Social Media - Where to Begin?
YOUR LINKEDIN QUESTIONS ANSWERED!
Do you have questions about your LinkedIn profile or how to use LinkedIn? Send your questions to our LinkedIn Expert Debbie McCormick and she’ll answer them in the magazine! Use info@LinkedInBossLady.com with subject Dear Debbie.
Dear Debbie:
I am so confused by all the choices of social media! I know you specialize in LinkedIn, but I don’t know where to start! How do I know which one I should be on? ~ Jennifer M.
I feel you on this, Jennifer.
I’m going to bet you’re on the beginning of your business, because I too was confused at all there was to choose from when I first started.
We now have a whole smorgasbord for you to be confused about:
LinkedIn
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube
Pinterest
It can make your head spin.
I’ll share with you the same thing I share with everyone I train:
Your website and your LinkedIn profile must be the foundational pillars of your marketing strategy.
I don’t say that because writing LinkedIn profiles and training on its features` are what I do. If I were a pro on Instagram, I’d tell you the same thing.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with also being on the other social media sites. If your peeps hang out on the Gram, then of course you need to be there too.
WHY LINKEDIN?
When someone is Googling you, your LI profile will come up in the top of the search results because the LI platform is so big. Comparing it to your website, it’s like the Pacific Ocean and Lake Tahoe.
Your profile can, if written correctly, showcase everything you do: exactly what services you offer, what problems you solve and for whom. The reader will immediately know she’s in the right place and will want to talk to you.
LinkedIn is all business, all the time. Readers don’t need to wade through chili recipes and photos of the new kittens down the block to find you and your services.
Consistent (not constant) posting on LI is the fastest way to become a known expert in your field, precisely because readers are not having to drill through above-mentioned distractions to find your content.
There are 700+ million LinkedIn members in the U.S. alone.
Of those, ~90 million are C-Suite execs, decision-makers and influencers … and they’re all there to do business.
When your content and your purpose for connecting is designed to bring value to your ideal clients without asking anything in return (till you’ve earned the ask — more about that below), your readers will get that you care about solving their problem, not taking their money.
Earning The Ask comes under the umbrella concept of Social Selling, which we’ve talked about before. When you are providing value without asking anything in return, you are Earning The Ask, meaning that:
The reader will keep you top-of-mind when they’re ready to buy because you’ve given her so much good information. It’s called The Law of Reciprocity…she’ll want to give you something in return.
When you do get to speak to the reader, you’ll have earned the right to ask if she would like to have a phone call with you to talk about her problem and whether you can help her. It won’t come off as pushy in any way.
I hope you practice Social Selling in everything you do and everywhere you are visible. LinkedIn provides you with the greatest opportunity to earn your readers’ trust.
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I’m happy to answer your LinkedIn questions every week in the YES I CAN Living Magazine.
For further help or support from me, feel free to schedule a one-on-one consultation at www.BookWithDebbie.com.
I’d love your support on these platforms:
LinkedIn.com/in/DebbieMcCormick
@LinkedInBossLady
facebook.com/DebbieMcCormickConsultingLinkedIn
