Who's Linked

Short video tutorials and other LinkedIn information in video format that will talk you through some of the most common actions on LinkedIn.

Yes really, personal branding is guess what ….. all about YOU!    Ok, so you realise that or you probably wouldn’t be reading this blog post would you?  But do you really know who you are?  No really, who are you, who is the person that you are showing on LinkedIn for instance?

The reason for the questions above is because I come across so many people who don’t really know who they are and as a result are not really doing themselves any favours when it comes to putting a profile together.   So where do you start?  Well, you could start with the present.  The reason for this is because it is the present that matters when it comes to a personal brand, of course what you have done in the past and the vast amount of experience you have had matters a huge amount, but it matters because it informs the present.  In other words, you probably wouldn’t be doing what you are doing now without having gone through your past experiences, even if you jumped ship into a completely different career.

How this translates online means that your summary reflects your CURRENT STATE – the things you are interested in, what motivates you, what drives you, your goals, dreams and aspiration NOW.  It also should reflect the successes you have already achieved as well as those you are hoping to achieve in the short to medium term.

Don’t forget those all important key words too, you know the ones that reflect the expertise you have, that you draw on everyday in order to undertake the role you now have  …. At the same time don’t dismiss your past experience, just because it was a different career path, it has never been truer than today to say that all of your experience is relevant, but only in context of how it is used now.

Once you realise that LinkedIn is not just another online CV storage facility, but a real, live thriving community that can help you to achieve your goals you’ll start to value the person you are today, and not the person you were five, ten or even twenty years ago.  It is the present that matters, but your present is built on the experiences of your past!

LinkedIn Made Easy, the ebook that accompanies this website, is full of hints and tips to help you make the most of the opportunity that is the LinkedIn community, you can buy it now, for just £4.99.

In the words of that famous statement ‘there is always more than one way to skin a cat’, and this is never more true that when using computers, the internet or a social network like LinkedIn.  We will all find our own preferred methods and this video below is just one simple way to make a connection request on LinkedIn. Even more are discussed in the LinkedIn Made Easy eBook, which you can pick up for just £4.99 today!

One of the most important things to remember though is to ensure that you do send a personalised request to connect, rather than the canned message that are built into the system.  There are many reasons for doing this but the most important is to demonstrate that you have  very good reason for making the request in the first place and that you aren’t simply in a numbers game.

The short video below will talk you through, in nice simple steps, how to link your wordpress blog to LinkedIn.  Of course, you need to be sure that the content of your blog is APPROPRIATE for the LinkedIn audience first! Read the rest of this entry »

On Tuesday this week I made a presentation to the Brilliant BusinessXchange run by the fabulous Laura McHarrie which talked through how important it is to engage with groups in a meaningful way.   There were five key points I wanted to make:

1. Understand your business objective
2. Understand the demographics
3. Engage appropriately
4. Know whether you are selling or serving
5. Make the time to participate

Whilst the presentation was made without notes or powerpoint on the day, I created the following video with the intention of getting my message across to as wide an audience as possible.  I hope you enjoy it.

There are many different ways to achieve most things when using a computer and the Internet, and LinkedIn is no exception.  This short video will walk you through just one way to add a connection to your LinkedIn network, quickly and easily. Read the rest of this entry »

Yes, LinkedIn Made Easy, the 30Day challenge has made it to video thanks to Rob Goodwin of Champagne Video. Read the rest of this entry »

Today I gave a talk to a group of Artists in Shaftsbury in Dorset, based in a new collective called The Cygnet based in the Swan Centre, about how they could sell online without having to use a website.  The presentation is below, if you are interested and it’s also on my LinkedIn profile too – in the slideshare application.  After I’d finished, I made my first speech about this project and asked for their help to make others aware of what I’m trying to do. Read the rest of this entry »

I had an interesting conversation with a client yesterday about LinkedIn Contacts because in the book, one of the things I talk about is what I do with business cards I have been given at an event of some description.  I happened to mention that I will usually ask the person I have met to connect with me on LinkedIn and in 80% of cases they do.  Which means I don’t then have to worry about keeping their business card. Read the rest of this entry »

Ok, so you may be a LinkedIn newbie, never heard of it and are wondering what all the fuss is about.  The first thing that everyone needs to do is create their account – this is essential, you can’t join the network unless you do!  This little video below will walk you through the steps needed to actually get yourself to the starting block. Read the rest of this entry »