brands.

This week on the podcast, we discuss how important it is to look after your brand, how to behave on social media during normal times, as well as during our current crisis.

Rebecca invested in a LinkedIn Profile Writing service with me back in October/November and now uses LinkedIn to connect with her audience and clients.

You can find more about Rebecca and her book - The Personal Brand Project, over at brand intentions.com.

https://www.louisebrogan.com

Episode Summary: In this episode of LinkedIn with Louise, host Louise Brogan delves into some fundamental yet often overlooked aspects of using LinkedIn for business. Aimed at B2B professionals, coaches, consultants, and anyone looking to enhance their presence on LinkedIn, Louise shares practical tips for building a robust network, managing privacy settings, and understanding profile visibility. Whether you’re new to LinkedIn or seeking to refine your strategy, this episode provides valuable insights to help you leverage LinkedIn more effectively for your business.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Building Your LinkedIn Network:

   • Importance of reaching 500+ connections.
   • How the display of connection numbers changes after reaching 500.
   • Examples of profiles showing connection and follower counts.

2. Profile Viewing Options:

   • Navigating LinkedIn’s settings to adjust profile viewing options.
   • Differences between anonymous and non-anonymous profile views.
   • How these settings impact your visibility when viewing other profiles.

3. Managing Email Visibility:

   • Adjusting settings to control who can see or download your email address.
   • Different visibility options: only me, first-degree connections, first and second-degree connections, anyone on LinkedIn.
   • Ensuring your email is not included in data exports.

4. Clarifying Anonymous Mode Misconceptions:

   • Explaining that commenting on posts remains visible even if your profile viewing option is set to anonymous.
   • The distinction between anonymous profile views and visible interactions.

Practical Steps:

• How to navigate LinkedIn’s settings and privacy options.
• Simple steps to increase your network size.
• Tips for making your profile more professional and approachable.

Offer:

• Invitation to reach out for personalized LinkedIn training sessions at www.louisebrogan.com/linkedinvip 
• Options available for one-on-one or team training to enhance your LinkedIn skills - book a call to discuss at www.louisebrogan.com/inquiry 

Additional Resources:

• Video tutorial on email visibility settings:  https://youtu.be/KOElmiKRx4Q
• Connect with Louise for tailored LinkedIn training sessions.

I recently ran a poll on LinkedIn to see if my audience had heard of (or were using) LinkedIn Pods. Along with 'grenade posts', today we dive into what I suggest NOT to do on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is your business and professional network. Yes, it's true, people do buy from people - but LinkedIn themselves have asked people not to share content such as dogs in costumes - it is the platform where people go for business.

So here are two things I suggest you avoid -

1. Being part of a LinkedIn pod - A pod is an organised group of people who are expected to comment on each other's LinkedIn posts. There is an obligation to comment on all the other member's posts from your pod. Why do people do this? Quite simply, they want engagement on their content and 'setting' up comments can actually trigger other people to leave comments as well. Why do I recommend not doing this? Listen in!
2. The 'grenade post' - this is where someone will post a deliberately provocative post in order to create controversy with their audience. This can generate a lot of discussions but unless it is how you like to work with clients, beware of turning people off!

If both of these tactics bring you engagement, why do I suggest you avoid them? Because of the very reason LinkedIn doesn't want you to share pictures of your dog in a fancy dress. LinkedIn is where people go for business.

Sharing content that helps your audience creates genuine conversation and builds on relationships will lead to you winning business. Starting an argument will not. Faking your engagement will not only give you a false idea of how successful your strategy is on LinkedIn but people who are following you, will soon realise that the comments on your posts all come from the same group of people.

Invest your time and money learning how to use LinkedIn for business. (yes, some pods are part of paid programs!) rather than trying to cheat the system.

Get in touch if you'd like to build a strategy that will help attract your ideal clients to you. www.louisebrogan.com/workwithme

Join Louise Brogan and Gillian Whitney as they host a live discussion about how to use video on LInkedIn.

If we are not yet connected, please connect on www.linkedin.com/in/louisebrogan 

Are you selling or marketing on LinkedIn?

Hold on Louise... isn't that the point - to do both?

Tune in to Episode 200 (!) to find out what the difference is.  With a nod to awesome Sales Maven Nikki Rausch 

Nikki has put together a FREE training for my listeners on how to Master The Sales Conversation.  

 

This is a quick training to enhance what you’re doing now and amplify your success in closing more business. 

 

Access this training right now by going to https://yoursalesmaven.com/in

 

So you have Nikki for sales, and me for your LinkedIn marketing!   To get your LinkedIn VIP session in the diary, go to www.louisebrogan.com/linkedinvip 

 

Thanks for listening - I really appreciate every single one of you x

Do you have a LinkedIn profile that is looking a bit sad?

When was the last time you posted an update on LinkedIn?

Have you EVER posted an update?

Don't worry - if you can't answer the above with a positive response, you are not alone.

I run a lot of in-person training events in N.Ireland which gives me great opportunities to talk to people about why they aren't using LinkedIn, or why they haven't really got into LinkedIn yet. And there's lots of different reasons why which I cover in this episode.

If you need help and support with getting started, I offer one to one strategy sessions to help you with understanding how you can use LInkedIn to grow your business.

Get in touch and we have a strategy session together.

We'll look at what your business is, who your clients are, who's your target market, what could you be sharing on LinkedIn, that will bring those people to you to connect with you to want to work with you.

And I'd be delighted to help you with that.

https://www.louisebrogan.com

Mandy Hamerla worked as a global HR Director before leaving corporate to start her own consultancy, HR Refresh. Having only been in business for 18 months, Mandy has already written and published a book - How to Hire your First Employee. We talk about the issues facing the growing entrepreneur business, the difference between employees, workers andcontractors and how to avoid pitfalls of hiring someone.