Today, I need to rant a bit about the art of creating a good relationship on LinkedIn, but before I do that, I want to address the elephant in the room.  Connecting with the sole purpose of selling and not forming a relationship is not a good practice.  Here is a real example of what not to do and I believe there is a better way. I got this connection request today they requested to connect. This is what it said, “Hi, I just wanted to connect with you to see if you're interested in adding some virtual assistants.” So what's wrong with that connection request?  It's simple enough, it's innocent, enough, right? I'm going to tell you a few things that I didn't like about it, first of all, asking me for something and we're not even connected yet, that's number one. Number two, they don't even mention my name. Hi, Lorraine. So they have that information, so why not use it? And then they don't even know me, but they're assuming that I may need a virtual...

We hear it all the time: "E-mail marketing is dead."

But is it really?

E-mail marketing has been around for so long that many people think it's outdated, or even irrelevant. And while there's definitely a lot of truth to the fact that email marketing has changed, I'm here to tell you: it is far from dead.

So what makes email marketing so special? Well, for starters, it's an incredibly effective way to reach your target audience. Email marketing has been proven to be more effective than social media marketing, and even some types of paid advertising! And because it's so personal and customizable, you can send personalized messages to your clients based on their behavior and preferences—something that can't always be done on social media channels like gatekeepers standing between you and your customer—it's just you and them talking directly! That kind of connection doesn't exist anywhere else.

At the end of the day, email marketing is a highly effective tool to grow your...

LinkedIn is a great way to build your professional network. But if you're not careful, it can also become an endless stream of inane updates and unproductive conversations.

So how do you make sure your LinkedIn network is an asset instead of a liability?

First, make sure that when you're connecting with people, it's with a purpose. Are you connecting to learn more about their company? Are you connecting so that they can introduce you to someone else? Are you connecting because they requested to connect with you?

Second, think about what value it is that YOU bring to the table. What can YOU offer them as a potential connection? Are there ways that you can use them as a source of information or help them in some way? Is there a skill set or expertise that they might find valuable?

Third, be selective about who makes up your network. Do some research on each person before adding them as a contact—look at their profile and make sure they are someone who could provide value for...

If you've been using LinkedIn for business, you may have noticed that there are some things that can go wrong when using it. We've compiled a list of three issues that we think you should know about.

1. Not connecting with your clients: one of the best things about LinkedIn is the ability to connect with other professionals in your industry. This is a great way to connect with clients and potential clients, but it's also important to keep track of these connections. If you don't know how to manage these relationships, it can be difficult to stay in touch with them because they might forget who you are or how they met in the first place!

1. Not having a professional profile: if your profile isn't up-to-date or doesn't include all the information needed for people to find out more about what you do, it will be hard for people who are looking for consultants like yourself to find out about your services quickly and easily! Make sure that your profile page includes all this information so...

The buzz has been this summer that LinkedIn has done some updating, and they made some big changes to its algorithm. I believe it's important to know what that means for your content. Here is my top 4 tips for making the most of your LinkedIn content.

Before I start with the tips please make sure your profile is up-to-date. This is my pet peeve, take the time to make this right. It's important that your profile is accurate so that people searching for you on LinkedIn will see a complete picture of who you are and what you do! If you don't know what needs updating schedule a complimentary audit with me by hitting the Book a Chat on my Linkedin profile.

1. Create content with your 1st connections in mind. They are the ones that know you. Linkedin will be putting some emphasis on 1st-degree connections. So your content will be shown more to your 1st connections.
2. Engage with other users through comments and likes. This will help increase engagement with your own posts as well. In the past...

Have you ever asked, "How can I make Linkedin work for me?" or "How can I make this platform work powerfully for my business?"

I want to briefly share the top 4 ways we've seen people turn Linkedin into a powerful business tool that can work for them. Try one of them it make work for you.

1. Be active on Linkedin. This might seem like a no-brainer, but if you want to make Linkedin work for you, you need to be as active as possible on the platform. This is where most people go wrong – they only use Linkedin occasionally when they need something from it. If this is how you feel about your LinkedIn profile, then it's time to change how you interact with the platform! Remember this isn't an on one week and off the next week platform.

2. Complete Your Profile and be a rock star.

Your LinkedIn profile is your first chance to make a good impression. It's a place where you can display all the information that makes you who you are, and it's also a place where potential employers and...

If you're active on LinkedIn - and you should be - then you know having great content on your profile is crucial for growing your network. Fantastic, insightful, and engaging posts will help to connect you with more people and increase your popularity within LinkedIn. But what exactly makes a good post on LinkedIn? It might seem like it should be easy to do, but if you're connecting with the wrong professionals or delivering uninteresting content, no one will want to engage with your profile.

Here are some tips for writing killer LinkedIn posts:

1. Be Consistent -You don't have to write an essay in each post - just share something interesting once or twice a week. You'll build up an audience over time by consistently providing value through links and comments. Remember the key here is also providing value on a consistent basis.
2. Write About What You Know- If you really want people to read what you have to say, make sure it's relevant! Don't try too hard to please everyone by posting...

What are you waiting for? It is well past time that you included a video in your social media marketing strategy. We live in an ADD world with less and less patience. Video is the best way to get your message across quickly and easily.

I know what you're thinking: "I don't have time to make a video." Or, "I don't have enough equipment." Or even, "I just can't seem to get myself together enough to do this."

And I get it—I'm the same way! But here's my advice to you: Just do it.

Make a calendar, plan out your content and post dates, and then just do it. If you have questions about how to do that, reach out to me and I'll help you out.

In conclusion, it's far too easy to come up with reasons not to do a video than to take the plunge. The time really isn't that much more than sending an email or using your phone for a voice connection. The equipment is pretty much available to everyone today. And most of all when we look at the potential benefits of making a video over sending an...

I want to encourage everyone this week to stop playing small on Linkedin.

If you're like me, you probably spend a lot of time on LinkedIn. After all, it's one of the most popular professional networking sites on the Web.

But have you ever stopped to think about what you're doing with your time on LinkedIn?

While there's nothing wrong with simply browsing other people's profiles or posting updates about your own accomplishments, I want to encourage everyone this week to stop playing small on Linkedin.

I know it's easy to get caught up in the daily grind and feel like there's no time for anything but work, family, and sleep. But if there's one thing I've learned from my years of experience, it's that every minute is an opportunity to make a difference. And you can make an impact with just a few simple clicks!

I challenge you to take 10 minutes this week and connect with someone new—whether it's someone in your industry or outside of it. Your goal is simply to connect with them...

LinkedIn is a great way to connect with other professionals in your field, but it can be difficult to know when it's appropriate to reach out.

So what is the "S" word on LinkedIn? S stands for spam. Spamming others on LinkedIn is never okay, and if you're doing it, you need to stop immediately.

Just this morning I got a connection request from someone who wanted to connect with me. And their note said "I will do Facebook marketing, fix ad account issues and run conversion ad. If you want to hire a freelancer then feel free to knock me at". Obviously, this person did not even look to see what I do for a living—they just saw that I'm in the same industry as them and sent out an invite without even reading my profile! This is just one example of what not to do.

If you want your connections on LinkedIn to be meaningful, get to know each other first! Don't just randomly send out invites without knowing anything about their background or interests; take the time to get to know them...