The Marketing Mentress

LinkedIn Tip #67 - What Kind of an Impression are You Leaving?

Have you gone to LinkedIn to search for someone you know in business?

Networking is part of growing my business. I am very active with it both online and offline.

When I meet people at live meetings, I ask for their business card and if it would be ok for me to connect with them on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc. They usually tell me something like, "Sure, that would be great!"

When I get to my office, first thing I do is pull out the cards I have collected that day and type in each person's name to search for them on LinkedIn. What a revelation! I cannot believe what I find!

Shock! Shock! Shock!

Many times I cannot even find them on LinkedIn. Other times I find several people with the exact same name. When I try to decipher which of the duplicate names is the one I am searching for, I check the headlines.

Know what! More often than I would care to say, there is not even a headline showing.

Now, if I was trying to find them to do business and learn a bit about them before I called them, what kind of impression does that leave with me?

The other day I had a new client in my office. We were working on her profile to bring it up to "killer profile" status. Part of that process is to start inviting all the people my clients know to connect with them on LinkedIn. As we went through her Rolodex, we were surprised to find that 1/3rd of the people we tried to reach out to were not anywhere to be found on LinkedIn!

You spend many marketing dollars in an effort to appear like a center of influence and to elevate yourself as an expert in your field of business. Are you wasting those dollars by having an incomplete online presence?

Not to point fingers at anyone in particular, but I see this a lot. People spend big bucks to be featured in professional magazines or in a newspaper advertisement and do not have a LinkedIn presence.

What kind of an impression do you think that left with my client? Who do you think she will be doing business with in the future...or not?

It is a lot like building a million dollar home on a street of old houses valued at 1/6th the price. All the low valued properties reduce the value of the million dollar property. Mind you, the million dollar property improves the value of the older homes a tiny bit, but not as much as they devalue the expensive one.

I realize that life is busy and it takes time to learn all the social media, but it is free to us to use. All we need is to take some time to set up a profile with some information about our business and ourselves and what inspired us to do what we do.

Further to your online presence, when you agree to be a speaker in an online or offline venue, it is not up to the moderator to remind you. As an entrepreneur, it is your responsibility to be on top of your calendar. It reflects on everyone involved when a speaker does not show up.

It is all about presenting a uniform presence.

What is the impression you are leaving?

Christine Till

The Marketing Mentress

https://mm101doingitright.eventbrite.ca

Monday, 19 September 2016

LinkedIn Tip #68 - How Can I Help You?

Have you been asking an expert for help with your LinkedIn platform lately?

Even though LinkedIn has been around since the turn of the 21st Century, most of the population still do not understand how to use it.

Experts on LinkedIn, have taken years to learn their craft. They carry the equivalent to a masters or doctorate degree in their area of expertise.

The sad part about being an expert with LinkedIn is that because everyone can use it for free, they think that they can just ask the experts for free help. However, the people who have become experts also need to pay their mortgage and put food on the table.

Because of this belief system, many experts like me offer a 30 minute complimentary consultation for people. They can come away from this consultation with concrete tips they can implement immediately to help them with their marketing.

If people want to really get serious about their LinkedIn marketing, there are several inexpensive webinars that they can access. These webinars are held every month, and the main thing that is different about these is that they are mine and I do them live.

Yes, I do record my webinars for distribution to those who registered, so they can refresh their memories. The key here is to understand that when you sign up for one of my webinars, I will be on each webinar live and in person. You can interact and ask questions during each of my webinars.

Because I was there once, I understand what it feels like to be new at online marketing and thus I have tremendous patience. There are no "stupid questions" on my show.

I have also been on a myriad of other people's webinars where the presenter spends the entire time up-selling the attendees to their other paid products or platforms. Because of this disappointment on my behalf, I have made sure that when someone signs up for one of my webinars, they get me live and in person.

When people attend my webinars, they can take away valuable tips and tricks for how to make money with LinkedIn that day. They do not just get one or two tips and then have to purchase the next product.

Here are my live webinars:

MM 101 - Doing it right the first time out. Developing a "Killer Profile".

This is a beginner level for people with less than 500+ connections.

(Second Tuesday - 7-9pm MDT)

MM 202 - The secrets of the groups. How to find your target audience and direct message them through the groups? Making money on LinkedIn!

https://li202groupsarethesecret.eventbrite.ca

This is an intermediate level for people who have been using the platform for at least 6 months and have 500+ connections, or have taken my 101 class.

(Third Thursday, 7-9pm MDT)

MM 303 - Putting it all together. Getting your social media on autopilot so you can manage it on 15-30 minutes once or twice a day.

https://li303puttingittogether.eventbrite.ca

This is an advanced level for people who have 500+ connections and have been using the platform for a year or more, or have taken my 101 and 202 classes.

(Fourth Thursday, 7-9pm MDT)

There is always an Early Bird rate for each of these webinars. Be sure to register early, so you can capture the Early Bird.

These three webinars run each and every month.

There is a limited seating availability on purpose. In order to offer you the best opportunity to ask questions and receive assistance on the spot, I have elected to keep these webinars small.

Let me help you prosper with LinkedIn.

Christine Till

The Marketing Mentress

Thursday, 15 September 2016

LinkedIn Tip #66 - What's the Big Deal about 'Who's Viewed Your Profile'?

Have you been wondering what to do with the people who view your profile?

How do you reach out to them? How do you get in touch with them? Should I be getting in touch with them? Why did they check out my profile in the first place?

Are you feeling a little nervous about all the people who are viewing your profile without you knowing who they are? Does it make you feel like you are being stalked?

Here's the straight goods. Profile views are a huge asset to you and your business!

I get a lot of business by reaching out to the people who view my profile.

Here is an online statistic for you. When we respond to people within 10-20 minutes of them checking us out online, we have a very high chance of gaining their business. (The study shows stores were OK if they could contact a prospect within 10 to 20 minutes, Bruce said. Bruce found that shoppers who received replies within 10 minutes were three times more likely to visit a store than those who had received a slower response. Quoted by David Barkholz in the January 27, 2014 Automotive News)

Wouldn't you want to know why someone was checking you out? I would.

Check out their profile and find out what company they are with. If they are in their own business, then scroll down their profile to see what groups they are in. Then go make sure you join one of the same groups. Once you are accepted in those groups, then you can go find the profile viewer and send them a free InMail direct message without being connected to them.

Simply thank them for visiting your profile and ask them how you can help them. Be sure to address them by name and close with a proper salutation. You want to be as professional as possible and still be friendly.

This process only works through the groups if you are on the Free platform!

I get most of my business through the groups and whose viewed my profile.

Here's the big secret to getting sales through LinkedIn...you build the relationship online, but real business gets done offline in a face-to-face. So bring those online relationships to a phone call, video call, or coffee meeting.

You will find that people love you for it.

To find out how to get 90 days of free online advertising, click here

Christine Till

The Marketing Mentress

https://mm101doingitright.eventbrite.ca

Monday, 12 September 2016

LinkedIn Tip #65 - What do I do if I want to be found on LinkedIn?

Have you been wondering why people aren't noticing you on LinkedIn?

Whether you are using LinkedIn to find a job or whether you are using it to find business, you still need to be found.

If you are doing things right, you should be receiving over 500 profile visits every 90 days.

Find 5-10 keywords that people will be searching in order to find someone like you or your business. Think, "What will people 'Google' if they do not know my name, my skills, or my company?"

Then review your headline, your summary, and your descriptions on all your experience and education. Make sure you are using these 5-10 keywords in what you have written on your profile.

Remember everything, virtually everything you do online is based on SEO. You need search engine optimization in order to be successful on LinkedIn!

If you want to be found on LinkedIn, you need to be using keywords in your profile that the search engines will find.

Take your headline for example. Think of it as your newspaper. How are you using this to make you different from your competition in job searches and/or business? Do you look like all the other people with the same skills, products, or services out there? -Or are you using your keywords to make you stand out?

Make yourself different!

Use keywords.

Need some help with your LinkedIn? Join my monthly webinars:

Ask the expert!

Christine Till

The Marketing Mentress

LinkedIn Tip #64 - Do you know about the Relationship Tab?

Do you mean to tell me there is a tab for this?

There sure is!

With all your first connections, when you view their profiles you will see the relationship tab just below the top profile box of each profile.

I bet you have been seeing this and never even looked into it. Am I right?

Click on it!

It will open up and you will be able to see all your discussion thread you have had with them. It will help you to remember how to collaborate with each other, or if you were looking to introduce them to someone.

Click on each of the tiny tabs in the Relationship Tab.

First is the discussion thread opens up automatically.

Second is the Notes. Here is where you can type in notes of how and when you met and what you discussed and what you need to remember to help them with, etc. Enter their wife's name, their kids names. The next time you are in touch with them, you can refer to different family members by name asking how they are doing. They will love you for remembering! Nobody else will see these notes, except you.

Third is the Schedule alert. This is where you can schedule LinkedIn to send you an email to remind you to call the person at a certain day and time.

Fourth is the Tag. When you tag each of your first connections, you can place them into a list of people with similar categories. For example, Calgary Business Women, could be one category. You can set up as many categories as you want. Then you can upload these lists to a CSV file and send mail merge to them inviting them to join your newsletter.

NEVER send a mass message to your tags directly through LinkedIn! If you send mass messages, you will soon have lots of your valued connections leave you!

Got a question? Feel free to contact me.

Christine Till

The Marketing Mentress

marketingmentress@gmail.com

LinkedIn Profile

Thursday, 8 September 2016

LinkedIn Tip #63 - Why Should I Blog?

Are you having challenges getting started with blogging on LinkedIn?

Why do you think that is?

Most people have a challenge getting their mind around writing either because they just haven't done much of any writing since high school or because they do not have time.

Here are three tricks that I employ.

1. I write a list of topics that I know would keep my ideal clients awake at 2 am. This list is kept in the back of a notebook I carry with me in my purse everywhere I go. So when I am standing in line or writing for an appointment, I can jot down some topics that would be great for a blog.

2. I search online for blogs that would be great to share on my LinkedIn page that have been written by someone else. Be sure to give them credit.

3. I set aside time every week to write. At these times I simply open my little notebook and pick one of the items from my list of topics.

Voila! Out pops a blog post! Easy-peasy!

Mind you, be sure to check for type-o's and grammar. If you are having challenges with this, use the Review checks on Word.

The reason you want to blog is to build that Know, Like and Trust with the people you need and want to build relationships with for business. As you educate and inform your audience, you are building trust with them.

We all like to do business with people we trust.

If you are looking to get your LinkedIn Profile up to Killer Profile status, my next webinar is coming up. Catch the Early Bird: https://mm101doingitright.eventbrite.ca

Christine Till

The Marketing Mentress

LinkedIn Tip # 62 - Three keys to finding your target market on LinkedIn?

How do I lazer in on my target market with LinkedIn?

Do you know where your clients are coming from now? Are they coming from certain types of businesses? What are their needs and wants? Are you the only one who can provide them your service or product? Why would they want to do business with you? How are they going to find you?

Every business is different, even if you have a massage therapy business on the corner of Broadway and Vine, and your competition has one on the next corner, you are the only person that can provide your service the way you do it. This is because you are unique.

That said, how do you lazer in on your target market and let them know how you are different from the massage business on the next corner?

There are three keys to how you can lazer in on your market:

1. Know the answers to the questions above.

2. Do an advanced search for specific criteria with LinkedIn.

a. Search for CEO, Owner, CFO, HR Director, Director, and other executive positions.

b. Save the searches and let LinkedIn send you Search Alerts every week that you can follow up on. This is on the free platform. On the paid platform you can receive these search alerts every day.

c. If you are on the free platform, you should be able to do this next step. When you find people that would be ideal clients for you, check out their profile. See what groups they are in. Join one or two of those groups and start sharing your blog on these groups. Once you have been on the group posting for a week or so, reach out to the people you are targeting in the group and send them an InMail. Yes, direct message them through their profile on the group.

3. Use the Company pages and search for the kinds of companies you do business with. Once you are in the company page, you will see all the staff. Search the staff members and find the top 5-7 decision makers. Check out the groups they are in and join one or two of them. Post in the discussion thread to draw attention. Watch for them to start interacting with your blog. As soon as you see them start to interact, direct message them. Use a personal touch. Do Not just send them a pitch.

Remember that everyone you communicate with online is a person too. Treat everyone the way you would appreciate being treated...with respect.

If you are looking to get your LinkedIn Profile up to Killer Profile status, my next webinar is coming up. Catch the Early Bird: https://mm101doingitright.eventbrite.ca

Christine Till

The Marketing Mentress

Monday, 5 September 2016

LinkedIn Tip # 61 - Why do I need a coach?

I think I can do it alone; why do I need a coach?

Back when I first started using LinkedIn, I was totally new at any online marketing. I was also afraid of it.

Yup! That was me. Sound familiar?

If I had not had a coach to guide me, I would never have reached success in as short a time period. What took me a month would have probably taken more like a year, because I would have been frustrated then left it for a while, and then come back to it, then left it, and so on.

That is what we tend to do when faced with something that is totally foreign to us. It takes time to warm up to the concept and become proficient with it.

When we work with a coach, the time span is shortened to 25% of the time it would take to learn from scratch on your own.

Here's the challenge.

Most all the social media platforms are free, so there is the thinking that we can just open up a business on a 'shoe-string' budget and do it all ourselves at no extra cost.

But what happens is we make many, MANY mistakes. Most of them we are not even aware of. And we lose business as a result of these mistakes.

Because we are unaware of our errors, the would-be customers we would have had, have already gone to our competition.

One of the biggest errors is to post something once a week. Guess what, nobody will see that post. It becomes even worse if we post something once a month.

Then there is the consistency of our platforms. Do they look uniform with your website, or are you just setting them up willy-nilly with everything different and no uniformity?

Did you know that many business owners do not even have a website? If they have one, it is not Search Engine Optimized. They have no idea what that even means.

Are we engaging with our audience?

We are brought back to that trust issue. People buy from people they trust.

Working without a coach ends up costing way more money in time wasted, mistakes made and business lost than it does when we use a professional who knows the ropes.

A coach can show us the best way, the simplest way, and the most efficient way to get the job done and make money.

After all, the bottom line is to make money. That is really what we got into business for isn't it?

Looking for a LinkedIn marketing and branding coach?

Call Christine Till

The Marketing Mentress

marketingmentress@gmail.com

Thursday, 1 September 2016

LinkedIn Tip # 60 - Three Keys to Overcoming Networking Shyness Online.

So, you are new to the online world and are scared spitless about networking?

Are you afraid of all the traffic you will create as soon as you start getting active on there?

Many of my clients express their deep anxiety about getting active with their online marketing systems. They are sure that as soon as people find them online that they will be inundated with clients that they will not be able to handle all the business.

What does this sound like to you?

There are two key reasons we fail in business:

1. We are afraid of rejection.

2. We are afraid of success.

Here are the three Keys to overcoming networking shyness online:

1. Set up a plan.

2. Be cordial.

3. Just do it.

Setting up a plan

To be effective and systematic with your online marketing, you need a plan. You will need to have a unified presence online with at least the basics of LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, a blog and a website. As you gain more comfort with online marketing, you can add others.

Set them up so that they all have the same background picture and theme for instance.

Decide how you will build your list and what email platform you will use. There are many. I use Mail Chimp.

Start blogging about the things that keep your ideal clients awake at 2am. Blog about how you ease their pain. Blog about answers to your clients questions. Set up a systematic way of blogging. For example, I do LinkedIn Tips. You might want to set up your own tips.

Whatever you decide, be consistent with your posts.

Get a coach to help you with your plan.

Be Cordial

Remember that all those profiles you are connecting and linking with are real people. Treat them like you would appreciate being treated...respectfully. Address them by name and always sign off with your name.

Just Do It

Decide what day and time you will do your blogging and interacting with your network and stick to it.

It takes 3-6 months to build the trust you need and want for your business.

So where are all those people you thought would inundate you with wanting to do business?

They are still there, online, waiting for you to reach out to them and build relationships with them.

It is not all about you. It is about how many people you can help.

Got any questions about your online marketing, just to ask me.

Christine Till

The Marketing Mentress

www.2csuccess.com