"Yes, I'm on LinkedIn, oooh but ... my Profile needs updating..."

How many times have I met people at networking events, shows, meetings etc, and I hear, 'Ooh, yes I am on LinkedIn, <sigh>, but my profile needs updating'?


Why would you do that?  Why would this be OK?  Particularly if LinkedIn is an important part of your Marketing Mix?  You are better than that, you're worth more than that, I mean, would you give out an old business card, from a previous position?

Yes I'm on LinkedIn, <sigh>,
but my profile needs updating

Maybe that comes across a tad harsh, it's not meant to be - I am all about encouraging, enabling and inspiring, so focus on the 'You're worth it' - hmmm handy catch phrase that...

The thing is, its not a huge investment, but the ROI is massive. Think about it, keeping your LinkedIn Profile up to date costs nothing more than a little time?  OK - maybe you need a 'LinkedIn Update Strategy', but more likely just start thinking of your Profile as a pivotal part of your Marketing Mix.
Everyone updates their profile if you are using Linked to find your next job.  We need to be more strategic, especially if you are using LinkedIn as part of your Marketing Mix, get into the habit of updating your profile whenever those marketing messages change.


If for you your LinkedIn Profile is a Marketing Tool and a precious piece of Marketing Colateral. Then, when there's change (maybe a new focus, new product launch, new direction, new web site) that requires new Marketing Messeages, drop by your LinkedIn Profile and make sure that its updated too.

LinkedIn approve of regular updates and fresh content, so do the search engines,  But far more importantly so will those visiting suspects and prospects who are doing their due diligence on you, your product/service or brand.  If when viewing your profile vistors don't recoginse what they see as what they were expecting, 'boing' of they bounce.  WOW - there's an idea, maybe a metric LinkedIn should provide us is our Profile View 'bounce' rate, how long a visitor spends on our profile would be a very interesting metric
This is all part of Effective and Efficient Social Media, your Social Media Strategy should have clear and direct connections back to you business Goals and Objectives (and no mixed messages).  That way - you know your investment in Social Media directly supports delivering your business Goals and Objectives.  And your LinkedIn Profile will form part of your suspects/prospects due diligence! Think about that ... you are being considered, they are about to be reaching for the phone - don't drop the ball so close to the finish line.

So, there you have it ... keep your LinkedIn Profile aligned with your Marketing Messages, doesn't take long.

I know!  Go take 10 minutes NOW, if your profile needs updating, go do it now.  A few things will happen - 

• You're Profile will be up to date :)
• LinkedIn likes activity and engagement.
• You just invested in YOU, way to go, take a bow, high five :)
• Everyone knows you are investing in YOU - as those following you will be told of the update.  This does depend on your settings, check them by going to 'Privacy and Settings' => 'Privacy' => 'Sharing profile edits'.
• And, bless you for reading my blog and acting on it so quickly, YOU have made MY day.

If you need help with creating a world class, optimised, LinkedIn Profile.  One that supports your sales and marketing, helps with your conversion ratio's and gets YOU FOUND, we have worksbooks, tutorials and training courses that can help. 

Leave your email in the comments on this post and I will send over my 20 page 'Step by Step guide to preparing the content for your LinkedIn Profile' work book.  No obligation, your email won't be saved to a database (unless you want me too - in which case there's an email capture box top right of this blog) because, if you like my work and could do with more help - "you" know where "I" am :D

Mick

Lets connect - 

I am on Facebook here - www.facebook.com/mick.holloway

I am on Twitter here - @mick_holloway 

I am on LinkedIn here - www.linkedin.com/in/mickholloway

www.24-7.so

Taking advantage of Black Friday/Cyber Monday

I'm rarely taken in by these deals, as I keep hearing 'its only a bargain if you needed it'.  So that's a mantra that works well for Michael.

But .... I did take advantage of some Black Friday/Cyber Monday (or more accuratley the weeks before and after that weekend;) ) offers.  I'm always, always, looking to 'sharpen the axe' for new books, material, trainings.  And this last week has been excellent for 'sampling' some good and not so good online content.

Many of the people whose work I admire have had 'tripwire' deals where you can sample there content, courses, metarial etc, for a month, for a drastically reduced fee - usualy $1.

Brilliant.  Now, I know I will run the gauntlet of their Infusion Soft, or <insert as apllicable>,  follow up emails, but that's 'mostly' cool as I say, I like their work so why not truly follow them?  And, there's always the options to unsubscribe / divert to spam if they start taking advantage of my audience.

I am not advocating dive in with a view to never purchasing!!  In fact I'll issue a health warning, if you like someones work, you'll probably like their on line content (they know this hence the trip wire 'try before you buy' deals). Having said that I have experienced some woeful material. Oh, and before engaging, bear in mind the regular fee and your budget, you may fall in love with someone's style, content, methods etc then find you need to raise $3000 to complete the course.

So, get a wiggle on, go check out those mentors, thought leaders and people whose work you admire, see if they have a low cost (sometimes FREE) 30 day offer and try before you buy.   Some people have deals that are always available, but Black Friday / Cyber Monday seems to focus many more on the opportunity to gather more followers.

Mick

Lets connect - 
I am on LinkedIn here - www.linkedin.com/in/mickholloway

I am on Facbook here - www.facebook.com/mick.holloway

I am on Twitter - @mick_holloway

www.24-7.so

Microsoft buying LinkedIn for $26Bn

So, Microsoft are buying LinkedIn for $26Bn. 

Commercially - that's some story.   Bravo LinkedIn - from an initial IPO valuation of just over $4Bn, closing that day valued at $8.9Bn.  Recently, losing $11Bn in value in one day (05/02/2016), and now valued and purchased for $26Bn.  

That's good work by Reid Hoffman etal - bravo LinkedIn bravo...

Bravo Reid Hoffman Bravo

As to why Microsoft would acquire LinkedIn?

To me this could be a smart move by Microsoft. Before they had Bing, they had their s/w on every desk top but knew nothing of their customers...  The value of really knowing all about your clients was a big lesson they learn't from Google.  Hence the investment in Bing, IE and now Edge.  Now Microsoft know a lot about us, crucial insights to what we do/like/want etc. So why LinkedIn?  This Microsoft making a move on the social platforms?  Are they after Facebook, will LinkedIn become less Business / Recruitment centric? 

Days later it seems, having failed to purchase SalesForce, Microsoft valued highly the sales data and sales tools that come with LinkedIn.  Looking even more like a smart strategic move by Microsoft.  And again bravo Reid for knowing the value of your business, bravo.

Microsoft attracted to LinkedIn's sales data and sales tools

Thoughts anyone?

Mick

Lets connect - 

I am on Facebook here - https://www.facebook.com/mick.holloway

I am on Twitter here - @mick_holloway 

I am on LinkedIn here -  https://uk.linkedin.com/in/mickholloway

www.24-7.so

Fancy a different One to One Strategy?

                                           
                                                Fancy a different approach to your One to One's?

Its no secret (or shouldn't be if my marketing strategy is working :D ) that I am an advocate of Social Media.  Social Networking, Digital Marketing, the whole 'in bound', permission based marketing model.  While I have lectured, presented and trained thousands of people on how to add Social Networking to your marketing mix...  I am also big on 'get it off the screen', the whole people buy from people mantra.

If you ever find yourself attending one of my meetings, the 2nd slide you see will ask .. "Have you had a one to one ?".  I aim to have two a week, trying to lead by example, they never a waste of time because I choose carefully, do my due diligence before hand, so I am sure there's most likely going to be a real expectation of an ROI of the hour we spend together.

I have blogged about having one to one's before - you will find that article HERE

                                                                         Have One to One's


With this blog, for those that are new to networking - I would like to document and share a one to one strategy that I have used recently to spectacular effect...

If its the first time you have met - spend only 10 minutes each talking about you, your business, what motivates you and what type of contacts you are currently looking to meet - be sure to share your 'WHY'...  If its not the first time you have met, and you know each other's business well - spend 5 minutes each updating on what's new...  Remember - you should have both researched each other before the meeting, and be familiar with their business (good old LinkedIn, Facebook and Google).

And that's it with the 'let me tell you in ever more detail how great my business is' time.  Because this is where the meeting could slide into 'sales pitch' territory, this one to one is too precious, your time is too precious, to waste on a futile sales pitch.

Be sure that you go first, and lets reverse the dynamic, no more talking in terms of 'me', 'I', 'we', you now stop talking about your business and focus on the other person and their business. If you have chosen your one to one partner well, (and you are getting on as people!  As if you don't like each other that's a bit of a show stopper), this focus on THEM will be make them feel great, and feel good towards you, which is handy as next up its their turn to think how they can help you. Try it, it works.

Try a Different Engagement Strategy For Your Next One to One Click To Tweet 

Take turns, first YOU simply spend half the time working out how YOU can help the other person. Really, genuinely work at this, try to see how many ways you may be able to help. Then, all grateful and inspired - its their turn to spend half the time working out how they can help you.

And by 'help' I don't mean whether you can use/buy their products/services yourself (that's a short term bonus if you can).  I mean - think -

• Who do you know that might be interested in them, their products or services?  
• How could you, your business or anyone in your network help them grow their business?  
• Could you work together, maybe on joint ventures?
• Who do you know that might be able to work with them on a joint venture?
  ...etc

Its clearly far more strategic than hoping to get lucky and meet someone that could end up buying from you, far more productive and respectful than pitching or being pitched.  And a fabulous way to start or maintain a mutually beneficial relationship.

                                                      Try a new approach to one to one's

OK - I sense the need for some anecdotal evidence - which of course I have plenty and happy to share them with you... I know !  Lets have a one to one, face to face if you are in the South East UK, otherwise no excuses we can do this on line as I also have :-
     Skype                       michael.holloway1
     Google Hangout      mickholloway@gmail.com

Remind me to tell you the one about the multi £Bn UK PLC, or the Driving School, the Photographer, and I must share with you the opportunities that came from a one to one with a s/w house discussing ways to help them launch a radical highly disruptive product - that resulted in us having to re-think our whole business model...

Hope to talk - Soon.

Mick

Lets connect -
I am on LinkedIn here -  https://uk.linkedin.com/in/mickholloway
I am on Facebook here - https://www.facebook.com/mick.holloway
I am on Twitter here -    @mick_holloway

www.24-7.so

Brand. Brand precedes Strategy - it HAS too.

Brace yourselves... Incoming whinge... Well at least to start with... Indulge me.

So, I am seeing more and more messages starting with "We are 1st degree connections....."  or similar, as thats a LinkedIn opener, but I get similar from Facebook and worse still as Twitter Direct Messages's.

Some of you may be ahead of me, but what always follows that opening is a blatant sales pitch, or a veiled sales pitch or a request to help the author with some research often by visiting their new website (which is usually a squeeze page).

Each to their own.  That's me being polite, diplomatic even.  But for me this is wrong in so many ways...

1. Because we are connected, friends, followers whatever - doesn't give you any permission to pitch or sell to me.

2. I know a squeeze page when I see one, and adding a count down clock - is an insult to me.

3. I had a reason to connect with you - abuse that trust and... see 5.

4. We are connected, lets engage, I look forward to your posts, respect this and  keep them on topic or...  see 5.

5. You, me, all of us, can be 'muted' or 'blocked' in one click, just so you know ;)

I have blogged about this before, on a single specific incident, a spectacular example of abusing a new twitter connection with the larger DM's, you can read that blog HERE

Social Media is more than ever about understanding your Brand, which defines your target audience, with which you engage with 1st class and always Relevant Content.  Hence, 2016 is increasingly about 'Relevant Content'.  

What's that !   You don't believe me - well this is what Google, Bing, Facebook, LinkedIn etc are looking out for too - its not just me ;).  They all understand you, they have profiled your online (and offline) world, they know what you like and they are keen to deliver to you the BEST experience from your time on their platform - they want you to stay around (that's where they make their money - in case your thinking 'Awww, shucks, how sweet').  Play the game their way, understand your Brand, Define your Audience Persona, create or curate relevant content - and share it.

This is the philosophy we teach and coach, and our Success Circle shows Brand at the centre of everything, once understood, you can look at Strategy, work out WHAT you want from your Social Media, which makes its easier to determine WHO you need to connect to to make that happen.  Once you know WHO, its easy to work out WHERE they can be reached and WHAT you need to be engaging them with.  At 24-7 we show this with the following diagram - 

24-7's Social Media "Success Circle"

So, stop connecting just to instantly pitch me.  Putting that another way, respect me, respect your audience, more importantly respect your brand.  If this blog leaves you thinking "what the..." Can I suggest you read Simon Sinek's "Start with Why" and Seth Godins Tribes.  Don't be cheap - don't be Sheep.

And remember Brand precedes Strategy.

Do you do One to One's?

Well? Do you? Do you have one to one meetings?

Coffee is your friend 

As important as I believe Social Media is, and as important as it is to my customers, it is still one part of your marketing mix...  So, social media is not the panacea, you still have to keep up other marketing activities - put another way, don't expect your LinkedIn connections to tweet you a purchase order.

So, no surprise that I am a HUGE advocate of meeting people one to one.  I can honestly say I have never had a one to one that was a waste of time. I've had not so good ones, where the other person pitched me from 'hello' - I still learn't an awful lot - 1st time it happened I learn't how desperate the pitcher comes across for doing this and made a 'note to self' to never pitch.  Second time, I started honing my skills, leading by example, gently swerving the other party away from pitching me towards a much more rewarding conversation about 'them' and their wants needs and desires.

Strategic Tip - I haven't met anyone that doesn't like talking about themselves or their business.

Practical Tip - If you are being pitched, ask them why they started the business, its on topic and they won't spot the 'swerve', listen to the answer.  Then continue asking what goals they have, listen to the answer.  Then how is it going, what challenges they have and how are they going to achieve these goals... keep listening - because by now that "Carlos FanDango - Time limited, Just For You Mick, Bank Holiday Special Offer --- Not Everyone Is Getting", will have been long forgotten and replaced with a conversation from which you will learn so much more, start a meaningful dialogue / relationship and very likely reveal any opportunities.

The main reason my one to one's are so rewarding is the due diligence both parties can do before committing to meet.  Thanks to marketing and social media, the information is out there, I can learn much about the other person before deciding to invest in a meeting.  Before suggesting a meeting I can be confident they will agree (warm calling) - because I will understand what the benefits will be for both of us.  Often I state openly up front the reasons why I would like to meet - set the agenda, quote the benefits.  In case your wondering .. I do ok, 'most' people are happy to accept the invite and meet.

All that said, meeting new people is rarely a waste of time, taking a chance can be rewarding too - amazing even...  Take yesterday, the inspiration for this blog.  A friend of mine, on vacation in Turkey, had the briefest of conversations with a lady from the Netherlands ... I do mean brief, on a speed boat towing his kids around a bay on a para chute - as you do.  This ladies work with young people and sports psychology really resonated with my friend and loose commitments were made to follow up when they returned from holiday.

They did follow up, the Dutch lady was planning a trip to London with a colleague of hers, and a couple of weeks later I find myself in that there London having a coffee under the Gherkin, people watching waiting for our new Dutch acquaintances to arrive.  Why was I there?  My brief was just to listen, learn, understand and maybe look for opportunities.  What the hey, its just a one to one, he's a good friend well justified to ask for of a few hours of my time, and he asked so nicely :D  He also spent half the journey into London preparing excuses in case it was a waste of my time, bless.  He need not have worried, I had researched this ladies work and I knew it was in the least going to be 'interesting'.

They arrived on time, we talked.  It was relaxed, casual yet intense, we talked for 3 hours.  The work these people are doing is astounding.  Their training and teaching techniques were fabulous and the results they get equally impressive.  Two and half hours in, I had quietly dropped out of the conversations - not because I was bored, disbelieving, cynical etc, I was away, long gone ... thinking FAST and HARD through what I had seen and heard.

I so wish you all could have been in that cafe witnessing the return on my investment in this one to one, I rapidly went from doing a sanity check on an idea, a 'favour' for an apologetic friend, to diving in head first to a new way to learn, to teach, to train.

My ROI was many fold.

1.  I know 24-7's approach to teaching Social Media works, I have struggled with expressing why it works so very well.  A MAJOR benefit of 24-7 membership and I still struggle to express the 'How'!

Until now I would refer to Herman Ebbinghaus's work, but now!  Now, I have a new model to both express 24-7's philosophy AND encourage our members to achieve, to DO, "one powerpoint slide one sentence" - DONE.  It fits on a business card!  And hopefully, if my new friends are willing, a new model to help develop into new markets.

2.  I learn't, lots, I am going to learn more about their work, and ways we can use it to improve 24-7's training methods.

3.  The meeting went so well, I am convinced there are benefits, and even opportunities, for my friend for his own idea's, and I have told him so.  He is also well placed with helping them with their aspirations....  Maybe 24-7 can help them too.

4.  My one to one model survived another meeting - Opportunities, Shared Knowledge and Benefits everywhere - no one pitched anything, ever.

5.  My connections grew by two.  Highly capable and competent, driven, interesting world class people.


So, do you do one to one's?  If not, tell me in the comments below, why not? Because, lorks-a-lordy are you missing out, on so many levels.  Here's an offer, LOL - its not a pitch!!  Lets have a one to one and we can talk more on why I think this way... If you decide it wasn't an hour well spent - I'll buy the coffees.  If you are not in the UK!  Lets do it online, I am available 24-7 :D

Strategic Tip : JDI.....

Do you have one to one's? Do you have enough one to one's? Can you have enough one to one's?  Click to Tweet 

Mick

Lets connect -
I am on LinkedIn here -  https://uk.linkedin.com/in/mickholloway
I am on Facebook here - https://www.facebook.com/mick.holloway
I am on Twitter here -    @mick_holloway

www.24-7.so