HOW TO MAKE YOUR LINKEDIN PROFILE COUNT

We all know about the social networking phenomenon that is Facebook but when it comes to online business networking, LinkedIn is leading the way.
 
With nearly 120 million users globally, LinkedIn is presently the ultimate network for business professionals because it offers users (both individuals and firms) the chance to present themselves as competent, competitive and desirable commodities to a much vaster audience than could be dreamed of just a few years ago.

For the job seeker or employer (and those who just want to keep their options open), LinkedIn is like an online business card, resume, power mixer and digital handshake that can lead to valuable employment and commercial opportunities. And, though many see it as mainly a job seeker’s resource, it is also proving itself as an engine for business development by allowing you to connect to an ever expanding number of professional contacts.

TAKE A BUSINESS-LIKE APPROACH TO LINKEDIN

That’s why it’s a shame that so many otherwise skilled professionals make such a poor presentation of themselves or their firms through their LinkedIn profiles. You see, unlike Facebook and other forms of online social networking, LinkedIn is a much more sober place (imagine yourself in business professional attire while on LinkedIn) where you should be especially conscious of managing your professional brand. After all, LinkedIn at its heart is about building business opportunities, not about amassing scores of largely superficial “friends.”

Each day, millions of people comb through LinkedIn looking to connect with business peers and get answers to problems. These people could be potential clients, prospects, salespeople, recruiters or even that highly qualified employee you need to hire.

If they connect to your profile and find anything less than your professional best, you’ll be leaving them with a bad impression that you may never have another chance to fix. That’s why it’s wise to think of your LinkedIn profile as the digital equivalent of you attending a trade show, job fair or meeting with a client in a business setting. In each of those cases, you would strive to leave them with a positive impression that would win you new business, qualified employees or a good job.

DON'T MAKE THE BIGGEST LINKEDIN MISTAKE

Probably the biggest mistake made by LinkedIn users is the failure to create a compelling or even accurate profile. For starters, too many people open a LinkedIn account only to neglect doing the most basic things such as uploading a good picture, writing a strong, descriptive headline or filling out a relevant work history that highlights their main accomplishments and greatest professional strengths. They also fail to take advantage of some of LinkedIn’s most powerful features like obtaining referrals from other professionals that extol their virtues, products and services.

To be persuasive, a profile must be more than a bare bones page littered with a few rudimentary facts. To grab attention, you’ve also got to be interesting, using key words and well turned phrases that arouse curiosity and give others an incentive to check you out.

It should go without saying that your LinkedIn information be kept current. One of the biggest complaints is that profiles are not maintained in a timely way. If you want to hinder your success on LinkedIn, expired data will certainly accomplish that. The good news is that with a little bit of initial thought (followed by proper maintenance), your LinkedIn profile can be the powerful tool it was meant to be. Here are a few simple tips to help you make that happen.

• Full name, good photo – It may seem obvious, but include a first and last name along with a good picture. Simply putting “John D.” won’t cut it and neither will a haphazard, “shoot’em at dawn against a brick wall” smartphone mugshot. Remember, profiles with pictures get more views and you don’t want people checking out your LinkedIn page to guffaw at an embarrassing photo.

• Good headline – A good newspaper editor will tell you that it’s the headline that gets readers hooked. It’s the same on LinkedIn. Make your headline a strong one, usually something that incorporates your job description such as “CEO of Widgets, Inc.” Also, make sure your summary section is sharp and describes you or your firm’s abilities and client list. Use key words to help you stand out from the crowd.

• Concise history – List your most recent positions under your work history. Don’t go into nauseating historical detail and also avoid lists of clubs and organizations unless they clearly speak to your strengths and potential. Instead, emphasize your professional accomplishments with attention grabbing specifics like how you boosted 4th quarter sales by 35%.

• Get referrals – Without a doubt, this is one of the most attractive and powerful features of LinkedIn. Each contact can open the door to dozens more and requesting referrals from contacts is as easy as sending a message. If you can, try to get authentic referrals (actually composed by the referrer) rather than the built-in ones provided by LinkedIn; they’re much more powerful.

• Complete a company page – If this applies, create a page to promote your firm but remember that it must exude professionalism and polish. Using LinkedIn’s tools, be sure to include basic information about your company, post job openings (under careers), include your products and, under Admintools, you can even advertise your company via a LinkedIn ad campaign.

written by SCOTT WIGTON

A SQUARE DEAL

Why QR Codes Hold Promise for Your Business

By now you’ve probably noticed them, the quirky looking little squares made up of seemingly random blips of even smaller black and white squares.
 
These objects, resembling the blocky looking dot matrix patterns of old, are popping up in a variety of places lately, from product packaging and various print media to roadside billboards.

What are they? They’re called quick response codes, or QR codes for short, and they’re gradually gaining traction as a marketing tool throughout the United States and beyond. Although they seem to have abruptly appeared on the scene, the truth is that QR codes are not really that new. In fact, they were invented in Japan back in the mid 1990s to help automobile manufacturers, using scanning devices, track the movement of parts in their supply chains. Then someone came up with the bright idea of using these codes for wider applications, including marketing.
 
QR Codes and Smart Phones
Until fairly recently, QR codes weren’t making much headway into American markets, but the concept has received a huge boost due to the power of web enabled smart phone technology and the expansion of powerful wireless networks that deliver content on demand. Now, an ever growing number of users can access the Internet at high speed from virtually anywhere. As it turns out, QR codes and smart phones (enabled by the appropriate code reading app) go hand in hand. App-enabled smart phones can instantly scan and decode the 2 - dimensional QR code images, and, unlike standard barcodes, each QR code is capable of conveying a surprisingly large amount of information.
 
So what can a QR code do? Basically, these magical little matrices store information that is useful to end users that gives them the opportunity to acquire product information, learn about time sensitive deals and coupons, visit websites, purchase tickets and otherwise become engaged in the web of marketing promotions.
 
Various Uses of QR Codes
Because QR codes store information, including Internet URLs, about products and services, they’re gradually emerging as a legitimate vehicle that directs traffic to websites where, as you know, transactions can occur. In an age where technology both satisfies the need for instant gratification and intensifies competition, the QR code allows handheld device users (in particular, smart phone users) to more quickly access information and, hopefully, make faster purchasing decisions based on that information.
 
So let’s run down what QR codes can be used for:

• Product or event registration

• Product and parts tracking

• Promotional coupons/special offer information

• Products and services information

• Contact information

• Direct link to websites

• Link friends and customers to your social networking pages

• Mobile ticketing for entertainment and transportation

QR Codes Are Low Cost, Paper-Based ‘Hyperlink’
From a marketing perspective, QR codes are used to link conventional advertising (through various print media) to online sites and promotions. For example, in your magazine ad or coupon, you may include a QR code that when scanned opens up your website on their smart phone and potentially results in a purchase. This practice of linking physical objects such as paper promotional material directly to online resources is called hardlinking. In effect, a print ad with a QR code on it becomes a paper-based hyperlink.
 
Maybe your QR code contains information about an important new product or has a time sensitive offer or inducement to draw potential customers to your online presence. Some businesses now include QR codes on employee business cards, providing more information about the company and the services it offers.
 
Another attractive feature of QR codes is that you can make your own, for free, through any number of web-based services (just Google “Create QR code"). Not only that,QR codes are not restricted by any licensing requirements. As awareness of QR codes continues to grow and with more and more people utilizing smart phone technology and mobile applications, QR codes can become a significant, and relatively low cost, part of your overall marketing efforts.

written by SCOTT WIGTON

Put the Power Back in Your Internet Marketing

Videos Could Be Just What You Need To Drive Traffic
 
There’s a region of ocean circling the planet that sailors call the doldrums. One minute, a sailboat is cruising right along. The next minute, the sails are sagging without even a puff of wind to move them along.

The doldrums (a word derived from Old English for “dull”) have been known to last days, trapping unfortunate mariners in a stifling nightmare of boredom and inactivity.
Do those words reflect your online marketing? Maybe for months or even years you’ve enjoyed smooth sailing and suddenly you’ve come to a near standstill. Traffic has plunged, sales are fizzling out, and, in short, you’re going nowhere...just like those sailors of old.
Are you caught in the online equivalent of the doldrums?

Putting the Wind Back in Your Sails
If so, one way to put the wind back in your sails is through video marketing. A song once famously proclaimed that Video Killed the Radio Star, but video can breathe fresh life into your online marketing through compelling content say experts such as Jennings Hanna*.

“The applications and effectiveness of online marketing videos has grown enormously over the last five years,” says Hanna, an award winning film school grad and web video developer*. “This is mainly due to the dramatic increase in bandwidth available to Internet users and the rise of affordable digital video technology.”

In fact, Forrester Research indicates that videos made it 53 times more likely that your website would have a higher ranking in Internet searches versus traditional text based marketing. Other reasons you should add video? Studies show good quality video means people hang out longer on your website, increasing the chances for a transaction. Good quality (these are important words!) videos also build trust in the professionalism of your brand.

Naturally, if you do decide to incorporate video into your website (and you almost definitely should, unless you don’t mind drifting in the doldrums), you will have to make some important decisions. The following tips will help ensure happy sailing as you move through the video process.

What are you trying to accomplish? Yes, adding videos to your website and online marketing efforts can be a good move, but only if you think through EXACTLY what it is you’re trying to accomplish. Just doing a video because you think it’s cool, fun or cutting edge doesn’t cut it.  Are you trying to get more customers, make more sales or simply educate your customers and build their confidence and long-term loyalty? Your specific purpose should dictate the content for each particular video.

What are you going to film? Is your video going to be a company overview, about a certain product or service, or even testimonials from satisfied customers? Maybe it’s about an accomplishment or a particular promotion or event. Whatever it is, make sure it’s timely and relevant to your audience.

How are you going to film it? Oh boy, you didn’t go to film school did you? And it’s safe to say your next door neighbor isn’t Steven Spielberg. Don’t fear. The most sensible thing to do is bring in a creative consultant who can give your videos the level of professionalism that you and your customers expect. You, and hopefully your consultant, will decide what you’re filming and then build a shot list (a sequence of items that tell your story or make your point or pitch) that meets your goal. The advantage of a consultant is that he or she will save you valuable time and money wasted on poor camera work, poor lighting and a failure to adequately plan out the video.

“The truth is that a quality video that puts a professional face on your company requires specific knowledge and techniques that most people don’t have. While equipment costs and digital technology have made online video much more affordable, you still have to have someone who knows what they’re doing,” Hanna advises.

So you’ve filmed it. Now what? Editing, that’s what. Editing, most experts will tell you, is one of the toughest yet most critical aspects of making any video, even a short one. In most cases, you’ll be trimming down many minutes of film into a short video (don’t make your web based videos any longer than 2-3 minutes at most). Quality editing ensures that all the good stuff stays in, while the unnecessary material is cut.  You’d be surprised how difficult it is to make these decisions and too often novices fail when it comes to making a tight, relevant video. Again, a consultant can give you that critical eye that makes sure you tell exactly what you need to tell and no more.

Time to spread the word! When it’s all done, it’s time to upload your masterpiece of video marketing. Make sure to embed it on your website so people don’t have to wait for long downloads to their desktops. Also, don’t overlook posting your video to YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook and other sites that attract the all important attention of search engines like Google. Plus, include links to the video in your e-blasts and e-newsletters.

Finally, sit back, relax and enjoy the show. Video can really put the power back into your Internet marketing sails (and sales!).

written by SCOTT WIGTON

Qualities that make web content good and how to improve yours!

YOUR WEBSITE'S FATAL FLAW and why you need an honest appraisal

Remember that “stuck-up” kid in school? You know, the one who thought she had the real “wow!” factor going on and considered herself to be the coolest thing in the universe (and therefore beloved (and envied by all).
 
There was just one little problem. Nobody really loved her and few wanted to be friends with her. It’s hard to love a snob, isn’t it?
 
Well, this is just the sort of problem many websites have. Too often they’re bloated monuments to the self-importance of their owners and creators. It’s as if they’re shouting “Hey, look at me, aren’t I cool? Aren’t I smart? Aren’t I clever and cute?”
 
To which most website visitors respond: “Um, no, you’re actually pretty lame. See you later.” And who can blame them? You’re saying you’re great when...you’re so obviously not.

WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T DO THIS

It’s frequently obvious in the copy, the lifeblood of every website. Funny thing is, so much web writing is so very bad. Take, for example, this little gem pinched from a florist’s website describing a flower on offer: “Pinkly pulchritudinous and amazingly delightful, infinitely charming and sensationally fascinating. Ugh. Would that entice you to purchase that flower, or, more likely, induce a fit of eye rolling exasperation?
 
Words matter. If your web copy is oozing adjectives, clogged with shop talk (words and terms understood only by business/industry insiders) or heavily seasoned with $10 dollar words (that’s you lawyers!) that would require readers to consult a dictionary, then you’ve definitely crossed the line.

Even worse is to clumsily tout yourself, especially if you’re in a crowded and competitive e-marketplace. Consider this all too common variation of website self-appreciation: “Why choose us when you have a million choices? The answer is simple. Because we are the best! Best in quality, best in service...” etc.
 
Yeah, right! If that doesn’t sound like that stuck-up kid from school (“I’m the best!”) then nothing does! Websites that do this are essentially saying “We’re great because we say so!” (Can’t you just hear Dr. Phil asking, “How’s that line workin’ for ya?”)
 
Have you committed these website sins (among others)? Chances are you probably have and don’t even realize it. Don’t worry, though, the good news is that you can repent and change your ways!
 
It all begins with an honest appraisal, or audit, of your content. This can be personally and professionally painful, especially if you are the content creator, as is the case with many small businesses.

WHO IS THIS ABOUT ANYWAY?

The most important lesson in this process is: It’s not about you! It’s about your audience. Too many companies of all sizes inundate website customers with information about themselves and how wonderful they are. Who cares!
 
Every word and image must be geared toward meeting THEIR needs, not yours, and helping take an action or make a decision. Therefore, content rule number one is to know who your audience is, what interests them and how to meet their specific desires. Fail to heed this overriding rule and you might as well forgo a web strategy.
 
If, however, you do observe this rule, then a careful analysis of your existing or planned content is in order. The following will be helpful in guiding you through a content appraisal.
are you saying what you think you're saying?

Are the graphics, words, video and audio elements on your web pages conveying the information, the feel and the ability to take action that your audience desires? Carefully look at your content to make sure it is saying precisely what you intend it to. Better yet, have someone else (who didn’t create the content) take a look at it. Being removed from the creation process, they’re much more likely to be able to determine if your message is hitting the mark.

1. are you saying what you think you're saying?
   Are the graphics, words, video and audio elements on your web pages conveying the information, the feel and the ability to take action that your audience desires? Carefully look at your content to make sure it is saying precisely what you intend it to. Better yet, have someone else (who didn’t create the content) take a look at it. Being removed from the creation process, they’re much more likely to be able to determine if your message is hitting the mark.
   
   
2. up-to-date and accurate
   Seriously, you’ve got to keep things fresh. Info that is weeks, months or even years old is inexcusable if you expect to get anything out of your web marketing strategy (i.e. more business!). Are your links dead ends? Are your logos, copyrights and trademarks current? How about your stats? Inaccurate and old information undermines your credibility.
   
   
3. getting things done
   This is about your website visitor’s ability to get done what he or she wants to accomplish. Do you make it easy to do so? If you’re selling, is it easy to buy from you? If you’re receiving donations, do you make it easy and secure for people to give? If you’re offering information to help people make decisions, is that information accurate, concise and well presented? Again, is it actionable information or stale and useless? Remember, you must be ruthless when auditing your information!
   
   
4. go ahead and get help—IT'S WORTH IT!
   Finally, unless you are an adept copywriter or trained graphic artist and web designer, it’s best to farm out your web content to professionals. You’d be surprised how many small to medium business websites rely on unskilled, in-house content creators with results that range from the merely embarrassing to the legally suspect. Here again, however, be discriminating and don’t allow your writers and designers to make another cardinal error — that of making your website a showcase of them and their wonderful talents rather than your bottom line!

Remember, your credibility comes from helping your customers accomplish what they want when they visit your website. It doesn’t come from saying how great you are! Leave that to the stuck-up kids at school.
 

written by Scott Wigton

WANT MORE BUSINESS FROM YOUR WEBSITE? try the quality content approach.

MAKE A PLAN FOR QUALITY CONTENT
WHY YOU NEED A CONTENT STRATEGY NOW
 
Last month, we learned the essential lesson that content is king. A successful website lives and breathes good content because good content delivers what end users want. And, by doing so, you will get what you want: more business and more committed customers.

Too bad most websites get it wrong with content (text, videos, graphics, audio and any other data), that, at worst, is ill-conceived, outdated, and useless or, at best, is half-baked and underachieving.

So, what’s the answer to this low quality content conundrum? How do you take this problem by the horns and put your website content far ahead of the blundering herd?

LET'S GET SERIOUS, FOLKS!

The first barrier to overcome on the way to better website content is a psychological one. Simply put, you’ve got to take content seriously! As previously discussed, content has too often been treated like the unwanted stepchild in website development. It gets some attention, because, let’s face it, a website is always going to have content on it. However, the content that finally appears is rarely the product of a well thought out process which has been led by someone whose overriding responsibility it was to ensure end users get what they really want — actionable information. Like the unwanted and difficult stepchild, website content planning gets short shrift, and the potential of your website will suffer accordingly.

That’s why just admitting that content planning is worthy of your full attention is an important victory, though further effort will be required to impart killer content onto your website. Now it’s time for the next step: Developing a strategy to produce content that gets results for your customer and for you!

DEFINING A CONTENT STRATEGY

Without a well conceived strategy, generals lose battles and coaches lose the big games. Without a good content strategy in place, you will miss out on the whole point of having a web presence in the first place — generating and sustaining business. Of course, we all want content to be easy; if only it were. But it will be a whole lot simpler and less painful when you put a content strategy in place. First, let’s take a quick look at an important definition. What, after all, is a strategy?

Succinctly put, a strategy is a comprehensive plan, a map, to achieve a desired result. Sounds easy enough. Yet the wealth of websites burdened by disappointing content and equally disappointing results reveals that most people don’t get this fact.

Too often, novice website owners and developers make the mistake of confusing the content itself for a content strategy. The two are different animals entirely. For example, a plan to include on your website a series of videos, certain types of articles, a blog or links to Twitter and Facebook do not amount to a website content strategy. These are really just specific types of content — content tactics, if you will — that even when combined don’t yield a cohesive content strategy.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

To get beyond tactical thinking, it’s helpful to see exactly what a true strategy will accomplish for you.

Also, as noted last month, it is critical at the outset to appoint a person, a content strategy czar, to oversee this process. Rather than being a dictator, this person shepherds the process along, keeps it on track and ensures that all stakeholders’ interests are heard, respected, and, if applicable, included in the final content strategy document.

So what elements should your final content strategy document include? If done right, it will stipulate:

1. The types of content (articles, data, graphics, video, etc.) required to meet end users’ needs (and thus meet  your primary objective) and, secondly,  who is responsible for creating that content.
   
   
2. How all web content is to comply with your brand and messaging.
   
   
3. How the content is to be organized (information architecture) on the website.
   
   
4. A workflow process, cooperating with other people and departments if necessary, to ensure content delivery to the site.
   
   
5. A process (and an editorial leader) for content maintenance and updating once the site is up and running.

 
Next month, we’ll look at the qualities that make web content good and how to improve yours!


written by Scott Wigton