Updated December 2018 So I'm having an early morning breakfast at a hotel where I'm speaking that day for a group of financial advisers. I strike up a conversation with the guy sitting at the next table. And it turns out that he is attending the conference. He shares that he's been in the business for 20 years and has been pretty successful, but he actually came to the meeting to hear me speak about social media and LinkedIn, because he "...just doesn't get it. Why should I post what I'm doing? Who cares about that? Isn't it just people talking about what they had for lunch?" Create Visibility in a "Noisy" World After explaining … [Read more...]
You Should be Sharing Photos in LinkedIn Status Updates! Here’s Why (and How)!
This was a view from my hotel room at a recent speaking engagement. A little more engaging than posting on LinkedIn "I'm speaking at a conference in Mexico", right? Many of the professionals I train are resistant to social media because they think it's simply a way for people to waste time. They think social media consists of updates on what people had for lunch and random pictures of themselves and their kids and their friends and their pets. And the problem is, they aren't completely wrong. Pretty much everyone has a camera in their pocket on their phone; and sites like Facebook and Twitter (not to mention Pinterest and Instagram) … [Read more...]
How to Use LinkedIn Status Update “Tags”
LinkedIn is most useful when you leverage it as a tool to engage with the people in your network. When you tag someone in a status update, they'll get a notice in their LinkedIn account (and an email in their inbox, depending on their account settings). So now we have a way to grab someone's attention! Instead of hoping they'll stumble across your mention, they'll know that you have brought them up in conversation. This has a number of positive effects. It puts you back on their radar, which is helpful in a world where our network is bombarded with messages and information. It's a light touch in your networking relationship; maybe … [Read more...]
5 LinkedIn Status Updates You Can Post Right Now
LinkedIn Status Updates are a critical tool in developing your online presence. The opportunity to speak directly to your network is incredibly powerful, but sadly, still underused. Your LinkedIn network is made up of professionals who have opted-in to you, but if you don't share anything, they can't stay informed. They want to know what's going on in your professional world, and they are looking to you for information that can help them. "But I don't know what to share!" I hear that all of the time when I'm coaching and training individuals on how to make the most of their networking on LinkedIn. So let's get tactical. Here are … [Read more...]
2 Keys to Building Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn
When we worked for the same company our entire careers, the idea of a personal brand wasn't important. These days, with shorter job stints and a "free agent" economy where it's common for professionals to bounce from project to project, having a strong brand is more critical than ever. But how do you manage your personal brand and get everything done on your to-do list? Here comes social media to the rescue - and on a professional level, LinkedIn. Your brand is based on how you are viewed by your network, the people that you know and the people that know you, i.e, your LinkedIn connections. There are two main pieces that make up … [Read more...]
This Big Mistake in Online Networking Can Sink You
It used to be that bad spelling and poor grammar would only hurt you if you were writing an essay for English class. Now, because so much networking is done online, it can put a damper on your career or lose you credibility in the professional world. With the explosion of written forums that are open to the public (social networking, blogs, online reviews, etc.), how you write can be just as important as what you write. If you are using the internet in any professional capacity, you need to make sure your writing skills aren’t sending the wrong message. You Are Always Being Judged It has gotten easier to communicate with new … [Read more...]
9 Ways the Pros Use Their Status Update on LinkedIn
Updated December 2018 One of the most common features on social networking websites is the status update. Using the status update feature, a user can type in a short message that is broadcast to their entire network. Facebook’s popularity is based largely on people’s ability to share information through the status update feature, and Twitter has taken the process one step further – it’s just status updates, and nothing else. It can be exciting to share in this way, and many business people are using it to share professional information as well. Unfortunately, the ubiquity of status updates makes it hard to be “heard” above the … [Read more...]