LinkedIn offers a number of things which complement all of the other marketing and BD activities we do in conjunction with Shows.

There’s not one single element but a whole host of things that you can do ahead of the Exhibition, during it and as a follow up afterwards.

I’ve gathered some suggestions you might like to try:

BEFORE THE EXHIBITION

Making people aware that you are going and encouraging as much footfall at the event as possible is paramount here.

Consider changing the banner on your team’s personal profiles to announce you are exhibiting – lots of views across the team so a great place to promote it

Do the same on your Company Page – though the traffic is lower, the branding is important

Post that you will be attending and why people should visit your Stand – what are you showing or launching, who will be there, are you running a competition? All worthy elements

Let your contacts locally know you will be there – how? Use the search filters and then simply message them through LinkedIn

Create an event on your Company Page – you can invite up to 1000 connections a week & make them aware you’re attending. Great additional place to publish ongoing updates too

AT THE EXHIBITION

It’s a busy busy day and lots of pulls on your time, but occasionally take the opportunity to stay front of mind not just for those at the Exhibition, but those in your online networks.

Post at the start of the day – you’re set up & ready to go, so let people know (with suitable pictures of course!)

Perhaps use the QR code (part of the LinkedIn app) as a way to connect with people or alternative way to collect details alongside business cards

How about recording a short video in front of your stand about what you are presenting at the show or make one of a chat with a customer, a video testimonial to use after the event

Take pictures during the day with visitors to the stand & then post a ‘multiple image’ post with them, tagging the people in it to cement the link

Doing or attending a talk? Tell others about it – they will be interested, honest!

AFTER THE EXHIBITION

Yes, you have loads to do anyway – I know! But continue those conversations, develop the additional channels that LinkedIn gives you and leverage the contacts you made.

If you didn’t on the day (using the QR code), ask people who visited your stand & you spoke to if they’d care to connect. Make sure there’s a personal message mentioning your conversation & the Exhibition

Upload pictures from the Show and tag /mention those in them where possible

Announce prize draw winners, or reinforce announcements or thank your staff

Use ‘Send’ function on your Posts to send them to people you weren’t able to meet on the day by way of a follow up

Other ideas?

The post LinkedIn for Exhibitions and Trade Shows first appeared on LinkedIn Training, LinkedIn Courses and Coaching.

No. Sorry about that.

The fact is that with the variety of audiences, topics, formats, marketing options, networks & individual preferences we all have, there can never be one format that fits all. We all have different tastes and we certainly have different reasons for being on LinkedIn which makes a one size fits all approach to be almost impossible.

Indepth posts, business topics, personal successes / challenges, motivational posts, even jokes – which have certainly been successful for some people (though not to my taste) – all have their place.

However, for those looking for a general business format, here is a great framework to try when you post which should allow you to get a number of the key trigger elements in place:

1. Strong Opening
The first 2 – 3 lines are what people see so, like a newspaper headline, you need to use that to get their attention

2. Hook
You need them to click on ‘read more’ to see the rest of your post, so give them a reason to do so

3. Content
Important that you make sure what they see is of value or inspires a reaction depending on your post’s purpose

4. Call to Action
What you want them to do next – leave a comment, like, get in touch – doesn’t have to be blatant but do encourage an action

5. Visual
An image or video helps it stand out – may give visibility or add value to the post (or both!)

So many other formats to consider but is this a format you’ve tried? What works best for you?

#LinkedIn #Marketing

The post 5 Key elements to creating LinkedIn business post first appeared on LinkedIn Training, LinkedIn Courses and Coaching.

Don’t get me wrong, Posts are important for visibility but there’s much more you can tap into.

I usually encourage people to start by focussing on commenting instead, getting involved in conversations before starting them themselves.

So for me, commenting is in many ways just as important as Posting – maybe more so!

Finding relevant topics using LinkedIn’s own Content search, or by looking at the Activity area on a person’s profile is a perfect way to engage on topics & with people you really want to talk to.

Leaving your thoughts has many benefits:

Raises your visibility
You get seen by the Poster (through their Notifications) and they recognise your contribution … which is positive in itself and gets you front of mind. You also get seen by other people interested in the post’s topic hence increasing credibility with a wider interested audience.

Key point: commenting earlier helps get your comment as the first in the list increasing visibility

Builds personal brand
Your ‘headline’ field appears with your photo when you comment raising your profile – as it’s like your own personal tagline make sure that it reinforces the message that you would like them to take away when they think of you.

Key point: only the first 85 characters of your Headline field are visible here so make them count.

Increases profile views
People reading your comment will hopefully want to find out more & your Profile is the perfect place to do that! Make sure that the key parts of your Profile supports this and communicates value to those who visit!

Key point: Remember to check your “Who’s viewed your Profile” page and follow up accordingly either with an invite or a message as appropriate.

Improves engagement (both directions)
Often the author will reply to your comment which develops the conversation further – an additional benefit is that the algorithm recognises the interaction and makes sure that person is more likely to see your content in return when you do post!

Key point: use a ‘mention’ when you post the comment (ie. ‘tag’ the author, which makes doubly certain that they are notified

Demonstrates expertise
Leaving a comment which adds to the conversation demonstrates your skill & knowledge to author & readers alike – great for your reputation and the likelihood of additional connections and opportunities.

Key point: try to make the comment at least 7 words long and, ideally, make it valuable and relevant rather than a weak “Great Post!”.

Should you be commenting as well as posting?

The post Comments on LinkedIn are powerful for engagement first appeared on LinkedIn Training, LinkedIn Courses and Coaching.

The algorithm did this, the algorithm did that … and all because you’re getting rubbish in your LinkedIn newsfeed.

Well, IT’S NOT MY FAULT!

(Sorry about the capitals but I feel reallllllly strongly about this)

Well, when I say it’s not my fault, it is sort of … but it’s yours too!

“How can we help?” I hear you ask?

Well for starters if you think something you see is good and it’s something you’d like to see more of, then LET ME KNOW! I’m not a mind reader after all.

Just ‘Like’ it or ‘Love’ it or ‘Celebrate’ it or any of the other buttons – that way, I’ve got half a chance of knowing I should be showing you more things like that.

If you really want to make it really easy for me then leave a comment on the post … that will make it clear that you’ve really got into the topic and want to get properly involved.

It’s not rocket science.

If there’s a particular person whose stuff you want to see more of, then go to their profile and “like” say 5 of their posts … that way I’ll get the message and know to show you more from them when they next post.

If you don’t like something, then I’m keen to know that too. I like to learn and better myself.

Yes, really.

See the ‘three dots’ (ellipsis if you prefer) at the top? Click that and then tell me why you don’t like it and I’ll try to make you don’t see so much of it. Simples, yes?

And if you don’t want me involved at all then just change little tag at the top of the page from ‘Top’ to ‘Recent’. I WON’T BE OFFENDED … or at least I promise to hide it well.

That way you just see the latest stuff, not the things I think you want to see.

And if you really really want to avoid me, then type the words you’re looking for in the Search box at the top of the page, choose ‘Post’ and I’ll show you things that contain that word. See, now you’re in control.

I know this is a bit of a personal post and I’m sorry to have got emotional, but ultimately I just want to be loved … so please help.

And if you could take down those posts about “How to beat the algorithm” (which are really hurtful by the way) then that would be most appreciated too.

Yours truly / Hugs & kisses / Love & Peace * (delete as applicable)

The Algorithm
(Just call me Algy for short)

The post Open Letter from LinkedIn’s Algorithm first appeared on LinkedIn Training, LinkedIn Courses and Coaching.

As Lincoln is famously quoted as saying “You can’t please all of the people all of the time”.

The same most certainly rings true when it comes to your Profile as well – write it to try to talk to everyone and you’ll end up talking to no-one.

So, it’s really important to decide who is your target audience when writing it.

Looking for a job?
Then we need to appeal to people who might be interested in employing us – perhaps hiring managers or HR or specialist recruiters (did you say Talent Acquisition Managers?) in a company, or maybe agency recruiters representing them.

Looking for clients?
Then who are the decision makers in the companies you are looking at – are we talking the finance or purchasing departments, or the users of your service or product is designed for, or someone who has just been asked to do some research and build up a short list.

Personal Branding?
Who would be drawn to you by the attributes you have, the way you present yourself and the topics you talk about.

And, in each of these cases,

WHAT IS GOING TO MAKE THEM SIT UP AND TAKE NOTICE OF YOU

(And ideally, as Balzac added, then “make them get up and take action!”)

That’s what you need on your profile. Something which makes them stop, read and think … and ideally get in contact.

So make sure you give them all of that!

The post Who do you want to notice you on LinkedIn? first appeared on LinkedIn Training, LinkedIn Courses and Coaching.