Here are 3 great tips on using LinkedIn as a marketing tool for your business.

Tip #1: Create compelling content for your target market

There is a saying that goes, “Content is King”. Your potential customers are searching online for solutions to their problems. When you’re crystal clear on your target market, focus your efforts on understanding the needs of your market, and identify creative or innovative solutions that solve their problems.  Your content should deliver these solutions and can come in any number of forms, such as articles, videos, blog posts, reports, white papers, power point presentations, case studies, and webinars.

For example, if you own an accounting business, you may identify that one of your target market’s greatest needs is determining ways they can reduce the amount the pay in taxes. If you’re providing this type of service to small business owners, you could write an article or blog posts that gives them tips on where they can save on their taxes.

If you’re more comfortable with videos than writing articles or blog posts, you can speak in front of a video camera and talk about tips or advice on saving on their taxes. You can post this video on YouTube, tag it with the appropriate keywords, and write down the link. Whether by articles or video, you are providing valuable information to the business owner that can help them with their business.

Tip #2: Join relevant groups and participate in the discussions

Once you have identified your target market, search and join relevant groups where your target market can be found. If your business provides a product or service that targets real estate agents, you can type into the search the keyword “real estate”, and the search results will show all the groups relevant to that keyword. LinkedIn usually sorts its results based on the number of people who are members of the group, from the highest to the lowest.

If you are looking to geo-target your search so that you find groups relevant only to your local market, you can specify your search term even further and add the city or location to your search. For example, if you are based in Las Vegas and want to target real estate agents in Las Vegas, you can enter the search term “real estate Las Vegas”.

Once you have identified the target group, join that group and start participating in the discussions. If you followed tip #1, you can post your valuable content, such as your articles and blog posts, into the discussion board and provide a link back to your site. Keep in mind not to pitch or sell your business. The discussion boards are there primarily to provide valuable content to the group members. Some group admins are strict and may remove any members from the group who are posting any “spam” or “pitchy” material.

Also take a look at what’s being posted in the discussion boards, and take some time to post comments on those discussions. This is a perfect opportunity to add value to the discussion, and you can even provide a link to your site after you have provided some valuable information.

Tip #3: Connect with members of the group

Search the profiles of the group members. If you come across a profile that may potentially be a great contact for your business, send that person a private message and ask to connect. Keep it conversational and do not start selling your product or service. For example, you can keep it simple and ask, “I saw that we’re both members of the (insert name) Group. Just thought I’d reach out and see if you’d like to connect and exchange ideas. Let me know if you’re interested.” If they reply back with a yes, send them a connection request right away.

Once you’re connected, continue the conversation and ask them how their business is going. From this point, you’ll have the opportunity to engage with them and find out more about their needs. The key here is to build a relationship of trust and credibility, and once you have done this, you will know when it is the right time to promote your product or service.

How have you generated business on LinkedIn? Please share your experience in the comments below.

Cover Image

Your cover image now replaces the custom landing tab, and will be displayed on the Main Page. The dimensions for the large cover image is 851 x 315 pixels. If you have a smaller picture, it will automatically be resized to these dimensions.

If you have used a custom default landing tab for your Facebook Page, please take note of the following restrictions and guidelines on your cover image. It should not contain:

• Price or purchase information, such as “40% off” or “Download it at our website”

• Contact information, such as web address, email, mailing address or other information intended for your Page’s About section

• References to user interface elements, such as Like or Share, or any other Facebook site features

• Calls to action, such as “Get it now” or “Tell your friends”

Cover Image Tips:

I have included a few suggestions on what you can include in your cover image, that will help you entice your viewers to Like Your Page.

Use it to announce an event or showcase a product. Remember not to include any call to action on it, as restricted by the Timeline guidelines that are mentioned above.

Use design and company logo to brand your company

Add motivational quotes, slogans or positive information for your readers

Showcase your customers having a positive experience with your product

Involve your audience

Profile Picture

The profile picture you upload must be at least 180 x 180 pixels, and will be displayed in the bottom left corner of your cover image. However, the profile picture will be displayed at either 125 x 125 or 150 x 150 depending on the size of the viewer’s screen. This is also the same image that will be displayed as your thumbnail, so make sure it reflects your brand.

Custom thumbnail

You can add a custom thumbnail to your apps. Dimensions are 111 x 74 pixels. This is a great opportunity to add your company branding, as well as a call to action. Four apps will be displayed in the Main Page. Photos will be the default app on the far left, and you can select which other 3 apps you would like displayed on the Main Page.

You can have a total of 12 custom tabs, but only 4 will show up on your Main Page.

Milestones

You can go back in time and add business milestones to show your audience some important dates and events in your company’s history. When you add these milestones to the appropriate date, it will go out to your fans’ newsfeed and increase your visibility and engagement.

Pin posts

You can pin a post made by a Page, which will appear at the top of the wall for the next 7 days. Rotate your posts, and keep them fresh every 1-2 days.

Messages

Fans and visitors can now send you a private message to your Page. You have the option to turn this off in your admin panel, but it’s also a great idea to include this feature so you can keep in contact with your fans and prospects. Since they are fans of your page, there’s a high chance they can become targeted leads for your business.

If you need assistance with the Timeline transition, which is scheduled to occur this Friday, March 30, please contact me at kris@krisdeleon.com or 702-339-7580, and I will be happy to assist. I am offering special rates to help you with a smooth transition to Timeline.

I remember putting it out to the Universe last summer (2011) that I wanted to relocate to a city by the water, with easy access to nature. After growing up on a tropical island with water around, I realized how much I missed being right by the water.

I wanted to live in a city that was large enough to offer better economic opportunities, but small enough where the city had an abundance of neighborhoods, each with its own character and vibe. I wanted to live in a neighborhood that was buzzing with a lot of art, culture, restaurants and cafes, and also where people live a healthy and environmentally-friendly lifestyle.

I thought this move would happen in two years time, and I had no idea what city fit this criteria. I didn’t have the money and resources to make this move right away, but it was an intention I had set and was determined to make this a reality.

Around Christmas time, I felt a strong intuitive urge to reconnect with my relatives in Seattle. Then it just hit me – I haven’t connected with my family here in over 10 years, so the idea just came – why not relocate to Seattle? It’s surrounded by water with lots of nature around, so why not consider it?

I spoke with my relatives, and they absolutely loved the idea. When I made that decision to move, everything just fell into place. I had no idea how I was going to make the move, but I created a plan and stuck with it. The money and resources just showed up to support this move. I easily found a place to stay with my family temporarily, which coincidentally happened to be in the exact kind of neighborhood that I described above.

I’ve never experienced anything like this in my life – making a major life decision like relocating and just following my gut instincts and intuition, and completely trusting that the path and plan will be revealed.  As the days progressed, I became more aware that Seattle offered exactly what I asked for. I’ve been blessed to meet so many people who are going out of their way to help me connect with the right people that could provide me great opportunities in my career, business and social life.

So what was the major lesson I learned from all of this? If you desire something so great, and especially if it’s truly aligned with your heart’s desire, then make a firm decision to just do it! Create a plan and follow through with it. When your intuition guides you, then just do it! You’ll know it’s intuition when it feels so good and right. Sure, I had my fears and reservations, but I went ahead and did it anyway.

So instead of waiting for 2 years, I got what I wanted in a few months, without even realizing it, until I took the time to reflect on it. I’m definitely looking forward to how all of this unfolds, and I will keep you posted on what transpires.

If you’ve done anything where you listened to your heart and gut instincts, and followed through with it, please share your stories in the comments below.

by Don Purdum

Over the last year Facebook has give fan page owners a tremendous amount of information to help page owners gauge the effectiveness of their fans engagement with them.

When we created our Facebook page we determined the one key metric we were going to look at was the “Talking About This”.

It is basically a measure of engagement. It is measured over 1 week and updated daily. If anyone interacts (likes, shares, comments, etc) with your page in some way they will be counted in this. The more “Talking About This” you have the more chances you have of interactions.

An average number I have seen for a solid level of engagement is roughly 10% of your Likes. If you can do better than this consistently then you are doing well.

I’m not saying that other metrics are not important. They are in helping determine if you’re reaching your target audience.

However, we felt this was the most important metric for two reasons:

1. It is the only visible metric visible to the public.
2. Engagement is more important to use than the size of our followers.

We knew if people were engaging us, then others would follow. Nothing is more devaluing to a Facebook Like page than seeing a high follow numbers, and yet very low or non-existent engagement.

There are sites out there that you can buy or network with for free followers to give an impression of a high following. However, those followers will never engage you, at least not genuinely. There may be rare exceptions, but I believe it will be very few and far between. When you do this, I believe you hurt your options of finding your true target audience that will want to engage you.

If you want your Facebook Like page to be a growing and thriving community, and if you want to turn existing fans into raving fans, engagement is the only way to do that. And Talking About This is a good measure of overall engagement.

How Do You Get More Engagement?

The best way is to just ask!

When you post an article, ask for your fans opinions. They want to share it with you, but sometimes they are not sure if you are encouraging that, unless you ask. It’s okay not to be the authority on everything. Let your audience be and they will respond in kind.

Here is an example of a post we used just recently:

“A lot of websites are moving towards logins that use social media vs a traditional login that requires a registration. Here is an interesting study. Which one is do you think your audience most prefers?”

It could have just been a statement and a link. Instead, we got some interaction. That is what you are after.

You might also ask your followers to “Share” your post.

Inserting a call-to-action will remind your audience to act, not just read. Inspire, encourage, and ask is my motto.

Finally, never let a post go unnoticed. When someone Likes or shares your post, be sure to reach out and acknowledge them. Use it as an opportunity to expand the conversation. And, don’t let it wait more than a few hours.

If you have additional thoughts or experiences, I would love to hear them. Please leave a comment below to help our readers.

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The Real Purpose of Marketing

Today, I want to talk about the real purpose of marketing.

The job of marketing is to grow the organization and introduce you to new customers. Whatever it takes, right?

The entire cost structure of marketing is built around interrupting people that is extremely expensive. But it doesn’t have to be any longer.

We can market in a very different way.

Are you still trying to reach the unreachable, those not seeking you out? One example is Super Bowl ads where company’s spend huge amounts of money reaching the unreachable.

Or, are you trying to target market and reach those who are searching for your product or service because they actually want to buy?

Are you available where they are searching for you because they want you?

Search engines like Google, websites, social media, etc.

If I want to find something, I can find it. The internet has changed our world. Magazines are getting smaller, newspapers thinner, TV ads are louder.

Instead, you can use a combination of your website, email and social media that is non-interruptive. They want your product or service and you’re not cramming it down their throat when they don’t want it.

Want to use video, use YouTube. Want to get your message out, try blogging. Do you have a quick message, send out a permission based email.

The message will work and the opportunities are out there, you just have to learn to think in the new marketing paradigm.

I’m really tired of the old forms of intrusive marketing. Frankly, it doesn’t make me want to buy a car, or anything else for that matter.

I’m tired of watching the local TV news only to get almost as much commercial time as news time. I couldn’t believe that last night the local tv station ran a segment for less than 45 seconds after coming back from a commercial break, only to have another commercial break that was longer than the segment. No wonder they are struggling financially. How annoying is that?

Lots of companies are still investing heavily in old forms of marketing. TV, radio, magazines, and newspapers just to name a few. They dabble in new media, but only to the degree it supports their old media marketing.

Many websites try to make money by using old advertising forms on their website. How many advertising banners on a website have you clicked lately?

Do you get frustrated or annoyed when you’re looking at something on a website and an ad drops down? Then, you lose your place, find it again, only for the ad to go back up and you experience it all over again. Ugh! So frustrating.

But there are some great companies out there that have not spent one dime in old marketing in any capacity.

What if you could have a direct connection between you and the consumer?

The internet gives you the option.

For example, have you ever heard of www.threadless.com. If not, you have now.

In his book, Meatball Sunday, Seth Godin talks about the achievements of this company. They were founded in 2001 in Chicago, IL and according to Godin they have seen their sales quadruple every year.

Threadless.com is a t-shirt printing company. Threadless does not take an old marketing approach. Never has. They don’t mass market, produce high numbers of shirts at a low cost, and they don’t advertise.

How did they do it?

They don’t design their shirts. Their customers do. Their customers don’t just buy, they design. They engage with and interact with the business.

Threadless holds design contests where the winners win cash and all kinds of unique prizes. The best part, all designs are available for purchase.

In the end, it’s a huge network of purchases, designers, and purchasers. How is that for a sales and production team!

When a prospect or customer contacts them, a real person reads, responds, and interacts with them. That is inbound, permission based marketing at its best.

Consider this, an inbound, permission based email is not just an expense (although it is an extremely low one), it’s also an opportunity for your organization to eliminate barriers and have a dialog with your prospects and customers.

Every day you are likely missing an opportunity to dialogue with a prospect. Every time you run an ad, billboard, get a visitor to your website, you miss an opportunity to engage in a conversation because your email isn’t accessible. Make your email accessible on all of your marketing. Don’t just use forms on your website, but under your staff also include the email address of the business owner or CEO, and key leadership people.

Don’t just ask people for permission to market to them, but give them permission to also talk to you. It will make a huge difference.

There is the distinction between old marketing and new. The old just told you what they want you to buy, the new marketing allows you to tell the company what you want to buy.

The power is no longer in the hands of the company, but instead it’s in the consumers.

So, the next time you redesign your website and copy, remember to start thinking like a customer, tell them your unique story, and offer them what they want to know or purchase. Do the same in email and on social media.

That’s the winning combination!

Don Purdum

CEO / Founder, The Internet Conference

Email: don@texstarweb.com

1) Offer special promo codes to receive discount offers

2) Invite your customers to a webinar

3) Limited time offers

4) Capture their e-mail addresses

For more details on each tip, check out my full article on Social Media Today.

What other techniques have you used to convert your audience into customers? What other suggestions do you have? Please leave your comment below to help out our readers.

This week’s guest post is from Don Purdum, CEO and Founder of TexstarWeb.com. Don talks about the importance of incorporating a blog into your website, and offering value to your target audience. Read this article below for more tips.

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What is a Blog and How Do I Use It to Grow My Business?

Great question, I thought you would never ask! Just kidding. All joking aside, a number of you don’t really know or understand the difference between a website and a blog.

The answer is in how you use it, in my opinion.

A website is full of all kinds of relevant information about your product and service, and those products or services can help your customers and potential customers. It can be a marketing site, informational, educational, or ecommerce website where you’re selling products. However, in most cases it tends to be a one-way communication tool.

You get to talk to them, but they really don’t get to talk back to you.

Blogs are really a two-way communication tool between you and those interested in products or services and what you have to say about them.

Social Media

Blogs are tending to fall in the social media sphere because they are hybrids. Not quite a website, but not quite a full blown social media site either.

When you write a blog article, you can post it directly to your Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn pages. People can leave comments and feedback on your blog or social media pages. Because of this, your blog opens up to the web in ways that your website may not.

Your blog should be a part of your website. What I mean is don’t use a third party blogging platform like blogger.com, wordpress.com, etc. Not that those are bad, but they may not really help you build search engine traffic for your website. That’s a whole different conversation right there.

To make your blog a part of your website, install WordPress from www.wordpress.org onto your server and have the domain be www.yourdomain.com/blog. That way, you get credit for the blog instead of Google or WordPress, who doesn’t need it. You do! And, for business purposes it makes you more credible and respected if you’re attempting to monetize your blog and website.

How To’s

Blogs are tools that you get to write about your passions and interests, noteworthy news and information, and especially “How To’s”.

The key to a great blog is how does what you are writing help your readers?

“How To’s” do that.

For example, if you sell some kind of furniture, then write a how to brace a book shelf and caulk it into a wall so that it blends in and becomes part of the wall. I hope you get the point? There may not be a whole lot to say about a book shelf. But, there may be ways you can write about how to utilize a book and make it part of the decor that is practical, interesting, and relevant.

That’s giving value!

Value

Value is part of the blog game. The more value, i.e. practical ideas, suggestions, and how to’s, you can give away the larger your reader base will grow and the greater the opportunity you have to earn new and repeat business. And, use pictures and video as much as possible to help illustrate your points.

I admit value is an overused term. But it is a good term. With a fragile economy, you have to give people a reason to both trust you, and buy from you. Value is that reason. If you can give me a practical idea or tip that benefits me, why wouldn’t I buy from you?

Conclusion

So, there is the difference between a website and blog. Websites can be interactive, but they are still generally a one-way communication tool. Where blogs are a two-way communication tool whereby your readers can write comments back to you.

Of course, there are great similarities. They ought to share the same domain, and they may be in the same website theme and look similar. But their uses are very different.

On a final note, one of my favorite blogs comes from Southwest Airlines. They have a tremendous blog that anyone can emulate. Check it out at Nuts About Southwest.

Thanks for reading this blog entry!

If you would like more clarification, or if you have other ideas about blogging and how to use one, please leave us a comment.

Don

Don Purdum

CEO / Founder, The Internet Conference

Email: don@texstarweb.com

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About Don Purdum

Don has been in the business of web design, search engine optimization, and has specialized in social media for a combined seven years. He founded Texstar Web.com in July 2009 and The Internet Conference in November 2011.

His desire has always been to help businesses of all sizes reach their potential on the internet by educating, influencing, and building trust with each individual client and site visitor.

From the design and look of a website, to informing clients on how to use social media such as Twitter and Facebook to increase their reach, his business approach to innovation, creativity and web design results in meaningful and relevant online experiences for business and their customers.

Don understands the unique needs of small businesses, has the foresight for growing businesses, and knows what it takes to maintain or launch a brand, product, or service.

He has worked with companies as small as two employees up to fortune 1,000 companies.

Don is an avid blogger, serves on the Board of the Royse City Chamber of Commerce, a suburb east of Dallas, TX, and on the leadership team of his BNI group in Dallas, TX.

1) Make sure it’s easy for the reader to comment

2) Ask questions

3) Respond to people who comment

4) Comment on other blogs

5) Invite a bit of controversy

For a more detailed explanation on these tips, go to my article on Social Media Today. What has been the best strategy for you, which generated the most comments for your blog? Please leave your comment on the article or below to help out our readers who want to increase their blog comments.

A few months ago, I wrote a blog post called Getting Into the Zone. It’s such an amazing feeling when you get so into your work and passion that time seems to fly by and all your tasks seem so effortless.

I love it when I get that feeling, when my passion overtakes me and I just get things done. When I’m out of my zone, I just want to get back in. Is there a way how? I know that if I try to figure it out, I have a hard time getting back in.

But when I’m in that zone, nothing can stop me. My friend Nick Outlaw wrote an article called Be Invincible. While it is heavily geared to the sports and fitness industry, a lot of the concepts can be applied to your life as an entrepreneur. It takes a strong mindset and sheer determination to succeed in business.

When you can get into that zone, you’re simply invincible. Read the article below to learn how you can Be Invincible! Please leave comments below, and let me know what you do when you’re invincible.

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Be Invincible

By: Nick Outlaw

Have you ever had a dream where you could fly and do anything you wanted without any fear or possibility of being hurt?  Normal limitations didn’t apply, like gravity or pain.  Perhaps you can remember a time when you were unstoppable and everything you did was spot on.  You were at your best, you were in the ZONE!

Here are accounts of athletes describing their experience of pinnacle performance:

“ a strange calmness; it was a type of euphoria; I felt I could run all day without tiring, that I could dribble through any of their team or all of them, that I could almost pass through them physicall.” – Edson Arantes Do Nascimento (Brazilian soccer legend Pele’)

“ It’s a very strange felling.  It’s as if time slows down and you see everything so clearly.  You just know that everything about your technique is spot on.  It just feels so effortless; it’s almost as if you’re floating across the trace.  Every muscle, every fibre, every sinew is working in complete harmony and the end product is that you run fantastically well.”  – Mark Richardson             (1996 Winter Olympics Gold medalist)

“I’m Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde when it comes to football.  When I’m on the field sometimes I don’t know what I’m doing out there.  People ask me about this move or that move, but I don’t know why I did something, I just did it.  I am able to focus out the negative things around me and just zero in on what I am doing out there.  Off the field I become myself again.”  -Walter Payton  (Hall of Fame NFL running backs)

“At that special level all sorts of odd things happened….It was almost as if we were playing in slow motion.  During those spells I could almost sense how the next play would develop and where the next shot would be taken.  Even before the other team brought the ball in bounds, I could feel it so keenly that I’d want to shout to my teammates, “It’s coming there!” –except that I knew everything would change if I did.  My premonitions would be consistently correct, and I always felt then that I not only knew all the Celtics by heart but also all the opposing players, and they all knew me.”  – Bill Russell (NBA legend)

Mihaly Csikszentmikhalyi, a western psychologist and leading scientific researcher in the area of flow, a.k.a. the zone, describes the flow as completely focused motivation,  a single minded immersion that utilizes your emotions for peak performance and learning.  Csikszentmikhalyi has found 10 factors that are hallmarks of the state of flow.

1. Clear goals where expectations and rules are discernible and goals are attainable and align appropriately with one’s skill set and abilities.  Challenge level and skill should be both high.  Your practice should resemble the competition as much as possible.

2.      Concentration on a limited field of attention.  Fully focused on the task at hand. Being present in the moment.  Eliminate distractions.  Practice meditation and breathing exercises to clear your mind.

3.     A loss of the feeling of self-consciousness, the merging of action and awareness.  Become one with your craft.

4.     A Distorted sense of time, one’s subjective experience of time is altered.  When we were kids we would play outside for hours.

5.     Direct and immediate feedback.  Be able to assess your performance quickly and make changes immediately.

6.     Balance between ability level and challenge.

7.     A sense of personal control over the situation or activity.

8.     The activity is intrinsically rewarding, so that there is effortlessness in the action.  You must enjoy the activity.   Remember why you started playing.

9.     A lack of awareness of bodily needs.  Use the restroom before you compete, stay hydrated and fueled.

10.   Absorption into the activity, action awareness immerging.

Buddhist PhD Andrew Cooper, a leading expert and researcher of the zone, describes this phenomenon as:

“profound joy, acute intuition (which at times feels like precognition), a feeling of effortlessness in the midst of intense exertion, a sense of the action taking place in slow motion, feelings of awe and perfection, increased mastery, and self-transcendence.”

The way that the athletes have described their record breaking performances sounds dream and mystical like.  They seem to be in a trance like state where they could close their eyes and play.  To induce these peak state performances of invincibility:

1. Become one with your craft.  Put in the time to perfect your skills.
2. Love what you do.  You should associate pure joy with your craft.  When you love what you do it is no longer work.
3. Practice mindfulness and meditation.  Be able to eliminate distractions at will.  The better you are at staying focused the easier it will be for you to get and stay in the zone.
4. Practice loving self talk and self awareness.  Pay attention to your thoughts.  Be able to replace and or change negative self talk quickly.
5. Go and grow beyond yourself.  Be part of something greater than yourself.  Practice forgetting about yourself and you ego and grow for the greater good.

Being your best can not be achieved just through physical training.  We must train the mind with the same intensity and purpose of improving our game.  Spiritual practices have proven successful throughout the world before scientific methods were ever employed.  By synchronizing our body and mind, we can grow on the eternal rhythm of the universe.  Living for something greater than ourselves will truly make us invincible and our spirit unstoppable!

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About Nick Outlaw

Nick is a nationally certified through American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) as a personal trainer and has helped hundreds of clients change their lives in the 8 years he has been training. His experience includes, but is not limited to college and pro athletes, sports specific, strength and conditioning, functional training, post rehabilitation patients, a physical therapy clinical setting, and general fitness, toning and weight loss.

Nick has a BS from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. While attending college he competed in the Power Lifting and endurance competitions where he placed in the top three every time. His Senior Research project was an in depth study of ideal body images in American culture.

Nick’s blog is at www.raleighpersonaltrainer.org

In this E-book, you will learn…

• How to gain clarity on your target market and ideal customer profile
• How to drive targeted leads to your Facebook Page
• How to create an engagement strategy that improves the number of likes, shares and comments on your posts
• How to convert your Fans into paying customers, and get them to spend with you time and time again
• How to measure results of your performance

Make sure to get your copy by filling out the form on the following page called Facebook E-Book. Looking forward to any comments and feedback you may have. I’m looking to write a few more E-books on social media. If you have any topic you’d like me to cover, feel free to comment below. Thanks!