Love this app! It makes it very easy to create new content for posting to social media, but does it in a much more visual way than other apps. It’s very “plug & play” and very easy to use.  High-res

Love this app! It makes it very easy to create new content for posting to social media, but does it in a much more visual way than other apps. It’s very “plug & play” and very easy to use. 

If you’ve spent any time on LinkedIn in the last few months you’ve seen this show up at the top of your profile, as well as profiles you’ve visited. I’ve had a few friends and clients ask what it is and what they should do with it. Here are a few important points and recommendations… What is it? The feature is called LinkedIn Endorsements. Your Connections on LinkedIn can now endorse you for particular skills and knowledge. It’s basically their way of saying, “Yes, she knows social media and I would recommend her to others for this skill.”  How do people endorse me? There are three different ways endorsements can take place: When Connections visit your page, they will see a box at the top asking if they want to endorse you. LinkedIn will pick certain skill(s) to show in this box, but it’s somewhat random, which is why it’s so important you update your list of Skills & Expertise - more on that below.  When your Connections visit your profile directly they can scroll down to your Skills & Expertise and click on the skill(s) they want to endorse you for.  When you visit your own profile, LinkedIn will show the box seen above, which includes a group of four people along with skills LinkedIn thinks you might want to endorse them for.  Here are a few steps I recommend taking with this new feature: Update your own list of skills & expertise and make sure it reflects the areas you want people to know you for. For instance, I started my career over 12 years ago handling print management, but that’s not where my career path has led me and is certainly not what I want people to know me for now.  Be deliberate in your choice of which skills to show. There’s a fine line between showing your full range of skills and expertise without taking the focus off the areas you truly want people to endorse you for.  Endorse others. If you spend time endorsing others, they will endorse you in return. However, I don’t recommend a random shotgun approach. Take these endorsement just as seriously as you would an offline endorsement or recommendation and only endorse those people you truly believe in and only for the skills you know them for.  When others endorse you, you will get an email/notification from LinkedIn asking for your permission to post their endorsements to your profile. Be sure to click through and approve these Endorsements or they won’t show on your profile.  Despite how overwhelming this new feature might seem at first, it really doesn’t have to be. (1) Update your skills and expertise and (2) endorse others. It’s that simple! High-res

If you’ve spent any time on LinkedIn in the last few months you’ve seen this show up at the top of your profile, as well as profiles you’ve visited. I’ve had a few friends and clients ask what it is and what they should do with it. Here are a few important points and recommendations…

What is it? The feature is called LinkedIn Endorsements. Your Connections on LinkedIn can now endorse you for particular skills and knowledge. It’s basically their way of saying, “Yes, she knows social media and I would recommend her to others for this skill.” 

How do people endorse me? There are three different ways endorsements can take place:

  1. When Connections visit your page, they will see a box at the top asking if they want to endorse you. LinkedIn will pick certain skill(s) to show in this box, but it’s somewhat random, which is why it’s so important you update your list of Skills & Expertise - more on that below. 
  2. When your Connections visit your profile directly they can scroll down to your Skills & Expertise and click on the skill(s) they want to endorse you for. 
  3. When you visit your own profile, LinkedIn will show the box seen above, which includes a group of four people along with skills LinkedIn thinks you might want to endorse them for. 
Here are a few steps I recommend taking with this new feature:
  • Update your own list of skills & expertise and make sure it reflects the areas you want people to know you for. For instance, I started my career over 12 years ago handling print management, but that’s not where my career path has led me and is certainly not what I want people to know me for now. 
  • Be deliberate in your choice of which skills to show. There’s a fine line between showing your full range of skills and expertise without taking the focus off the areas you truly want people to endorse you for. 
  • Endorse others. If you spend time endorsing others, they will endorse you in return. However, I don’t recommend a random shotgun approach. Take these endorsement just as seriously as you would an offline endorsement or recommendation and only endorse those people you truly believe in and only for the skills you know them for. 
  • When others endorse you, you will get an email/notification from LinkedIn asking for your permission to post their endorsements to your profile. Be sure to click through and approve these Endorsements or they won’t show on your profile. 

Despite how overwhelming this new feature might seem at first, it really doesn’t have to be. (1) Update your skills and expertise and (2) endorse others. It’s that simple!

Content Marketing For People Who Hate Writing

This article has outstanding recommendations for coming up with content for your blog and social media sites. I’ve always found the best way to come up with ideas is to determine the subject matter experts and pick their brains. Some of them may be more than happy to assist with the writing, but sometimes it’s just a matter of asking the right questions so you can put it together for them. 

Taking Control of Your Brand

I’m consistently surprised at the number of business people who don’t see, or even try to understand, the value of social media. If you have no interest in being employed now or in the future then so be it. Go ahead and ignore it all - Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn… But if you are currently employed, are looking for employment, or think you might go back to work in the future, ignoring social media is essentially burying your head in the sand.

At some point someone is going to perform a Google search for your name. Someone who is considering doing business with you, hiring you, networking with you, etc. Why not do everything you can to ensure the information they find is positive, accurate and truly represents who you are and what your experience is? 

This doesn’t have to take up an extensive amount of time and the key place to start for any business person is LinkedIn.

  • Create/update your LinkedIn profile. Make sure it is complete and clearly outlines your work history and experience. Unless your resume is severely out of date, this should take you less than an hour to setup. Then about 15 minutes to review and update on a monthly basis so it’s never out of date. 
  • Connect with everyone you know. It’s about quality not quantity with LinkedIn Connections. However, the more people you connect with, the larger your network will be and the more opportunities you will have to connect with key people down the road, so don’t be shy either. You can import contacts from almost any email program, so you won’t have to manually add people. Simply upload your contacts, choose which ones you want to send a Connection request to, and off they go. This should take you less than 30 minutes. 
  • LinkedIn offers a handful of applications you can add to your profile. One of my favorites for people with limited time to spend on the site is Reading List, which allows you to share books you’ve read or are currently reading. It’s a great way to take your profile a step further and allow people to understand more about who you are and what you stand for. 
  • Change your status update once a week. Share great articles or blog posts you’ve read, tell people what you’re working on, or share snippets from conferences you attend. This kind of information helps to enhance your profile beyond just the typical information found on a resume. This takes a few minutes at the most. The hardest part is remembering to do it in the first place, so I recommend setting up a calendar reminder for it.

What’s your preference - spending a little time upfront establishing your brand and reputation online or taking a risk on what potential employers/clients might find? 

Don’t Bury Your Head in the Sand

I’m consistently surprised at the number of business people who don’t see, or even try to understand, the value of social media. If you have no interest of being employed now or in the future then so be it. Go ahead and ignore it all - Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn… But whether you are currently employed, are looking for employment, or think you might go back to work in the future, ignoring social media is essentially burying your head in the sand.

At some point someone is going to perform a Google search for your name. Someone who is considering doing business with you, hiring you, networking with you, etc. Why not do everything you can to ensure the information they find is positive, accurate and truly represents who you are and what your perspective is? 

This doesn’t have to take up an extensive amount of time and the key place to start for any business person is LinkedIn.

  • Create/update your LinkedIn profile. Make sure it is complete and clearly outlines your work history and experience. 
  • Connect with everyone you know. It’s about quality not quantity with LinkedIn Connections; however, the more people you connect with, the larger your network will be and the more opportunities you have to connect with key people down the road. 

New Facebook Page Feature Bridges Global with Local

Facebook’s global growth has impacted the way that marketers use the social platform to reach a larger audience. As a result, Facebook is now making it easier for brands with an international presence to build a following and engage its fans with the launch of Facebook Global Pages. It is a step forward for Facebook and one that will allow brands to be relevant on a local level while still allowing them to show their global reach. READ MORE

A Few of My Favorite Blogs

I read a lot of blogs ranging in focus from DIY and recipes to social media and marketing. These are a few of my favorites when it comes to marketing and social media:

  • Convince and Convert - This blog from Jay Baer, who I’ve had the privilege of meeting on several occasions, is always relevant, always to-the-point, and always helpful. 
  • Social Media Examiner - This is by far the most helpful site when doing research on how to do very specific things in social media. The posts on this site are quite a bit longer than other blogs, but in doing so they are really able to take the time to explain the why and how of various aspects of social media. 
  • Michael Hyatt - Michael and his team write about a wide variety of topics and not all are focused on marketing or social media. However, when he does write on these topics, they are very helpful - in particular for those trying to launch their own blog/website, build a community, write a book, build a speaking career, etc. He’s also tried a LOT of different tools and approaches when it comes to marketing his own business and he often shares what he has learned along the way. 
  • Mack Collier - Mack, who I’ve also had the pleasure of meeting, doesn’t write as consistently or as often as many, but when he does the information is always helpful. He does a lot of testing of his own site/blog and shares insights into what he has done to increase engagement and conversion. 
  • Damn, I Wish I’d Thought of That! - Andy Sermovitz writes this blog and you will often find yourself saying the title of the blog out loud while reading a post. He provides great examples of ways people have marketed their businesses and it often comes down to a simple and clear focus on customer service. 

That’s it for now! I read close to a hundred blogs, but these are the best of the best. I will update this list as I come across new ones.