LinkedIn With The Right Crowd
We all know social media is a marketing tool that we should utilize, but few of us understand just how, when, or what to post. Let us take a look at a recent teaching by @Jonna Thames of 40 Day Publishing in order to get a better understanding of how to use these valuable tools.
In a recent class on @Author Underground, @Jonna Thames presented a teaching on How to Grow Your Brand and Sell More Books with LinkedIn. She told us that LinkedIn is under utilized by most people but by authors in particular because we are unsure of what to post, when to post and how to do it. She said, “Authors need to use LinkedIn as one of our tools to achieve our goals, but we have to do so with purpose.”
What's Your Purpose?
Ask yourself what your purpose is. Is it to sell books? Get speaking engagements? Obtain ghost writing contracts? Obtain teaching opportunities? Or is your purpose to connect with other authors as a community? Maybe your purpose is all of the above but you can rest assured that no one will understand your posts until you understand your purpose.
Wow First Impression
Beginning with the beginning. It is important to optimize your LinkedIn profile so you can make a great first impression, which we all know is extremely valuable. In order to make that great impression you need to transport your LinkedIn profile from “Ho-Hum” to “WOW!” Doing this will land those personal conversations you are after.
Exercise Caution with a Purpose
LinkedIn gives you more room for details than Facebook or Instagram. Your viewers can learn who you are, what you do and where you are located. This is important for building relationships as well as building your business. You are more likely to have a stronger connection with people in your geographic area than you are with people who are thousands of miles away. Close is nice and can be profitable, but you also have to use wisdom in posting contact information. For instance, do not put your home address on any social media, but using your general location such as city, state or region is a safe way to present your business.
Attractive Images
First impression No No’s are things that are simply fixed. LinkedIn tells us that people with a good profile photo are 21 times more likely to be viewed than those with bad, blurry, or distant profile photos. And you are 9 times more likely to get a connection request, which is the goal of posting on social media. You want a profile photo that is clear, not blurred, not lost in the backdrop.