Blog Archives
Can’t We All Get Along?
I thought this was pretty funny, and sadly true some times. Can’t we all just get along? 🙂
My Two Cents – LinkedIn Do’s and Don’ts!
I have spent a lot of time on LinkedIn lately, and have made many valuable new connections!
Weather you want to improve your LinkedIn presence, draw more attention for your business and brand, or draw “eyeballs” for potential job opportunities, this post is a must for you 🙂
Think of your LinkedIn profile as being in a tall stack of resumes. What makes you stand out, and why should somebody click and have a look!
I will expand on these points in future posts; but for today, here is a checklist to keep near!
Do…
- Post a picture
- Complete your profile
- Keep your headline simple, and eye-catching
- Personalize your intro when requesting to connect, and say thank you when people accept
- Ask for recommendations
Don’t…
- Post a picture with other people in it, or if your face is not clearly visible
- Cram too much in to your headline (this includes no email addresses, websites or credentials that have as many letters as the alphabet)
- Connect and run! Get to know people and engage with them
- Just post your current job title in the headline – get creative
- Have grammar errors or bad sentence structure in your profile
In LinkedIn, go under “People You May Know” and scroll through.
- What stands out on profiles? What made you click to see more?
- What made you bypass people and keep scrolling?
This should give you the good, the bad and the ugly of what is happening on LinkedIn!
Have fun learning.
Help – I Can’t Find You :-(
I spend a lot of time researching websites and social media profiles to see who is doing a FANTASTIC job providing awesome exposure for their brands.
Unfortunately, not everyone is rockin’ it in this area, and I want to make sure that this critical social media strategy is not overlooked going forward.
One area that really stands out for me is the ease that I can find social media “connect” buttons on a website or blog. I find that my eyes often focus on the top of the page, and many key people that I follow put them there, or somewhere on the first page of content. On the flip side, many people bury their social media connect buttons deep in to their website, and I have to go digging to find them. If I really like what they are doing, I will dig, but typically not – it is much to time-consuming.
What I am going stress next may seem obvious, kind of “Intro To Social Media”, but humour me for a minute.
The more opportunities that you give people to connect with you, the greater the change that they actually will! People tend to be too busy, many are looking for the shortcut, and want the easiest ways to connect possible. So why not give them many opportunities to do so?
Here are some places that I make sure that I promote other places that people can connect with me:
Twitter Profile – Insert a link in the space provided under the tag line where you would like people to land and discover more about you. Perhaps your website, blog or even a Facebook Fan page.
LinkedIn Profile – There is a place on the template to include other social media profile links (and links to websites & blogs).
Facebook Fan Page Profile – Under the “About Page”, there are fields to include an email address, other accounts (which includes Twitter), and websites.
YouTube/Google+ Profile – Under the “About Page”, there is a “Links” section. You can add social media and website info there.
Pintrest Profile – There is a place to put your website link, but you can choose another social media link if you don’t have a website or blog
LinkedIn “Thanks For Connecting Note” – Every person that I connect with gets a “Thanks For Connecting” note. I always ask people where else I can connect with them, and provide the links to where they can connect with me. A shout out to Paul Castain for drilling this in to my head early in my online journey! You can check out Paul’s incredible work at http://yoursalesplaybook.com/
At The End Of Blog Posts – This is a great place to remind people where else they can connect with you, and give an email address and/or phone number if they have questions, or heck maybe even hire you 🙂
On An Email Signature – I don’t recommend listing 8 places that they can connect with you after your name. That would be a little hard on the eyes. But list a couple of places, and change it up periodically; maybe once per month?
On Social Media Channels – Sounds kind of obvious, but you can Tweet “Hey stop by my website”, or post on Facebook how to connect with you on Twitter. You get the idea.
Post Other Ways To Connect On LinkedIn Groups – Some LinkedIn Groups have discussions that allow you to post links to specific social media profiles. If you want to know which groups I am a member of, shoot me an email at TimMushey@gmail.com
Please note – I have not taken the plunge yet on Instagram, Snapchat or other social media sites that the cool kids are on. But I am sure that there are similar features which allow you to include social media & website links (and potentially email addresses).
If you have any questions about improving your link coverage & website/blog visibility, please email me at TimMushey@gmail.com
Or reach out through the following social media channels:
Twitter
https://twitter.com/TimMushey73
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/SellLeadSucceed
(don’t forget to “like” to stay connected)
http://ca.linkedin.com/in/timmushey
Google+
https://plus.google.com/+TimMushey/posts
YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/user/TimMushey
Good luck getting your content out there, and remember never pass up on an opportunity to tell people all the places that they can find you.
The Five Star 5 – Your Brand Can Rock…
If you want it to!
Seriously (my 7-year-old son loves to say that word now)!
Today more than ever, personal branding is incredibly important. The tools are there to stand out in very crowded niches and be game changers helping those who really need it.
I think many people undervalue their worth online in one, or multiple niches that they are working in.
Always remember that people love to work with like-minded people, so don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and build a kick-a** community of raving fans.
When I think of personal branding, 5 things really come to mind:
- Be Yourself – Don’t try to be somebody that you are not. It rarely works, and you just look silly
- Engage Others -Nothing worse than somebody putting out great content but never engaging their audience
- Be Consistent – One big red flag that stands out for me when I come across a new brand is if their social media content is inconsistent, with long breaks of nothing. If you are in, you are in – show up often with high quality content
- Be of Service – It is not about you, it is about your audience. Once you get the mindset of helping others, it will be a game changer. The money will be there, as long as you don’t focus on it
- Start a Blog or Website With Your Name – Even if you have an existing business, it is a great idea to be branded online with your name as well. What better way to get known online than people being able to stop by “Insert Name.com”!
- What does personal branding mean to you?
- What struggles have you had with your brand, and what steps have you taken to make yourself a “rock star” brand now?
I would love to hear your thoughts!
Shoot me an email at TimMushey@gmail.com, or comment below.
Oh yeah..let’s connect if we are not already!
- http://ca.linkedin.com/in/timmushey
- https://www.facebook.com/SellLeadSucceed
- https://twitter.com/TimMushey73
- https://plus.google.com/+TimMushey/posts
- http://www.youtube.com/user/TimMushey
Have a FANTASTIC day 🙂
The Road “Accidentally Travelled”
On the way home from our family vacation this summer, I turned on to a highway that I taken at least 5 times over the past 10 years. Or so I thought 😦
Shortly after I passed through the first town, something did not seem right. The road seemed more narrow, and we were travelling through more small towns, at lower speeds. Finally after about 45 minutes, I said to my wife, “check out where we are on maps.com”.
Sure enough, I had taken a wrong turn, and we were going in a totally different direction. I was disappointed in myself. I had delayed the arrival at our hotel and “pool time” with our kids before bed. From that moment on for the next hour or so, I tried to speed a bit to make up time. Travelling with a seven and one year old, I wanted to get them out of the vehicle and playing as soon as possible.
Then my wife told me just to relax and enjoy the journey, it was no big deal. We would get there when we get there.
From there on, the rest of the ride was fun. We saw some towns we had never seen before, had supper at a “classic” diner, and even saw Santa Claus – yes Santa Claus in August! We passed through a small town that had a large statue of Santa right on their main street. The kids really loved getting pictures with him in the middle of summer. The sunset was gorgeous, and my wife took some fantastic pictures to help remember our extended travel day.
What I took away from this is things don’t always go as initially planned, but you have to embrace the “turns and twists” in the road. When I first got online four years ago, I thought I had to know exactly where I would be going before I launched a first blog and website. I have come to terms with when I launch something new, it may look totally different six months or a year from now, but I just have to get started. Putting myself out there will be the key to success, not trying to perfect something ahead of time in my head that is unproven.
- Have things not gone according to your exact plan online?
- How have you adapted to the changes that have come your way?
- How did your feel initially, and how do you feel now about the “online path” you are on?
If you feel “stuck” or are having trouble with any aspect of your online business, I am here to help.
Heck if you need a “gentle nudge” just to get started please let me know.
I have probably had many of the same feelings and experiences that you are having now.
Feel free to email me at: TimMushey@gmail.com
Or reach out via social media at:
- LinkedIn http://ca.linkedin.com/in/timmushey
- Twitter https://twitter.com/TimMushey73
- Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SellLeadSucceed
Enjoy the rest of your week!
Saturday Music Memories – Hitting “Reset On A Music Career!”
It is no secret by now that my musical taste is quite diverse.
Growing up in the ’80’s I loved many different genres of music, but I especially liked to rock! I know I know it seems far-fetched for such a clean-cut guy like myself, but it is true!
I will never forget buying Guns N’ Roses Appetite For Destruction cassette. I was quite self-conscious that the music was a little too heavy and the message a bit too over the top for my parent’s liking. But they were pretty cool about it! Some of my friends were very in to Guns N’ Roses and we went to a concert once in Winnipeg, Canada. Lead Singer Axl Rose was less than impressed to be there which did not surprise us. My friends and I translated another song in to french, played it on an acoustic guitar, and sang it which was fun for a class project.
But this post is actually about Slash, and reinventing yourself. It is easy to “judge a book by its cover” if you have not followed Slash’s career, but he is a truly brilliant person and musician. Ever since the “soap opera” that was the first line-up of Guns N’ Roses broke up, all he has continued to do is keep working and trying to reinvent himself. He has had several different solo projects and the highly acclaimed Velvet Revolver, with former Guns N’ Roses band mates including Scott Welland from Stone Temple Pilots.
But I believe his best work is happening now with a lead singer named Myles Kennedy. You can google his name if you would like to see his bio, but the bottom line is they just click. While Axl Rose is sitting at home doing whatever he is doing, Slash is out playing new material with his incredible band plus Guns N’ Roses classics.
This is one of my favourite songs, and I believe one of the most recognizable songs of all time, even after just one strum of the guitar!
If Slash was in the corporate world, I would want him on my team, because he never gives up, never stops believing in himself and those around him, and just keeps affecting people’s lives in a positive way.
You may know this one!
Ask A Question, Get AWESOME Answers!
When people are blogging, creating products and generally sharing cool stuff with the world, there is a natural tendency to just broadcast, broadcast broadcast!
They have so much to share, get excited and just keep putting it out there in the hopes that something they do will be the next big thing 🙂
The reality is there are probably many other people doing similar things, and that is ok.
Do you want a great differentiation strategy to stand out in an incredibly crowded online marketing space?
Ask your audience a QUESTION!
Seriously.
Just ask them.
You might love the responses.
It could be as simple as:
- What topics would you like me to publish content on next?
- What are you struggling with now?
- A specific question to your niche that you would like to research
Five ways to ask a question are:
- Through a LinkedIn group – Join a group, post a question and engage with the people who comment. I LOVE this strategy!
- On a Facebook Fan Page (or personal page) – Use a great picture with your post to draw them in. People tend to respond better with multiple choice questions on this platform
- On Twitter – Utilize hashtags to extend the reach beyond your followers
- Through a blog post – If you already have an audience, go a little deeper with them.
- Through your email list (if you have one) – If your list is HUGE (not a bad problem to have) you could select a smaller group of people, personalize the emails, and make them feel special. If your list is smaller, then you could email all of them the question. IMPORTANT – if your autoresponder system (automated email system) does not allow subscribers to reply directly to an email you send out, change the settings. This has become a big deal, and the ability for people to just hit reply greatly increases the chances that they will respond.
I have learned so much from my audience by posing questions, and am looking forward to posing many more in the future. Like anything else, it takes work, but I would rather ask these critical questions than just thinking I have it all figured out.
If you have any questions related to this topic or anything else content marketing/branding/social networking related, please reach out through a comment or on Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn.
As always you can email me at:
TimMushey@gmail.com
Not following me on Facebook? Swing by when you have a sec:
https://www.facebook.com/SellLeadSucceed
Have a FANTASTIC day!
The Five Star 5 – Hashtags Are Super-Cool
I love hashtags, especially on Twitter!
I use them to:
- research topics of interest
- find interesting people who are researching the same things as me
- respond to questions that people are asking on Twitter & TV (have you seen Jimmy Fallon’s hashtag of the week question?)
- connect with people locally (I use hashtags to help attract new followers from my geographic region)
But the most fun I had recently, was following a local social media conference via their conference hashtag.
I went to the conference “Friday Night Mixer” but was unable to attend the main conference the following day. Although I was disappointed, I knew that most of the participants were active on Twitter. I looked forward to connecting with people based on their tweets from the break out sessions.
I was BLOWN away!
I made over 75 new connection in 8 hours! Most of them followed back, and I had a blast responding and joining the conversations with those who were tweeting throughout the day.
Still not convinced that hash tags give value?
Time to join the party cause the party is going on without you 🙂
Are You In A Marathon Or A Sprint?
When I first researched internet marketing opportunities, I briefly started to plan my retirement too! It seemed like everyone I was following was making six figure incomes right away, so why couldn’t I?
I soon got a reality check 🙂
Building a brand and a business is a marathon and not a sprint. It sounds cliche, but it is a very powerful analogy.
Success still takes old fashion hard work and persistence. There is no replacement for that.
You need to work at it everyday, and be patient.
Never stop learning, embrace the setbacks and have fun!
Things WILL happen!
Sell, Lead, Succeed! 