Great LinkedIn Strategies That Really Work

By Michael Cohn  |   Submitted On January 28, 2016

  

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Most likely, you understand the value of LinkedIn (at least, to some extent) and you are trying to use it as much as possible for your business. That may or may not be working very well for you. It really all depends on what you are doing and how those features apply to your particular business. However, there are some less-well-know features and tricks that may work extremely well for you. They are, in many cases, a well-kept secret.

LinkedIn and its amazing potential

You may use the free version of LinkedIn (don't worry, you are not alone; many, many people do the same thing) or you may feel that having access to additional features on LinkedIn are worth paying for so you have a subscription to the premium version of the tool. Well, you may be correct when it comes to some of the features that you are using for your business. Most likely, you are using a combination of features that are part of the premium version and some that everyone who is a part of LinkedIn is allowed to use without paying a penny.

Leveraging LinkedIn Groups

By now, it is probably safe to assume that you understand the importance of not only posting content on a frequent, consistent basis but also the importance of syndicating that content so that many other people are able to benefit from what you are writing, sharing, offering, etc.

You may or may not be aware of the fact that in LinkedIn (this is true of the free and the premium versions), you are allowed to join up with 100 groups. It certainly makes the most sense that those 100 groups (or, however, many you choose to join) should all be relevant and appropriate for you and your business and brand. When it comes to your groups on LinkedIn, the important elements that you will want to capture are how may people have viewed your LinkedIn profile, how many connections you have on LinkedIn, how many groups you have joined, and whether you use the direct messaging feature on a regular basis to communicate with your connections.

The advantages that LinkedIn offers you

If you take advantage of all that LinkedIn has to offer (we will be discussing those secrets in a little while), you will begin to embrace the fact that LinkedIn enables you to gather information on other businesses and people, communicate with people who you knew at some point on a professional level. You may have lost touch with those people but perhaps it is now the time to reconnect with them. LinkedIn also enables you to establish new relationships with people whom you hope to do business with at some point.

Aside from LinkedIn's wonderful features in general, there are several different things that you can do, which will produce a positive result for you, and which you may not have considered or even realized existed.

• Evaluating your competition: LinkedIn allows you to gather intelligence on your competitors by simply conducting a search with the names of those businesses. Once you have put in the name, the tool will generate a list of positions within the company. Once you have that information at your fingertips, you can get a handle on who works at that company and that will tell you where the strengths of that particular business lie. By looking at the number of people in any given competing business (including the positions that those people hold), you can get to know exactly what level of competitor that business is for you.


• Checking out potential employees: LinkedIn can be extremely helpful in this regard. Let's say that you are seriously considering bringing on a high-level, experienced individual and, of course, they look great on paper. LinkedIn can reveal a lot more to you about the person than the person may be willing to reveal about him- or herself. If you can obtain that information before you actually decide on whether you will hire the person, it may save you a great deal of grief before you make a mistake that will be rather difficult to get out of.


• Finding top-caliber people with whom you want to connect: You may want to connect with someone but you can't locate them online. You may need to connect with these particular people in order to do your job (or to allow your business to accomplish what it needs to accomplish). LinkedIn allows you to easily obtain information that saves you countless amount of time and effort in order to go from Point A to Point B.


• Using LinkedIn as a bridge to establish relationships: If you have been hearing about a particular individual but you just could not figure out how to actually connect with that person, if you meet the person just once, it is appropriate and acceptable for you to invite that person to connect with you on LinkedIn. The chances are very good that the person will accept your invitation. From that point forward, you can build a meaningful, mutually beneficial relationship with that person.


• Gathering leads straight from your profile: Are you aware that you are able to do this? In fact, it is very easy to accomplish. If you have written an eBook or a white paper, you can put that on your LinkedIn profile as well. You can put the links to the publication(s) on your summary and then you can continue to share those links on a daily basis.

There are many other secrets that are well guarded and that most people are completely unaware. For example, you can create a public URL that is customized to your profile, there are seven different profile photos that you should avoid (such as grainy or pixelated, a self-portrait, a photo with too little light, a photo that is not appropriate for your niche, a boring photo, a photo of you taken at a party, or no photo at all. You may or may not be aware that you can use up to 2,000 characters when writing your LinkedIn summary, and LinkedIn apps may be extremely advantageous for you and for your business.

Conclusion

Even if you feel that you have been using LinkedIn effectively and that it is helping your business to gain momentum and to make great progress, there is still a lot more that you can do with it and you should still explore a lot of territories, which, up to this point, is untapped by you. LinkedIn still has a great deal of, which, up to this point, is untapped by you. LinkedIn still has a great deal of potential and it is an excellent place to work your way up to becoming an influencer. You should always keep in mind that the content that you share on LinkedIn is valuable to other people. Those connections will appreciate every word and you will be rewarded in some way that you can't even imagine.

Michael Cohn is the founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of CompuKol Communications. He has over 25 years of experience in IT and web technologies. Mr. Cohn spent a significant amount of time at a major telecommunications company, where his main focus was on initiating and leading synergy efforts across all business units by dramatically improving efficiency, online collaboration, and the company's Intranet capabilities, which accelerated gains in business productivity. He also reduced company travel and travel costs by introducing and implementing various collaboration technologies.

His expertise includes business analysis; project management; management of global cross-matrix teams; systems engineering and analysis, architecture, prototyping and integration; technology evaluation and assessment; systems development; performance evaluation; and management of off-shore development.

Mr. Cohn earned a Master's degree in project management from George Washington University in Washington, DC; and a Master's degree in computer science and a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, NJ.

Mr. Cohn is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Michael_Cohn/404898

Banner Printing, An Easy and Effective Way of Advertising

By Simons Linde  |   Submitted On April 07, 2015

  

Make sure that the banners you are going to select for your brand and product promotions is designed uniquely by the experts. In facts all the businesses opt for some or the other means of advertising medium. One of the most effective media of advertisements have always beenbanner printing. As a matter of fact, banners have been found to be perfect for promotions, events, launches, and many other roles. But, to ensure its effectiveness, the wise idea to opt for is banners printed by professionals. You just need to select the suitable one to avail maximum benefits in an easier way.

A banner always leaves an impact on the people's mind when it delivers a message. Mostly, through clear meaning banners of particular brands or products have a great impact, to make the audience react in a very positive manner, the banner should be included with the right images and design, along with the apt layout and text. When you give the banner to be printed in the professional hands, it is made sure that the banner printing will encourage the intended audience.

No matter, the banners are temporary fittings or permanent displays, they have always been one of the most cost-effective ways of advertising. However, when a banner is being printed, there are a few things that must be focused. Some of them are mentioned here in below:

1. The foremost thing that you should look for is the size of the banner. But before deciding the size, you must ensure the type of the advertisement it is, and also the effectiveness of the advertisement on the audience.
2. The second thing that you should take into consideration is the color that will be used in the banner. Color plays a very vital role and it also affect the human psychology. There are a few colors that always attract the human beings, and the vice-verse. So, while choosing the color, you should be very careful as it can either make or mar the intention of the banner.
3. The third thing you must take seriously is the size and style of the font. It is a fact, that you yourself would not appreciate very small or very large fonts. So, the size and style of the fonts should be readable enough. For leaving a better impact on the audience, it is better to keep the color of the font black.

With these, you can expect to come up with a banner that will undoubtedly serve the purpose.

This Article is posted by Simons Linde behalf of Bannerblokes, a well known and trusted banner printing, pop up displays services providers in Australia. We provides retractable banner, vinyl banners, vinyl printer as well as flag printing that's suit to your business.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Simons_Linde/2096321

The Top 5 Recording Disasters You Should Avoid at All Costs

By Nick James  |   Submitted On April 03, 2016

  

Just as in everyday conversation, a wonderful naturalness occurs when there's balance, fluidity and variety in the spoken words. Trying to get that same 'feel' into a web audio message needs a little careful attention to the simple fundamentals. And, just as important is keeping a watchful eye on those things that can sabotage your efforts. Here's what to avoid:

1. Being Amazingly BORING

Sadly, most selling and marketing messages in print suffer from this disease. If it's dull in print, it'll be dull in the spoken word. You see, creating compelling, irresistible, can't-walk-away-from-messages is the simple treasure that'll keep people on your website in the present, and what will keep them coming back to your website in the future. Being able to transfer your genuine enthusiasm, and sincere and exciting language into a simple audio presentation can act as a powerful antidote to the sea of lifeless, achingly boring, humdrum-sounding messages.

Put yourself in the shoes of one of your prospects and challenge yourself to find out what catch phrases and key words excite them and what gives them the juice for living life. Once you do that, you'll have more information than you can handle! Use this information to your advantage and there will be absolutely no way that your audio messages will get dumped into the deaf-eared graveyard.

2. Poor Quality Recording

Trying to battle with audio messages that are poor in quality, crackly, include countless distractions, cave-like echoing, and other background noise is something most people just haven't the patience for. And I don't blame them. Which is why it's especially important, considering the trigger-happy (mouse-clicking) way people use the Internet not to cause them undue distress!

Nowadays, people are used to listening to high-quality stereo sound on their TV's, superfine state-of-the-art car audio systems, crisp sounds from their phones, DAB digital radios, DVD players, and even high audio quality from their singing, dancing morning alarm clocks. Their hearing is 'conditioned'. Give them anything less than high quality sound, and they click away right there and then!

Test the recording that you want everyone in the world to listen to before airing it. Listen for the clarity, for the crispness, for the technical excellence. Get trusted friends to give you their honest feedback on your recording. It'll save you countless lost prospects, and it'll help swell your bank account!

3. Lack of Relevant Content

Enthusiasm, drive, excitement, passion are all essential ingredients to make any conversation sparkle. But, what use is it if the core content has no structure, aim, or substance? Listening to conversations that go round in circles, with no meaningful outcome, is sure to leave audiences confused, bewildered, and clamouring for the exit door.

Having something important, worthwhile and informative in your audio presentation will keep your audience hanging on for more. Strive to research a little as to what will keep your audience intrigued, attentive, and responsive.

4. Language Gymnastics

Another killer flaw you must be on the alert for is the way in which things are said, and the language used to convey a message. Having a website with an audio file littered with 'ums', 'errs', grunts and a whole host of other conversation-killers will help your audience click away faster than a speeding bullet. Also, trying to sound lofty, pompous, or superiorly intellectual can also send prospects scuttling away from your website instantly!

The key is to speak like you talk! For some reason, when we know we're recording ourselves, we tend to clam up. We become a little more conscious about how we're speaking and about how we'll sound to the people listening. When this happens, our 'voice' loses its personality, its electricity switches itself off. Once we're able to relax and speak as if we were speaking to a friend over a cup of coffee, the naturalness and spontaneity quite simply return. Try it for yourself right now if you like. You'll immediately relate to what I'm saying.

5. Shouting rather than Conversing

If you've ever observed how fruit sellers use their voices to sell their fruits, or how policemen use megaphones to control a crowd of protesters, or how 'jobbers' on the stock market floor use their voices to get themselves heard, you would probably have thought that it's the way of their trade. You're not wrong.

And using your voice on something as 'impersonal' as the Internet is an opportunity for you to tame the coldness of it all. It will seem unusual at first to speak the opening of a message to an audience whom you have never met and whom may never have heard your voice before. But, with the magic of your spoken message it is possible to 'touch' and influence a great many more prospects than if all you had was the written word.

And 'conversing' your spoken message will give you a much better shot at someone responding to your audio, than if you blasted it across the internet like a fruit seller. Don't believe me? Test it and see.

Discover how to engage and excite new customers into taking action and spending money with you by using these simple free marketing tips from Nick James, The Internet Business Coach http://Nick-James.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Nick_James/4882

How To Create A Great Animated Marketing Video?

By Suresh Pavakkulath  |   Submitted On March 14, 2016

  

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Before we delve into this, let's look at why use videos.

Videos are great for spreading details of your products and services. You can send across your marketing message quickly and clearly to a larger audience using an explainer video.

But why use animated marketing videos?

Animated marketing videos give us much more flexibility than a conventional video shot with camera, lights and real models. Also you can create an animated video at a fraction of the cost of conventional video

There is also a major advantage in using animated marketing videos. Viewers readily accept cartoon video without questioning the actions and movements on a cartoon video. Why? Because almost all of us are used to cartoons from our childhood; and we accept and enjoy cartoon videos. We also accept any action on cartoon video without questioning it. We enjoy when a tiny mouse swallows a cheese many times bigger than him. This is precisely one reason to use cartoon videos for your marketing needs. You can present your marketing message without the viewer questioning or being skeptical about it.

Now we will look at the basics involved in making a great animated marketing video. We need to start with a marketing message, the script, voice over, video production and finally publishing the video

The message

First and foremost, you decide what the message is that you want to send across to your viewers. To put it in another way, what is it that the viewer must get when he or she completes watching the video.

The script

Once you identify the message, you should create the script to convey the message to the viewer. A script can make or break your video. So give it maximum care.

Voice Overs

Once the script is completed, you can make the voice over. There are a number of professional voice over services available today. You only need to search on the net to locate one. Fiverr.com will be a good start. Once you select an artist send the script to him or her. Explain what tone and mood you are expecting from the voice over.

Video production

Once your script and voice over is ready, it is time to look into video production.

Here you have two options for producing the animated marketing video. Give it to a video professional or do it yourself. Most professional use high-end programs like Adobe Premier and Adobe After effects. Unless you already know these programs well, it is better to leave them alone. It can take a very long time to master it to produce a professional quality video.

But you still have the option to create decent videos on your own. There are special programs for creating animated or whiteboard animation videos today; Goanimate, Videoscribe, Powtoon are just a few. You still need to learn to use these software, but these can be mastered much faster than Premier or After Effect

Publishing Video

Once you completes your animated marketing video, then it is time to publish it. You can upload it to your own website or you can load it on a video hosting service such as YouTube or Vimeo and embed it in your site. For most users using YouTube or Vimeo will be a better choice. Nothing wrong in hosting the video on your site; but it will start eating up your bandwidth and if many viewers watch your video chances are you may run out of your bandwidth limit. But if you use YouTube or Vimeo you do not have these issues. Once you publish it on any of these video hosting service, you can embed the video on your site. You can also encourage your viewers to embed it on their site to get maximum views.

Learn more about creating and using marketing videos for your business to get higher profit from your business. See the website for more details. http://goo.gl/U96rjA Also watch this short video to understand how to plan your animated marketing video https://goo.gl/5vzaiK

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Suresh_Pavakkulath/805663