#GetOrganized - Adding Video to Your LinkedIn Updates

Without a doubt 2017 was the year of video on social media. In fact, by the end of last year, video accounted for 74% of all online traffic. If you need more evidence just look at your own Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram feed. There’s a good chance that you’ll see at least one video close to the top.

There’s a good reason for the push toward video. Success on social media is all about engagement and study after study has shown that when you use video, you hold users’ attention longer, get more shares, and ultimately more sales. When the product is you, video is just as important. That’s where LinkedIn comes in.

LinkedIn may not come to mind when you think of social media, but if you want to take the next step in your career or to simply find a new job, it could be your strongest tool. Using LinkedIn has long been recognized as one of the best ways to get the word out about your professional capabilities. Until recently, however, you were limited to posting comments, joining groups, and engaging with potential employers the traditional way. Now, however, you can showcase your talents and capabilities using video.

While it was a bit late to the party, LinkedIn has been working hard to catch up with other social media platforms when it comes to video. Late last year LinkedIn reinvigorated its video capabilities, and it has been running at full throttle to introduce its members to the benefits of using video in their updates.

Recording a video is simple, download the mobile app and record directly from there or you can upload a video that you’ve already recorded. Of course, it’s best to have a plan for what you want to say before you start recording, but the process is simple. Once you’re satisfied with your video, just upload it to your profile. You’ll be able to monitor whose looking and what they’re saying. Best of all, you’ll be able to set yourself apart.

LinkedIn may be relatively new to the video game, but it’s coming on strong. For now, it’s a resource only available for individuals, but it should be open for companies soon. In the meantime, make the most of it in helping to get the word out about your skills and abilities, even if you aren’t looking for a job.

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Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars

#GetOrganized - Take Action with Prospecting on LinkedIn

No matter what your business is, the people you connect with are the key to your success. Those connections are the key to sales, operations, and how you get your work done. No doubt you have lots of ways to keep in touch—phone, in person, social media, email. But what about making new connections?

Those methods are all effective when it comes to your existing contacts. But what about finding new prospects?  You probably already network, ask for referrals, and maybe even advertise. But are you using LinkedIn to find prospects?

LinkedIn is well known as a great place to find a job, connect with colleagues, and keep up with what’s going on in your industry. What you might not know, however, is that one of LinkedIn’s newest tools, the Sales Navigator, is a powerful platform that can help you uncover potential sales prospects.

Why Should You Be Using LinkedIn?

The true value of LinkedIn is that it gives you access to millions of professional people just like you. That’s a pretty good size social network. Maybe even too big since it can be hard to know where to start. That’s where Navigator comes in. Using Navigator you can narrow down your potential contacts to those with whom you have something in common or mutual business interests. Whether that is decision makers, influencers, potential partners, or buyers, you’ll be able to reach out and make contact. Once you’ve found your target, it will be up to you to make the sale.

Using LinkedIn For Research

As valuable as LinkedIn is for connecting with others, it is arguably even more helpful when it comes to research. Using Navigator, you and your sales team can learn more about those you come in contact with – what are they talking about, what are they sharing, who do they follow. By taking advantage of this powerful capability, you can ensure that your connections are more meaningful and substantive.

One thing that you need to know is that LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a premium service and is not free. Exactly how much it costs depends on the type of membership, but you can expect somewhere between $75-$100. Is it worth it? Only you can make that decision. Your best bet is to take advantage of a free trial or sign-up for a short period and put it through its paces. If you take advantage of all the tool has to offer, chances are you’ll be hooked. Before you know it, your sales calls will be more focused, your network larger, and your relationships deeper. With all that, increased sales will be the icing on the cake.

Be sure to Follow us and Let's Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars

Top 5 Tips To Fill Your Business Bellies With Fundamental Social Media Strategies!

Social Media is a tool that ANY business can use to fill their funnel of “hungry bellies” with solid relationship marketing strategies.  This 4^th Quarter is the perfect opportunity to build the foundation for successful routines to catapult you into the New Year!

So, you may have built a Facebook Page, Gathered connections on LinkedIn, Dabbled in Twitter or Launched a Google+ Profile for your business. We hear frequently that people have “tried them on” and left them undernourished due to a variety of reasons.  Maybe you have never closed business using social media, known how best to navigate the changing temperatures of updates or had time to dedicate to this relationship tool.  Now is the time to reconsider your strategies.

A good friend of mine (Sabina Claus, Business Coach and Accountability Partner at www.sabinaclaus.com) says, “I love the MONTH of Thanksgiving”.  You heard me right, not the month of November, but the month of Thanks and Giving.  She is also the person who asked me this question, “How do you eat the elephant?”  As all of us know, you eat it, “One bite at a time”.  She said this isn’t correct.  Here is why.  You invite the village (your community), and you have a feast (or in other words, you tackle that battle together).  Wise words from a wise lady.  

With this season of Thanks and Giving, I invite you to have a feast with me.  Here are 5 things you can do to incorporate solid Social Media Strategies into your Online Marketing plans:

Tip #1: Choose the right Meat for your Social Media Marketing Campaigns

The only way you are going to know if the platform (i.e. Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter) is right for you, is to create an account and search for your target market.  A Social Media Analyst will be able to pinpoint the best for you, but this is the first step.  If your clients aren’t present, will your ideal client be found in this platform?  Probably not unless you change your core focus and that is another situation all together.

Tip #2: Be consistent in your Cooking (activity) in Social Media

Social Media is intended to be a Social Engagement medium.  It isn’t a website.  Websites generally are pretty static (or don’t change much) once they are created and launched.  Your social tools are intended for you to post weekly (worse case scenario) or daily (and in some cases many, many times each day depending on the platform).  Without activity, you decrease your chances of engagement and you also decrease your chances of being found, followed and gain new followers.  If you are going to post an update, be sure to post at the best times of day for that platform which you can learn easily from a social media consultant based on your niche and target market.

Tip #3: Adding Media will be your Gravy to your Mash Potatoes 

It is always good to add links to your website or other articles you are sharing, images that tell the story about your post or video to enhance the user experience even further.  When you think about the psychology of a user, they may tend to gravitate more to “color” such as use of media than a post with just text because it is more visually appealing and can draw them in.  Posts that use media generally have a higher click through rate, share rate and expand your visibility to the networks that share it.

Tip #4: Build a Solid Routine using the Right Taste Testing Tools for your Social Media

Tools and scheduling options provide you with the most opportunity for flexibility in your social media marketing experience.  If you are able to have messages scheduled for you, you can easily promote events, seminars, promotions and product launches at inception and not worry about the visibility component each week (or day) leading up to the event.  Tools such as HootSuite are a great medium for that.  Schedule your posts, moderate comments, messages and engagement from any device, any place via this tool.  You can learn more by visiting: http://bit.ly/ZbYgiW

Tip #5: Hire a Social Media Chef (Social Media Manager)

Whether you choose to select an internal employee dedicated to marketing your business (online) or you outsource it, this activity should be the primary focus of this individual.  You are brilliant at the work that you do.  You generally don’t have the time nor capacity to be brilliant at your specialty and at something else.  If you wear too many hats, you tend to be just good (or ok) at one or the other.  It makes sense to bring in the experts to fill the spaces your business needs to launch to the next level, so you can focus on the things you love doing.

How does all of this tie into “filling your bellies”? the more you build your brand, you build the relationships with your viewers.   Once they “like” your page, they get to “know” you, once they get to know you, you have the opportunity to build “trust”, and with trust business happens.

Thank you for the opportunity to “FEED” your business!  Let’s FEAST!

~ Social Media is changing the way people do business.  Don't get left behind ~ 

Hollie Clere, of The Social Media Advisor is a social media manager, trainer and author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+ , Pinterest and the tools to manage them. Click here for her Social Media Links

Curious on whether your social brand is built properly?  Get your Social Media Analysis today. 
 

How Google+ is different from other Social Platforms

One of the questions we are frequently asked, “How is Google+ different than other platforms?” The answer is simple but yet complex.  When you think of a social  media platform such as Google +, you should consider your target market.

First and foremost, is your target market present in the social media space you are looking to use?

Let’s consider Facebook … How many users use Facebook for personal use? We have found that various users utilize Facebook on a daily basis from CEOs of large corporations to people that take care of their loved ones on a day to day basis. Your audience is not only vast, but people use it for personal use which bleeds into professional use.  There are Executives to Home Makers that use this platform daily to get information about personal and professional uses, though the majority of users engage on a personal level.

Let’s consider LinkedIn … This platform is engineered to tailor to the people who use it primarily for business related connections.  You won’t generally see status updates of people sharing images of their children, their pets or their day to day happenings, but you will see interactions on professional activities such as events, industry related articles and company business.

Let’s consider Google+ ...You will see a wide variety of users who conduct Professional and Personal interactions, This platform is the happy medium between the active Facebook and LinkedIn users.  Both types of activity are accepted in this platform and there is many reasons to do so.

Google+ has options for:

1. Share, Comment and +1(which are your known likes in the other 2 platforms)
2. Hangouts - which are you alternative for online group meetings (with limited numbers) for video and chat sharing conversations (with options of recording)
3. Communities (or groups) for deeper conversation to build credibility and relationship with users in a more private setting.

Want to consider the best of both worlds? Are your clients present in Google+?  With over 4 million users, it is very possible.

Added benefit: Status updates posted to your Company Google+ profile are searchable in THE GOOGLE (as some say).  Can you pay for that type of visibility?  Not sure that FREE Google search results are options for you, but they are for me and I have enjoyed the traffic I have gotten from it.

Consider trying it on. But, build your profile with a lot of meat and plan to commit to consistent activity. You may find a deeper reach than you had planned for.

My 2 cents, for what it’s worth.

~ Social Media is changing the way people do business.  Don't get left behind ~ 

Hollie Clere, of The Social Media Advisor is a social media manager, trainer and author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+ , Pinterest and the tools to manage them. Click here for her Social Media Links

Curious on whether your social brand is built properly?  Get your Social Media Analysis today.