Helping Solopreneurs Figure Out Social Media
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My blog
Will Facebook Spaces work?
Under-age social media usage
Did you know that over 50% of
children have a Facebook account?
It's not surprising, because 80% of
the parents are unaware of the age
restrictions that are associated with
the various social media sites.
Fake social media fans exposed
These days it is really easy to
purchase fans and followers.
However, they won't do your
business any good, because they
won't become leads.
Wars and social media
Twitter has been used as a political
platform during the last few years.
Presidents utilize it, and people like
you and me use it to voice their
opinions. Wars continue to be
fought on the ground, but also on
social media.
Spaces, Facebook's VR social
network, is now available to people
who have an Oculus Rift VR
headset. But will it be a success?
How to Boost Your LinkedIn Profile
LinkedIn can be a very effective lead source. And you don't have to trust me on this; Data Alliance has published a graphic which highlights its efficacy.
LinkedIn can be a very effective lead source. And you don't have to trust me on this; Data Alliance has published a graphic which highlights its efficacy.
By having an optimized profile, you will improve your chances of showing up in LinkedIn's search results more often, and thus increase your chances of getting new clients. Here's what you need to do to boost your profile.
1. Begin by customizing your profile URL. Yes, start with this step right now, because you don't want anyone else to grab your preferred LinkedIn profile name. Here's how a typical profile URL looks like:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/your-company-name
So, log into LinkedIn, click your name, and then choose "View profile". Then, click the "Edit public profile & URL" button on the right side of the screen.
1. Begin by customizing your profile URL. Yes, start with this step right now, because you don't want anyone else to grab your preferred LinkedIn profile name. Here's how a typical profile URL looks like:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/your-company-name
So, log into LinkedIn, click your name, and then choose "View profile". Then, click the "Edit public profile & URL" button on the right side of the screen.
Pick the desired "vanity" URL, and then click "Save". That's it!
2. Use a professional photo. I know you've gotten a few photos from your birthday, but they aren't appropriate for this site. You want to use professional pictures, which were taken by a professional photographer (no, using aunt Sally's services isn't a great idea).
Dust off your suit, and wear it with dignity. Try to smile at the camera, if possible. Just a little bit. You want to look friendly, and yet serious and reliable, the kind of person that people would want to do business with.
Ideally, you should also use a few pictures that show your expertise. If you are a professional speaker, for example, try to use pictures that were taken at one of your conferences. If you've won an award, a picture that shows you receiving it is definitely a good idea.
3. Write a "magnetic headline". No, I didn't come up with this catchy name, but I really like to use it, because it conveys a powerful message. You want to create a headline that attracts people's attention. Try to impress the readers by highlighting your experience in the field. Use something like this for your headline:
"Professional speaker in the IT field, with over 20 years of experience. Regular contributor to ..." (use a few respected industry names here).
4. Keep your readers engaged by writing a great summary. Use short paragraphs; strive to use three sentences or less for each paragraph.
Use bullet points to highlight your experience, achievements and qualifications; they look much cleaner this way, and thus are easier to read.
5. Be open to new connection requests. This is one of the key reasons why you have set up a LinkedIn profile in the first place, isn't it? Accept new requests even if that person isn't necessarily a potential customer. By creating this new connection, you will be able to see his/her virtual friends, and by nurturing the relationship, some of those new "friends" can become leads later on.
6. Ask past and current customers to recommend you. Some of them, especially the ones you're working with right now, will be more than eager to do that, especially if they are very pleased with your services.
You don't need a huge number of recommendations to stand out; even 3-5 of them will do. Be sure that they come from people who are (or were) thrilled to use your services, though. Ideally, the people who recommend you should belong to the industry category that you are targeting.
7. I know it's a lot of work, but you should try to publish articles on LinkedIn on a regular basis. It's a surefire way of establishing yourself as an industry expert. Don't forget about SlideShare, which is now a part of LinkedIn, and allows you to upload presentation slides that can be created using your articles.
Your limited time may be an issue, I know, but fortunately you can hire me to do all the hard work for you. Here's a list with my services.
I hope that you like these tips. I know many more powerful LinkedIn tricks like these, of course, and I'll be more than happy to share them with you during our free 30 minutes consultation call. Just contact me and we'll move on from there, okay?
2. Use a professional photo. I know you've gotten a few photos from your birthday, but they aren't appropriate for this site. You want to use professional pictures, which were taken by a professional photographer (no, using aunt Sally's services isn't a great idea).
Dust off your suit, and wear it with dignity. Try to smile at the camera, if possible. Just a little bit. You want to look friendly, and yet serious and reliable, the kind of person that people would want to do business with.
Ideally, you should also use a few pictures that show your expertise. If you are a professional speaker, for example, try to use pictures that were taken at one of your conferences. If you've won an award, a picture that shows you receiving it is definitely a good idea.
3. Write a "magnetic headline". No, I didn't come up with this catchy name, but I really like to use it, because it conveys a powerful message. You want to create a headline that attracts people's attention. Try to impress the readers by highlighting your experience in the field. Use something like this for your headline:
"Professional speaker in the IT field, with over 20 years of experience. Regular contributor to ..." (use a few respected industry names here).
4. Keep your readers engaged by writing a great summary. Use short paragraphs; strive to use three sentences or less for each paragraph.
Use bullet points to highlight your experience, achievements and qualifications; they look much cleaner this way, and thus are easier to read.
5. Be open to new connection requests. This is one of the key reasons why you have set up a LinkedIn profile in the first place, isn't it? Accept new requests even if that person isn't necessarily a potential customer. By creating this new connection, you will be able to see his/her virtual friends, and by nurturing the relationship, some of those new "friends" can become leads later on.
6. Ask past and current customers to recommend you. Some of them, especially the ones you're working with right now, will be more than eager to do that, especially if they are very pleased with your services.
You don't need a huge number of recommendations to stand out; even 3-5 of them will do. Be sure that they come from people who are (or were) thrilled to use your services, though. Ideally, the people who recommend you should belong to the industry category that you are targeting.
7. I know it's a lot of work, but you should try to publish articles on LinkedIn on a regular basis. It's a surefire way of establishing yourself as an industry expert. Don't forget about SlideShare, which is now a part of LinkedIn, and allows you to upload presentation slides that can be created using your articles.
Your limited time may be an issue, I know, but fortunately you can hire me to do all the hard work for you. Here's a list with my services.
I hope that you like these tips. I know many more powerful LinkedIn tricks like these, of course, and I'll be more than happy to share them with you during our free 30 minutes consultation call. Just contact me and we'll move on from there, okay?