UpwardAction Branding & eMarketing

Leverage the Power of LinkedIn to Turbocharge Your Business Development!

Now that you have had time to implement the tips from my PowerUP Your LinkedIn profile blog post, let’s move to strategies you can implement (starting today) to leverage the power of Linkedin as you build your network and grow your business.

1) Customize your message when inviting people to join your LinkedIn network. In your message, remind the person of how he or she knows you. If the person does not know you, let him or her know why you would like to connect. This is a great place to refer to things like your impressions of the person’s company, work, articles, blogs or contributions to the community.

2) Join LinkedIn groups that are related to your associations, industries, subject matter interests and hobbies. After joining select groups, participate in group discussions by sharing information about upcoming events, interesting articles by others, new content by you, etc. Groups provide the opportunity “to FIND” and “be FOUND by” prospective clients & business partners.

3) Use LinkedIn Answers to raise visibility and increase credibility. Ask or answer at least two question per month to leverage the power of LinkedIn Answers. If business is slow, I suggest ANSWERING at least one question per week.

4) Export your LinkedIn connections list and import it into your contact management systems (e.g., Outlook, ACT or Batchbook.com). Exporting, then importing your connections allows you to easily integrate your LinkedIn connections into your personal marketing system. If you are serious about building a sustainable law business or other service based business, you MUST have a personal marketing system. At LawyersLaunchpad, we can help you develop your personal marketing system and implement it!

5) Connect with at least 2 LinkedIn connections each week. Invite several of your connections to have a 15 minute PowerChat with you until you have two confirmations. This is a great project for your assistant. When on PowerChats, invest the 15 minutes learning about what is happening in your connection’s business. PowerChats are about gaining information and building relationships. They are not for pitching your services. Make the connection, build the relationship and the business will follow … oftentimes much faster than you can imagine. Be diligent about sticking to the 15 minute time frame. Make very few exceptions to this rule. It is important to retain the integrity of your initial request for the call. Schedule a follow-up call when your conversation reaches the 15 minute limit. The follow-up call is where you start to explore how your services can meet the person’s needs.

Now that you have 5 ways to leverage the power of LinkedIn, it’s time for YOU to implement.

Applied UpwardAction is POWER!

Let’s Go!

T.C.Coleman, Esq.

PowerUp Your LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a fantastic tool for building connections and growing your business. Leveraging the POWER of this tool starts with a Magnetic profile. Follow the steps below to build a LinkedIn profile that will magnetically attract your target market.

1) Upload a professional photo. People connect with people they know, like and trust. Using a professional photo helps people get to “know like and trust you.”

2) Use the title below your name in a strategic manner. Include areas of focus in addition to titles in this section.

3) Develop a “values-based” executive summary. Think of this section as a written version of your elevator speech (aka “positioning statement”). Make it “keyword” rich to connect with your target market and for search engine optimization.

4) Include all institutions of higher learning in your profile. Use nicknames and official names in your descriptions to make it easier for classmates and alumni to find you. A key to LinkedIn success is finding and being FOUND by others.

5) Include all jobs with which you want to be associated. Use nicknames, official names, keywords and industry jargon in your descriptions. Again, the key is to make it easy to be FOUND by others.

6) Claim your vanity URL and use your name.

7) Import your Gmail, Outlook, Hotmail, AOL, etc. contacts in the the LinkedIn system to start building your network.

Now that you know how to PowerUp your LinkedIn profile, it’s time to implement.

Applied Knowledge + UpwardAction = POWER!

Let’s Go!

T.C. Coleman, Esq.

Magnetic Branding, Social Networking and Online Visibility:
What’s the difference? Why does it matter?

Most of the information being taught about branding, social networking and online exposure simply lumps these terms into one bucket and then proceeds to describe them all under the umbrella of “online visibility.” There is a difference between branding, social networking and online visibility. As an entrepreneur, it is important to understand and appreciate the difference between these terms and then how they fit together.

So, let’s delve in.

Your BRAND is your unique promise of value. It is what others can expect to experience by interacting with you on a personal level or working with you in a professional setting. A brand becomes magnetic when it includes those elements that draw people to you. Your magnetic brand is a combination of your likeability, credibility, expertise, experience and consistency.

SOCIAL NETWORKING is based on interacting with others and engaging them in a manner that provides an illustration of what it would be like to work with you. It is important that you are authentic and consistent when listening and engaging online with your target market. Be yourself, provide value and consistently follow-up for social networking success.

ONLINE VISABILITY involves leveraging your magnetic brand, social networking, social media and social bookmarking to expand your brand. Building a visible brand online requires developing and implementing a strategy that puts action to the phrase … “it is not who you know, but who knows you.”

Once you understand the differences between these terms, you can effectively employ social networking to share your magnetic brand essence and increase your online visibility for greater revenue generation and more powerful client attraction.