The Marketing Mentress: 2018

Monday, 4 June 2018

LinkedIn Tip #118 – Does your audience recognize you?

This morning as I read the analytics of some of my latest posts, I was reminded of the importance of keeping our face in front of our audience.

What am I doing to garner enthusiasm for my posts? I am being consistent and posting every day.

A few weeks ago I received an email from a dear friend, my headshot professional, inviting me to take part in a challenge online. The challenge is to post something about happiness for 100 days. So I accepted the challenge and scheduled posts for my first 30 days.

At first I only received the odd “like” and no comments. Gradually as the weeks have progressed, I have noticed that more and more people are “Liking, Commenting on and Sharing” my happiness posts.

This morning the analytics for one of my latest posts was 221 views in 24 hours.

Now, I am not doing anything but organic posting. I am not paying for any online marketing to improve my responses. People are just genuinely responding because they are now following my posts on a daily basis.

I do scheduled posts every day, and then top them up with current posts and blogs.

Real time networking is another thing I do to help build repoire with my network.

LinkedIn is my favourite platform for business and when we are active on this platform, we reap the rewards.

It is so important to keep our faces in front of our audience every day.

Posting once a week or even worse, once a month, is not nearly enough. We need to post every day. Check out my blog “The Rule of 10 Posts”.

Figure out what your unique value proposition is and then post things around that theme…without pitching to your audience all the time.

For more information, check out my blog at marketingmentress.com.

Marketing is my game; Mentoring is my aim.

Christine Till

The Marketing Mentress

Thursday, 19 April 2018

LinkedIn Tip # 117 – Are you Liking and Sharing?

Are you wondering why people just “like” your posts?

I see people liking people’s posts all the time on all levels of social media. However, people seem far more hesitant to share a great post on LinkedIn than any other social platform.

Do you know why that is?

I do.

It isn’t because they are jealous of any competition.

The main reason people don’t share other people’s great posts is because they do not want to take away from their own marketing program.

Know what?

Those marketing programs are all very “me” centered.

Zig Zigglar always said: “If you help enough people get what they want, then you will get what you want.”

Are you helping people get what they want? Or are you helping people get what you want?

Think about it.

The schooling I have had and the books I read speak about building credibility and trust with our potential clients before they will ever buy from us.

If someone comes to my “store” and I don’t have the right fit for them, I always refer them to someone I know can help them. Those people remain my loyal friends and come back to me later for things that I can help them with. They are also more likely to refer me to their contacts as well.

The way social media works best is by sharing one another’s posts. There might be someone in my network, for instance, who can use something from someone I am connected with. By sharing a great post about a product or service from one of my connections with my network, I open up a whole other network of possible customers for them.

The product or service will not take away from me, because it is not something that I would use for my business, but I know that other people could use it.

“You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours.” That is the principle behind sharing other people’s posts on LinkedIn.

Also, take a moment to comment on the post as well.

When you do this, here is what happens. The person that you shared their post for will check out your profile and notice you every time you share and comment and like their posts. Pretty soon, you will notice that they will also start to do the same with your posts.

When you just “like” the posts from your network, you are telling them that you are hiding in a way by “holding your cards close to your chest”.

One thing you can do to help get the ball rolling is to post some great quotes. These will help people start to recognize you and create activity with your posts. Then throw in a few of your own blogs and one pitch about your company.

If you always post about your company and all the things your company does, you will also turn people off and they will perhaps “like” your post out of courtesy, but they will not comment on or share it.

The next time you are on LinkedIn checking your Home page, check out some of the other posts and make a conscious effort to check out profiles of people whose posts you like. If you are impressed with their profile, Like, Share and Comment on their posts.

I have built many great friendships as a result of doing this very thing.

Check out some of my other posts on LinkedIn.

Christine Till

The Marketing Mentress

LinkedIn Tip #116 - Have you set up your LinkedIn Profile like a Business Page?

Are you confused as to what exactly you can do to promote your business on LinkedIn?

Have you set up your LinkedIn profile like a business profile…no experience listed…no education listed…excluding all the personal information?

Recently I received a message from LinkedIn regarding violations of their Terms of Use.

LinkedIn suggested I get in touch with all my LinkedIn connections to warn them about this serious violation. LinkedIn is taking drastic measures to send profiles in violation of the LinkedIn Terms of Use to “LinkedIn Jail”.

One of the things I did when I first started setting up my profile on LinkedIn 9 years ago is read the entire Terms of Use! I wanted to make sure that I was behaving myself on their platform. I also wanted to know how to protect myself.

Right in the beginning of the Terms of Use, LinkedIn says that profiles that are not in compliance will be sent to “LinkedIn Jail” (or words to that effect).

What is “LinkedIn Jail”?

“LinkedIn Jail” is not being able to open your LinkedIn profile one day. No matter what you do, you cannot get into your profile. Your password does not work. Your email does not work. You simply cannot access your profile no matter what you do. This is “Linkedin Jail”.

“LinkedIn Jail” means your account is frozen.

Once your account is frozen, it takes at least 10 days to two weeks to gain access again. LinkedIn puts you through a myriad of hoops to qualify to have access to your profile again.

Now just what will get your profile frozen?

One of the key things that will get your account frozen faster than anything else on LinkedIn is simply setting up your profile like a business page.

Your profile page is for your personal profile. Once you set up your profile page, then you can set up your FREE Company page. Then you can promote your Company page like crazy. Invite people to follow your page. Be active on your page. Be responsive on your page.

Every day I meet LinkedIn profile pages that have been set up like a company page. The business logo is displayed where the personal headshot should appear. The background picture is all about their business. The page is set up purely as a business.

I know that many people do not want to have their personal information listed on LinkedIn, but if you want to use LinkedIn for promoting your business, and you try to hide, people will not trust you.

Business is built on the basis of Know, Like, and Trust. It takes time to build Trust. People Trust people first before they will Trust your business.

Your business cannot build Trust all by itself. Your business needs to be associated with a person and the Trust must be built with the person first before people will ever take a look at your business.

How trustworthy are you? How trustworthy do you appear on your LinkedIn profile.

Stop hiding and you will gain credibility and Trust.

Christine Till

The Marketing Mentress

Review of A House Divided

Was Hannah really killed by her own son!

This was not in her vision of being given in marriage to a Son of Lehi. She was to “live a life of righteousness with a worthy priesthood holder”.

How could a son of Lehi and her own child have gone so wrong? Why? Why? Why?

What could possess a son to stone his own mother?

This sequel to Daughter of Ishmael completely surprised me! What happens next totally threw me for a loop.

The story carried me into thinking more deeply about what women must have experienced during the times of Lehi’s family in the new world.

I was drawn into the story as though I was standing right there watching and experiencing everything right along with the families of Lehi and Ishmael. I could smell the bushes, the tents made of hides and the fires burning. I could feel the blows of anger and the harsh words.

Then when there were words and actions of love and kindness, they were a relief to me as I felt how the characters in A House Divided lived their uncertain lives in this new country.

As I read A House Divided, I gained a deep respect for the people of Lehi because of how the righteous became stronger and stronger in their faith in God.I am impressed with the strength of Nephi and how he was told by the Lord what he needed to do…and he just “Did it”!

Christine Till

The Marketing Mentress